Races of Wild

CHAPTER 3RAPTORANS90Authority Figures: Jenlisa Iltinger, female raptoran druid12; Henesku Finlist, male raptoran cleric 9; Chanil Akiilin,male raptoran ranger 10; Delembril Vintagil, female raptoranranger 2/cleric 6; Miithi Xantiro, male raptoran ranger 8/sorcerer2; Jantril Sestriin, female raptoran druid 7/skypledged1; Elissto Nisian, male raptoran bard 8.CREATING RAPTORANCHARACTERSRaptoran characters obey all the rules for characters describedin the Player’s Handbook.When you create a raptoran character, remember thatbuying ranks in Climb, Jump, and Spot always pays, even ifthose are cross-class skills, because they play directly intothe raptoran’s racial skill modifiers. Likewise, you shouldbe alert for chances to exploit the maneuverability of theraptoran once you earn your wings, choosing feats (such asMobility) and skills (such as Tumble) that help you movearound safely.However, once you’ve gained the ability to fly, you face thedilemma of carrying gear around. You can’t take flight withanything heavier than a light load, so your equipment choicesare constrained. Consider other ways to boost your ArmorClass, because you won’t be able to fly in heavy armor.As a raptoran, you qualify for some specific feats that greatlybenefit flying characters and for raptoran-specific prestigeclasses (described in this book) that are unavailable to PCsof other races.Feats: Aerial Reflexes, Aerial Superiority, Born Flyer,Diving Charge, Improved Flight, Plunging Shot.Prestige Classes: Skypledged, stormtalon.RAPTORANS AS CHARACTERSFundamentally, the class you choose determines more aboutyour character than any other choice you make. While clericis the raptoran’s favored class, the race’s community-basedlifestyle relies on teamwork; thus, raptorans of other classesare quite common.Barbarian: Many raptorans find the barbarian class appealingbecause it allows them to live close to nature, unfetteredby the social mores that bind more civilized folk. Even youngraptorans are natural jumpers and benefit from a barbarian’sfast movement. A side effect of a barbarian’s rage is that hecan stay aloft a little longer, but low-level raptoran barbariansrisk exhausting themselves if they gain fatigue both fromflying too long and from raging.Bard: Raptorans have a strong oral tradition, so bards arequite common. Their persuasive abilities also make themmasters of debate, thus raising their status even more in theeyes of the community. More raptoran bards take ranks inPerform (oratory) than in any of the musical categories ofthe skill.Cleric: Clerics are quite useful to the raptoran community,both as sources of healing and as versatile spellcasters.Raptoran clerics usually wear only light armor because anyheavier kind interferes with their ability to fly; shield of faithand entropic shield can help compensate.For alternative options for the raptoran cleric, see theraptoran racial substitution levels on page 160.Druid: Like barbarians, druids are children of nature—something that holds considerable appeal for raptorans.Raptoran druids can help with healing just as clerics can,and they can also use wild shape to gain damaging naturalweapons. Raptoran druids usually choose birds such as owlsand hawks as animal companions.Fighter: A raptoran fighter is more maneuverable thanfighters of most other races because of her ability to fly.Though she faces the same armor problem as a cleric does,flying is very useful for her ranged attacks, particularly whencombined with Shot on the Run and other archery-orientedfeats, most of which a fighter can pick up as bonus feats.For alternative options for the raptoran fighter, see theraptoran racial substitution levels on page 161.Monk: Few raptorans ever choose the path of monkbecause most members of the race are chaotic. Those who dofeel the need for more order in their lives can make surprisinglyeffective monks. Their ability to fly makes certain monkabilities (such as slow fall) less relevant, but fast movementgives raptoran monks an extraordinarily fast land speed tomatch or exceed their speed in the air.Paladin: Raptoran paladins are even rarer than raptoranmonks because of the alignment requirement and the lack oflawful good deities in the raptoran pantheon. Nevertheless,those who do exist are respected and valued in their communities.They have the same ranged weapon advantages andproblems with armor as raptoran fighters.Ranger: Like the druid and the barbarian, the ranger isclose to nature, but a raptoran ranger is also an amazinglyeffective fighting machine when he takes the archery combatstyle. The raptoran’s racial skill bonuses match the ranger’sclass skills well, making him exceptionally effective atspotting enemies and keeping up with them. Most raptoranrangers choose night birds as animal companions, thoughother choices are suitable.Rogue: The raptorans’ maneuverability on the battlefieldand racial skill bonuses play directly to the strengths of therogue class. A raptoran rogue’s ability to fly enables her toreach lucrative treasures that others can’t. Most raptoranrogues focus on wilderness skills rather than urban-orientedones such as Open Lock and Disable Device.Sorcerer: Sorcerer is a natural choice for a raptoran arcanespellcaster because he need not carry spellbooks around ashe moves from place to place. Raptorans also respect innatespell ability, considering it a gift from the stars. The sorcerer’s(usually) high charisma also comes in handy for debating.For alternative options for the raptoran sorcerer, see theraptoran racial substitution levels on page 162.Wizard: Raptorans don’t like to carry books, so wizardsare somewhat rare. A few, however, take up the class becauseit enables them to use their minds. Others are attracted to itbecause it offers the option to specialize.