Yazarians
by Cab DavidsonYazarians are a spacefaring race of roughly man-sized creatures resembling short-furred simians, with tan to brown fur across most of the body and a thicker mane of fur around the shoulders and head. A flap of skin stretches between their arms and legs, allowing them to glide. They stand around 5’ to 5’6 tall, rather more upright than most other simians.
A population of lost yazarians can be found living between the Southern cliff faces of Denagoth and the dark pine woods of Wendar. They were stranded there over 600 years ago, so long ago in fact that their elders (few live longer than 60 years) speak only of the ‘before times’ as a time when their ancestors travelled between the stars. They are the most intelligent of the core races of the Galactic Federation, a fact often masked by heir tendency to be pushy, aggressive and on occasion simply hostile, and they have shown themselves to be a technologically capable race able to create some of the most potent mechanical items the galaxy has ever seen. Unfortunately most of this knowledge is completely lost to the population living on Mystara. This has been sufficient for immortals of Mystara to treat them with great caution, remembering the damage brought to the world by earlier technologies in the Blackmoor era. And the quest to escape Mystara, to return to the stars, is not one that has been encouraged until very recently, when a new player has emerged among the immortals.
An interesting aspect of yazarian culture is the concept of ‘life enemy’, chosen at any time in a yazarians life. This may be a competing group, an enemy race, or even a specific disease (if the yazarian is a doctor) or company (if the yazarian is in business). The more potent the selected enemy, the more honour there is in that choice, and it is seen as fitting and noble to try to defeat that enemy. If that enemy is defeated (a cure is found for the disease, the company folds, the enemy killed, etc.) that is considered a worthy achievement in yazarian society, and the yazarian might or might not choose a subsequent foe.
Advancement and physical attributes: Characters require 15% more experience points per level of experience. They are generated with the following stat modifiers: Str: -2, Int: +1, Wis: +1, Dex: +1, Con: -1, Cha: -0
Special Abilities: Yazarians may glide at an angle of 30° downwards or less, at a rate of 180’ (60’).
They train themselves to enter a rage in melee combat, giving them a bonus of +2 to hit and damage for a number of rounds equal to their constitution score (after which they must rest for 3 turns or suffer the effects of exhaustion).
Yazarians have excellent infravision (90’) having evolved in near dark primal forests, and can suffer in bright light – if they can obtain them they wear darkened glasses if forced to operate in direct sublight (if deprived of such goggles, in sunlight they gain no bonus to hit or damage in melee combat).
They are competent climbers, and can climb walls as a thief of equal level. Yazarians thieves gain a +10% bonus to their climb walls ability.
Character Class: Yazarians may be of any class available to humans, but there are no known yazarian merchants or mystics. Until recently there have been few Yazarian clerics, but an active cult devoted to Benekander, with a belief structure based around their return to the stars, has become increasingly popular.
Hit Dice: As per humans for their assumed class.
Movement and Encumbrance: Yazarians glide at a rate of 180’ (60’) and their normal movement rate is 120’ (40’).
Languages: They speak a form of Interlac, a language shared by most members of the Galactic Federation, and have also adopted Heldann, Wendarian and Elven to suit their needs (each character may choose two of those three languages, in addition to any other languages they have learned).
Weapons and Armour: They may use any weapon permitted to their character class, often favouring mechanical weapons such as crossbows. If their class permits they may use a shield, but the cannot wear armour, that being incompatible with their capacity to glide.