Neanderthals

[Meadyaon]

How close is the FrostBurn's Neandertal to the real life Neanderthal. Neanderthal are my favorite hominids. Neanderthals are adapted to the cold with short limbs. A few character descriptions of human like creatures I make have features of Neanderthals. The Neanderthal used spears and would get up close to prey to use them because they did not know how to throw them. Neanderthals have twice the strength of modern humans.

Physical Description of Neanderthals: Their long thick skull slopes low over their brain. The back of their skull has a bulge (a protuberance of the occipital bone, which looks like a hair knot). They have prominent brow ridges. They have powerful jaws and teeth. Beneath their eyes, their face juts forward, making their cheekbones angle to the sides. They have a very large nose. Neanderthals do not have a canine fossa. They have a retromolar space. They lack the projecting chin of modern humans. Their limbs are shorter then those of a Human (cold adaption). Their scapula is relatively short and bowed. The have a long pelvic pubis. They have a mastoid crest located behind the external auditory meatus. Their tibia and fibula are relatively short. Their patella is large and thick (kneecap).
Height: Males (5'5") Females (5.1")

 

[Sekhmet]

...twice the strength of modern humans. (and) used spears (...) up close (...) because they did not know how to throw them

Citation needed.

Neaderthals in Frostburn gain:
+2 Str and Con, -2 Dex and Int.
Base speed is 30,
Size is medium.
+2 spot, listen, and survival.
Illiteracy.
Primitive Weapon Mastery: +1 racial bonus to attack rolls made with primitive weapons (bolas, club, dart, greatclub, goad, harpoon, iuak, javelin, longspear, quarterstaff, ritiik, shortbow, shortspear, sling, spear, sugliin, throwing axe, and tigerskull club).
Climate tolerant: Do not make fort saves in extreme environments between -20 and 140F.

This is more or less an accurate representation of neanderthals in history, from what we've learned anthropologically.

 

[kitcik]

I think you have to ask yourself that question.

{sorry, couldn't resist}

Seriously, Wiki has a description that is not that far removed.

 

[Tovec]

I'm an idiot. Ignore this please.

 

[trancejeremy]

I've always thought that Neanderthals were essentially Orcs.

Maybe not completely fair, but sort of fits. It explains why you could have half-orcs and such.

And then Goblins and such are on a completely different branch - chimps. (Have you seen a chimp without hair? They are goblins)

 

[the Jester]

The Neanderthal used spears and would get up close to prey to use them because they did not know how to throw them.

Monkeys throw poop. It's not a particularly advanced concept, all it takes is thumbs and an arm capable of making a cast. I'd be willing to place a large bet that neanderthals knew how to throw rocks and spears to bring down prey.

 

[Ashtagon]

Citation needed.

Neaderthals in Frostburn gain:
+2 Str and Con, -2 Dex and Int.
Base speed is 30,
Size is medium.
+2 spot, listen, and survival.
Illiteracy.
Primitive Weapon Mastery: +1 racial bonus to attack rolls made with primitive weapons (bolas, club, dart, greatclub, goad, harpoon, iuak, javelin, longspear, quarterstaff, ritiik, shortbow, shortspear, sling, spear, sugliin, throwing axe, and tigerskull club).
Climate tolerant: Do not make fort saves in extreme environments between -20 and 140F.

This is more or less an accurate representation of neanderthals in history, from what we've learned anthropologically.

Frostburn Neanderthals fulfil all the expected tropes, but they are about as historically accurate as the average depiction of Vikings.

 

[Meadyaon]

Frostburn Neanderthals fulfil all the expected tropes, but they are about as historically accurate as the average depiction of Vikings.

I got that as well. So what trope do they fill? I thought all of your answers where interesting.

I meant to say that Neanderthal would get up close to their prey then throw their spear. That means that they did not use their spears as long range weapons.

I thought the atlatl or spear-thrower was the most advanced weapon during the time of the Neanderthal.

 

[Ashtagon]

The Frostburn Neanderthal fills the "cold-adapted proto-human brute" trope quite perfectly. That isn't H. Neanderthalis though. The nose structure actually suggests they were adapted for hot climates.

As for prehistoric weapons...

The oldest known spear-type weapon dates from 400,000 years ago, although archaeological evidence suggests they may be about 5 million years old. It is unknown whether these were primarily used for melee or ranged combat, although it is reasonable to suppose early Man made use of both techniques from an early stage.

Spear throwers (aka atlatl or woomera) are known to have existed from 17,500 years ago, and possibly as early as 30,000 years ago. Note that by this point, H. Sapiens was the only major humanoid species extant.

The oldest surviving sling was found in an Egyptian tomb, dating to 1325 BC. They are known to have been used in Mediterranean neolithic cultures (12,000 years ago).

The oldest suspected arrowheads date from 64,000 years ago (it is unknown whether they were actual arrowheads, or simply stone age cutting tools of some other type). The oldest bow fragments date from 11,000 years ago.

 

[emoplato]

The Neanderthal used spears and would get up close to prey to use them because they did not know how to throw them. Neanderthals have twice the strength of modern humans.

It wasn't that they didn't know how to throw, it just they didn't make spears to be thrown. They would throw rocks at small game, but the spears were made for melee combat for larger opponents or game. They were long and heavy with a stone flint.