Here's another "sneak peek" excerpt, fresh from the new Crown Campaign Setting from Dark Quest Games! This week, we bring you the race of the star of the new DQG/Wandering Men novella, The Bonds That Bind UsAND the web-exclusive series, Axiomatic Anarchy! That's right, this week, we proudly feature the unusual and fearsome oltreggan!
If you want to see more of the Crown Campaign Setting, be sure and check out the Crown Player's Primer - over 20 pages of campaign goodness - and best of all - its 100% FREE!
In the early days of Shaedarsil, these brutes were lured out of the mountains by the worshippers of the Five Who Lived. They guarded the temples and swore oaths of protection to the High Clerics, following them anywhere. Never once did they ask if this was right, because oltreggans have no concept of right or wrong. For this reason, they were often used for vile and despicable actions. It has been argued for centuries whether the clerics of the Five took the ethical beliefs from the oltreggans, or if they were indeed born this way. However, this race seems to follow ethics all their own, and their actions are not always understood by the Crownfolk. With the High Clerics gone, the oltreggans have yet to find their place in the city. They are always seeking masters whom they can follow with blind devotion and will sell their services for a year, after which they will seek out a new master. They are the epitome of mercenaries, and the price of their services is often as chaotic as they are.
The oltreggans are large humanoids, standing over seven feet, with thick and flat skulls. They have massive upper bodies and bulging muscles. Their skin tends to vary from light brown to a darker variant, and most oltreggans have hairy bodies as well. They are born bald, and the thick black hair that covers their bodies will never hide their broad and pointy ears. These brutes have always been savage looking, and only a few oltreggans seem to care about the way they present themselves. Oltreggans will present themselves at Crownmeet Castle smelly and dirty, thinking that others have it wrong. The females are not much different than the males, and sometimes it can even be difficult to tell the two apart. Oltreggans have a life span equal to that of humans.
The language of the oltreggans has changed a lot over the years, mixing with Crownspeak. It is called oltreggish and seems like a crude version of Crownspeak to most common folk. Oltreggans do not have a written language, and very few oltreggans ever take the time to learn how to read and write.
Abilities: +4 Strength, -2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom. Oltreggans are very strong and enduring, but also clumsy, unintelligent, and distracted.
Medium: As medium creatures, oltreggans have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Oltreggan base speed is 30 ft.
Darkvision: Oltreggans can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but is otherwise as normal sight.
Illiterate: All oltreggans are considered illiterate and cannot read or write. They must take a feat to negate this flaw.
Oath-bound: Oltreggans always seek a master to serve, a master that they serve without ever questioning his motives. They bind themselves for a year, no more and no less.
Oltreggans receive a +2 racial bonus on the following skills: Climb, Intimidate, and Survival.
Oltreggans receive a -2 racial penalties on the following skills when dealing with any race other than fellow Oltreggans: Diplomacy, Disguise, and Gather Information.
Cultural Knowledge: The following knowledge skills are considered class skills for all oltreggans: Dungeoneering, Geography, Local, and Tactics.
Racial Feats: Massive Body, Oathbreaker, and Thick Hide.
Automatic Languages: Oltreggish.
Bonus Languages: Crownspeak, Abyssal, Celestial, or H’raktha.
