Deinonych (3.5e Race)

Deinonych
Summary::These creatures originally evolved from bird-like dinosaurs. They are fast and frightening predators with a hunter society and a love for battle. Though technically a decendant of dinosaurs, deinonychs are covered in a coat of light, almost fur-like feathers. They live for the hunt and much of their culture is based on becoming the best at what one does.

Personality
Life is a challenge. Life is a hunt. Life is the drive to survive and excel. This is what nature teaches the deinonychs and this is what the deinonychs apply to life situations. This tends to make other races think them violent, and in a sense they are, but more than that; they are competitive. They find a common trend in other competitive races like the goliath, and friendly if overtly loud rivalries are common.

Physical Description
Deinonychs seem more bird or mammal than dinosaur, but dinosaurs they are, or at least once were. Covered in soft, nearly fur-like feathers, deinonychs appear as your stereotypical raptor, which is capable of standing up straight. Their snouts are a strange cross between raptor and wolf, with plumage around their jawbone and hairline which spreads out when excited, angry, or afraid. They lack wings, having mobile arms with a large claw on their thumbs and on their toes, which they use to slash at their prey with violent strikes. They stand on digitigrade legs and their tail is as flexable as a snake, allowing them to take many positions. However, most slouch a bit in their more primal, saurian stance, and they are very capable of scrambling around on all fours without a huge loss in speed.

While a single race, deinonychs are split into several breeds. While not true sub-races as of yet, the various breeds have subtle differences which alter their appearance and abilities. The breeds are named after the elements, but the issue is one more regional and based on climate than any elemental affiliation.

The Fire Breed tends to bright garish colors, especially with their neck frill, and various reds and earth colors for feathers. The feathering is sparse to allow heat to escape, and under it is dark skin ranging from sandy tan to coal black. They prefer warm dry climates such as the desert, and are known to be the most aggressive of their kind.

The Air Breed are taller and thinner, sleek and able to slither through small spaces. Their feathers are lighter shades of various washed-out colors, and they are excellent sprinters. They live in forests and plains, where they can dash out of cover, taking down prey and dragging it back to hidden lairs in the wood.

The Water Breed have a shiny coat of slick, waterproof feathers, and often banded marks and colors. The best swimmers of their kind, they survive largely on a diet of fish. Those who have taken keen to civilization have become expert fishermen and hunters on the blue waves.

The Earth Breed is the heaviest and slowest, and also the ones most often found in civilization. Crafty and inventive, they love employing tools on the hunt and seek mastery over them. They often are exposed to many things and thus are the most resilient of their kind.

Relations
Many races find deinonychs unnerving. They are apex predators and both their appearance and their focus on hunting and food make many wonder if the beastal and often primitive deinonych intend them for lunch. However, deinonych are not unaware or even opposed to civilization or progress (something keenly shown with the earth breeds who often end up in cities), they simply are satisfied with the excitement of the hunt, and civilization does not allow one to spontaneously take to the plains in search of excitement on mere whim. Races which enjoy competition, races which enjoy a good fight, and races which can appreciate the indirect protection a deinonych provides by hunting down all the dangers of the area end up befriending them. A lone or a pack of deinonychs will often form deals with others, exchanging safety from beasts for various boons and favors from civilization that they otherwise would not be able to enjoy.

Alignment
The various breeds tend to various alignments. Fire breeds often run chaotic neutral, and water breeds are true neutral. Earth breeds tend to be lawful neutral, and the air breed, perhaps being oft surrounded by fey, run neutral good.

Lands
The deinonychs are spread across many lands and many terrains, with the only common trait being their existance on the outskirts between civilization and nature. It is said that they originated from a the riverbanks of a tropical plain as ancient predators.

Religion
Most deinonychs associate the god Oan as their direct creator god, but they are not exclusively tied down to any god. Animism is common within deinonych tribes.

Language
Deinonych speak a rough dialect of Sylvan which has been mixed with Draconic, and yet is indecipherable by neither. Besides their racial tongue of Deinonyches, they also speak Common, and many learn Sylvan or Draconic. Deinonych uses Draconic letters.

Names
Deinonych names used to have simple sounds such as Ao and Vann and Gut, but exposure to other civilizations often results in them cribbing humanoid names, with often humorous results. Running into a feral beast named John Smith catches many off guard.

Racial Traits

 * ,, , : Strong and canny, Deinonych are not known for their intellect or charismatic standing.
 * : Not human enough to be humanoid, but not animal enough to be a magical beast.
 * : As Medium creatures, Deinonychs have no benefits or penalties due to size.
 * Deinonych base land speed is 30 feet. In addition, they may move at half speed even while prone, as they are excellent at crawling.  They provoke attacks of opportunity as normal, and cannot run or charge while crawling.
 * Breed (Ex): You gain a particular ability based on your breed type, as shown below:
 * Air: You gain a +2 bonus on Escape Artist and Tumble checks.  You are an expert at falling through the air at your prey, and may ignore up to 10 feet per HD of falling damage.


 * Earth: You gain a +2 bonus on Concentration and Craft checks. Your durability grants you 3 hp + 1 extra hp per HD.


 * Fire: You gain a +2 bonus on Bluff and Intimidate checks. You rush with energy, adding +10 to your land speed.


 * Water: You gain a +2 bonus on Diplomacy and Sense Motive checks. You gain a swim speed equal to your land speed, a +8 bonus on Swim checks, and may take 10 on Swim checks even if rushed.  You may use your natural weapons underwater without penalty.


 * Scent (Ex): You gain the scent ability.
 * Terrible Claw (Ex): A deinonych's claws are deadly weapons, able to be used in any combination of kicks and claws to cut the foe to ribbons. A deinonych's claws deal 1d4 + Str modifier in slashing and piercing damage, and are employed as a single weapon as if an unarmed strike.  For all purposes deinonych's count as possessing the Improved Unarmed Strike feat.  If they level in monk, a deinonych may emply piercing and slashing, or use bludgeoning, for their unarmed strikes.
 * All deinonychs have a +2 bonus on Hide, Move Silently, Survival checks, and Wild Empathy checks if they possess the class feature.
 * Automatic Languages: Common, Deinonyches.
 * Bonus Languages: Aquan, Auran, Draconic, Ignan, Giant, Gnoll, Goblin, Orc, Sylvan, Terran.
 * Favored Class: and
 * Level Adjustment: +Level Adjustment::0
 * Effective Character Level: Effective Character Level::1