The Wolfen

  A race of large, powerfully built bipedal wolves.  Their organization and political system is most definitely militant, with a strong devotion to family structures and ancestor worship.  They are very well organized and have a strong sense of self.  Generally willing to work with human, whom they admire for their diverse skill and adaptability, and elves, whom they believe had a hand in the creation of their race in times long past.  Conversely, they also get along well with goblins, whom they can lord over do to their size and ferocity, and hobgoblins, whom they see as worthy rivals.  Races like dwarves, halflings, and gnomes are welcomed, tolerated, or hostile to depending on the particular clan and at times, even the tastes of the individual.

Personality: Prone to arrogance, to one degree or another, the Wolfen are a tough and self reliant people.  Although they appreciate the wisdom of working with others towards a common end, and even allying with others, they generally like to be the ones in charge.  In most cases, they are more then willing to reason and accept the leadership of those more qualified.  This doesn't mean that they won't step forward to seize command if they see a opportunity.  On the opposite end of this extreme are those that feel that the wolfen race is the rightful leaders, maybe even rulers, of the lands, they tend to be a minority.  A dangerous one when they rise to power from time to time though.

Physical Description: Wolfen stand between 6 and 8 1/2 feet tall.  The body is covered in dark and/or light grey colored fur, but whites and browns are not unheard of.  The head is wolf-like, with a muzzle, canine teeth, powerful jaws, pointed canine ears, and hazel, brown, or green eyes.  Wolfen men are slightly taller then wolfen women, but there are some exceptions, especially when a female assumes the religious/political role of Alpha.   Many wolfen, male and female, weave beads into the fur on their head, and many also like to dye patches of fur a myriad of colors, whether it is earth tones or brighter ones is often determined by their class and the situation.  Wolfen prefer simple, lose clothing, although wolfen mages are known for their extravagant robes.  They will only use the pelts of wolfs and wolf like creatures if its a matter of life and death, they see it as repulsive.  Wolfen are considered adult at 14 years, and can live into theirs 60's.  While sometimes mistaken for Werewolves, they don't have the same feral look in their eyes that those infamous shape shifters do, and are usually much more calm and in control.  Most people who are familiar with Wolfen don't make that mistake though.  However, more then one tragedy has occurred because of this similarity...

Relations:  Wolfen get along quite well with gnomes, who have a strong tie to the land, as well as elves, despite their somewhat flippant attitudes.  Halflings and wolfen can also see eye to eye on many things, but the tendency for a halfling to play friendly pranks on their far to serious wolfen friends can strain all but the best friendships.  Humans are a more difficult group to get accustomed with.  As another younger race, the two are often competing for the same lands, however at times the two races can live next door to each other without a hitch.  Dwarves and wolfen, despite their similarities in attitudes and opinions on honor, don't get along well at all, and the two races often come to blows.  Generally, half-orcs are tolerated, but their tendency towards a chaotic nature means that relations can become strained.

Alignment: Wolfen tend towards lawful, but not necessarily favoring good or evil.  While chaotic wolfen are not unheard of, these ones are the most likely to become adventures.

Wolfen Lands:  Wolfen live in colder climates (temperate and sub artic), more tolerable for them in part from their fur.  They range from simple villages to elaborate cities with aqueducts and sewage systems, vaguely resembling the Roman civilization of earth.  Recently these more civilized areas have begun a push to bring some of this sophistication to it's backward cousins.  Wolfen are territorial and generally resent uninvited villages springing up in their lands.  They enjoy a brisk trade with other races and are quite adapt at metal work and raising fantastic creatures.  In other lands their are often mercenaries, traders, and renegades.  Wolfen shock troopers are renowned for their abilities and any unit is for higher is almost always in demand.

Religion:  Wolfen worship several nature deities, even those that have become more civilized, and their own goddess Aurau, the Great Mother.  It is she that called forth the wolfen from the forests and gifted them with speech and hands.  Her high priests and priestess are called Alpha's and are sometimes the political leaders as well as the religious ones.

Language: Wolfen speak Wolfen, which uses the eleven script.  It is a vary hard dialect for non wolfen to speak, as it involves growls and other low throat sounds.  Wolfen literature is loaded with epic poems, and several creation stories.  They are great fans of airy philosophy as well, but few besides a wolfens closest friends would ever know.

Names: Wolfen have several names through their lives, usually one given at birth that is used in casual and public settings.  However, upon achieving adulthood at the age of 15 or so, they receive a symbolic name that is often a abstract or based on his deeds and talents.  This names is bestowed on him by the local Alpha in a sacred ceremony.  It is not unheard of for a young wolfen to put off this official naming ceremony for a few years while he or she makes their place in the world as an adventurer or some other far flung profession.

Names: Colar, Falar, Fenir, Ferris, Graler, Helfir, Istaler, Logar, Qualir, Torar, and Varlis.

Adult Names:  Blackpelt, Deephowl, Grimmjaw, Snowfur, Snapjaw, Thunderclaws.

Adventurers:  A wolfen adventurer is often an outcast from his tribe/community, as well as the normal thrill seekers, treasure hunters, and the like that all races count in their numbers.

Wolfen Racial Traits

• +2 Dexterity, -2 Charisma.  Wolfen are agile, but they lack social graces.
• Medium-size:  As medium-sized creatures, wolfen have no special bonuses or penalties.
• Wolfen Base speed is 40 feet.
• Low-light Vision:  Wolfen can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination.  They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
• Scent: Wolfen can take the special quality scent, described in core rule book 3, as a feat at anytime during their career.
• +2 racial bonus to wilderness lore, spot, and listen checks.  Listen is always considered a class skill for a wolfen regardless of character class.
• Proficient with great sword, great axe, or falchion at first level.  Wolfen can take the monkey grip feat from Sword and Fist with their chosen weapon without having the prerequisite weapon focus feat. Wolfen are born into a militant society and their great size makes such weapons far less unwieldy for them them as for other races.
• +2 racial bonus against polymorph spells and affects.  Wolfen have a very defined racial sense of self that makes it hard for them to be transformed against their wills.  This has no affect on a wolfen druids Wild Shape ability.
• Wolfen are immune to Lycanthropy.  The lycanthropy template can never be applied to a wolfen character short of divine intervention.
• Automatic Languages: Common and Wolfen.  Bonus Languages:  Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Goblin, Gnome, Gnoll, Orc, and Sylvan.
• Favored Class:  Fighter or Ranger.  A multiclassed wolfen's fighter class does not count when determining whether he suffers an XP penalty for multiclassing.

Vital stat Matrix:

Table 6-4: Random Starting Ages (addendum)

Table 6-5: Aging Effects (addendum)

Table 6-6: Random Height and Weight (addendum)

Aurau, Intermediate Deity

The wolfen goddess Aurau is lawful neutral.  She is also known as The Wolf Mother, Creator of the Wolfen, the Great Huntress, and The Preserver of the Woods.  Aurau watches over the wolfen people and guides them in living harmoniously with the natural world, even if they build cities, she encourages the Wolfen to never lose sight of their roots, for there is strength in them.  She is depicted as Female wolfen, with a gentle, if stern, expression, or as a great dire wolf, an animal she holds sacred.  She is worshiped by some none wolfen rangers and even some none wolfen druids.  The domains she is associated with are Law, Animal, Strength, and Protection.  Her favored weapon is the falchion.  Druids of Aurau can wield the falchion without violating their spiritual oaths.  Her symbol is a howling wolf head in profile, set against a disk to represent the moon.  She holds nights of the full moon as sacred, as well as the night of the Winter Solstice.  On those times when the their is a full moon on the night of the Winter Solstice a High Holy Day is declared.