Newt
by Jamie BatyThe Knight of Newts 14
1st Level Warrior
Medium Humanoid
Hit Dice: 1d8+3 (7 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares)in hide armour; base speed 20 ft.
Armour Class: 15 (+2 natural, +3 hide armour), touch 10, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: 0/+2
Attack: By weapon +3 melee (by weapon +2)
Full Attack: By weapon +3 melee (by weapon +2) and bite -3 melee (1d4 +1) or 1 bite +2 melee (1d4 +2) and 2 claws -3 melee (1d2 +1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Leaping attack
Special Qualities: Damage Reduction 5/slashing and piercing, metallic armour distain, newt weapon and armour proficiency, poor eyesight
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +0, Will -2
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 11, Con 16, Int 8, Wis 7, Cha 8
Skills: Hide +3, Jump +4, Listen -2, Move Silently +1, Spot -4, Swim +2
Feats: Weapon Focus (By weapon)
Environment: Temperate and Warm aquatic, marshes
Organisation: Solitary, Pair, Company (2-5 plus one 3rd level sergeant), Patrol (5-20 plus two 3rd level sergeants and one 5th level lieutenant), or Platoon (20-40 plus four 3rd level sergeants, two 5th level lieutenants, and one 9th level captain). If encountering a family or tribal group add 100-200% non-combatants.
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Often neutral evil
Advancement: by character level
Level Adjustment: +1
The newts are a race of bipedal, frog-like amphibians that inhabit swamps, moors, and other dank places. They are covered with smooth, mottled, olive green hide. They can vary from smaller than the average human to about seven feet tall. Their faces resemble those of enormous frogs, with wide mouths and large, bulbous eyes; their feet and hands are webbed. They do not wear clothing, but will use non-metallic, non-heavy armour, and shields. Newts speak their own language, and a limited form of common.
The newt warrior presented here had the following ability scores before racial adjustments: Str 13, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 8.
Combat
Newts always attack in groups, trying to use their numbers to surround their enemies. Whenever they can, they will use their leaping attack. They have outstanding camouflage abilities, and are excellent at setting up ambushes.
Newts are proficient with and favour harpoons, halberds, and tridents as weapons. They are also proficient with shields and any non-metallic, non-heavy armour. Newts will not use bludgeoning weapons.
Leaping Attack (Ex): As a full round action, a newt may make a leaping attack against one foe within 30ft horizontally or 15ft vertically of it. If the newt is using a piercing weapon, the newt gains a +2 bonus to its attack roll and if the attack hits, it causes double damage. In order to use this ability, the newt must be able to leap at least 5ft horizontally or vertically to gain the necessary momentum. It may not be used underwater.
Damage Reduction (Su): A newt has damage reduction of 5/slashing or piercing.
Metallic Armour Distain (Ex): Newts find metallic and/or heavy armours to be painful and extremely hot to wear. Any newt wearing metallic or heavy armour of any type suffers a -4 penalty to all attack and damage rolls, -4 penalty to all skill checks, and may not use its leaping attack.
Newt Weapon and Armour Proficiency (Ex): Newts are proficient with halberds, harpoons and tridents, shields and any non-heavy, non-metallic armour.
Poor Eyesight (Ex): Newts cannot attack any target beyond 100ft with a ranged weapon. They also suffer a -2 penalty to all Spot checks.
Skills: Newts receive a +4 racial bonus to Hide, Jump, Move Silently and Swim checks.
Society
Newts tend to disrupt ecosystems rather than fill a niche. They do not have the intelligence to harvest their food supplies sensibly and will fish and hunt in an area until its resources are exhausted, and then move on to a new territory. They hate men, elves, dwarves and other humans and will attack them on sight. Fortunately, they prefer to dwell in isolated regions far from humanoid settlements. A few newts have surpassed the race's general tendencies and have successfully integrated themselves with humans. These rare "New" newts are cast out of the tribal society as "human lovers." These newts are hunted, slaughtered, and fed to the crocodiles for their demented behaviour.
Newts generally do not adventure to gain treasure. When found outside the extended family foundation, newts are either hunting or looking for a place for a family group to live; extended families are divided whenever the population outgrows its current location
Newts as Characters
Most newt leaders are fighters or barbarians. A newt cleric has access to two of the following domains: Animal, Nature, War or Water.
Newt characters possess the following racial traits:
• +2 Strength, +4 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom.
• Medium size
• A newt's base land speed is 20 feet.
• +2 natural armour class bonus.
• +4 racial bonus on Hide, Jump, Move Silently, and Swim checks.
• Leaping Attack (Ex)
• Damage Reduction (Su): 5/slashing or piercing.
• Metallic Armour Distain (Ex)
• Newt Weapon and Armour Proficiency (Ex)
• Poor Eyesight (Ex)
• Natural Attacks: 1 bite (1d4) and 2 claws (1d2)
• Automatic Languages: Newt, Common. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Sylvan.
• Favoured Class: Fighter.
• Level Adjustment: +1