Homebrew Aastarel Tu'ruk-Endi Species Details

 

 

He was the reason the Tu'ruk-Endi were dissed; he had managed feats so evil they affected the reputation of his race as a whole.  Noble watched the lone man from afar as the Sir Draegen barrated him, watching the whip lash out on his back time after time again despite the tears rolling down the prisoner's cheeks.  Sometimes, watching the poor soul, Noble felt a hint of sympathy for him.  But he had to stay strong.  The Sir Draegen had told him this experience would be unforgettable, that he had to remember all the awful things he'd done to the world and the disgrace he'd applied to his race.  Noble moved in closer, his blackish skin shimmering in the moonlight.

"Please, my Lord, stop!  Please!  I've answered all your questions!  What else do you need from me?" the prisoner cried, his voice cracking through dried lips.  The Sir Draegen paused for a moment and held up a hand for Marley to stay his whip.  "DO YOU NOT REMEMBER WHAT YOU'VE DONE?  DO YOU NOT RECALL THE PAIN YOU CAUSED EVERYONE, AND THE PEOPLE YOU KILLED?  DID YOU FORGET MY FATHER WAS ONE OF THEM?" he paused for a glare.  "No, I'll have you know I won't stop until your body is lying on this floor, your skin covered entirely in red and no inch of your flesh without a lash.  I'll bring you to the brink of death today, then treat you with healing services through the night, and I'll whip you again tomorrow.  It goes on and on and on, until my anger is finally quenched.  That said, this will go on until the day I die."

Noble felt something different in his heart when the Sir Draegen called for Marley to start the whipping again.  He felt burning hot, yet freezing cold, at the same time.  He felt like he was both good and evil, both lawful and chaotic.  He was no longer one sided, he could feel that, but everything at once, all the power and knowledge in the world combining at last.  Noble knew he'd felt this only once before.  Oh, no. he thought, but too late.  Noble could feel his fingers elongating, claws forming at the tips, and his legs grew sturdy and strong.  Waves of fur washed over his body, and a silver mane began swinging from his neck.  He couldn't help but let our a long roar, causing both the Sir Draegen and Marley to swivel and face him.  The Sir Draegen yelled something that Noble couldn't process, and Marley dropped his whip and ran, but the prisoner didn't budge.

Noble couldn't control his emotions.  The only drive he felt was to punish the Sir Draegen for hurting the weak prisoner.  Only... Noble didn't think of the Sir Draegen as his master anymore, just another worthless human.  He could easily chase Marley and overrun him in less than a second, but the Sir Draegen would be much tastier.  No.  Stop.  Think. Noble forced himself to say.  Only then did he realize his flaw as he looked at the prisoner.  The two met eyes, and Noble saw he was unscathed, well, and laughing.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        - Excerpt from "The Lion"  by SomeBody O'Coolness

The Aastarel Tu'ruk-Endi are a mysterious race with many aspects of confusion about them.  They are humans with black skin and red eyes, and glowing blue and yellow highlights in their skin.  This race is dissed and looked down upon by other races because of Tindirin, a legendary tyrant prince who brought the world to war with the gods and lost all the races certain powers they treasured.  For example, before Tindirin's War, elves lived forever, but now, they only live for around 700.  Because of Tindirin, every member of the Tu'ruk-Endi is considered a disgrace to society until proven otherwise.

Aastarel Tu'ruk-Endi can change into massive direlions at will when their anger and adrenaline are at their maximum, but most prefer never to change.  While in bestial form, their alignment shifts to Chaotic Evil, and they lose most memory of their former lives.  It's very difficult to change back, so many just avoid a stressful life out of fear.

The Aastarel Tu'ruk-Endi are a battle hardened race of elite fighters.  Most of these beings tend toward Chaotic Neutral, but a rare few are Chaotic Good.  An Aastarel Tu'ruk-Endi's alignment can't be shifted in any way except for that of its transformation.  For the most part, Aastarel Tu'ruk-Endi are looking for redemption and glory in this world, and they are extremely loyal to their close friends.

Play an Aastarel Tu'ruk-Endi if you feel like sometimes you release your wild side, if you disobey stupid rules, and if you want to be the King of the Jungle.  These people make great barbarians, fighters, and Wildermen.  The older and more mature they are, the more friendly and outgoing they are, but they originally start out very shy.  Aastarel Tu'ruk-Endi are extremely territorial, and they try to be the alpha in every environment possible, even when they are outmatched, as they are very stubborn.

Aastarel Tu'ruk-Endi Traits

The racial traits of the Aastarel Tu'ruk-Endi all lead to superiority in warfare and proficiency in many military weapons, skills, tactics, and physical activities.

Ability Score Increase

You gain a +2 bonus to your strength score, and you get a +1 bonus to your dexterity score.  These changes last forever, but they can't rise your score maximum over 20 at first level.

Languages

As a member of this race, you know how to speak, read, and write Common and Aasterdel.  At 4th level, you can speak, read, and write Sylvan as if you were in kindergarten, but most everyone gets what you're trying to say.

Darkvision

You get darkvision out to 18 squares.  This vision lets you see in times of complete darkness, like in a shady forest at midnight, or down in a sewer tunnel.  You can see in low-light areas as if it were normal, but you can only perceive your darkvision in shades of grey and black.

Natural Hunters

You gain proficiency in two skills, perception and stealth.

Weapon Expertise

Pick a weapon that can be from any category and any cost.  You gain proficiency with the weapon.  In addition, you gain 1d4 bonus damage with all melee weapons you can use.

Lion's Mane

You gain a bonus to your AC equal to 1.  You strongly believe this trait is because parts of your lion mane still linger after you change back, but most just assume you are hardy.

King of the Jungle

As a bonus action, you can change into a direlion (use the saber toothed tiger statistics).  While you are in this form, your alignment shifts to CE, and you become an NPC under the DM's control until the next dawn or until you decide to change back.  If you want to regain control of yourself, you must first pass a DC 11 wisdom save (using your original statistics).  You can use this as much as you want, but every 3 times you change, the DC to change back early increases by 1, up to 30.