Dec 14

Thouls



A human, a thoul, and a goblin.

[NOTE: A "prestige race" is similar to prestige classes in that they must be "unlocked." A prestige race cannot be chosen for a player's first character in TKL. However, a player's second and any subsequent character applications may be a character with a prestige race. Prestige race characters are subject to more scrutiny during the application process.]

 

The First Thoul

The term "eugenics" was named after Eugene the Breeder, the most famous disciple of Dar'ween Men'del, the controversial "naturologistopher" who put forth the Theory of Changeolution. Eugene, a human and a devout priest of Liselae, was the first person in the "civilized" west to propose that the techniques used in animal husbandry could also be successfully applied to humans and demihumans.

Truth be told, hobgoblins had been practising eugenics on themselves over a thousand years before Eugene was born. In the goblin language the science is called piknfukk, and hobgoblins have been applying it ever since they realized that improvements in diet and selective breeding were what caused the creation of themselves as an offshoot race. While the hobgoblins initially bred only among themselves, pairing off certain individuals in an attempt to maximize certain traits such as strength or intelligence, there was a development period in which they tried their hand at crossbreeding themselves with other races. These experiments met with no success, save for one. On an island called Kswantu, by complete accident - or divine intervention, depending on who is telling the tale - the hobgoblins were able to crossbreed themselves with a troll and a ghoul... and thus the first thoul was born. The experiment was successfully repeated only one other time, creating a female to pair with the original, a male. Though subsequent experiments failed, for reasons unknown to this day, the pair of thouls were able to breed true, and their numbers multiplied.

Both hobgoblins and thouls willingly admit that they don't know the secret to that original creation. To this day no one else has been able to crossbreed a living race with undead, making thouls unique in The Known Lands.

Thouls, Mach Two

The original thouls were powerful creatures - they regenerated like trolls, their claws could paralyze victims like a ghoul's, and they were as cunning as hobgoblins. They lived among hobgoblins and goblins, fighting as special troops in their armies. It was soon discovered that the thouls could not produce offspring with hobgoblins and trolls - they could only successfully mate with each other. But for some unknown reason (also unique to thouls), they suffered no ill effects from inbreeding, and slowly began to multiply.

Like their hobgoblin cousins, the thouls began to practice eugenics on themselves. They tried to enhance the strengths they possessed from their troll and ghoul ancestry while eliminating their vulnerabilities. As generations passed, they had limited success. "Modern" ghouls can only regenerate themselves in short bursts, and they are still somewhat vulnerable to fire and acid and still aren't very nimble thanks to their undead heritage, but they retain their paralyzing claws, and have grown more intelligent than hobgoblins.

If You Build It, They Will Come

With increased intelligence came the realization that there was more to existence than being shock troops, and perpetuating the constant territorial wars common to tribes across The Shattered Isles. Having sensed the growing resentment the goblins and hobgoblins held towards them for their own advancement, numerous thouls across Kswantu decided to break the cycle of war. They abandoned their tribal allegiances and came together to form their own tribe, a tribe of thouls. This thoul tribe crossed the Kachubwa Desert, something no other group of humanoids had been able to do before that time, and searched for a place to find a new life. They migrated to Kswantu's east coast, where at the mouth of the Njaun River they established Mjinte, which in Shatteredspeak means simply "The City."

Other "advanced humanoids" heard of the thouls' exodus, and some followed them across the desert - varags, urds, flinds, and ogrillons. They were surprised to find not only that the thouls welcomed them, but also that the thouls had been making plans, plans which involved them. Decades and centuries passed, during which time the framework was laid down which now makes Mjinte the large, successful city it is today - a framework laid down mostly by the thouls.

On Thouls

Thouls resemble large, muscled humans. They are easy to distinguish from hobgoblins because their skin, due to their trollish and undead heritage, is usually a shade of green or gray. Thoul eyes are red or yellowish; green eyes are a rarity. Like hobgoblins they are lean and tall, averaging six and a half feet in height and weighing around two hundred pounds. Most have a lean muscularity, but due to their undead heritage they lack the catlike dexterity hobgoblins are known for.

Thouls are good leaders. Like hobgoblins, they are well-organized, well-trained, and obey a strict military code. They fight among themselves to determine dominance, but in modern times this is rarely physical; hobgoblins use theur intellects against each other, devising plans to thwart and defeat their enemies, often politically-based. But once a hierarchical relationship is established, thouls tend to work well together. They are also good at analyzing other races and finding the best ways to control them - wealth, intimidation, flattery, etc.

Thouls are religious, but in a practical manner. Those in the army usually worship either Teorral or Dasigaan.  Wizards often worship Raelnahoth. Those in charge of eugenics almost always worship Liselae.

Thouls continue to perform their eugenics programs on themselves and other races. As part of their eugenics, thouls make use of arranges marriages. Partners are chosen by a council of politicians, elders, and eugenics experts (usually druids or priests of Liselae). They also enjoy animal husbandry; thouls are credited with the creation of the guulvorg, known on Common as a "dire worg," an extremely cunning and fierce lupine beast which thouls often raise as guard animals or pets.

In recent years thouls have become obsessed with wizardry. Sorcery has been around in The Shattered Isles for millenia, but without a literary culture, wizardry never took hold. It is rumored that thouls were originally taught wizardry by none other than Thay'maqui, founder of the Red Wizards. Indeed, there are numerous thoul red wizards in Mjinte, and Thay'maqui's influence would explain where they came from. In terms of the study of wizardry, what the thouls have lacked in time they have more than made up for in effort; thoul wizards are able to rival their sun elf and Racethian counterparts.

Thouls enjoy music, and like goblins and hobgoblins they are fond of drums. Many thoul minstrels sing accompanying themselves with drum music, and many thoul wizards have created magical drums with various powers.

Personality Traits

Proud - Thouls have done what most of the western Known Lands thought was an impossibility; create a civilization in the middle of the chaos of The Shattered Isles. They have other achievements as well: the development of written languages for both Goblin and Shatteredspeak, rapid advancement in arcane magical knowledge despite having only recently begun to study it, and the biological improvement of their own race. Thouls are proud of these achievements - some will not hestitate to trumpet them, especially to people from the western Known Lands. Indeed, most thouls consider themselves the most advanced race among humans, demihumans, and humanoids.

Calculating - Thouls are organized. They like plans and their successful execution. They enjoy complexity, sometimes simply for its own sake.

Driven - Thouls are often relentless when it comes to achieving a goal or tackling a problem. Some say this comes from their undead heritage, others their troll heritage, and yet others say both.

Classes

Barbarian - after centuries of civilization in Mjinte, there has been a reverse movement among some thouls who have decided to go back to their roots and live in tribes. These thouls often live among tribes of hobgoblins on Kswantu or some other Shattered Isle.

 

Thoul Stats

Ability Adjustments: +2 Intelligence, -2 Dexterity

Limited Regeneration: Thouls can activate a regeneration power once a day. This allows them to regenerate three hit points per round for a duration equal to one turn for every two character levels (rounded up).

Ghoul Claws: Thouls gain the Weapon Proficiency: Creature Weapon feat as a bonus feat. They have claws which they can use to attack with when not wielding weapons. These claws do 1d3+1 slashing damage. There is a percent chance that on a successful hit the victim will have to make a Fort save or be paralyzed. The percent chance for paralization, save DC, and paralysis duration depend on the thoul's hit dice.

1-5HD: DC=14, 10% chance, 2 rounds
6-10HD: DC=16, 25% chance, 2 rounds
11-15HD: DC=18, 33% chance, 3 rounds
16-20HD: DC=20, 50% chance, 3 rounds
21-25HD: DC=22, 66% chance, 4 rounds
26+HD: DC=24, 75% chance, 5 rounds

Darkvision: Thouls can see in the dark up to sixty feet.

Vulnerabilities: As a result of their trollish ancestry, thouls have a 50% vulnerability to both fire and acid. This means they take 50% additional damage from fire and acid attacks.

Favored Class: Wizard.

Effective Character Level (ECL): 1

OOC Notes:

- Thouls in TKL are slightly different from the thouls of standard D&D. Some abilities like permanent regeneration have been removed, and vulnerabilities have been added to lower their ECL.



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