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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MavrickWeirdo" data-source="post: 996" data-attributes="member: 107">Karkas, Worg-RiderKarkas, Worg-RiderFighter L2; small humanoid; AL NEHD 2d10+2; hp 13; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; AC 16; Atk +3 melee or +5 ranged;SQ: Darkvision 60 ft; Light SensitivitySV Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +1;Str 10, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 10.Skills: (15 points)Climb +1, Hide +0 (+4*), Jump +1, Listen +1 (+2^), Move Silently +0 (+4*), Ride +5(+2*), Search +2, Spot +1 (+2^).(* Goblin racial bonuses: +4 for Move Silently and Hide and +2 for Ride. ^ Alertness Feat)Feats:Alertness Mounted CombatWeapon Focus: MorningstarLanguages: Goblin, WorgArmor:Studded Leather, +3, check penalty –1, speed 30ft, 10 lbs.Weapons:Dagger: Atk +3 melee, +5 thrown, Dmg 1d4, crit 19-20 x2, range 10ftMorningstar: Atk +4 melee, Dmg 1d8, crit x2Possessions:Backpack, bedroll, flint and steel, “traveler’s” outfit, sack, trail rations (1 days), and water skin. 4gp 8sp 16cpFlavor:All his life Karkas wanted to be a Worg-Rider. His clan was too small to have worgs. So small that worgs were almost legends. He had no chance of becoming a worg-rider at home.Every few years one of the larger tribes would accept candidates from the smaller clans. Karkas’ clan wasn’t going to send a candidate. Their warleader felt they couldn’t afford to loose anyone. Karkas snuck away and took the long trip to the trials on his own.He arrived only a couple of hours before the trails started. He was herded into a gloomy hut with the rest of the candidates. There were a handful of other goblins there. All of them were trying not to look nervous, only half of them were succeeding. As they were milling around the hut Karkas noticed a dim light at the back of the hut. He went over to check it out and saw it was a hole in the wall. He casually sat by it so none of the other goblins would know what he was doing.When he looked out the hole he saw “The Pit”. It was a shallow circle surrounded by hills on all sides. Many goblins were sitting on the hills to watch. Karkas turned around when he heard someone enter the hut.The headsman of the tribe was an intimidating figure. It wasn’t just his size, or his scars. It was the way he carried himself. “So you are the ones who want to be Warg-Riders”, he said. “Before you can ride a warg you must face one in The Pit.” The candidates seemed quite surprised to hear this, except the largest candidate. He was actually larger than the headsman and carried a short-sword as a weapon. He reacted to the news like he expected it. The headsman pointed to a thin goblin and said, “Come with me, you’ll be first.”When Karkas looked back through the hole he saw the headsman walk to the center of the pit. The headsman said some words to the crowd, which Karkas couldn’t hear. Then he left the pit. The thin candidate entered from one side and an old scarred warg entered from the other. The thin goblin may not have been strong, but he was fast. He was able to avoid most of the old warg’s attacks and even get in some blows with his dagger. But no matter how fast he was on two legs he wasn’t faster than a worg on four. The old worg killed him and the crowd cheered.Karkas heard a voice behind him say, “What are you doing?” He turned to find the large candidate standing over him. Karkas didn’t know if he should tell the truth or lie. He was saved from doing either when the headsman entered again. He pointed to the large candidate and said, “You’re next.”Karkas waited a moment before looking through the hole. When he did the large goblin was facing off against the old warg. The this candidate did not depend on speed. Instead he counted on strength and endurance. Whenever the old warg bit him, he would hit it as hard, or harder. The worg already had injuries from the first match, so it wasn’t long before the goblin struck the killing blow. As the large candidate stood over his kill a pair of warg-riders approached him. He saluted them with his sword. When they reached him they knocked the short-sword from his hand and wrestled him to the ground. Two more goblins entered the pit, and the four of them dragged the large goblin kicking and screaming from the pit, while the crowd booed.Karkas was confused. What had the large goblin done wrong? Karkas was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice the headsman, until he heard the his voice saying that Karkas should come with him. He was brought around to the side of the pit and was told to stop. The headsman continues to the center of the pit before addressing the crowd. “For the next challenge we have a “Pup Fight”, an untried warrior against an unblooded warg.” The headsman called out. “Let them enter the circle.” Karkas was pushed, none to gently, into the pit. He tried not to slip on any bloody spots as he walked forward. Across the circle he could see his warg walking forward. His Warg. Suddenly Karkas understood. He was there to become a warg-rider. He could hardly ride it, if it was dead. Yet apparently the warg was allowed to kill him. Karkas needed to stop the warg from killing him, without killing it. For the first time he was glad his weapon was a club, not a blade.His warg was young. It had not reached full growth, but it still had the eyes of a killer. The warg lunged at the candidate and missed. Karkas tried to hit it with his club, but not to hard, and missed it completely. The warg got in a good bite and tried to knock him down, but Karkas managed to stay on his feet and grazed the worg with his weapon.Karkas realized that he needed to do some serous damage to his opponent, before he tried to subdue it. He avoids another bite from the warg, but doesn’t manage to hit it himself. The warg gets in a bite and trips the young goblin to the ground. Karkas scrambles up and away from the beast. When the warg lunges at where Karkas was, and Karkas clubs it on the head, hard. The two stop for a moment and now Karkas sees respect in his adversary’s eyes.The warg makes a cautious attack and misses. Karkas manages a careful blow to his foe’s shoulder. The warg scrapes it’s teeth across Karkas’ leg, and Karkas knocks the warg away before he looses his balance and falls. Karkas waits for the final attack, but nothing happens.He sits up and looks over at the warg laying very still on the ground. He walks over and sees that the beast is still breathing. Karkas places his hand on it’s furry neck. The warg looks into his eyes and accepts Karkas as his rider.Behind the Curtain:I decided to redo the Worg-Rider. Goblin warriors are CR 1/4, Worgs are CR 2. I felt that if a warg was going to allow a goblin to ride him, that goblin should be tougher than a “run of the mill” warrior.The stats are what the goblin is like now. The flavor is how he became a warg-rider.Worg (Standard Stats from MM)Medium-Size Magical BeastHit Dice: 4d10+8 (30 hp)Initiative: +2 (Dex)Speed: 50 ft.AC: 14 (+2 Dex, +2 natural)Attacks: Bite +7 meleeDamage: Bite 1d6+4Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.Special Attacks: TripSpecial Qualities: ScentSaves: Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +3Abilities: Str 17, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 10Skills: Hide +7, Listen +9, Move Silently +7, Spot_+9, Wilderness Lore +2*Feats: AlertnessClimate/Terrain: Any forest, hill, plains, and mountainsOrganization: Solitary, pair, or pack (6-11)Challenge Rating: 2Treasure: 1/10 coins; 50% goods; 50% itemsAlignment: Always neutral evilAdvancement: 5-6 HD (Medium-size); 7-12 HD (Large)More intelligent than their smaller cousins, worgs speak their own language. Some can also speak Common and Goblin.</blockquote>

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