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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cleon" data-source="post: 7205385" data-attributes="member: 57383">Caprine Original StatsCaprineCaprines have a -2 penalty to Wisdom. However, a +1 bonus may be applied to Constitution and Charisma, or a single +2 bonus to one of these two abilities at the player's option. Although they don't benefit from elven ability score adjustments, ovinaurs have other common elven abilities, as described in BECMI or the AD&D game.Caprines are primarily Fighters. If using AD&D rules, they may be Thieves, Druids or Bards as an option. The -30% experience penalty applies in all cases. Caprines cannot otherwise be Paladins, Assassins or any other subclass. All alignments are available to them.Like ovinaurs, caprines have access to second level Goat Magic cast at half their experience level (rounded down). They otherwise participate fully when goatlings summon their coven. Caprines can plainly see invisible fairy folk.Love and Passion: One of the striking traits of caprines is their propensity for revelry. They love rustic music, drinking, dancing, frolicking amid meadows and woodlands, and above all, courtship. Love and passion are the primary ingredients of their lives.Caprines have an ulterior motive for throwing lavish parties, besides their own jovial nature. When a great gathering of people partake of caprine-fostered revelry with reckless abandon, their mindsets generate a special resonance in the ether, which generally enhances flora in the region and the land's fertility, making woodlands more suitable to fairy folk in general and dryads in particular. Caprines boundless exuberance impacts much of the region's fairy population, including nixies, pixies, sprites, nymphs of all knids, and very rarely treants. This feat is valuable since there are far fewer dryads than caprines.Dryads are necessarily polyandrous, marrying more than one caprine, and entertaining relationships with many others. Mating with unattached caprines is an exercise in evaluating how suitable a caprine is to father offspring. Mating with other races results from the dryads' facetious nature and their fascination with charismatic males. Married households nevertheless endeavor to generate new tree spirits or young male caprines who are later released to the care of their fathers.Conversely, dryads forgive their companions consorting with specimens of other races because the intensity of the passion generated by the caprines and their partners easily exceeds that of mere festivities, dance, music, or drinking. In fact, he who resonates the best harmonics in the ethereal has the greatest chance of finding a dryad mate and producing healthy offspring. Caprine and dryad genetics being so fundamentally different, this resonance is indispensable for best results. Caprine offspring born to other races do not yield caprine stock, but children of the other race with vaguely elven features and none of the goatmen's power.Caprine motivations for much of what they do in their lives revolve around themes of entertainment, passion, and reproduction, which leads them to seek and generate pleasure around them. This mechanism socially ranks caprines and provides them with certain tangible advantages. The flute is one of the most common tools of their trade (although others may be used, like a lyre or pan pipes, for example). Caprines use flutes to generate certain effects, depending on the resonances they create.Striking a Resonance: there are several methods to resonate harmonics in the ethereal. The list below describes the most common methods, durations, and the value of their resonance in the world's ether. Each can be attempted only once per day, usually in a busy tavern, a village, or a city street. Those requiring an ability check may be empowered.Joyous Cavorting: frolicking amid meadows and forests remains the simplest method, available to caprines of all ages and levels.Duration: 1 hour …… Resonance: 1d6 notes Playing Music: one of the greatest pleasures enjoyed by any race or gender, for caprines level 2 or higher. It requires at least one more person willing to listen, and a Charisma check. The level by which the check succeeds determines how many people in a crowd stop to listen.Duration: 1 turn …… Resonance: 1 note per listenerMerry Drinking: naturally, a flagon of mead or fine wine does marvels when the going gets grim for caprines level 3 or higher. It requires a Constitution check, at least one other person with whom to share the beverage, and a flagon for each. The level by which the check succeeds determines how many people in a crowd stop to have a drink, especially if it's free.Duration: 1 turn …… Resonance: 1 note per drinkerDancing Dizzily: A step beyond frolicking, and none of that subdued medieval pacing about, pretty please. It requires a Dexterity check from a caprine level 4 or higher, a source of music, and at least one dancing partner. The level by which the check succeeds determines how many people in a crowd join the fun.Duration: 1 turn …… Resonance: 1 note per dancerReveling with Reckless Abandon: is a combination of all of the above for caprines level 5 or higher. It requires a crowd of at least 20 guests (or 20 HD-worth) initially, a source of music, lots of good food and drinks, and a site prepared for the occasion.The caprine's, player must make three ability checks (Cha, Con, Dex). If at least two out of three succeed, the level by which the best check succeeds determines how many people (or HD-worth) are charmed and join the fun.Keep making ability checks until at least two out three checks fail. The actual number of charmed revelers may exceed the initial number of guests, as others may show up. Each check takes 1 hour. The charm lasts until the next morning, when everyone wakes up (some of whom might be none too pleased).Duration: 1+ hours …… Resonance: one note/charmed revelerHarvest the Fruit of Passion: The world belongs to the bold and dashing caprines level 6 or higher. A night of heaven with the fairest of them all will echo throughout the ether of this world. The object of the caprine's attention must fail a saving throw vs paralysis for the suitor to prevail. Two penalties apply: a) -5 if charmed, b) subtract the caprine's Cha bonus adjustment, c) -1 per aptly role-plated courtship maneuvers at the DM's discretion.To determine the actual harmonic resonance, add the partners Cha bonus to the amount by which the saving throw failed. If the caprine is of lower level than his partner, multiply the result above by the difference in their levels/HD. Following particularly raucous nights, partners other than dryads may expect a commitment in absence of which said partners may feel rather miffed and eager for requital.Duration: 1 night or 1d4+4 hours …… Resonance: see aboveBenefits of Resonance: The total accumulated resonance determines what abilities are available to a caprine. Only one day's worth of resonance can be accumulated at any time. Abilities can only be used once and require the use of a caprine's flute or other chosen instrument. Unused abilities remain available until the caprine begins a new day's work (frolicking, playing music, etc), which resets the process. What day to accumulate resonance remains at the player's discretion. Unspent abilities cannot be saved for later use when the caprine starts accumulating new harmonics. The powers described below cannot be empowered unless indicated otherwise. Some require a caprine to play music for more than a round. If it sustains from an attack. The caprine's music is interrupted and its effect ends. <table style='width: 100%'><tr><td>   Table 5. Resonance</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Total </td><td>Abilities</td></tr><tr><td>1-5 6-10 11-20 21-40 41-70 71-100 100+ </td><td>Ferocity, Morale Damper, Taunt Charm, Fear, Sleep Mask, Summon Fairy Folk Killer Cheese, Vitalize Covet, March to War Sound of Death </td></tr></table> Charm: non-associated members within a 40' radius must save versus spell or be charmed and sit entranced while the caprine keeps on playing. The effect lasts as long as the caprine plays. (BECMI only*)Covet: all within a 40' radius desire something or someone in the caprine's presence. A saving throw vs spells negates the effect. Those who fail become obsessed with acquiring the indicated object or gaining the company of the indicated person. How they approach the issue depends entirely on their intelligence (no mass suicides). The effect lasts one day per level of the caprine.Damper: negates an attack relying on sound, such as the song of harpies, fear-instilling roars, etc. It also soothes shriekers and keeps them silent. (BECMI only*)Fear/Remove Fear: similar to the clerical spell except it covers a 40' radius. Fear lasts for 1 round/level of the caster. Can be empowered.Ferocity: +1 bonus to hit to companions within hearing range, or +10 bonus to a War Machine unit's BFR. The caprine needs to play his instrument for one round for dungeon encounters, or for the duration of a battle for War Machine encounters. (BECMI only*)Killer Cheese: the caprine needs a vat or bucket of milk of any kind. His music turns it to cheese. Although its taste and consistency are outstanding, it begins to exude concentrated fumes 1d4+1 round after it is made. Its smell is strong enough to be detected within 200' in a dungeon, or within a mile outdoors, possibly attracting monsters.   Fumes are highly inflammable (unless the cheese is consumed) and, if within 10' of an exposed source of fire, the cheese explodes, inflicting 1d6 points of battering damage per level of the caprine. Unexploded cheese may be cut into chunks, as many as one creamy morsel per level of the caster or any combination thereof, and handled in anyway the caprine or his companions desire. Can be empowered.March to War: causes 4 HD-worth of creatures per level of the caprine, and within a 40' radius, to fade into the ethereal plane along with the caprine. Unwilling creatures may save vs. spells to avoid the effect.The effect lasts as long as the caprine keeps playing his music, after which everyone reappears in the Prime Plane. Anyone straying more than 40' from the caprine immediately reappears. While in the ethereal, the caprine may march as he plays. A successful attack will cause him to stop playing his music. Can be empowered.Mask: alters the caprine's facial traits, voice, and body to appear as a human or elf (or half-elf for AD&D). Facial traits cannot be those of an existing PC or NPC, but can be recreated multiple times to impersonate the same character. The caprine's abilities are unchanged and the alteration lasts one night or 1d4+4 hours.Morale: +1 bonus to retainers, allied NPCs, or +10 Morale to a War Machine unit. The caprine needs to play for one round for dungeon encounters, or for the duration of a battle for a War Machine encounter. (BECMI only*)Sleep: as the sleep spell. Cannot be empowered.Sound of Death: as long as the caprine keeps playing his heart-wrenching cacophony without being interrupted, all foes within 40' suffer damage equivalent to 10% of their total hit points per round (no save). It is a difficult and demanding dissonant tune tapping into the caprine's own life force, reducing his hit points 1d4 each round. If he does not play all ten rounds of the tune, the caprine permanently loses a point of Constitution. If he does complete it, the ethereal harmony is disturbed and no other abilities are therefore available until the caprine starts accumulating resonance once more.Summon Fairy Folk: the caprine summons a number of HD-worth of fairies or woodland beings equal or less than his own and friendly to him. Dryads cannot be summoned. Summoned fairy folk appear on the next round if in a pastoral setting, or 1d4+1 rounds later in any other environment. They remain 3 rounds +1 per level of the caprine during which they will help the caster in any way they can. Can be empowered.Taunt: foes within a 40' radius must save vs spell or charge toward the caprine to interrupt his offending music. The caprine may keep on playing if more potential victims are expected to show up(*) Eliminate an ability for the AD&D game if it duplicates a Bard ability.Originally appeared in Goatmen of Kavaja by Bruce Heard (2012).</blockquote>

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