Ruk (3.5e Race)

Ruk
Summary::In ancient times, when the gods were still shaping the races into the forms we know the precursor to orcs, goblins, and other green skinned creatures existed in a primitive wild state. They were great hunters, lords of the forest, and in constant conflict with the fair folk.  They were the ruk, and their fierce legacy lives on in modern races today.  It is said no ruk exist in the modern times, these ancient greenskins long since evolving into goblinoids and orcs, but perhaps somewhere in a forbidden valley, where dinosaurs still walk and ancient things thrive, perhaps a surviving band of ruks remain.

Personality
Ruks come from a hunter culture, one which emphasizes strength, bravery, and glory in battle. Mindless warmongers to others, they nevertheless did possess a complex culture focused on the hunt. Scars were signs of honor, death in battle better than death through age, and aggression a sign of health and fecundity. By and large, pride is important, as well as the ability to back up your ego. To become dishonored is grounds for suicide to regain lost honor. Many ruks go into battle with a means to kill themselves (and possibly everyone else) as a last resort, such as a pouch of highly potent toxic gas or explosive compounds.

Physical Description
Ruks are powerful, muscular warriors with skin ranging from near black and dark green to pale green speckled with yellow and brown. They have the basic frame of orcs but taller averaging 7 feet high, strong and broad shouldered, and slightly longer than normal arms, hands, with claws on their hands and feet. Their noses are flat and nostrils flared. Their foreheads are heavily slopped with wide jutting jaws and thin eyes, ragged ears, and lips which can curl up and bare a great deal of teeth and gums. They have long, stringy hair set on the back of their heads and largely bald foreheads and high widow's peaks. Two mandibles exist on their upper lips, and two large tusks jut from their chin close to their mouths, giving them the appearance of having four tusks or mandibles. They speak with hisses, growls, clicks, and roaring noises. Their blood is pale green and glows in ultraviolet light, and eye color varies dramatically across the spectrum, favoring warm colors and various shades of green.

Relations
Having a culture which treats all beings besides themselves as prey, one can imagine relations with the ruk are poor at best. However while they only hunt other species for sport and the thrill and glory of battle, they hunt elves out of hatred. Fair folk such as elves and fey also live in the forest and the ruks seek to obtain the territory for themselves and themselves alone. They will go out of their way to drive such threats out of their forest homes.

Many see the ruk as barbaric, for they make no difference between sentient and non-sentient challenges. Those who die by a ruk's hand are often skinned, scalped, or otherwise mutilated and transformed into a trophy. A ruk's home is littered with the skulls and other keepsakes of dozens of races and beasts alike.

It is possible for a non-ruk to gain the respect of a ruk through battle. Those who fight alongside a ruk, or defeat a powerful ruk in battle may be rewarded with living and sometimes a trophy out of respect, such as a weapon or other item.

Alignment
Ruk's violent behavior does promote evil alignments, but many are simply true neutral, lawful neutral, or chaotic neutral. Generally societies closer to elven and fey territory fall into the clutches of evil while the others are simply overly aggressive hunters.

Lands
The ruks claim forests as their home, but rumors have it of ruks adapted for life in arid desert walls and other places where they can employ their climbing ability to its fullest.

Religion
Ruk worship obscure gods of hunting, bloodshed, and death as well as gods associated with orcs and goblins.

Language
Ruk speak a primitive version of orc called Ancient Orc, which is a fusion of Goblin and Orc languages. Those who speak both languages can understand Ancient Orc, but those who only speak Orc must make a DC 10 intelligence check to understand what is being said.

Names
Ruk names tend to be harsh and growling, such as Hish, Yajut, Khmer, Yutani, and S'rako.

Racial Traits

 * ,, , , : Monstrously strong, monstrously tough, and avid hunters, they don't make much for smooth talking or deep thinking, relying instead on instinct.
 * Type::Monstrous Humanoid (Subtype::Goblinoid, Subtype::Orc): Early mutual ancestor to both orcs and goblins, the monstrous ruks can count as both.
 * Ruks base land speed is 40 feet. Ruks have a climb speed of 20 feet.
 * Ruks have a +2 natural armor bonus.
 * Ruks gain a primary natural bite attack which deals 1d8 plus their Strength modifier in damage, and two secondary claws for 1d6 + 1/2 their Strength modifier in damage.
 * Acid Resistance : Ruks gain acid resistance 5, plus another 5 points of acid resistance at 5 HD and every 5 HD beyond (10, 15, 20, and so forth).
 * Green Stealth : Ruks blend in naturally with the forest background. They have hide in plain sight when in forest terrain or other places of green flora and foliage.  They possess a +4 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks, which they have even when not in the forest.
 * Ferocity : If a ruk is reduced below 0 hp he may take an immediate action to perform any one standard action. Any stressful action deals the ruk one point of damage and if not healed, they immediately resume dying or do die.  They may use this once per day, plus one additional time per day at 8 HD and every 8 HD beyond.
 * Rage : Ruks rage like a barbarian, gaining +4 to Str and Con, -2 to AC, and +2 to Will saves. They may rage once per day.  If they take levels in barbarian or any other rage-granting class, they have one more rage per day than normal and their rages gain an additional +2 bonus on Str and Con, and +1 bonus on Will.
 * Scent : Ruks have the scent ability. In addition if they injure a creature which bleeds, the scent of blood is considered a powerful scent and may be detected from twice as far away.
 * Racial Hit Dice: A ruk begins with two levels of monstrous humanoid, which provide 2d8 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +2, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +0, Ref +3, and Will +3.
 * Racial Skills: An ruk's monstrous humanoid levels give it skill points equal to 5 x (2 + Int modifier). Its class skills are Climb, Hide, Intimidate, Move Silently, Search, Survival, and Tumble.
 * Racial Feats: An ruk's monstrous humanoid levels give it one feat.
 * Ruks gain the Track feat as a bonus feat.
 * Ruks have a +4 racial bonus on saves against ability damage, ability drain, disease, energy drain, exhaustion, fatigue, nausea, poison, and sickened conditions.
 * Ruks have a +4 racial bonus to Intimidate and Survival, and both skills are always class skills. In addition they have a +8 racial bonus to climb checks and may take 10 on climb checks even if rushed or threatened.
 * Automatic Languages: Ancient Orc, Goblin.
 * Bonus Languages: Common, Draconic, Elven, Giant, Gnoll, Halfling, Orc, Sylvan, Undercommon.
 * Favored Class: or
 * Level Adjustment: +Level Adjustment::0
 * Effective Character Level: Effective Character Level::2
 * Level Adjustment: +Level Adjustment::0
 * Effective Character Level: Effective Character Level::2