Ronso (3.5e Race)



=Ronsos=

Summary::The ronso are a combative warrior race of leonine humanoids. The ronso live a reclusive tribal life on and around some of the highest mountains in the world. They are strong and competitive with an even stronger sense of honor, duty and bravery.

Personality
The ronso are a race who place the highest esteem on acting with honor and bravery. Even so, most all ronso show a fiery hot temper and have never been well known for having super-human restraint and composure. Physical quarreling is a common solution to problems amongst ronso, particularly young male ronso, but since they place such great stock in both clan and family, this nearly never leads to injury or death.

Physical Description
A typical ronso is towering figure, far larger than even the biggest of half-orcs. Most stand between seven and eight feet tall, and weigh between 275 and 325 pounds, with males being visibly taller and heavier than females. Ronso are have strikingly impressive physiques and are heavily muscled. They have faces that resembles that of a lion's, but their fur-covered bodies are generally dark blue, but hues of greyish black and purples and most colors in between are also common as well. They have thick manes around their heads which are generally white, but shades of blonde or brown are seen as well. They have patches of fur on their shoulders and on the tips of their tails that match the color of their manes. Similar patches of fur are sometimes found on the chest of males. One of the most prominent features of all ronso is the foot-long horn that grows from the center of their foreheads. The horn is generally ivory white in color, but occasional shades of brown or grey are also seen. The horn is an extreme symbol of pride for a ronso and a ronso who had his horn broken would bear a great burden of shame from the tribe.

Relations
When encountered on or near their mountain homes, ronso are typically very welcoming and friendly to anyone who isn't threatening to the tribe. Ronso have much experience and interactions with humans that live near the base of their mountain homes and get along well with humans. They are generally allies with the fellow-mountain-dwelling dwarves, with whom they occasionally trade. Ronso have very little common interest with elves and therefore generally get along passably. Members of smaller races may need to prove themselves to more boisterous and less mature ronso. Half-orcs that aren't rude or obnoxious to the ronso may also be tolerated.

Alignment
Ronsos have a strong belief in having a sense of honor, loyalty and of duty to the tribe. To this end, most all ronso have a strong tendency towards lawful alignments. Ronso have a slight preference to good over evil, this being because, high in the mountains that the ronso call home, surviving is much easier when you know that you can expect and receive help from another ronso, without having to worry that they will insist on being compensated.

Lands
Ronso make their home at the base of, and all around large mountainous areas, where their clans having approximentally 50 to 100 members. Whatever needs or wants the ronso can't find or fulfill on their mountain homes, they trade for with other races that live nearby the mountains.

Religion
Most all ronso are of the Yevon church, a faith which draws heavy inspiration from real-world religions such as Shintoism (practices and temples), Buddhism (iconography), and Catholicism (hierarchical structure and rigid doctrine). In the Yevon teachings, it is strictly forbidden to use any form of technological machinery which they refer to as machina. This stems from a fear of an ancient evil that is believed to be resurrected when people in the ancient past were lazy and let machines do all of their work for them. The punishments for those transgressions was an unspeakably evil monster they called Sin. Ronso that do not follow Yevon are likely to be drawn to deities that have themes of nature, strength, justice, and honor in their portfolios, such as Obad-Hai, Ehlonna, Kord, St Cuthbert, Heironious or possibly Pelor.

Language
Ronso have no language of their own, but instead speak Common. Due to their poor educational system, and living nomadic and tribal lives, compounded by their lack of intelligence, all ronso speak a very poor Common, riddled with poor grammar and all ronso will always refer to themselves in the third person. A ronso raised among another, more intelligent race, or given a proper education can learn to speak Common correctly.

Names
Male Names: Kimari, Biran, Yenke, Kelk, Ayde, Garik, Zev, Zamzi, Gazna, Argai, Basik

Female Names: Lian, Nuvy, Irga, Darga, Zondi

Adventures
Many ronsos that become adventurers are ones sent on missions by the tribe. A ronso adventurer is often motivated by a love for excitement and the thrill of combat and competition, so long as his accomplishments bring honor to his clan. Joining worthy causes, defeating terrible and villainous foes, and any other generally heroic or legendary feats are sure to bring a ronso the respect of his clansman, and honor to his name.

Ronso Racial Traits

 * ,, , , : Ronsos are very, very strong, but are also nimble and hardy. Their tribal life and existance lends itself to learning by experience and so ronso are noticably stunted in their intellect and class which sometimes makes them come off as gruff.
 * Ronso are Size::Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
 * Ronsos base land speed is 30 feet.
 * Low-Light Vision (Ex): A ronso can see three times as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. He retains the ability to distinguish color under these conditions.
 * Darkvision (Ex): Ronsos can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but is otherwise like normal sight, and ronsos can function just fine with no light at all.
 * Powerful Build: The physical stature of a ronso lets him function in many ways as though he were one size larger. Whenever a ronso is subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for an opposed checks (such as a grapple checks, bull rush attempts or trip attempts) the ronso is treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to him. A ronso is also considered one size larger when determining whether a creature's special attacks based on size (such as improved grab or swallow whole) can affect him. A ronso can use weapons designed for a creature one size larger without penalty. However his space and reach remain that of a creature his actual size. The benefit of this racial trait stacks with the effects of powers, abilities and spells that change the subject’s size category.
 * Mountain Movement: Because ronso practically live on the ledges and cliffs of the most forbidding mountains, they are adept at negotiating mountain hazards. Ronso can make standing long jumps and high jumps as tho they were running long jumps and high jumps. A ronso can engage in accelerated climbing (climbing half his speed as a move action) without taking the -5 penalty on Climb checks.
 * Acclimated: Ronsos are automatically acclimated to life at high altitude. They don’t take the penalties for altitude described in the Mountain Travel section on page 90 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. Unlike other denizens of the mountains, ronso do not lose their acclimation to high altitude even if they spend a long time at a lower elevation.
 * Natural Weapons: Bite (1d6), Gore (1d6)
 * Special Qualities: Scent
 * +4 racial bonus on Move Silently checks. All ronso walk on the tippy toes of their padded feet, which softens their footsteps while they walk.
 * +2 racial bonus on Jump and Climb checks. Growing up on the mountains, ronsos find themselves constantly jumping and climbing over obstacles and are racially adept at doing so.
 * +2 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks. Ronso have very keen senses and are more aware than some other races.
 * +2 natural armor bonus. All ronso have a tough hide and thick fur covering their bodies.
 * Automatic Languages: Common (*See language above).
 * Bonus Languages: Giant, Dwarven, Gol-Kaa, Feline, Gnoll, Terran, Orc.
 * Favored Class: : A ronso's barbarian levels do not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty. The tribal life of the ronso produces many barbarians.
 * Level Adjustment: +Level Adjustment::2
 * Effective Character Level: Effective Character Level::3
 * Effective Character Level: Effective Character Level::3