General Description
The crow-like tengus are known as a race of scavengers and irrepressible thieves native to Heibesu. They are vain and easily won over with flattery. Deceptive, duplicitous, and cunning, tengus seek circumstances in which they can take advantage of the situation, often at the expense of others, including their own kind. They can be highly competitive, but impulsive and rash. Some claim their behaviour is innate, while others believe their selfish mannerisms are cultural and developed as a learned adaptation that has enabled their people to endure through centuries of oppression.
Tengus are natural survivalists. Many tengus scavenged for survival, scraping for food in the shadows of cities or living as subsistence hunters and gatherers in the wild. Their descendants now struggle to find their place in contemporary Ton'keena society, often competing against negative stereotypes or driven to embrace them, and they rely on thievery and swordplay to get by in a harsh and unforgiving world.
Physical Description: Tengus are avian humanoids whose features strongly resemble crows. They have broad beaks and both their arms and their legs end in powerful talons. Though tengus are unable to fly, iridescent feathers cover their bodies—this plumage is usually black, though occasionally brown or blue-back. Their skin, talons, beaks, and eyes are similarly colored, and most non-tengus have great difficulty telling individuals apart. Tengus who wish to be more easily identified by other humanoids may bleach certain feathers or decorate their beaks with dyes, paint, or tiny glued ornaments. Though they are about the same height as humans, they have slight builds and tend to hunch over. A tengu's eyes sit slightly back and to the sides of his head, giving him binocular vision with a slightly more panoramic field of view than other humanoids. Like many avians, tengus have hollow bones and reproduce by laying eggs.
Society: In the wild, Tengus tend to live in close-knit communities, in which they keep to themselves. However, in urban centres, they tend to group in communal slums when they're even tolerated by Heibesu authorities, split in small, infighting groups fighting one another for control, for instance, of illicit goods. Overall, both types like to remain secretive about their culture, which is a combination of old traditions laced with newer bits of culture scavenged from their Heibesu overlords. Tengus have a knack for language and pick up new ones quickly.
Most tengu communities tend to follow a tribal structure. Tribal rules remain loose and subjective, with the leader either a village elder or a ruthless slum crime lord, and tribe members settle any conflicts through public arbitration (and occasionally personal combat). While every tengu has a voice in her society, in most settlements, tengus still defer to their revered elders for wisdom and advice.
Relations: Few races easily tolerate tengus. In fact, many races believe the Tengu to be either incredibly dumb or ruthlessly clever (or usually, both at once). Of the most common races, only Ton'keena allow them to settle within their cities with any regularity. When this occurs, tengus inevitably form their own ghettos and ramshackle communities, typically in the most wretched neighbourhoods. As of late, the Tengu have a Samurai order in the Heibesu army, formed at first to defend Tengu persecuted in Oranda, and later to uphold Tengu interests in the Empire. Regardless of their tolerance, most of them maintain as little contact with tengus as possible. Tengus occasionally make friends with halflings and kitsune, but only when they share mutual interests. Conversely, most dwarves have no patience for tengus whatsoever. Drow would never consider tengu as slaves – the halflings are far more docile.
Alignment and Religion: Tengus tend to be neutral, though those who allow their impulsiveness to get the better of them lean toward chaotic neutral. Religious beliefs vary from tribe to tribe; some worship the traditional tengu gods (most of which are aspects of better-known Ton'keena deities), while others take to the Chantry beliefs. Tengus can be fickle with regard to their patrons, quickly abandoning religious customs when they cease to provide any tangible benefit.
Adventurers: With little at home to leave behind, many tengus turn to a life of adventure seeking fame, fortune, and glory. A common tengu belief portrays a life on the road as a series of experiences and trials that form a path to enlightenment. Some take this to mean a path of spiritual empowerment; others view it as a way to perfect their arts or swordsmanship. Perhaps in spite of the prejudices upheld by outsiders, many tengu adventurers embrace their stereotypes. These individuals seek to succeed by epitomizing tengu racial qualities, and proudly flaunt their heritage. Despite their avian frailty, with their quick reflexes and quicker wits, tengus make excellent rogues and rangers, while those with a strong connection to the spirit world often become oracles. Those disciplined in the practice of martial arts take jobs as mercenaries and bodyguards in order to profit from their talents. Tengu are native to Heibesu and therefore both common and familiar, if distrusted and kept at bay.
Male Names: Bukka, Chak-Chak, Chuko, Ebonfeather, Highroost, Kraugh, Pezzack, Taicho, Tchoyoitu, Xaikon.
Female Names: Aerieminder, Aikio, Cheetchu, Chop-chop, Daba, Gildedhackle, Kankai, Mikacha, Ruk, Zhanyae.
Standard Racial Abilities
Ability Score Racial Traits: +2 WIS, –2 CON.
Type: Tengus are humanoids with the tengu subtype.
Size: Tengus are Medium creatures and receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Speed: Tengus have a base speed of 30 feet.
Languages: Tengus begin play speaking Common and Tengu. Tengus with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except for secret languages, such as Sylven).
Racial Traits :
Claw Attack : Tengus learned to use their claws as natural weapons. They gain two claw attacks as primary natural attacks that deal 1d3 points of damage, and are treated as having the Improved Unarmed Strike feat for the purpose of qualifying for other feats.
Gifted Linguist: Tengus gain a +4 racial bonus on Linguistics checks, and learn 2 languages each time they gain a rank in Linguistics rather than 1 language.
Glide : Some tengus can use their feathered arms and legs to glide. Tengus can make a DC 15 Fly check to fall safely from any height without taking falling damage. When falling safely, a tengu may make an additional DC 15 Fly check to glide, moving 5 feet laterally for every 20 feet he falls.
Natural Weapons: A tengu has a bite attack that deals 1d3 points of damage.
Sneaky: Tengus gain a +2 racial bonus on Perception and Stealth checks.
Swordtrained: Tengus are trained from birth in swordplay, and as a result are automatically proficient with sword-like weapons (including bastard swords, daggers, elven curve blades, falchions, greatswords, kukris, longswords, punching daggers, rapiers, scimitars, short swords, and two-bladed swords) and spears.
Sub-Racial Traits : Each Tengu must choose one of the following traits based on origin :
Wild Rascal: These Tengu hold alliegance to themselves only - even by Tengu standards. They usually live on their own, in makeshift shelters or caves, far from any settlement or slum. They gain a +2 racial bonus on Survival and Acrobatics checks.
Sedentary Dweller: Many tengu like to live peacefully in their own villages, separate or at least a distance from the settlements of more dominant races. They know how to grease palms and influence both outsiders and fellow villagers, and get a +2 racial bonus on Bluff and Diplomacy checks.
Slum Rat: Tengu are hardly welcome in Imperial cities, but all cities have less policed slums where less desirable Tengu make their home. In the slums moreso than in the wild, there is only one law : survival of the fittest. These Tengu embrace the concept, and use a combination of brute force and cunning waryness to get their ways. They get a +2 racial bonus on Intimidation and Sense Motive checks.
The crow-like tengus are known as a race of scavengers and irrepressible thieves native to Heibesu. They are vain and easily won over with flattery. Deceptive, duplicitous, and cunning, tengus seek circumstances in which they can take advantage of the situation, often at the expense of others, including their own kind. They can be highly competitive, but impulsive and rash. Some claim their behaviour is innate, while others believe their selfish mannerisms are cultural and developed as a learned adaptation that has enabled their people to endure through centuries of oppression.
Tengus are natural survivalists. Many tengus scavenged for survival, scraping for food in the shadows of cities or living as subsistence hunters and gatherers in the wild. Their descendants now struggle to find their place in contemporary Ton'keena society, often competing against negative stereotypes or driven to embrace them, and they rely on thievery and swordplay to get by in a harsh and unforgiving world.
Physical Description: Tengus are avian humanoids whose features strongly resemble crows. They have broad beaks and both their arms and their legs end in powerful talons. Though tengus are unable to fly, iridescent feathers cover their bodies—this plumage is usually black, though occasionally brown or blue-back. Their skin, talons, beaks, and eyes are similarly colored, and most non-tengus have great difficulty telling individuals apart. Tengus who wish to be more easily identified by other humanoids may bleach certain feathers or decorate their beaks with dyes, paint, or tiny glued ornaments. Though they are about the same height as humans, they have slight builds and tend to hunch over. A tengu's eyes sit slightly back and to the sides of his head, giving him binocular vision with a slightly more panoramic field of view than other humanoids. Like many avians, tengus have hollow bones and reproduce by laying eggs.
Society: In the wild, Tengus tend to live in close-knit communities, in which they keep to themselves. However, in urban centres, they tend to group in communal slums when they're even tolerated by Heibesu authorities, split in small, infighting groups fighting one another for control, for instance, of illicit goods. Overall, both types like to remain secretive about their culture, which is a combination of old traditions laced with newer bits of culture scavenged from their Heibesu overlords. Tengus have a knack for language and pick up new ones quickly.
Most tengu communities tend to follow a tribal structure. Tribal rules remain loose and subjective, with the leader either a village elder or a ruthless slum crime lord, and tribe members settle any conflicts through public arbitration (and occasionally personal combat). While every tengu has a voice in her society, in most settlements, tengus still defer to their revered elders for wisdom and advice.
Relations: Few races easily tolerate tengus. In fact, many races believe the Tengu to be either incredibly dumb or ruthlessly clever (or usually, both at once). Of the most common races, only Ton'keena allow them to settle within their cities with any regularity. When this occurs, tengus inevitably form their own ghettos and ramshackle communities, typically in the most wretched neighbourhoods. As of late, the Tengu have a Samurai order in the Heibesu army, formed at first to defend Tengu persecuted in Oranda, and later to uphold Tengu interests in the Empire. Regardless of their tolerance, most of them maintain as little contact with tengus as possible. Tengus occasionally make friends with halflings and kitsune, but only when they share mutual interests. Conversely, most dwarves have no patience for tengus whatsoever. Drow would never consider tengu as slaves – the halflings are far more docile.
Alignment and Religion: Tengus tend to be neutral, though those who allow their impulsiveness to get the better of them lean toward chaotic neutral. Religious beliefs vary from tribe to tribe; some worship the traditional tengu gods (most of which are aspects of better-known Ton'keena deities), while others take to the Chantry beliefs. Tengus can be fickle with regard to their patrons, quickly abandoning religious customs when they cease to provide any tangible benefit.
Adventurers: With little at home to leave behind, many tengus turn to a life of adventure seeking fame, fortune, and glory. A common tengu belief portrays a life on the road as a series of experiences and trials that form a path to enlightenment. Some take this to mean a path of spiritual empowerment; others view it as a way to perfect their arts or swordsmanship. Perhaps in spite of the prejudices upheld by outsiders, many tengu adventurers embrace their stereotypes. These individuals seek to succeed by epitomizing tengu racial qualities, and proudly flaunt their heritage. Despite their avian frailty, with their quick reflexes and quicker wits, tengus make excellent rogues and rangers, while those with a strong connection to the spirit world often become oracles. Those disciplined in the practice of martial arts take jobs as mercenaries and bodyguards in order to profit from their talents. Tengu are native to Heibesu and therefore both common and familiar, if distrusted and kept at bay.
Male Names: Bukka, Chak-Chak, Chuko, Ebonfeather, Highroost, Kraugh, Pezzack, Taicho, Tchoyoitu, Xaikon.
Female Names: Aerieminder, Aikio, Cheetchu, Chop-chop, Daba, Gildedhackle, Kankai, Mikacha, Ruk, Zhanyae.
Standard Racial Abilities
Ability Score Racial Traits: +2 WIS, –2 CON.
Type: Tengus are humanoids with the tengu subtype.
Size: Tengus are Medium creatures and receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Speed: Tengus have a base speed of 30 feet.
Languages: Tengus begin play speaking Common and Tengu. Tengus with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except for secret languages, such as Sylven).
Racial Traits :
Claw Attack : Tengus learned to use their claws as natural weapons. They gain two claw attacks as primary natural attacks that deal 1d3 points of damage, and are treated as having the Improved Unarmed Strike feat for the purpose of qualifying for other feats.
Gifted Linguist: Tengus gain a +4 racial bonus on Linguistics checks, and learn 2 languages each time they gain a rank in Linguistics rather than 1 language.
Glide : Some tengus can use their feathered arms and legs to glide. Tengus can make a DC 15 Fly check to fall safely from any height without taking falling damage. When falling safely, a tengu may make an additional DC 15 Fly check to glide, moving 5 feet laterally for every 20 feet he falls.
Natural Weapons: A tengu has a bite attack that deals 1d3 points of damage.
Sneaky: Tengus gain a +2 racial bonus on Perception and Stealth checks.
Swordtrained: Tengus are trained from birth in swordplay, and as a result are automatically proficient with sword-like weapons (including bastard swords, daggers, elven curve blades, falchions, greatswords, kukris, longswords, punching daggers, rapiers, scimitars, short swords, and two-bladed swords) and spears.
Sub-Racial Traits : Each Tengu must choose one of the following traits based on origin :
Wild Rascal: These Tengu hold alliegance to themselves only - even by Tengu standards. They usually live on their own, in makeshift shelters or caves, far from any settlement or slum. They gain a +2 racial bonus on Survival and Acrobatics checks.
Sedentary Dweller: Many tengu like to live peacefully in their own villages, separate or at least a distance from the settlements of more dominant races. They know how to grease palms and influence both outsiders and fellow villagers, and get a +2 racial bonus on Bluff and Diplomacy checks.
Slum Rat: Tengu are hardly welcome in Imperial cities, but all cities have less policed slums where less desirable Tengu make their home. In the slums moreso than in the wild, there is only one law : survival of the fittest. These Tengu embrace the concept, and use a combination of brute force and cunning waryness to get their ways. They get a +2 racial bonus on Intimidation and Sense Motive checks.
Base Height and Weight :
Gender
Male Female |
Base Height
4 ft. 0 in. 3 ft. 10 in. |
Height Modifier
+2d6 in. +2d6 in. |
Base Weight
65 lbs. 55 lbs. |
Weight Modifier
2d6x3 lbs. 2d6x3 lbs. |
Random Starting Age :
Adulthood
10 years |
Intuitive
+1d4 years |
Self-Taught
+2d4 years |
Trained
+3d6 years |
Intuitive : This category includes barbarians, fighters and rogues.
Self-Taught : This category includes rangers samurai, yamabushi and swashbucklers.
Trained : This category includes alchemists, inquisitors, investigators and wizards.
Self-Taught : This category includes rangers samurai, yamabushi and swashbucklers.
Trained : This category includes alchemists, inquisitors, investigators and wizards.