Garuda

At some point in the past, the dragons created the garuda. These winged, avian warriors develop abilities to fight against various kinds of corrupting, much like the naga. The naga may be the guardians who protect against corruption, but the garuda are the hunters. Once they purge the world of corruption, the garuda believe that the heavens will grant their race a place to which they can ascend.

Since their creation, their dragon allies declined. The garuda must hunt more and more dragons turned by corruption. They place blame on the shoulders of the naga, who they feel shirk their duties as guardians.

Personality

Garuda are proud and confident warriors that value strength, loyalty, and most of all freedom. They are the masters of their destiny and not the dragons or the gods. They don’t mind going underground, but they soon become claustrophobic. The garuda can be overly boastful. They tend to be ascetics who seldom partake of any substance that might impair their judgment or composure. They value wealth and power. Technology and magic fascinate garuda, though they have no real talent with either.

Physical Description

Bright scales and colorful feathers cover their skin. Most have a mane of colorful plumes running along their head and neck. They have avian heads with hawk-like visages. Their eyes are red, black, or yellow. The overall coloration of their feathers and scales ranges from blue-green to brown to red. Often garuda soar through the skies in search of tainted prey. While they can grow quite strong, they do not start that way. They have tough bodies with bird-like hollow bones. They have a deadly grace that they put to good use while on the hunt.

Relations

The garuda were not around in the early times, seldom trust other races. Similarly, they inspire little trust from other races. Many feel, and rightly so, that the garuda would rather kill someone who is in the early stages of becoming tainted than to try and cure them. Their predatory nature also makes many uneasy.

They have no strong feelings regarding any particular race and tend to judge them on an individual basis. Whether an individual is tainted or not and if they will fight against corruption is more important to the garuda than what race the individual comes from. The garuda blame the naga for not guarding tainted grounds, bloodlines, and objects. Many never-human naga resent the garuda for their arrogance. However, naga who continue to perform their duties receive the utmost respect from many garuda, if the naga meet the rest of the garuda’s unusually high standards.

Garuda either pity the rashidashen races or view them with a certain jealousy. As the garuda covet a proper place in the heavens themselves, the rashidashen serve as both a cautionary tale and a tale of what might be. But, the garuda know that there is nothing waiting for them as it is for the rashidashen. If they are ever to find a place in the heavens, they must make it themselves.

Outlook

Other races might say the garuda are too confident because of their powerful dragon allies. However, the garuda have found themselves with fewer and fewer powerful allies. The garuda still maintain their confidence in themselves.

Garuda favor the direct approach because they are straightforward in their dealings. They don’t normally think in duplicitous or deceitful terms. However, if the direct approach doesn’t work, they are open to other solutions that get the job done.

Garuda Lands

Garuda do not approach land ownership the way other races do. They have cities and hunting grounds, but they do not care who treads upon the ground. Their cities are usually in high elevations. They hunt in any terrain, most often the southern lands. Garuda will travel from one city to another as the mood suits them. If an area begins to lose prey, they will leave until the population returns to higher numbers. The exception is when their prey are not the animals they hunt for food, but when they hunt those tainted somehow; these they hunt until extinct and since the taint can be difficult to truly exterminate, the garuda might stay in villages or cities they establish as bases from which to hunt their tainted prey.

Languages

Garuda speak common and their own tongue, garudan. This language derives from Draconic, but has different syntax, pronunciation, and spoken volume. Garudan uses loud chirps, squawks, and squeals in addition to some traditionally Draconic words.

Names

Garuda are always named for their ancestors. Originally these were long and complex names, like those of dragons. However, over several generations the names became contracted. Garuda names are consonant-heavy with apostrophes scattered thickly through them.

Garuda Male and Female Names

Ag’sh’r, C’thrax’s, D’relm’r, Gh’n’dal’th, Jh’rak’n, K’son’than, On’skarr’rrd, Q’ss’ghym, R’boln’t, Sh’ter’shree, ’Rsh’la, Vr’hor’v, Zz’undr’th.

Adventurers

Garuda are adventurers by nature. They cannot abide tainted creatures. Most garuda cannot sense taint without special training; those that train thus typically adventure. Garuda can be as acquisitive as any other race and recognize the benefits of temporal power. Hunting the taint is not the sole reason garuda may adventure.

Favored Drink: Strong, spiced coffee; Favored Food: Meat of any kind - snake is a delicacy; Favored Weapon: ranged weapons of any kind; they derive more satisfaction from killing prey with thrown weapons.


Garuda Racial Traits

Garuda possess the following racial traits.

  • +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma: Garuda are graceful and wise, but gruff.
  • Humanoid: Garuda have the humanoid (garuda) type and subtype.
  • Medium: Garuda are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
  • Normal Speed: Garuda have a base speed of 30 feet
  • Low-light Vision: A garuda can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination, retaining the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
  • Armor: Garuda have light and supple scales, granting them a +1 natural armor
  • Gliding: Their wings allow garuda to glide up to 100 feet if they launch themselves from a height of at least 20 feet. When gliding, they move at a speed of 30 feet. Garuda wearing medium or heavy armor cannot glide.
  • Keen Senses: Garuda receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception skill checks.
  • Sense Taint: Garuda with a Charisma of 10 or higher can use detect evil once per day as a spell-like ability. The caster level for this effect is equal to the garuda’s character level.
  • Languages: Garuda begin play speaking Common and garudan. Garuda with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages, such as Druidic).
  • Racial Levels: A garuda can take levels in garuda paragon to further develop his racial qualities.

The Garuda Paragon

Garuda can take up to six levels in garuda paragon at any time. Not all garuda take racial levels; and of those who do, not all take all six of them.

Hit Die: d8.

Class Skills: The garuda paragon’s class skills are Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Fly (Dex), Perception (Wis), and Survival (Wis).

Skill Points: 2 + Intelligence modifier.

Class Features

Table: The Garuda Paragon
Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special Dodge Bonus to AC
1 +0 +2 +0 +0 Bonus Combat feat, Combat Training +0
2 +1 +3 +0 +0 Flight (clumsy), +1 Strength +1
3 +2 +3 +1 +1 Bite, Flight (average), +1 Dexterity +1
4 +3 +4 +1 +1 Spell-like abilities +2
5 +3 +4 +1 +1 Claws, Flight (good), +1 Strength +2
6 +4 +5 +2 +2 Flight (perfect), Pounce, +1 Dexterity +3

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Garuda with levels only in garuda paragon are proficient with all simple weapons, light armor, and shields (but not tower shields).

Bonus Combat feat

At 1st level, a garuda paragon gains a bonus combat feat.

Combat Training

A garuda paragon adds his garuda paragon level -2 to his fighter level determine the rank of his armor and weapon training (but not for bonus feats or as well as his eligibility for combat feats that usually require a minimum number of fighter levels (i.e. Weapon Specialization). If he does not have any levels in fighter he may instead treat his garuda paragon level –2 as his effective fighter level for armor and weapon training and as a prerequisite for combat feats.

Alternatively, a garuda paragon may add his garuda paragon levels to his monk levels to determine his unarmed damage and flurry of blows. If he does not have any levels in monk, he gains the unarmed damage and flurry of blows of a monk equal to his levels in garuda paragon.

If he had levels in both fighter and monk before taking his first level of garuda paragon, he must decide which class he wants to improve the abilities of. Once made, this decision cannot be changed.

Dodge Bonus to AC (Ex)

At 2nd level, a garuda paragon gains a +1 dodge bonus to AC as long as he only wears light or medium armor and is unencumbered. This bonus increases by 1 for every two garuda paragon levels thereafter, up to a maximum of +3 at 6th level.

Flight (Ex)

At 2nd level, a garuda paragon may use his wings to fly. He gains a fly speed of 30 feet with poor maneuverability (-4 on Fly checks). At 3rd level, his light maneuverability increases to average (+0 on Fly checks). At 5th level, his light maneuverability increases to good (+4 on Fly checks). At 6th level, his light maneuverability increases to perfect (+8 on Fly checks).

Bite (Ex)

At 3rd level, a garuda paragon gains a bite attack. This attack is considered a primary attack (unless he is also attacking with weapons, in which case it is a secondary attack) and is made at the garuda paragon’s full base attack bonus (-5 if it is a secondary attack). The bite attack deals 1d6 points of slashing or piercing damage plus the garuda paragon’s Strength modifier (1/2 if is a secondary attack).

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp)

At 4th level, a garuda paragon with a Charisma of 12 or greater gains the following spell-like abilities: 1/day—blindness/deafness, gust of wind, sound burst.

The caster level for these effects is equal to the garuda’s character level. The DC for these spells is equal to 10 + the spell’s level + the garuda’s Charisma modfiier.

Claws (Ex)

At 5th level, a garuda paragon gains two claw attacks. These claw attacks may be made with either his hands (while on the ground) or with his feet (while in light). These claw attacks are considered primary attacks (unless he is also attacking with weapons, in which case they are secondary attacks) and are made at the garuda paragon’s full base attack bonus (-5 if they are secondary attacks). The claw attacks deal 1d6 points of slashing damage plus the garuda paragon’s Strength modifier (1/2 if they are secondary attacks).

Pounce (Ex)

At 6th level, can attempt a charge attack while lying and still make a full attack either with his bite and claws; with his bite, one claw, and one weapon; or with his flurry of blows.

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