2002-07-29 - 10:33 a.m.
Surd
Medium-Size Monstrous Humanoid
Hit Dice: 2d8+2 (11 hp)
Initiative: +5 (+1 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative)
Speed: 50 ft.
AC: 16 (+1 Dex, +5 natural)
Attacks: Rake +3 melee (or weapon +3 melee), bite -2 melee;
or longbow +3 ranged
Damage: Rake 2d4+1 (or by weapon type), bite 1d6 melee;
or longbow 1d8
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: None
Special Qualities: Scent
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +4
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 9, Wis 12, Cha 10
Skills: Balance +3, Climb +2, Concentration +2, Hide +7,
Intimidate +2, Jump +9, Listen +2, Move Silently +7,
Search +1, Spot +7, Swim -1, Wilderness Lore +8
Feats: Improved Initiative
Climate/Terrain: Any (but mostly underground, for now)
Organization: Scouting party (1-2), hunting party (2-4), war party
(4-10, plus 1 war-leader of 2nd - 4th level), tribe (18-40, plus 10%
noncombatants, 3 advisers of 2nd - 4th level, and 1 matriarch of
3rd - 8th level), or hidden city (36-90, plus 10% noncombatants,
1 adviser of 3rd - 5th level per 12 adults, 1 high priest of 4th - 9th
level, and 1 matriarch of 4th - 10th level)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: No coins; 50% goods; 50% items
Alignment: Usually True Neutral, Chaotic Neutral, or
Neutral Evil
Advancement: By character class
Picture Link: Click Here (I modified this one quite a bit, though, adding jewelry, feathered talismans, "war paint", etc.)
The Surd are basically intelligent dinosaurs, similar to but smaller than their deinonychus ancestors. Males typically stand about 5'8" tall but are more than half again as long (around 9½') and weigh around 280 pounds. Females are even larger, averaging 5'11" tall, 10' long, and 315 pounds. A Surd has a long tail that is held straight out behind it, to balance its body mass over its powerful hind legs. Its stature is a bit more upright than that of its ancestors, giving it a field of view that is nearly as high, despite its overall smaller size. Its forelimbs have evolved to allow for better manipulation, at the expense of weaponry; however, its rear limbs still sport nasty talons, and its teeth are very sharp. Surd have a lifespan similar to that of a modern Human or slightly longer - usually around a century - but suffer less from the physical effects of aging.
A Surd's metabolism is similar to that of a large bird. In cold climates, it may grow a light, downy covering; however, this is shed in warmer conditions. It typically wears little in the way of clothing, beyond a few ornamental odds and ends, but may don heavier protection when weather conditions call for it, since, being warm-blooded, it can benefit from the insulation. Surd are generally fond of gemstones and natural ornamentation, such as feathers and bits of bone or horn. Some sport tattoos or body paint, although such markings usually have religious or cultural significance and are not applied casually.
The Surd are fairly good at building tools, but their level of technology is generally inferior to that of humanity - barely Iron Age, in most regions. This may be due to the fact that they often prefer to use magic or psionics to achieve their goals, rather than tools that must be carried around. Of course, this does not prevent them from using weapons and other objects that they have stolen from Humans and other beings.
Surd speak their own language, Urdes, which has several regional dialects. Those who are in frequent contact with Humans or Gunda, often pick up their neighbors' language, as well.
Combat
While the Surd are not generally as intelligent as Humans, they are cunning warriors, since their society places a high value on martial prowess. They use all manner of armaments, from archaic weapons of their own making to advanced technology "borrowed" from other races. In melee, they sometimes dispense with weapons altogether and use their natural armaments, particularly when conducting a ritual hunt. Like their ancestors, the Surd are capable of making a cat-like rake attack, which involves leaping on a target, grabbing it with their hands, and then slashing it with their rear talons, while simultaneously biting. Unlike their ancestors, they do not attack with their forelimbs, since their claws are too small and ineffective.
A few Surd are trained in the use of a trident-like exotic weapon, known as a kleeget (damage 2d4, critical x3, weight 7 lbs., piercing). It is used to make a leaping charge attack, allowing the warrior to pin his foe with the weapon, in preparation for a rake. Basically, if the charge attack is successful, the kleeget-wielder can immediately make a grapple check, as well. If it is successful, the victim is pinned in place, and any attempt to escape the grapple in later rounds causes 1d3 damage, whether successful or not.
Skills: Surd receive a +4 racial bonus to Hide, Move Silently, Spot, and Wilderness Lore checks. They are prodigious leapers and receive a +6 racial bonus to Jump checks. They tend to be poor swimmers and suffer a -2 racial penalty on all related checks.
Surd Society
In general, Surd tend to lead a somewhat primitive, tribal existence, with most communities having a matriarch, who is advised by a small council of subordinate males. Because the Surd have become so scattered, over the millennia, however, there are few other generalities that can be relied upon. Some Surd have a level of technology barely above that of mankind's Copper Age, whereas others have inherited a handful of strange magic or psionic tools that surpass anything possessed by modern humanity.
At the moment, the vast majority of Surd fall into one of two general camps: those that actively support the cause of their Sheloth creators (whether they realize it or not), and those that either no longer have an interest in that cause or actively oppose it.
The former sort are often more primitive, in general terms, but have access to a few pieces of strange technology (usually of a biological nature, if it came from the Sheloth). They tend to be religious and possess strong magical or psionic talents. They may or may not understand what the Sheloth are but often worship them as gods.
The latter sort are often more technologically advanced, in general terms, but seldom have access to alien tools. Often, they can look back to some wise ancestor who realized that the Sheloth's grand design must ultimately result in the destruction of the Surd, as well as the Humans. Obviously, they consider this to be too high a price to pay, just to please their creators. A few Surd even consider the Sheloth to be demons and are more likely to ally with the Gunda or even the Onjina (although seldom the Vasloi, whom they remember as dire enemies).
Unfortunately, both sorts of Surd tend to despise Humans, since they consider these upstart primates to be usurpers of the world that was supposed to be theirs. Ironically, the Surd who oppose the Sheloth and, thus, share some common ground with humanity, are often the ones who feel most cheated and are, thus, the most hostile. The allies of the Sheloth have actually been known to assist paranormal Humans, on occasion, if this will promote the goals of their gods or harm their enemies, the Vasloi and Onjina.
Surd Characters
Surd advance by character class, just like Humans, and have an ECL of +2, putting them roughly on par with Paragon superheroes of the same level. Their favored class varies by region and alliance. In general, Surd who work toward the same goals as the Sheloth usually treat Sorcerer or Rogue as their favored class. Those who oppose the Sheloth or avoid their plots altogether usually treat Warrior as their favored class. There is a small group of Surd, known as Di Shinhem Sansa Wha (which translates, roughly, to "We Who Walk Our Own Path") or, simply, Whashinnem, that actively opposes the Sheloth and sometimes gets along with the other races (even Humans). These are mostly located in and around India. Unlike other Surd, they are typically Lawful Neutral and treat Martial Artist as their favored class (although some are Psychic Warriors). Other more primitive Surd, known as the Whakoshi, frequent Africa and simply wish to be left alone. They have a primordial tie to the land and treat Druid as their favored class.
Surd Agenda
As previously noted, the Surd have no single agenda but follow three primary paths: those who obey the Sheloth (around one-half), those who oppose the Sheloth (around one-sixth), and those who just want to be left alone (around one-third). The first group will do anything to see the Sheloth vision come to pass and will even (discretely) aid paranormal Humans who unknowingly strengthen that cause, on occasion. Those who oppose the Sheloth naturally do just the opposite and are prone to simply kill paranormals on sight, recognizing the Sheloth "taint". The third group tends to avoid everyone and follows whatever agenda suits its circumstance.
Regardless of "political" persuasion, however, the vast majority of Surd feel contempt, hatred, and/or envy of humanity. The only real exceptions are the Whashinnem, who are more interested in harmony than war, and the Whakoshi, who believe that Humans are simply another form of animal (albeit, an arrogant, greedy one).
P.S. If you are diving into this in the middle and feeling puzzled, make sure that you click on the Older button to check out the very first introductory post. The Paragon rules and Vancouver: 2020 primer can be found at RPG Hoard. If you want to comment on this page, just click here, or press the Contact Cwylric button, to the left, to send me an email. Remember that the kermode.net address listed in older versions of Paragon and Vancouver: 2020 is no longer active, so please use one of these two methods to get in touch with me, instead.
