Lion-Man (4e Race)

Lion-men
Summary::The body of a hybrid, the heart of a lion, the spirit of a warrior

Big and broad, the lion-men, sometimes called the “leo”, were victims of vile experiments by twisted arcanists. The result brought a proud race who believes strongly in purpose. For them, this gives them their reason for being and drives them to accomplish their goals in life.

Play a lion-man if you want...
 * to be big and powerful.
 * to both take and deliver punishment.
 * to be from a race that favors the cleric, paladin, and warlord classes.

Physical Qualities
Lion-men are lion/human hybrids. Rivals of even the dragonborn in sheer size, lion-men easily stand well over 6 feet tall. Their bulky musculature supplements their natural strength. They have lion-like faces, including a large mouth and nose, with rounded ears. They typically have short claws for nails, but they use them more for eating than fighting. The males have a large blonde mane that grows outward from the edges of their faces. Like all lions, the lion-men have blond hair and usually have thin, light brown body hair. Their skin is of a light color due to their body hair. Some lion-men have a cleft upper lip like a normal lion, but others have normal mouths. Lion-men live long lives, rivaling the eldarin in age. However, lion-men mature more slowly, not reaching adulthood until about age 22. Even so, most lion-men live 325 years, but some have actually lived almost 350 years.

Playing a Lion-Man
Lion-men believe strongly in purpose. Having a cause to embrace is of the utmost importance to them because they feel no reason to live if you have no cause to hold on to. In this regard, the lion-men are often drawn toward religion and military organizations. When it comes to race relations, the lion-men have a strong respect and admiration for the dragonborn. Their drive for self-improvement and devotion to honor give the lion-men and dragonborn strong common ground. Though lion-men are more attracted to just finding meaning in life, they admire the dragonborn’s desire to better themselves. The lion-men love adventure. Not only does it give them meaning, but it presents an opportunity to bring out the best in them. More importantly, the cause they embrace has a great influence to their adventuring. Those who serve in the military often look to bolster their rank or engage in war, while others might spread the message of their respective deities.

Lion-Man Characteristics: Courageous, devoted, driven, intimidating, militaristic, muscular, reliable, religious, reserved, seeking purpose, stout-hearted, strong

Male Names: Any human name, as well as Mane, Claw, and Shishi

Female Names: Human names, as well as Pride and Nalah

Lion-Man Adventurers
Three sample lion-man adventurers are described below.
 * Claw is a lion-man fighter of Krag, the god of war. A wrestler and brawler, Claw views the pursuit of strength as a sport, and he uses the skills and fame he has obtained from the arena to increase his coffers immensely. However, he has grown bored of the arena, and now wishes to fight a warrior skilled enough to defeat him in single combat.
 * Shishi is a lion-man paladin of Korrik. A strong and devoted follower of the Dragon God, the ideals of honor and justice were engraved deeply into Shishi’s heart when he was an orphaned youth. He believed that by following the ideals of Korrik, he could serve the people of the land with righteousness and justice, thereby obtaining his own honor and his own cause.
 * Nalah is a lion-woman warlord, the leader of a small platoon near the Daswaan Mountains. A charismatic and bold commander, Nalah takes great pride in the strength she gives her soldiers, and she feels she has found a true cause: Giving others the strength to fight, even when all hope seems lost.