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Advanced Race Guide Preview: Wark, Wark, Wark!

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Some time ago I played in a campaign that Jason Bulmahn was running. One of the many highlights of the campaign was Chuko. This was James Jacobs's tengu character, who always shouted "Wark!" when he was excited. My whole conception of tengus comes from Chuko. They are strange little creatures that steal and mark things with flags. Tengus can be unreasonable and stupidly heroic. Chuko was not the sharpest egg in the nest, just a strange little outcast in a far-off land. James played it to the hilt. If you get the chance to play Pathfinder with James, make him play a tengu. Oh, and make him wear a silly hat.

Sorry for the last bit, James.

When it came to reviewing the tengu section of Advanced Race Guide, there was a lot that made me shout, "Wark!" I think Chuko would approve! Now I want to play a tengu.

Here are just a few highlights from the section.

Tengu Equipment

Tengus have access to the following equipment.


Illustration by Paul Guzenko

Signal Kite Kit: Though wingless, tengus have long cast their thoughts toward the sky and flight. Built from paper glued to bamboo frames, their kites are painted with various colors and pictures. In addition to flying kites as a leisure activity, tengus also fly kites of various shades and patterns to send signal messages. Tengus have developed an extensive code of signals and can use their kites to display complex messages visible at great distances. A signal kite kit includes six small colored kites that can be hooked together in different patterns to facilitate complex messages. The kit also includes a spool and 300 feet of twine. Sending or interpreting a signal kite's message functions as described in the Bluff skill, but the sender and anyone trying to understand the message must also know Tengu.

Terror Kite: This small kite is usually painted with a fierce face and bright colors and is edged with serrated wooden blades. Its twine is strengthened by soaking it in glue and sometimes with crushed glass to give it a slight cutting edge. The kite has hardness 5 and 3 hit points. Participants in a kite battle make alternating sunder combat maneuvers against each other's kites; each successful maneuver allows a competitor to roll 1d6 points of damage against the opponent's kite. When a kite reaches 0 hit points, it is broken or its string is cut, and its player loses the match. In some matches, points are awarded for touching the kite's top to the opponent's string, with the winner being the first to reach a set point total. Those interested in kite-fighting may select the terror kite as a weapon for the purpose of feats such as Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization, and apply these bonuses on kite damage rolls and on their sunder combat maneuver attempts made while using terror kites.

Tengu Feats

Tengu have access to the following feats.

Long-Nose Form
You can shift into the form of a human with an unusually long nose.
Prerequisites: Character level 3rd, tengu.
Benefit: Once per day, you can assume the form of a human whose nose is the length of your beak. This spell-like ability functions as alter self with a caster level equal to your level. While in this form you gain the scent ability and a +2 bonus to your Strength score. Because your long nose in this form clearly indicates you are not fully human, you do not gain the normal bonus to Disguise checks for using a polymorph effect (however, you could possibly explain the nose as an unfortunate curse or deformity, or hide it with an item such as a plague doctor's mask).

Tengu Spells

Tengus have access to the following spells.

Theft Ward
School abjuration; Level cleric 1, inquisitor 1, sorcerer/wizard 1, witch 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range touch
Target one object
Duration 1 day

You ward a single object in your possession against theft. You gain a +10 bonus on Perception checks to notice someone trying to take the object from you.

Hey! Tell us what you want to see next. We want to know what you're excited about.

Stephen Radney-MacFarland
Designer

More Paizo Blog.
Tags: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Paul Guzenko Tengu
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Liberty's Edge

Furry kobolds. I'm sick of the scaley ones.

My vote for next weeks preview is for Tiefling, or Drow, or Dhampir, or maybe Changlings.
Grand Lodge
NotMousse wrote:
Furry kobolds. I'm sick of the scaley ones.

Like the "dog" kobolds from the Suikoden games, heh.

Pathfinder Adventure, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

Bah! Lizard/Dragon kobolds are 100x more awesome than the furry ones! ;)

Kobolds!

My vote is for a dhampir preview.
Dark Archive
donato wrote:
Construct race, please!

Too bad Pathfinder doesn't have warforged. I would love to see a pathfinder version of that race or something similar, since there is that problem of WoTC owning the rights to them.

James mentioned hints about a 0 HD race with construct traits coming out in a while. My guess is it's in the Inner Sea Bestiary, possibly as something involving the technic league? Maybe that last bit is wishful thinking.

There's also the Ironborn by Rite, but they too aren't 100% construct.

Kobolds would be fantastic. Not furry kobolds, of course. Imperial dragon kobolds with beards and antlers. I have one of those in a game I'm DMing. Pretty awesome.
Grand Lodge

TENGU! *caw!*
Great work on this guys, that Tengu alchemist looks incredible.
I really want to take 'Long Nose Form' before the book comes out. Can I do that?
I have a wonderful mental image of the Tengu homeland with trees and villages strapped with load of kite advertising now. So awesome.
OH GOD NO CATFOLK PLEASE. THEY ARE THE ANTITENGU.
RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32
1 person marked this as a favorite.

I removed a post and the replies to it. I get that furries are some sort of internet punching bag, but that doesn't mean people need harp on it every time nonstandard races are brought up.

You don't like catfolk. Fine. But don't try to shout down the people who do.
Dark Archive

Dwarves for the win!
RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32

I removed some posts. Not helping.
Grand Lodge

I'd like to see some of the Aasimar or Drow stuff coming up!
Scarab Sages
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

Catfolk and changelings are Okay, but lets get some more Hilarious Humorous races, Like Kobolds and Vanara. We already got dwarves or I'd second teh call for Dwarven beers.

Planetouched, specifically racial feats for planetouched.
Silver Crusade
2 people marked this as a favorite.

Most excited/anxious about: What's going to be there for orcs, particularly in terms of flavor. Really hoping for stuff useful for non-villainous orc cultures.

Also, seeing stranger options for race-building. I couldn't actually make my homebrew races with the playtest version, so I'm hoping a lot more options are present and that most if not all of those prerequisites founded in setting-dependent assumptions are gone.

I had a tengu alchemist named Rengu the Tengu, he was a alchemist and knew nearly every language that was available. He fought in arenas and inadvertently killed a village lively hood by accidentally burning down their entire crops. He didn't die but we did abandon the game after one of the players lost their character and couldn't continue the game.

I wish I had that tengu feat during the game, it would have helped when we did less than city legal things and I could use a disguise.

Anywho I'd like to see more about dwarves or if there are any Templates that can be added to races. That'd be cool.
Silver Crusade

Should note, that is one cool looking tengu. Didn't Paul Guzenko also do the art for the Kodar Kneecappers in the Rival Guide? Really liking that soft style.

Wait. Hold the phone. How does a BIG NOSE grant you +2 Str?

Very cool preview! Been a fan of Tengu since the olden days, and now I want to go fly a kite.

As for my opinion on what else to preview? I'll go for Ratfolk!

Changeling definitely. Would be interesting to see what they can do with them. Maaaybe give them an ability to alter self like the Changelings from Eberron?
Berselius wrote:
Wait. Hold the phone. How does a BIG NOSE grant you +2 Str?

+2 Str is a normal effect of using Alter Self to become a medium creature.

Grand Lodge

Tengu are already medium, but with their avian form having hollow bones and a shorter stature, they can become stronger by taking human form. They are, however, inherently superior to humans in every attribute other than strength, however.
Kuro Poe wrote:
Tengu are already medium, but with their avian form having hollow bones and a shorter stature, they can become stronger by taking human form. They are, however, inherently superior to humans in every attribute other than strength, however.

Even a human Altering into a different human gets +2 Strength. A halfling Altering into a different halfling likewise gets +2 Dexterity. I guess as long as it's messing with the details the spell optimizes what you've got.

Shadow Lodge

Orcs, half-orcs, and kobold stuff would be awesome

Kitsune!
Dark Archive
Berselius wrote:
Wait. Hold the phone. How does a BIG NOSE grant you +2 Str?

Nodwick?!

I also would like to see a preview of the Dhampir.
James Jacobs wrote:
Wark.

Shouldn't that have been Kweh? *ducks*

Paizo Employee Creative Director
2 people marked this as a favorite.
Midnight_Angel wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Wark.

Wasn't that Kweh? *ducks*

It absolutely was NOT.

Kweh is what duckbill tengu say. And we all know that they come from the shallow end of the pool.
Scarab Sages

I'm all about a strix preview, personally. So little is known about them and their home. It makes me sad inside. :(

Distinct minority here, but I'm with Kurok for ORcs and / or half-orcs. We've had some pretty art, the silly little goblins (in the medieval sense of the word silly), and the bird men, now how about something nasty and brutish for contrast. :-)

Would a bag full of money (or a backpack full of things) be considered a single object for the purpose of Theft Ward, or would you have to ward every single coin?
Pathfinder Lost Omens Subscriber

Next time I'd love to see catfolk or drow.

on a separate note - are half fiends and half celestials going to be covered in the guide?
Timothy Ferdinand wrote:
are half fiends and half celestials going to be covered in the guide?

Tieflings and Aasimar are supposed to get some coverage, last I checked (subtly distinct from half-fiends/half-celestials, as those are templates). Although that said, if you haven't already you might want to consider looking for the just-released Blood of Fiends and the upcoming Blood of Angels for more material on those.

Kobolds for life

Whoops, forgot to put in my vote. We MUST SEE A DHAMPIR eventually.

Just so everyone knows if you like animalfolk, then you should check out The Nymian Beastlands, it's a new campaign setting in the works for pathfinder, with various animalfolk as the central focus. it is in the playtest phase right now and many of the books are pretty cheap. Any and all takers welcome

http://www.rpgnow.com/product/86480/The-Nymian-Beastlands%3A-A-Playtester%2 7s-Guide-to-the-Lands-%26-Peoples-of-Omarka?src=s_pi&filters=900_0_4423 5_0_0

check it out...
James Jacobs wrote:
Midnight_Angel wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Wark.

Wasn't that Kweh? *ducks*

It absolutely was NOT.

Kweh is what duckbill tengu say. And we all know that they come from the shallow end of the pool.

Represent!

Apostle of Gygax wrote:
Yes, either a changling or catfolk preview next week please.

I agree :3

That spell is definitely cool for our non-tengu friends as well.
Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

I'd like to see more info on the Vishkanya (sp?)
Sczarni

I'd like to see what Paizo does with gnomes. Creepy Germanic folklore inspired, or agents of the First World (fae), or something altogether different?

My vote is for Changelings, Dhamphir, or Vishkanya.
James Jacobs wrote:
Midnight_Angel wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Wark.

Wasn't that Kweh? *ducks*

It absolutely was NOT.

Kweh is what duckbill tengu say. And we all know that they come from the shallow end of the pool.

Sgt. Joe demands you take that back.

Shadow Lodge Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 8

Also, any chance we could we see some ifrit and sylph art? I'm way excited to see how those turned out.
3 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber
James Jacobs wrote:
Midnight_Angel wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Wark.

Wasn't that Kweh? *ducks*

It absolutely was NOT.

Kweh is what duckbill tengu say. And we all know that they come from the shallow end of the pool.

I hope this is a promise of a future duckbilled, beaver tailed, poison barbed tengu variant :)

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