Gator Man (Gurrash)
by Jamie BatyDMR2 47, SCMC, OHP
Medium Humanoid (Reptilian)
Hit Dice: 3d8+3 (16 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armour Class: 14 (+4 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+8
Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d8 +2) or by weapon
Full Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d8 +2) and 2 claw -1 melee (1d4 +1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft. /5 ft.
Special Attacks: Enrage, improved grab, tail slap
Special Qualities: Illiterate, powerful build
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +1, Will +0
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 7, Wis 8, Cha 8
Skills: Intimidate +5, Listen 0, Spot 0, Survival +4, Swim +7
Feats: Endurance, Power Attack
Environment: Warm marshes
Organisation: Solitary, Pair, Gang (2-5), Patrol (5-20 plus 1 3rd level leader), or Clan (20-60 plus 1-3 3rd level leaders, 1 6th level chief and 1 6th level shaman)
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually chaotic evil
Advancement: by character class
Level Adjustment: +2
Savage and hardy, with a bloodthirsty streak bred into them by the Herathians when they crossed them with alligators, the gurrash of Ator are a crude but powerful people. They escaped Herathian control long ago and fled into the bayous, where they bred so quickly that the Herathians were unable to eradicate them. Their favourite prey was the shazaks who lived in the bayou. The shazaks were soon forced to abandon the bayou to the more ferocious gurrash.
Gurrash stand seven to eight feet tall and weigh close to 300 pounds. They are covered with deep green scales. Their heads resemble those of alligators, with large mouths filled with sharp teeth and slitted pupils in their eyes. Eye colour ranges from an almost toxic-looking yellow to a deep red. They favour simple clothing such as loincloths and tunics and may wear bandoliers to carry their equipment and weapons.
Something savage always lurks just beneath the surface in even the calmest and most civilised gurrash. Many are evil-tempered and prone to excessive violence, though some are more controlled and reasonable. Gurrash are not as advanced as shazaks and, indeed, tend to view them as tasty snacks. Some few among the gurrash have learned to control their harsher natures and violent impulses enough to become adventurers.
The gurrash hunt and fish in the bayou and defend their home from all interlopers. They are more likely to kill strangers than open a dialogue with them. They are beginning to develop the concept of family and tribal unity beyond that of monarch and subjects, though monarchs still rule through fear, brutality, and the support of the Shamans. Any monarch who is outdone in savagery by a lesser gurrash can look forward to a challenge for the right to rule the tribe.
The gurrash trade with the wallaras, though they do so almost accidentally. They have found that if they leave certain items at designated places along the Wallaran grasslands, other items that they need appear in their place. Because the gurrash believe that the grasslands are the home of their Immortal patron Goron, they do not venture there, allowing the wallaras (utilising their camouflage abilities) to make these switches without the gurrashes' knowledge.
The gurrash speak a dialect of Shazak. A very few speak Common and the other two dialects of Shazak.
Combat
Gurrash are formidable warriors, and are quite capable of hunting down there enemies. Most gurrash distain armour and shields. Most attack with their savage bites and claws. A favoured tactic is to grapple foes and attempt to drown them in the waters of the bayou.
All gurrash are proficient with all simple weapons, though they can only attain non-primitive, manufactured weapons through trade or raids. Leaders will likely have martial weapons as a status symbol.
A gurrash wielding a weapon may attack with its bite as a secondary attack.
Enrage (Ex): The Gurrash are prone to fits of violence when frustrated or wounded.
Outside of combat, a gurrash must make a Wisdom check vs DC 16 when in frustrating or unfamiliar circumstances. If failed, the gurrash flies into a rage, breaking things, threatening all around it, and possibly attacking the provoker. After 2 rounds, a second Wisdom check is made- if successful, the gurrash rants for another 3 rounds before calming down; if failed, the gurrash attacks the object of its frustration.
The gurrash may also become enraged by taking more than 10 points of damage in a single attack. He must make a Wisdom check vs DC18 or become enraged. If enraged while in combat (whether by damage or from frustration), the gurrash rages like a 3rd level barbarian.
In a combat rage, a gurrash temporarily gains a +4 bonus to Strength, a +4 bonus to Constitution, and a +2 morale bonus on Will saves, but he takes a -2 penalty to Armour Class. The increase in Constitution increases its hit points by 2 points per HD, but these hit points go away at the end of the rage when his Constitution score drops back to normal. (These extra hit points are not lost first the way temporary hit points are.) While raging, a gurrash cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except for Balance, Escape Artist, Intimidate, and Ride), the Concentration skill, or any abilities that require patience or concentration, nor can he cast spells or activate magic items that require a command word, a spell trigger (such as a wand), or spell completion (such as a scroll) to function. He can use any feat he has except Combat Expertise, item creation feats, and metamagic feats. A fit of rage lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the gurrash's (newly improved) Constitution modifier. A gurrash cannot prematurely end his rage- only the death of its target or the normal ending can end it. At the end of the rage, the gurrash loses the rage modifiers and restrictions and becomes fatigued (-2 penalty to Strength, -2 penalty to Dexterity, can't charge or run) for the duration of the current encounter.
Improved Grab (Ex): If a gurrash hits with both of its claws, it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. No initial touch attack is required. Unless otherwise noted, improved grab works only against opponents at least Medium size or smaller than the gurrash.
Tail Slap (Ex): A gurrash may make a tail attack against any creature behind it as a secondary attack. The tail slap inflicts 1d8 damage.
Illiterate (Ex): The Gurrash do not automatically know how to read and write. A gurrash may spend 2 skill points to gain the ability to read and write all languages he is able to speak.
A gurrash who gains a level in any class other than barbarian automatically gains literacy.
Powerful Build (Ex): A gurrash is treated as one-size larger with regards to Bull Rush, Trip, Grapple, etc., and may use weapons designed for creatures on size larger.
Skills: Gurrash have a +4 racial bonus to all Intimidate, Survival and Swim skill checks.
Gurrash as Characters
The favoured class of the gurrash is barbarian. Their clans also harbour fighters, rogues, clerics, rangers, druids and a few wizards and sorcerers. Gurrash clerics are usually devoted to Goron, the embodiment of gurrash evil and destruction. As the reptilian queen of evil and water, she made the gurrash brutal and bloodthirsty, causing them to revolt against the Herathians. For the gurrash, Goron is the patron of victory. To Known Worlders, Goron is also known as Demogorgon. Gurrash clerics typically choose two of the following domains: Destruction, Evil, or Water.
Gurrash characters possess the following racial traits.
• +4 Strength, +2 Constitution, -4 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma.
• Medium size.
• A gurrash's base land speed is 30 feet.
• Racial Hit Dice: A gurrash begins with three levels of humanoid, which provide 3d8 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +2, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort+3, Ref+1, Will+1.
• Racial Skills: A gurrash's humanoid levels give it skill points equal to 6 x (2 + Int modifier, minimum 1). Its class skills are Balance, Hide, Intimidate, Listen, Move Silently, Spot, Survival, and Swim.
• Gurrash have a +4 racial bonus on Intimidate, Survival, and Swim checks.
• Racial Feats: A gurrash's humanoid levels give it two feats.
• Weapon proficiency: A gurrash is proficient with all simple weapons.
• +4 natural armour bonus.
• Natural Weapons: 2 claws (1d4) and bite (1d8)
• Special Attacks (see above): Improved Grab, Enrage, Tail Slap
• Special Qualities (see above): Illiterate, Powerful Build
• Automatic Languages: Shazak (Gurrash dialect). Bonus Languages: Shazak (Shazak dialect), Shazak (Cayma dialect), Draconic, Local languages
• Favoured Class: Barbarian
• Level Adjustment: +2.