Vulture-Men (13 RP)

The first time the Chaos was more prevalent in reality, a race of ancient fey attempted to purge it from the world by cleansing themselves of all chaotic thoughts. Their ill-conceived ritual was partially successful in doing so, but the result was the creation of another race, the vulture-men whose ties to the Chaos grew even stronger.

Vulture-men are cunning, brave creatures who choose to act in unexpected ways. To some, this can come off as evil, but that consideration never crosses the mind of a vulture-man.

Physical Description: Vulture-men appear in many variations as part man, part winged scavenger. Some have wings protruding from their backs, while on others, their wings are attached to their arms, which themselves can be overly long and dragging. A vulture-man may look like nothing more than an overly skinny man with a light pattern of feathers and a big nose, or a humanoid vulture for whom nonmagic armor must be crafted special. Females are naturally larger than males so they can protect their brood.

Society: Vulture-men create coven-like communities and raise broods of children. They don’t keep a traditional society, but rather are ruled by the member most willing and able to deal with the attempts on his or her life. Some covens will fall into order behind a more powerful leader, but even those will often seek to overthrow their adopted ruler at the first opportunity.

Relations: Outside of their conniving society, vulture-men get along well with races and groups not tied down by the strictures of law.

Alignment and Religion: Vulture-men are almost exclusive chaotic, though a rare few, such as the leaders of their covens, are neutral. A vulture-man can try to live a lawful life, but his natural penchant for disorder will always haunt him. The race offers lip service to a number of chaotic gods when it suits.

Adventurers: Vulture-men travel and adventure for many different reasons, such as vengeance, family, wealth, or recognition. They are most often members of classes with an array of options and a lack of personal code.

Male Names: Soun, Tekun, Ungun, Zokun

Female Names: Ayuk, Nauk, Siluk, Varuk

Random Starting Ages
Adulthood Intuitive1 Self-Taught2 Trained3
110 years +4d6 years
(114 – 134 years)
+6d6 years
(116 – 146 years)
+10d6 years
120 – 170 years)

1 This category includes barbarians, oracles, rogues, and sorcerers.
2 This category includes bards, cavaliers, fighters, gunslingers, paladins, rangers, summoners, trainers, and witches.
3 This category includes alchemists, clerics, druids, inquisitors, magi, monks, and wizards.

Random Height and Weight
Gender Base Height Height Modifier Base Weight Weight Modifier
Male 4 ft. 6 in. +2d8 in. 103 lbs. +(2d8×1 lbs.)
Female 5 ft. 0 in. +2d8 in. 129 lbs. +(2d8×1 lbs.)

Standard Racial Traits

Vulture-men usually have the following racial traits.

  • Ability Score Modifiers: Vulture-men are tough and cunning, but not particularly strong. They gain +2 Constitution, +2 Charisma, -2 Strength.
  • Type: Vulture-men are fey creatures.
  • Size: Vulture-men are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
  • Base Speed: Vulture-men have a base speed of 30 feet.
  • Gliding Wings: Vulture-men take no damage from falling. While in midair, a vulture-man can move up to 5 feet in any horizontal direction for every 1 foot it falls, at a speed of 60 feet per round. If subjected to a strong wind or any other effect that causes a creature to rise, it can take advantage of the updraft to increase the distance it can glide.
  • Languages: Vulture-man begin play speaking Common and abyssal. Vulture-men with high Intelligence scores can choose Celestial, Elven, Halfling, Infernal, Protean, Orc, or Sylvan.

Defense Racial Traits

  • Resistances: A Vulture-man gains electricity resistance 5 and a bonus on saving throws against poison effects equal to their character level.

Feats and Skills Racial Traits

  • Unpredictable: A vulture-man always treats Bluff and Disguise as class skills.

Offense Racial Traits

  • Talons: Vulture-men receive two claw attacks that deal 1d4 damage on a hit. These are primary natural attacks.

Senses Racial Traits

  • Low-Light Vision: Vulture-men can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
  • Darkvision: Vulture-men have darkvision 60 ft. (they can see perfectly in the dark up to 60 feet.)

Alternate Racial Traits

Vulture-men can select the following racial traits.

  • Longarm: The overly-long arms of some vulture-men grant them Lunge as a bonus feat. This replaces talons.
  • Skeksis: A vulture-man whose wings are attached to its oversized arms has vestigial wings and can move faster, increasing its base speed by 10 feet. This replaces gliding wings.
  • Vrock-Like: Some vulture-men use their demonic appearance to their advantage. They gain a +2 racial bonus on Intimidate checks and always treat that skill as a class skill. This replaces unpredictable.

Favored Class Options

The following options are available to all vulture-man characters who have the listed favored class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the favored class reward. In addition, an vulture-man can pick any elf or halfling favored class bonus.

  • Any Class: Gain 1/6 of a new witch’s hex. This grants the hex class feature once the character has at least 1 full hex.
    Barbarian: Gain a +1/2 bonus to saves against fatigue, exhaustion, or unconsciousness.
    Bard: Gain a +1/2 bonus on Perform (dance) and Perform (sing) checks.
    Bloodrager: Gain a +1/2 bonus to saves against fatigue, exhaustion, or unconsciousness.
    Gunslinger: Add +1/2 to the bonus on initiative checks the gunslinger makes while using her gunslinger initiative deed.
    Heir Apparent: Gain a +1/2 bonus on skill checks made with skills granted by the heir’s adventuring goals.
    Inquisitor: Add a +1/3 bonus on initiative checks.
    Magus: Add +1/2 point of electricity damage to spells that deal electricity damage cast by the magus.
    Medium: Add a +1/3 bonus to the roll made as part of spirit surge (maximum +3).
    Mesmerist: Gain 1/6 of a new bold stare.
    Necromancer: Add +1 hit point to the necromancer’s undead companion. If the necromancer ever replaces his undead companion, the new undead companion gains these bonus hit points.
    Psychic: Add +1/3 to the Will DC of detect thoughts (maximum +3).
    Ranger: Add +1 to acid resistance, cold resistance, electricity resistance, or fire resistance.
    Rogue: Gain a +1/2 bonus on damage dealt to dogs (and dog-like creatures) and elflings.
    Skald: Gain a +1/2 bonus to saves against fatigue, exhaustion, or unconsciousness.
    Slayer: Gain a +1/2 bonus on damage dealt to dogs (and dog-like creatures) and elflings.
    Spiritualist: Gain a +1/2 bonus on skill checks made with skills that benefit from the spiritualist’s shared consciousness.
    Sorcerer: Add +1/2 to electricity and air spell or spell-like ability damage.
    Swashbuckler: Increase the number of times per day the swashbuckler can use charmed life by 1/4.

Racial Feats and Traits

The following feats are available to an vulture-man character who meets the prerequisites.

Unnerving Performance (Bardic Performance Option)

A vulture-man bard of 12th level or higher can use his bardic performance to create an effect equivalent to mass inflict serious wounds, using his bard level as the caster level. In addition, this performance causes the sickened condition in all those who fail their saving throws. Using this ability requires 4 continuous performance, and the targets must be able to see and hear the bard throughout the performance. Unnerving performance counts as and replaces soothing performance. It relies on audible and visual components.

Unsettling Performance (Bardic Performance Option)

Vulture-men bards gain dirge of doom at 1st level and inspire courage at 8th level. Inspire courage’s bonus increases by +1 at 11th level, and again at 17th level, to a maximum of +3.

At 3rd level, a vulture-man bard gains frightening tune, but he doesn’t gain inspire competence until 14th level. The inspire competence bonus increases to +3 at 15th level and +4 at 19th level.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

The Book of Many Things, © 2018,Samurai Sheepdog; author Kevin Glusing.

scroll to top