The Pachydermions
by Giampaolo Agosta from Threshold Magazine issue 15Elephant-people from the Land of a Thousand Pagodas
Introduction
Pachydermions are a race of large, heavy, elephant-like humanoids. Pachydermions have grey skin, covered with patches of coarse grey hair. There are several different breeds, which share similar base characteristics, but differ physically and culturally. They are mostly vegetarians, and only a few Maelephant-blooded individuals1 can stand the taste of meat, or gain any nurture from it.
The Pachydermion societies are generally theocratic, though more primitive Pachydermion cultures exist, especially among tribes of Mammoth Pachydermions - an arctic, nomadic breed. Most Pachydermions are followers of Ssu-Ma (also known as Ganetra among them).
[Image: Ssu-Ma as Ganetra]
A Brief History of the Pachydermions
While several breeds are found on Mystara, Pachydermions originated on the planet Damocles, where they first developed space travel through clerical magic.
[Sidebar: Troubleshooting]
Mystara
While the space-faring Pachydermions discovered Mystara during the Blackmoorian Age, their colonies there soon failed due to the presence of aggressive native cultures, as well as to the rise of Blackmoor and the Great Rain of Fire. The Pachydermions of Mystara regressed to nomadic lifestyle and primitive technology, although they have better memories of the past than other races who have recovered more quickly from the technological and magical point of view. In modern times, Pachydermions are mostly found in Arypt, and to a lesser extend in Sind.
Patera
On the other hand, the Pachydermions managed to colonize the invisible moon of Patera, which was inhabited by few other intelligent beings, around 4000 BC. Protected by the invisibility properties of Patera’s core, the Pachydermions survived undisturbed until the Rakasta arrived on Patera, fleeing the onslaught of the goblinoid invasions on Mystara. The belligerent cat-like near-humans forced the Pachydermions to retreat to the mountain valleys of Kompor-Thap, which remains their largest nation. Pachydermions are also found in the Empire of Myoshima and in other nations of the invisible moon.
Damocles
On Damocles, the Pachydermion civilization declined sharply after the war with the Pyrithians around 1000 BC. The Pachydermions lost much of their space travel magics, among other knowledge, and remained isolated for centuries due to the presence of space pirates. In 500 AC, they had already declined so much that they controlled little more than one fourth of the planet. When the treachery of the mad Dark Pyrondian, Pheazar, became clear, the Pachydermion theocracy joined the other nations of Damocles in a doomed attempt to save the planet, which finally exploded in 1010 AC, destroying the original source of the Pachydermion race and culture.
[Image: Damoclean Pachydermion]
The AD&D 2e Pachydermion Character Race
While their powerful physiques allow them to become good warriors, most Pachydermions share a pacifistic philosophy. They often become priests or craftsmen. Due to their bulky body, to their clumsiness in moving, and to their lawful and good tendencies, they never become thieves. They make mediocre wizards or bards, too, as they have little magical talent.
Racial Abilities
Ability Scores: Pachydermions are very strong, and more resilient than other races. Their meditative and philosophical bent also provides them with a Wisdom bonus. However, they are clumsier than smaller humanoids, and they often seem aloof to other races.
[Table: Pachydermion Ability Scores]
Alignment: Pachydermions are rarely, if ever, Evil. Many are Lawful Neutral, although individual breeds show specific tendencies (see below).
Prehensile trunk: A Pachydermion’s trunk is prehensile, and can perform simple to medium manipulation. In particular, Pachydermions can swing light melee weapons with their trunks.
Distance communication: Through trumpeting and emitting low-frequency sounds, Pachydermions are able to communicate at great distances, much like lupins using their howling ability.
Senses: Pachydermions have Infravision, with a range of 60'.
Extra Hit Points and damage: Pachydermions fall in the range of Large creatures, therefore they suffer damage from weapons as Large opponents. However, a Pachydermion receives 7 extra hit points at first level.
Height: 7' to 11', depending on the breed.
Weight: from 500 lbs for short females to up to 1000 lbs for a very large male specimen.
Eyes: usually dark (chestnut to black).
Hair: short and coarse, various shades of grey, only for Mammoth and Oliphant. Hollyphant-blooded sport patches of light, golden fur on their chest and back. Other breeds have a grey, leathery skin, with little, if any, body hair.
Bloodlines
There are several breeds of Pachydermions, not all of which are found on Mystara -- some breeds are unique to Myoshima and Damocles.
[Table: Pachydermion Bloodline Diffusion]
The most common breed takes from the common Elephant, and is less biased or specialised than the others. Its members are especially good at crafts and make powerful priests of lawful good Immortals.
Maelephant-blooded Pachydermions are outstanding guardians. They make powerful warriors, and only rarely choose other careers. They are extremely loyal, and never betray an employer. However, they are quite aggressive, and especially nasty, by Pachydermion standards (they are still generally not evil, but they often walk quite near the border).
Baku-blooded Pachydermions (if psionics are allowed) make extremely powerful psionicists, and can be good priests too. They are among the less common subspecies, and are usually travellers, wandering alone or in small family groups. Holy Baku are very intelligent, and are the best Pachydermion wizards.
Mammoth and Oliphant Pachydermions are stronger and tougher than their cousins, and also more aggressive. Mammoths are quite primitive, by Pachydermion standards, and live in subarctic regions, in small clans.
Oliphants are the warriors and soldiers of the Pachydermion nations. They are more mercenary than most Pachydermions, with the exception of the Maelephant-blooded.
Pachydermions with the blood of Hollyphants are a fairy people, weaker and gentler than the other subspecies, but strong supporters of Good.
Sindhi and Aryptian Pachydermions are the most common races on Mystara. They are large (especially the Aryptian breed), and have a nomadic culture. Sindhi Pachydermions still maintain some hidden cities, where they come back for great gatherings of their race. Both breeds are known for their great intelligence and wisdom, and for their great knowledge of history. This knowledge is always oral, and is taught to the young by the elders, so that it is preserved through the generations. Their memory is faultless, to the point that they never forget an experience or information. Therefore, they are sometimes sought after for their information, but they require large payments to share it.
[Table: Pachydermion Bloodline Qualities]
Character Classes and Skills
Pachydermions cannot become Thieves, due to their bulk and clumsiness. They make effective Clerics (or Specialist Priests) and Fighters, and can also access the other standard classes, although some classes are only open to specific breeds, and some breeds are more effective in certain classes. For example, Oliphant Pachydermions make superior fighters, whereas only the Elephant and Hollyphant Pachydermions can access the Paladin class.
[Table: AD&D 2e Classes & Level limits]
Although Pachydermions cannot be Thieves, a Thief skills modifiers table is provided for Pachydermion Rangers and Bards.
[Table: Thief Skills Modifiers]
Due to breed specialization, some Non-Weapon Proficiencies are available at the standard cost even when taken by a Pachydermion character which has no direct access to them due to class restrictions.
Elephant, Maelephant, Good and Holy Baku, and Hollyphant: Religion, Ceremony, Reading/Writing.
Mammoth, Oliphant: Blind-Fighting, Tracking, Survival.
Aryptian, Sindhi: Ancient History, Local History, Sage Knowledge.
The BECMI D&D Pachydermion Class
Pachydermions can be used in BECMI D&D games as well. They are typical creatures, albeit large sized. They receive a +1 bonus to Strength, to a maximum of 18, and have minimum scores of 11 Strength and 9 Wisdom.
Pachydermion characters can become Shamans or Wicca up to level 12. As Pachydermion Shamans from Kompor-Thap or Damocles use the full Cleric spell list rather than the Shaman list.
Pachydermion warriors often wield multiple weapons. As other characters, they wield a secondary weapon at one level of Weapon Mastery less than their actual training. They can also wield a third weapon in their trunk, although it must be a light melee weapon, and it is used at two levels of Weapon Mastery less than their actual training.
[Table: BECMI Pachydermion Player Creature]
All Pachydermion characters must acquire two breed-specific skills.
[Table: Pachydermion Cultural Skills]
Acknowledgements
Pachydermions first appeared as monsters in AC9 Creature Catalog. If the present write-up is used, the Pachydermion race described in the Creature Catalogue is an average of the Aryptian and Sindhi breeds, the only ones common the Outer World of Mystara.
Several people contributed ideas to the original version of this work, including Cobra CAO, Michael Diehm, Christopher Cherrington, and Thibault Sarlat.
Images
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[Image: Ssu-Ma as Ganetra] E. A. Rodrigues, Ganesh, 1892 [Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons |
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[Image: Damoclean Pachydermion] J. I. I. Gérard, Illustration from the book “Scènes de la vie privée et publique des animaux”, 1842 [Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons |
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Tables
[Table: Pachydermion Ability Scores]
|
Stat |
Min/Max |
Adj |
|
Str |
11/18 |
+1 |
|
Int |
3/17 |
|
|
Wis |
6/18 |
+1 |
|
Dex |
4/17 |
-2 |
|
Con |
10/18 |
+1 |
|
Cha |
3/18 |
-1 |
[Table: Pachydermion Bloodline Diffusion]
|
Breed |
Freq. |
Climate |
Location |
|
Elephant |
40% |
(Sub)Tropical Jungle |
Myoshima, Damocles |
|
Maelephant |
6% |
Any |
Myoshima, Damocles |
|
Good Baku |
8% |
Tropical Jungle |
Myoshima, Damocles |
|
Holy Baku |
2% |
Tropical Jungle |
Myoshima, Sind, Skothar |
|
Mammoth |
10% |
Subarctic Plains |
Myoshima, Damocles, Hollow World |
|
Oliphant |
8% |
Temperate/Subarctic Plains |
Myoshima, Damocles, Hollow World |
|
Hollyphant |
2% |
Any Temperate |
Myoshima, Sind, Skothar |
|
Aryptian |
20% |
Savannah |
Aryptian Savannah |
|
Sindhi |
6% |
(Sub)Tropical Jungle |
South-Western Brun, Sind, Skothar |
[Table: Pachydermion Bloodline Qualities]
|
Bloodline |
Avg. Ht. |
Align. |
Special Abilities |
|
Elephant |
8' |
Any |
Bonus Skill: 1 craft skill at +2 |
|
Maelephant |
9' |
LN |
+2 against surprise, can use Alarm spell 3/day |
|
Good Baku |
8' |
NG |
Trumpet (as Rakasta Roar) vs Evil opponents |
|
Holy Baku |
8' |
TN |
+1 Int |
|
Mammoth |
10' |
CG/NG |
Bonus Skills: Survival (Subarctic Plains), Orienteering |
|
Oliphant |
9' |
LN/TN |
+1 Str, -1 Cha, can use tusks in combat for 2d4 damage |
|
Hollyphant |
7' |
LG/NG |
+2 bonus to ST vs Poison, Cure Light Wounds 1/day, -2 Str, +2 Cha |
|
Aryptian |
10' |
Any N |
Infallible Memory |
|
Sindhi |
8' |
Any N |
Infallible Memory |
[Table: AD&D 2e Classes & Level limits]
|
|
Elephant |
Maelephant |
Good Baku |
Holy Baku |
Mammoth |
Oliphant |
Hollyphant |
Arypt |
Sindhi |
|
Fighter |
122 |
15 |
103 |
104 |
12 |
U |
8 |
12 |
10 |
|
Ranger |
8 |
-- |
12 |
12 |
14 |
8 |
-- |
8 |
8 |
|
Paladin5 |
15 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
12 |
-- |
-- |
|
Wizard |
6 |
-- |
-- |
12 |
4 |
4 |
8 |
12 |
12 |
|
Priest |
156 |
10 |
15 |
15 |
12 |
8 |
157 |
12 |
15 |
|
Psionicist8 |
10 |
109 |
U |
U |
810 |
1211 |
12 |
8 |
8 |
|
Bard12 |
8 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
6 |
4 |
-- |
8 |
10 |
[Table: Thief Skills Modifiers]
|
Skill |
>9' tall |
9'+ tall |
|
Pick Pockets13 |
-10% |
-15% |
|
Move Silently |
-15% |
-25% |
|
Hide in Shadows |
-10% |
-20% |
|
Climb Walls |
-15% |
-15% |
|
Detect Noise |
+10% |
+10% |
|
Read Languages |
+5% |
+5% |
[Table: BECMI Pachydermion Player Creature]
|
Level |
XP |
HD |
AC |
Size |
|
Whelp |
-32,000 |
4d8 |
9 |
M |
|
Youngster |
-24,000 |
5d8 |
9 |
M |
|
Teenager |
-16,000 |
6d8 |
8 |
L |
|
NM |
0 |
7d8 |
7 |
L |
|
1 |
32,000 |
8d8 |
7 |
L |
|
2 |
96,000 |
9d8 |
7 |
L |
|
3 |
224,000 |
- |
7 |
L |
|
4 |
480,000 |
10d8 |
7 |
L |
|
5 |
780,000 |
11d8 |
7 |
L |
|
6 |
1,080,000 |
12d8 |
7 |
L |
|
7 |
1,380,000 |
- |
7 |
L |
|
8 |
1,680,000 |
13d8 |
7 |
L |
|
9 |
1,980,000 |
+2 hp |
7 |
L |
[Table: Pachydermion Cultural Skills]
|
Breed |
Skills |
|
Elephant |
Religion, Ceremony/Mysticism |
|
Maelephant |
Alertness, Religion |
|
Good Baku |
Religion, Ceremony/Mysticism |
|
Holy Baku |
Religion, Ceremony/Mysticism |
|
Mammoth |
Tracking, Survival |
|
Oliphant |
Blind-Fighting, Survival |
|
Hollyphant |
Religion, Ceremony/Mysticism |
|
Aryptian |
Ancient History, Local History |
|
Sindhi |
Ancient History, Sage Knowledge |
Sidebars
[Sidebar: Troubleshooting]
What if I don’t use Damocles?
In case the background of Damocles exposed in the companion article appearing in this issue of Threshold Magazine is not used in the campaign, the best option is to modify the history of the Pachydermions and make them a native Pateran race. No changes are necessary to the history of Pachydermions on Mystara.
What if I don’t have access or interest in the AD&D bloodlines?
Several bloodlines are based on AD&D monsters, such as the Maelephant, Baku, and Hollyphant. They can be easily ignored in a BECMI campaign. Just use Aryptian and Sindhi Pachydermions on Mystara, Elephant Pachydermions on Patera, and Mammoth Pachydermions in the Hollow World.
But I don’t use BECMI either!
You can use the Loxo in D&D 3e, possibly with modifications to take into account the fact that Pachydermions have a single trunk, whereas the Loxo have two.
If using Pathfinder, you can create a Pachydermion race. It is a Monstrous Humanoid, has Large size, standard Speed and Languages, and the Multi-armed trait (to cover the trunk). Ability scores modifiers are +2 Str, +2 Wis, -2 Dex. It has the Skill bonus and Skill training traits for two skills, depending on the bloodline, choosing from Knowledge (religion), Knowledge (history), Knowledge (local), and Survival.
In D&D 4e, you should likely tailor the Goliath, and create a “prehensile trunk” racial feat.
1Maelephants are a planar race of elephantine humanoids, described in the Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix.
2Fighters with Defender kit can reach level 15
3Fighters with Defender kit can reach level 12
4Fighters with Defender kit can reach level 12
5This class is optional.
6Unlimited advancement for LG Priests.
7Unlimited advancement for LG Priests.
8This class is optional.
9Must choose Psychokinesis or Psychometabolism as primary discipline.
10Must choose Psychokinesis or Psychometabolism as primary discipline.
11Must choose Psychokinesis or Psychometabolism as primary discipline.
12Pachydermion Bards use the Trader kit, so they cast priest spells; Sindhi Bards may use the Loremaster and Riddlemaster kits instead, and gain wizard spells.
13I doubt they can really pickpocket anyone shorter than 7'; the modifier is mostly there for use with other creatures of Large size, and for prestidigitation; Pachydermions can use their trunks in sleight of hand tricks, getting a +5% bonus.