SHARK
First Post
Greetings!
Do you use Fomorians in your campaigns? How have you used them? I think Fomor have been less than detailed officially, sad to say. I think they have a lot of good mythology working for them, and are very flexible and interesting creatures to use in a campaign. Fomor have excellent potential as both short scenario opponents, and also as long-term campaign villains! These are some of the Fomor I use in my campaigns.
I've always liked Fomor.
Semper Fidelis,
SHARK
Morrdrann Fomorian
Size/Type: Large Giant (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 12d8+84 (132 hit points)
Initiative: -1
Speed: 30' ft.; 40' Swim Speed
Armor Class: 19 (-1 Size; -1 Dex; +7 Natural; +4 Chain Shirt); Touch 8 Flat Footed 19
Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+20
Attack: Greatsword +15 melee (3d6+10); or Claw +15 melee (1d6+7); or Bite +15 melee (2d6+3) or Rock +8 ranged (2d6+7)
Full Attack: Greatsword +15/+10 melee (3d6+10); or 2 Claws +15 melee (1d6+7), 1 Bite +15 melee (2d6+3); or Rock +8 ranged (2d6+7)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks:
Rock Throwing (Ex):
The range increment is 120 feet for the Morrdrann Fomorian's rocks.
Morrdrann Fomorian's can throw rocks weighing up to 50-lbs.
Savage Combat (Ex):
The Morrdrann Fomorian are greatly skilled in using their natural attacks in combat, and suffer no penalties.
Ruthless Sea Raider (Ex):
The Morrdrann Fomorians are ruthless sea-raiders, and are especially ferocious when fighting on board a ship, or while in water, whether it is the sea, marshes, a river or lake, or while fighting during a rainstorm.
The Morrdrann Fomorian gain a +6 Morale bonus on all attack rolls and damage.
Special Qualities:
Rock Catching (Ex):
Once per round, the Morrdrann Fomorian may make a Reflex save to catch a Small, Medium, or Large rock thrown at it, as a free action. The size DC's for the rocks are as follows: Small DC 15; Medium DC 20; Large DC 25.
If the projectile has a magical bonus on the attack rolls, the DC increases by that amount. The Morrdrann Fomorian must be aware of the attack to make the rock-catching attempt.
Low-light Vision (Ex):
Morrdrann Fomorian can see twice as far as a human in starlight, torchlight, moonlight, and other low-light conditions.
Amphibious (Ex):
The Morrdrann Fomorians are amphibious, and can breathe both air and water with equal ease.
Breathing Skin (Ex):
The Morrdrann Fomorian's skin aids it in breathing, thus causing the Morrdrann Fomorian to suffer a -2 penalty on Fortitude saving throws against gases, contact poisons, and inhaled poisons and effects.
Natural Engineer (Ex):
The Morrdrann Fomorians are naturally skilled engineers, and gain a
+6 Racial bonus to all Crafting, Knowledge, and Profession skills dealing with metal, wood, glass, crystal and stone.
Morrdrann Fomorian Mutations (Ex):
A Mordrann Fomorian gains 1 mutation for every two racial hit dice.
Roll on the Mordrann Fomorian Mutation Table to determine the type and nature of these strange mutations.
Saves:
Fort: +13 Ref: +3 Will: +4
Abilities
STR: 25 DEX: 8 CON: 21 INT: 8 WIS: 10 CHA: 8
Skills: 108
Climb (Str) 10 (+17); Craft (Int; Blacksmithing 10 (+15); Carpentry 8 (+13); Intimidate (Cha) 10 (+9); Jump (Str) 10 (+17);
Knowledge (Int; Sea 10 (+9); Listen (Wis) 10 (+10); Profession (Wis; Sailor 10 (+10); Spot (Wis) 10 (+10);
Swim (Str) 10 (+25); Survival (Wis) 10 (+10);
Morrdrann Fomorian possess a +8 Racial bonus to Swim checks.
Languages Known: Morrdrann Fomorian automatically know their own language of Fomorian, as well as Giant and Aquan.
Morrdrann Fomorian may learn additional languages, as their intelligence allow.
Feats: Power Attack, Cleave, Great Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Improved Bull Rush
Environment: Cold/Temperate Coastal, Marshlands, Hills, Mountains; Subterranean
Organization:
Solitary; Gang (1d6+4);
Band (2d6+6 plus 35% noncombatants);
Raiding Party (4d6+12 plus 2d6+6 Dire Wolves);
Tribe (40+2d20 plus 35% noncombatants, plus 20+1d20 Dire Wolves, 4d6+12 Ettins, plus 4d6+20 Ogres)
Challenge Rating: 10
Treasure: Triple Standard
Alignment: Often Lawful Evil
Advancement: By Class Type
Level Adjustment: +4
Morrdrann Fomorians as Player Characters
Morrdrann Fomorian characters can be used with the standard stats as noted in the above starting profile. Simply roll for individual stats, adjust accordingly, and spend the skill points and assign desired feats. The Fomorian character is good to go. The DM should roll for the appropriate mutations--simply being careful to ensure that the player character does not gain a mutation that may be too powerful. Alternatively, the DM may run through the mutation table, and gather together appropriate player-character mutations, and form them into a Player-Character Mutation Table, and either roll, or allow the player to roll for their mutations. Depending on the DM's campaign, a player-character Fomorian may work, and prove to be interesting, and entertaining. The player should think carefully about the Fomor character, the Fomor's background, and work with the DM to carefully integrate the character into the party.
The Fomorians are designed primarily as challenging monster opponents and very powerful NPC's. Powerful Fomorians with a number of elite mutations--or even some of the better standard mutations--along with a few class levels, can make a very interesting Villain Character to challenge the players over several adventures or a longer campaign arc.
Base Character Ability Adjustments
STR: +14 DEX: -2 CON: +10 INT: -2 WIS: +0 CHA: -2
Description:
Fomorians are usually heavily armoured in chain shirts, or chainmail, and wield greatswords and other powerful, two-handed weapons. Many Fomorians wear helmets, and often carry shields as well. Fomorians love weapons in general, and enjoy hand-to-hand combat, as well as fighting with their claws and teeth. Fomororians appreciate and value fine goods, clothing, and other treasure, whenever they can get them. While Fomorians are eager for wealth and treasure, Fomorians are protective about whatever strange armor, furs, and other goods they do have, regardless of whatever quality such items may have. Fomorians are often quite sentimental about particular items they own--such items of sentimental value are often practical, like a weapon, or a favourite helmet or cloak--but Fomor often are also sentimental about a cured beast-head they may carry around their neck, or a drinking horn braced with four deer-legs, or a specially made belt, or some other odd item that the Fomor attaches value to. Fomor often superstitiously view some strange or mundane seeming items--as well as more obviously valuable items--as having some kind of magical or mystical power or significance, which while sometimes is certainly true, it is also often as not merely the individual Fomor's superstitious belief and perception.
Fomorians are 10' tall, powerful, ferocious giants that have black or dark brown hair, usually worn long, past their shoulders, and have grey, blue, or dark brown eyes. Many Fomorians also shave their heads entirely, and are fond of all kinds of jewelry. Generally, it is difficult for Fomorians to grow full beards, and thus are usually clean-shaven. Fomorians are also fond of various kinds of tribal tattoos, and most Fomor have a few tattoos that have some kind of tribal or religiously symbolic significance. Fomor priests and druids may enchant or magically scribe such tattoos into the Fomorians, providing them with some kind of divine blessing or mystical property. Many tattoos, however, are not necessarily magical, but decorative and symbolic.
Fomorians usually weigh about 800-1,000-lbs, and are strong and muscular--though many Fomorians are often also grossly fat. Fomor have pale grey skin, that is often miscoloured, or splotchy, with patches of wiry fur, strange warts and skin-growths. Fomor are generally brutish and ugly, with mismatched limbs, somewhat out-of sync with other limbs, or are oddly placed from normal. Fomorians may have slightly uneven or mismatched eyes, large noses, or extra-large mouths. Fomor take great pride in their strange and bizarre mutations, viewing them as blessings from the Fomor Gods.
Fomor are rapacious raiders and cunning in battle, seeking every advantage against an enemy. Fomorians are savage in warfare, and love the thrill of victory when they defeat a skilled opponent in single combat. Fomor are skilled at launching deadly raids out of the mists, striking against their enemies with ruthlessly conquering and plundering them, burning and raping as they march. Swarms of heavily armed Fomor warriors sweep into enemy villages and towns, with packs of Dire Wolves ripping the slow and weak apart, while Fomor druids bring storms overhead, swallowing the screams of the dying in the sheets of rain, as the Fomor marauders leave a blasted, blood-soaked, and smoking ruin behind them as they carry off the screaming captives into a dark and terrible oblivion.
Psychology:
The Fomorians are a race of ancient, amphibious giants that practice slavery, war and conquest. Fomorians believe in loyalty and obediance, as well as discipline. While loyal, disciplined, and united, Fomorians also understand and embrace the need for swift punishment, and rebellious or stupid Fomor may be executed and often eaten, as needed. Fomor are generally sociable and cheerful, and love to engage in great feasts and parties with great quantities of different food, ales, fruit, and other such items to enjoy. Fomor are also expected to be generous to their folowers, and provide them with gifts of gold, food, weapons and armor, beasts, women and slaves.
Fomorians have strong family relationships, and love their family and friends with a fierce devotion. The Fomor have powerful loyalties and identity with their tribe, as each tribe prides itself on its accomplishments,
and embrace their own special symbols, colours, and heraldry. Fomor tribes are highly competitive with other Fomor tribes, and this spirit of competition is also instilled into individual Fomorians. Fomorians strive for excellence, glory, power, wealth and prestige. Fomorians--being brutish and savage--have some simplistic desires and values, however. Fomorians have inherent skill in comprehension and working with technology, metal, wood, stone and crystal. Despite these rather complex skill groups, Fomorians are often rather simple and unsophisticated in other areas, in the ways they view things, or how they prioritize values. Beyond the more obvious goals of wealth, prestige, and so on, Fomorians value food, ale, weapons, mates, slaves, and other simple posessions and pleasures, often blended with various superstitions, and occasionally comical attitudes or perspectives.
Fomorians by tradition have only one wife--or husband--but it is also an accepted custom for both sexes to keep various concubines and slaves. Offspring from the spouse inherit the great majority of wealth, though children from concubines and favoured sex slaves inherit a smaller amount of goods and wealth. The Fomor parents typically love their children, though as might be expected, there are always children that are more talented, more gifted, and thus--more favoured by their parents above their less talented--or more brutish and clumsy siblings. Unlike many human families where children are permitted to embrace the fiction that they are all equal--and equally loved--the Fomor are under no such illusions. The clumsy, dumber Fomor children know that they are brutish, and slow. They know that their smarter, more coordinated siblings are favoured more by their parents. This reality is expected--even if it is not always an enjoyable reality to face up to.
Fomorians are natural sailors and sea raiders, and love sailing in their ships. Fomor have a great passion for warfare, conquest, and exploration. New lands, new animals and creatures, new kinds of wealth--are all fascinating and intriguing to the Fomor. Fomorians pride themselves on ferocity, courage, daring, discipline, and loyalty. Fomor have inherent skill with most tools and technology, and love various kinds of building techniques, weapons, machines and tools, as well as magic.
While the Fomor are violent, greedy, arrogant, and warlike--they also do not take themselves too seriously, and maintain a sense of humour about everything--especially themselves. The Fomor are aware that they are very strong, and powerful--yet at the same time, they are also keenly aware of their limitations. The Fomor are aware and readily recognise that most of them are somewhat dim, brutish and clumsy. The more intelligent and gifted
Fomor simply try to work with their people as best they can, while the majority of the Fomor--the dim, brutish and clumsy ones--sincerely try to do the best they can. The brutish fomorians generally trust the leaders and gifted Fomor to do what they do--what they have good talents and abilities in--while the leaders, the gifted and intelligent Fomor simply try and work with the brutish Fomor's limitations, and not expect them to do things beyond them if they can help it.
History and Culture:
The Morrdrann Fomorians are named for mythical Fomorian tribe that united the Fomor and brought them out of a barbarous existence in ancient antiquity. Exactly where the Fomorians ultimately come from remains a mystery. The Fomorians only know that they have always lived in the cold, mist-enshrouded islands that they call their homeland. The Fomorians believe that the Fomorian gods--led by Balor--created them in the ancient days.
The Morrdrann Fomorians typically live in fortified castles, villages and towns on islands, coasts, and marshlands--as well as coastal hill country and mountains in a large group of islands to the north-west in the Great Sea. Fomorian settlements are often built in mist-shrouded areas, guarded by thick forests, dangerous marshes, or rugged hills and sheer mountain cliffsides. All Fomorian settlements are fortified with walls and traps, and have Dire Wolves as guardians, and often other monsters are used as guards and pets as well. Occasionally, field camps and such in the wilderness have not been established long enough to be properly fortified, though any settlement larger than a village is always fortified.
Morrdrann Fomorians have spread their settlements further to the east, along the coasts and to the colder regions of the north. Through the long centuries, occasional Fomorian fleets have been lost at sea, either destroyed in the raging storm, or carried offcoarse to strange, foreign shores. Only the strongest of storms can generally effect the Fomor, as their great sailing skills, and their magical ships are usually sufficient to see them safely through on their journey. The Morrdrann Fomorians build great fleets of strange warships of black metal, and raid the surrounding lands for food, slaves, and booty.
Occasionally, the Fomorians launch great invasions against their enemies in neighboring areas, swarming ashore often in the midst of a great storm, to slaughter the inhabitants, raping, burning, and carrying off hundreds or even thousands of slaves. The long lines of slaves are mercilessly whipped into submission, and marched back to the dreaded, black ships. Many of the slaves are kept as food, and devoured in great feasts, while others are ripped open in bloody sacrifice or burned alive in homage to the dark gods of the Fomor. Some slaves are often kept to be trained as gladiators to fight in the Temple Amphitheaters, while others are kept as herds of breeding slaves. Herds of breeding slaves have raised up populations of half-giants that serve the Fomor in many ways, often as shock troops, spies, explorers, and mercenaries.
The Morrdrann Fomor are ruled by Kings, as well as Princes, Chieftains and Lords. The Fomor leaders are powerful and harsh, though they conscientiously seek to govern well, like a stern king and father.From ancient times, the Fomorians have engaged in terrible wars with various kingdoms of elves, as well as different tribes of humans. The Fomorians have been long allies and friends with Ettins, Ogres, and Trolls, and such brutish, giant-races often breed with the powerful Fomorians, and live with them as servants and allies. The Fomorians also domesticate and train Dire Wolves for both hunting and war, and cherish them as valuable pets and companions. The Fomor often feed lazy or rebellious slaves alive and screaming, to the Dire Wolves--watching the wolves bite and tear them apart.
The Fomorians sail the great sea in fleets of strange, magical ships of black metal that propel themselves by eldritch glowing sails, and animated whale flippers. The Fomorian ships are armed with all manner of fearsome weaponry, from ballistas and catapults, to strange, monstrous heads that spew fire, acid, frost, and lightning at their enemies. Fomorian ships often make great, monstrous noises in battle, and attack nearby ships with tongues of steel, barbed tentacles, and biting monster heads that rip into nearby warriors and sailors, chomping them in a ferocious, red spray of death and terror. Legends maintain that the Black Ships control the weather, and propel the ships with terrifying speed, while other legends claim that the Fomor keep horrible, ancient leviathans deep within the ships, and release them during battle, or while pursuing some hapless prey.
Fomor customarily build their homes, and villages and towns and so on out of strong wood and the best stone available. The homes are normally great lodges, with high, three story roofs, and great stairways leading through double-doors. The great lodges have numerous halls and side chambers, and usually a great central hall where a huge fireplace of carved stone is at, along with a deep, shimmering pool at the opposite end. Fomor homes usually also have an extensive cellar beneath the first level of flooring, and several
nearby outbuildings, serving as smokehouses, workshops, or additional storage areas.
Fomorian enjoy trading, and make huge profits from trading goods, livestock, beasts, raw materials, armor, weapons, and slaves.
The Fomorians use coins as well as bartering in their mixed economy. The Fomor are skilled craftsmen, and make most of their own tools, armour, weapons, housing, furniture and clothing, as well as raising their own food--or hunting their own food, whether it be animals and beasts, or humanoids.
The Fomor largely trade for the purpose of obtaining what they define as "luxury" goods--items, food, and other goods that they themselves cannot make, or commonly acquire. Finely detailed and embroidered clothing, jewelry, artwork, perfumes, wines, spices, as well as food items not native to their
homelands and other such items are goods that the Fomor usually seek to trade for.
Fomorian society is roughly egalitarian--it despises and mocks weakness equally in everyone, regardless of sex or race. Female Fomorians that are strong, powerful, intelligent and cunning--let alone attractive or beautiful--may pursue whatever profession they desire, with little discrimination. While talented female Fomorians are respected for their skills and contributions--by ancient tradition, the highest stations of political leadership have always
been held by male Fomorians. However, female Fomorians have faced no such traditional restrictions in being priestesses of the highest rank.
Fomorian bards travel the lands, bringing news and gossip to their hosts, and entertaining all with music, songs, poetry, and story-telling. Fomorian bards also serve as advisors, serving their lords as skilled and wise counselors. Most Fomorians do not have the talents needed to be a bard, so the few that do are greatly respected and admired by all. Fomorian wizards and savants serve the community with their skills in knowledge and magic, helping to build and make things, as well as working on the Black Ships, the wizards also help the Fomor armies in war and on raids. Fomor wizards often engage in strange experiments creating and breeding new monsters, strange animals, and horrifying golem-creatures. Fighters, Barbarians and Rangers make up the bulk of the Fomor warrior-class, and are universally respected for their prowess and skills.
Religion:
The Fomorians worship the Fomorian Pantheon--a group of dark, terrible gods, led by the mightiest, Balor. Balor of the Blazing Eye rules the pantheon with a strict hand, demanding and expecting loyalty and obedience from all within the pantheon. Fomorian priests are the religious leaders of the Fomor, and while very powerful politically and socially, by tradition they serve as advisors to the kings and tribal chieftains. Most Fomor priests are clerics, though there are also druids. Druids and clerics are greatly respected throughout Fomor society. Among the Fomorian Pantheon are both male and female gods, though Balor is universally known as male.
The Fomor build great stone temples to their gods, with a huge stairway leading to the great altar. Fomorian temples are occasionally entirely subterranean, as appropriate, though most that are on the surface are built with specific, common features.Fomorian temples have a large, central temple, flanked by several large halls, with central above-ground courtyards, and an amphitheater. The Temple Amphitheater is also used often to conduct ritual sacrifices, and regularly sponsors gladiatorial games. Beneath the sands of the Temple Amphitheater are prison cells and barracks for slave-warriors, as well as special prisons and pens for savage animals and strange monsters.
Fomorians hold the turning of the seasonal solstices as holy days--celebrating spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The equinoxes are also important days for various rituals and celebrations. Fomor priests have special costumes, robes, tools, and ritual items they use distinctly in each of the different religious celebrations. Fomorians look forward to each of the seasonal celebrations as not only something fun and interesting, but also as a way to strengthen their spiritual bond with the Fomorian gods, and to honor them. The celebrations are also seen as ways of strengthening and blessing all of the Fomor as a people.
The Fomorians routinely practice humanoid sacrifice, most often by placing the victims inside wicker cages to be burned alive, after an extended period of torture. During the various religious celebrations, the Fomor gather together to celebrate through singing, dancing, poetry, story-telling, and having a great feast devouring the humans or humanoids held as food. The Fomorian Pantheon preaches that the Fomor are blessed, and that it is their divine right to rule and conquer lesser races.
Morrdrann Fomorian Mutation Table
01-90: Standard Fomorian Mutation
91-100: Elite Fomorian Mutation
Standard Fomorian Mutation Table
01-02: Bizarre Form
03-04: Bizarre Noise
05-06: Centaur Form
07-08: Enhanced Vision
09-10: Energy Resistance Acid
11-12: Energy Resistance Cold
13-14: Energy Resistance Electricity
15-16: Energy Resistance Fire
17-18: Energy Resistance Sonic
19-20: Form of Might
21-22: Fortune Blessed
23-24: Fortune Spurned
25-26: Gibbering Beast
27-28: Greater Fortitude
29-30: Greater Reflexes
31-32: Greater Will
33-34: Greater Strength
35-36: Greater Dexterity
37-38: Greater Constitution
39-40: Greater Intelligence
41-42: Greater Wisdom
43-44: Greater Charisma
45-46: Half Giant
47-48: Horrifying Appearance
49-50: Huge Mouth
51-52: Huge Arms
53-54: Huge Feet
55-56: Razor Claws
57-58: Razor Tongue
59-60: Saurian
61-62: Strange Skin Colour
63-64: Smoke Form
65-66: Spined Body
67-68: Swift Runner
69-70: Tail
71-72: Tentacles
73-74: Toughened Skin
75-76: Master Engineer
77-78: Massive Legs
79-80: Metallic Blood
81-82: Metallic Skin
83-84: Multiple Eyes
85-86: Multiple Arms
87-88: Multiple Heads
89-90: Mountain of Flesh
91-92: Plague Bearer
93-94: Primitive Savage
95-96: Psychic
97-98: Quadruped
99-100: Weapon Master
Elite Fomorian Mutation Table
01-05: Arcane Technology
06-10: Arcane Craftsman
11-15: Arcane Prowess
16-20: Breath Weapon
21-25: Blazing Eye of Balor
26-30: Blended Weapon
31-35: Champion of Balor
36-40: Eldritch Knowledge
41-45: Element-Infused
46-50: Half Dragon
51-55: Half Fiend
56-60: Iron Hard Skin
61-65: Icy Creature
66-70: Mist Creature
71-75: Regeneration
76-80: Savant
81-85: Solaric Creature
86-90: Suzerain
91-95: Swamp Lord
96-100: Warlord
Do you use Fomorians in your campaigns? How have you used them? I think Fomor have been less than detailed officially, sad to say. I think they have a lot of good mythology working for them, and are very flexible and interesting creatures to use in a campaign. Fomor have excellent potential as both short scenario opponents, and also as long-term campaign villains! These are some of the Fomor I use in my campaigns.
I've always liked Fomor.
Semper Fidelis,
SHARK
Morrdrann Fomorian
Size/Type: Large Giant (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 12d8+84 (132 hit points)
Initiative: -1
Speed: 30' ft.; 40' Swim Speed
Armor Class: 19 (-1 Size; -1 Dex; +7 Natural; +4 Chain Shirt); Touch 8 Flat Footed 19
Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+20
Attack: Greatsword +15 melee (3d6+10); or Claw +15 melee (1d6+7); or Bite +15 melee (2d6+3) or Rock +8 ranged (2d6+7)
Full Attack: Greatsword +15/+10 melee (3d6+10); or 2 Claws +15 melee (1d6+7), 1 Bite +15 melee (2d6+3); or Rock +8 ranged (2d6+7)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks:
Rock Throwing (Ex):
The range increment is 120 feet for the Morrdrann Fomorian's rocks.
Morrdrann Fomorian's can throw rocks weighing up to 50-lbs.
Savage Combat (Ex):
The Morrdrann Fomorian are greatly skilled in using their natural attacks in combat, and suffer no penalties.
Ruthless Sea Raider (Ex):
The Morrdrann Fomorians are ruthless sea-raiders, and are especially ferocious when fighting on board a ship, or while in water, whether it is the sea, marshes, a river or lake, or while fighting during a rainstorm.
The Morrdrann Fomorian gain a +6 Morale bonus on all attack rolls and damage.
Special Qualities:
Rock Catching (Ex):
Once per round, the Morrdrann Fomorian may make a Reflex save to catch a Small, Medium, or Large rock thrown at it, as a free action. The size DC's for the rocks are as follows: Small DC 15; Medium DC 20; Large DC 25.
If the projectile has a magical bonus on the attack rolls, the DC increases by that amount. The Morrdrann Fomorian must be aware of the attack to make the rock-catching attempt.
Low-light Vision (Ex):
Morrdrann Fomorian can see twice as far as a human in starlight, torchlight, moonlight, and other low-light conditions.
Amphibious (Ex):
The Morrdrann Fomorians are amphibious, and can breathe both air and water with equal ease.
Breathing Skin (Ex):
The Morrdrann Fomorian's skin aids it in breathing, thus causing the Morrdrann Fomorian to suffer a -2 penalty on Fortitude saving throws against gases, contact poisons, and inhaled poisons and effects.
Natural Engineer (Ex):
The Morrdrann Fomorians are naturally skilled engineers, and gain a
+6 Racial bonus to all Crafting, Knowledge, and Profession skills dealing with metal, wood, glass, crystal and stone.
Morrdrann Fomorian Mutations (Ex):
A Mordrann Fomorian gains 1 mutation for every two racial hit dice.
Roll on the Mordrann Fomorian Mutation Table to determine the type and nature of these strange mutations.
Saves:
Fort: +13 Ref: +3 Will: +4
Abilities
STR: 25 DEX: 8 CON: 21 INT: 8 WIS: 10 CHA: 8
Skills: 108
Climb (Str) 10 (+17); Craft (Int; Blacksmithing 10 (+15); Carpentry 8 (+13); Intimidate (Cha) 10 (+9); Jump (Str) 10 (+17);
Knowledge (Int; Sea 10 (+9); Listen (Wis) 10 (+10); Profession (Wis; Sailor 10 (+10); Spot (Wis) 10 (+10);
Swim (Str) 10 (+25); Survival (Wis) 10 (+10);
Morrdrann Fomorian possess a +8 Racial bonus to Swim checks.
Languages Known: Morrdrann Fomorian automatically know their own language of Fomorian, as well as Giant and Aquan.
Morrdrann Fomorian may learn additional languages, as their intelligence allow.
Feats: Power Attack, Cleave, Great Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Improved Bull Rush
Environment: Cold/Temperate Coastal, Marshlands, Hills, Mountains; Subterranean
Organization:
Solitary; Gang (1d6+4);
Band (2d6+6 plus 35% noncombatants);
Raiding Party (4d6+12 plus 2d6+6 Dire Wolves);
Tribe (40+2d20 plus 35% noncombatants, plus 20+1d20 Dire Wolves, 4d6+12 Ettins, plus 4d6+20 Ogres)
Challenge Rating: 10
Treasure: Triple Standard
Alignment: Often Lawful Evil
Advancement: By Class Type
Level Adjustment: +4
Morrdrann Fomorians as Player Characters
Morrdrann Fomorian characters can be used with the standard stats as noted in the above starting profile. Simply roll for individual stats, adjust accordingly, and spend the skill points and assign desired feats. The Fomorian character is good to go. The DM should roll for the appropriate mutations--simply being careful to ensure that the player character does not gain a mutation that may be too powerful. Alternatively, the DM may run through the mutation table, and gather together appropriate player-character mutations, and form them into a Player-Character Mutation Table, and either roll, or allow the player to roll for their mutations. Depending on the DM's campaign, a player-character Fomorian may work, and prove to be interesting, and entertaining. The player should think carefully about the Fomor character, the Fomor's background, and work with the DM to carefully integrate the character into the party.
The Fomorians are designed primarily as challenging monster opponents and very powerful NPC's. Powerful Fomorians with a number of elite mutations--or even some of the better standard mutations--along with a few class levels, can make a very interesting Villain Character to challenge the players over several adventures or a longer campaign arc.
Base Character Ability Adjustments
STR: +14 DEX: -2 CON: +10 INT: -2 WIS: +0 CHA: -2
Description:
Fomorians are usually heavily armoured in chain shirts, or chainmail, and wield greatswords and other powerful, two-handed weapons. Many Fomorians wear helmets, and often carry shields as well. Fomorians love weapons in general, and enjoy hand-to-hand combat, as well as fighting with their claws and teeth. Fomororians appreciate and value fine goods, clothing, and other treasure, whenever they can get them. While Fomorians are eager for wealth and treasure, Fomorians are protective about whatever strange armor, furs, and other goods they do have, regardless of whatever quality such items may have. Fomorians are often quite sentimental about particular items they own--such items of sentimental value are often practical, like a weapon, or a favourite helmet or cloak--but Fomor often are also sentimental about a cured beast-head they may carry around their neck, or a drinking horn braced with four deer-legs, or a specially made belt, or some other odd item that the Fomor attaches value to. Fomor often superstitiously view some strange or mundane seeming items--as well as more obviously valuable items--as having some kind of magical or mystical power or significance, which while sometimes is certainly true, it is also often as not merely the individual Fomor's superstitious belief and perception.
Fomorians are 10' tall, powerful, ferocious giants that have black or dark brown hair, usually worn long, past their shoulders, and have grey, blue, or dark brown eyes. Many Fomorians also shave their heads entirely, and are fond of all kinds of jewelry. Generally, it is difficult for Fomorians to grow full beards, and thus are usually clean-shaven. Fomorians are also fond of various kinds of tribal tattoos, and most Fomor have a few tattoos that have some kind of tribal or religiously symbolic significance. Fomor priests and druids may enchant or magically scribe such tattoos into the Fomorians, providing them with some kind of divine blessing or mystical property. Many tattoos, however, are not necessarily magical, but decorative and symbolic.
Fomorians usually weigh about 800-1,000-lbs, and are strong and muscular--though many Fomorians are often also grossly fat. Fomor have pale grey skin, that is often miscoloured, or splotchy, with patches of wiry fur, strange warts and skin-growths. Fomor are generally brutish and ugly, with mismatched limbs, somewhat out-of sync with other limbs, or are oddly placed from normal. Fomorians may have slightly uneven or mismatched eyes, large noses, or extra-large mouths. Fomor take great pride in their strange and bizarre mutations, viewing them as blessings from the Fomor Gods.
Fomor are rapacious raiders and cunning in battle, seeking every advantage against an enemy. Fomorians are savage in warfare, and love the thrill of victory when they defeat a skilled opponent in single combat. Fomor are skilled at launching deadly raids out of the mists, striking against their enemies with ruthlessly conquering and plundering them, burning and raping as they march. Swarms of heavily armed Fomor warriors sweep into enemy villages and towns, with packs of Dire Wolves ripping the slow and weak apart, while Fomor druids bring storms overhead, swallowing the screams of the dying in the sheets of rain, as the Fomor marauders leave a blasted, blood-soaked, and smoking ruin behind them as they carry off the screaming captives into a dark and terrible oblivion.
Psychology:
The Fomorians are a race of ancient, amphibious giants that practice slavery, war and conquest. Fomorians believe in loyalty and obediance, as well as discipline. While loyal, disciplined, and united, Fomorians also understand and embrace the need for swift punishment, and rebellious or stupid Fomor may be executed and often eaten, as needed. Fomor are generally sociable and cheerful, and love to engage in great feasts and parties with great quantities of different food, ales, fruit, and other such items to enjoy. Fomor are also expected to be generous to their folowers, and provide them with gifts of gold, food, weapons and armor, beasts, women and slaves.
Fomorians have strong family relationships, and love their family and friends with a fierce devotion. The Fomor have powerful loyalties and identity with their tribe, as each tribe prides itself on its accomplishments,
and embrace their own special symbols, colours, and heraldry. Fomor tribes are highly competitive with other Fomor tribes, and this spirit of competition is also instilled into individual Fomorians. Fomorians strive for excellence, glory, power, wealth and prestige. Fomorians--being brutish and savage--have some simplistic desires and values, however. Fomorians have inherent skill in comprehension and working with technology, metal, wood, stone and crystal. Despite these rather complex skill groups, Fomorians are often rather simple and unsophisticated in other areas, in the ways they view things, or how they prioritize values. Beyond the more obvious goals of wealth, prestige, and so on, Fomorians value food, ale, weapons, mates, slaves, and other simple posessions and pleasures, often blended with various superstitions, and occasionally comical attitudes or perspectives.
Fomorians by tradition have only one wife--or husband--but it is also an accepted custom for both sexes to keep various concubines and slaves. Offspring from the spouse inherit the great majority of wealth, though children from concubines and favoured sex slaves inherit a smaller amount of goods and wealth. The Fomor parents typically love their children, though as might be expected, there are always children that are more talented, more gifted, and thus--more favoured by their parents above their less talented--or more brutish and clumsy siblings. Unlike many human families where children are permitted to embrace the fiction that they are all equal--and equally loved--the Fomor are under no such illusions. The clumsy, dumber Fomor children know that they are brutish, and slow. They know that their smarter, more coordinated siblings are favoured more by their parents. This reality is expected--even if it is not always an enjoyable reality to face up to.
Fomorians are natural sailors and sea raiders, and love sailing in their ships. Fomor have a great passion for warfare, conquest, and exploration. New lands, new animals and creatures, new kinds of wealth--are all fascinating and intriguing to the Fomor. Fomorians pride themselves on ferocity, courage, daring, discipline, and loyalty. Fomor have inherent skill with most tools and technology, and love various kinds of building techniques, weapons, machines and tools, as well as magic.
While the Fomor are violent, greedy, arrogant, and warlike--they also do not take themselves too seriously, and maintain a sense of humour about everything--especially themselves. The Fomor are aware that they are very strong, and powerful--yet at the same time, they are also keenly aware of their limitations. The Fomor are aware and readily recognise that most of them are somewhat dim, brutish and clumsy. The more intelligent and gifted
Fomor simply try to work with their people as best they can, while the majority of the Fomor--the dim, brutish and clumsy ones--sincerely try to do the best they can. The brutish fomorians generally trust the leaders and gifted Fomor to do what they do--what they have good talents and abilities in--while the leaders, the gifted and intelligent Fomor simply try and work with the brutish Fomor's limitations, and not expect them to do things beyond them if they can help it.
History and Culture:
The Morrdrann Fomorians are named for mythical Fomorian tribe that united the Fomor and brought them out of a barbarous existence in ancient antiquity. Exactly where the Fomorians ultimately come from remains a mystery. The Fomorians only know that they have always lived in the cold, mist-enshrouded islands that they call their homeland. The Fomorians believe that the Fomorian gods--led by Balor--created them in the ancient days.
The Morrdrann Fomorians typically live in fortified castles, villages and towns on islands, coasts, and marshlands--as well as coastal hill country and mountains in a large group of islands to the north-west in the Great Sea. Fomorian settlements are often built in mist-shrouded areas, guarded by thick forests, dangerous marshes, or rugged hills and sheer mountain cliffsides. All Fomorian settlements are fortified with walls and traps, and have Dire Wolves as guardians, and often other monsters are used as guards and pets as well. Occasionally, field camps and such in the wilderness have not been established long enough to be properly fortified, though any settlement larger than a village is always fortified.
Morrdrann Fomorians have spread their settlements further to the east, along the coasts and to the colder regions of the north. Through the long centuries, occasional Fomorian fleets have been lost at sea, either destroyed in the raging storm, or carried offcoarse to strange, foreign shores. Only the strongest of storms can generally effect the Fomor, as their great sailing skills, and their magical ships are usually sufficient to see them safely through on their journey. The Morrdrann Fomorians build great fleets of strange warships of black metal, and raid the surrounding lands for food, slaves, and booty.
Occasionally, the Fomorians launch great invasions against their enemies in neighboring areas, swarming ashore often in the midst of a great storm, to slaughter the inhabitants, raping, burning, and carrying off hundreds or even thousands of slaves. The long lines of slaves are mercilessly whipped into submission, and marched back to the dreaded, black ships. Many of the slaves are kept as food, and devoured in great feasts, while others are ripped open in bloody sacrifice or burned alive in homage to the dark gods of the Fomor. Some slaves are often kept to be trained as gladiators to fight in the Temple Amphitheaters, while others are kept as herds of breeding slaves. Herds of breeding slaves have raised up populations of half-giants that serve the Fomor in many ways, often as shock troops, spies, explorers, and mercenaries.
The Morrdrann Fomor are ruled by Kings, as well as Princes, Chieftains and Lords. The Fomor leaders are powerful and harsh, though they conscientiously seek to govern well, like a stern king and father.From ancient times, the Fomorians have engaged in terrible wars with various kingdoms of elves, as well as different tribes of humans. The Fomorians have been long allies and friends with Ettins, Ogres, and Trolls, and such brutish, giant-races often breed with the powerful Fomorians, and live with them as servants and allies. The Fomorians also domesticate and train Dire Wolves for both hunting and war, and cherish them as valuable pets and companions. The Fomor often feed lazy or rebellious slaves alive and screaming, to the Dire Wolves--watching the wolves bite and tear them apart.
The Fomorians sail the great sea in fleets of strange, magical ships of black metal that propel themselves by eldritch glowing sails, and animated whale flippers. The Fomorian ships are armed with all manner of fearsome weaponry, from ballistas and catapults, to strange, monstrous heads that spew fire, acid, frost, and lightning at their enemies. Fomorian ships often make great, monstrous noises in battle, and attack nearby ships with tongues of steel, barbed tentacles, and biting monster heads that rip into nearby warriors and sailors, chomping them in a ferocious, red spray of death and terror. Legends maintain that the Black Ships control the weather, and propel the ships with terrifying speed, while other legends claim that the Fomor keep horrible, ancient leviathans deep within the ships, and release them during battle, or while pursuing some hapless prey.
Fomor customarily build their homes, and villages and towns and so on out of strong wood and the best stone available. The homes are normally great lodges, with high, three story roofs, and great stairways leading through double-doors. The great lodges have numerous halls and side chambers, and usually a great central hall where a huge fireplace of carved stone is at, along with a deep, shimmering pool at the opposite end. Fomor homes usually also have an extensive cellar beneath the first level of flooring, and several
nearby outbuildings, serving as smokehouses, workshops, or additional storage areas.
Fomorian enjoy trading, and make huge profits from trading goods, livestock, beasts, raw materials, armor, weapons, and slaves.
The Fomorians use coins as well as bartering in their mixed economy. The Fomor are skilled craftsmen, and make most of their own tools, armour, weapons, housing, furniture and clothing, as well as raising their own food--or hunting their own food, whether it be animals and beasts, or humanoids.
The Fomor largely trade for the purpose of obtaining what they define as "luxury" goods--items, food, and other goods that they themselves cannot make, or commonly acquire. Finely detailed and embroidered clothing, jewelry, artwork, perfumes, wines, spices, as well as food items not native to their
homelands and other such items are goods that the Fomor usually seek to trade for.
Fomorian society is roughly egalitarian--it despises and mocks weakness equally in everyone, regardless of sex or race. Female Fomorians that are strong, powerful, intelligent and cunning--let alone attractive or beautiful--may pursue whatever profession they desire, with little discrimination. While talented female Fomorians are respected for their skills and contributions--by ancient tradition, the highest stations of political leadership have always
been held by male Fomorians. However, female Fomorians have faced no such traditional restrictions in being priestesses of the highest rank.
Fomorian bards travel the lands, bringing news and gossip to their hosts, and entertaining all with music, songs, poetry, and story-telling. Fomorian bards also serve as advisors, serving their lords as skilled and wise counselors. Most Fomorians do not have the talents needed to be a bard, so the few that do are greatly respected and admired by all. Fomorian wizards and savants serve the community with their skills in knowledge and magic, helping to build and make things, as well as working on the Black Ships, the wizards also help the Fomor armies in war and on raids. Fomor wizards often engage in strange experiments creating and breeding new monsters, strange animals, and horrifying golem-creatures. Fighters, Barbarians and Rangers make up the bulk of the Fomor warrior-class, and are universally respected for their prowess and skills.
Religion:
The Fomorians worship the Fomorian Pantheon--a group of dark, terrible gods, led by the mightiest, Balor. Balor of the Blazing Eye rules the pantheon with a strict hand, demanding and expecting loyalty and obedience from all within the pantheon. Fomorian priests are the religious leaders of the Fomor, and while very powerful politically and socially, by tradition they serve as advisors to the kings and tribal chieftains. Most Fomor priests are clerics, though there are also druids. Druids and clerics are greatly respected throughout Fomor society. Among the Fomorian Pantheon are both male and female gods, though Balor is universally known as male.
The Fomor build great stone temples to their gods, with a huge stairway leading to the great altar. Fomorian temples are occasionally entirely subterranean, as appropriate, though most that are on the surface are built with specific, common features.Fomorian temples have a large, central temple, flanked by several large halls, with central above-ground courtyards, and an amphitheater. The Temple Amphitheater is also used often to conduct ritual sacrifices, and regularly sponsors gladiatorial games. Beneath the sands of the Temple Amphitheater are prison cells and barracks for slave-warriors, as well as special prisons and pens for savage animals and strange monsters.
Fomorians hold the turning of the seasonal solstices as holy days--celebrating spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The equinoxes are also important days for various rituals and celebrations. Fomor priests have special costumes, robes, tools, and ritual items they use distinctly in each of the different religious celebrations. Fomorians look forward to each of the seasonal celebrations as not only something fun and interesting, but also as a way to strengthen their spiritual bond with the Fomorian gods, and to honor them. The celebrations are also seen as ways of strengthening and blessing all of the Fomor as a people.
The Fomorians routinely practice humanoid sacrifice, most often by placing the victims inside wicker cages to be burned alive, after an extended period of torture. During the various religious celebrations, the Fomor gather together to celebrate through singing, dancing, poetry, story-telling, and having a great feast devouring the humans or humanoids held as food. The Fomorian Pantheon preaches that the Fomor are blessed, and that it is their divine right to rule and conquer lesser races.
Morrdrann Fomorian Mutation Table
01-90: Standard Fomorian Mutation
91-100: Elite Fomorian Mutation
Standard Fomorian Mutation Table
01-02: Bizarre Form
03-04: Bizarre Noise
05-06: Centaur Form
07-08: Enhanced Vision
09-10: Energy Resistance Acid
11-12: Energy Resistance Cold
13-14: Energy Resistance Electricity
15-16: Energy Resistance Fire
17-18: Energy Resistance Sonic
19-20: Form of Might
21-22: Fortune Blessed
23-24: Fortune Spurned
25-26: Gibbering Beast
27-28: Greater Fortitude
29-30: Greater Reflexes
31-32: Greater Will
33-34: Greater Strength
35-36: Greater Dexterity
37-38: Greater Constitution
39-40: Greater Intelligence
41-42: Greater Wisdom
43-44: Greater Charisma
45-46: Half Giant
47-48: Horrifying Appearance
49-50: Huge Mouth
51-52: Huge Arms
53-54: Huge Feet
55-56: Razor Claws
57-58: Razor Tongue
59-60: Saurian
61-62: Strange Skin Colour
63-64: Smoke Form
65-66: Spined Body
67-68: Swift Runner
69-70: Tail
71-72: Tentacles
73-74: Toughened Skin
75-76: Master Engineer
77-78: Massive Legs
79-80: Metallic Blood
81-82: Metallic Skin
83-84: Multiple Eyes
85-86: Multiple Arms
87-88: Multiple Heads
89-90: Mountain of Flesh
91-92: Plague Bearer
93-94: Primitive Savage
95-96: Psychic
97-98: Quadruped
99-100: Weapon Master
Elite Fomorian Mutation Table
01-05: Arcane Technology
06-10: Arcane Craftsman
11-15: Arcane Prowess
16-20: Breath Weapon
21-25: Blazing Eye of Balor
26-30: Blended Weapon
31-35: Champion of Balor
36-40: Eldritch Knowledge
41-45: Element-Infused
46-50: Half Dragon
51-55: Half Fiend
56-60: Iron Hard Skin
61-65: Icy Creature
66-70: Mist Creature
71-75: Regeneration
76-80: Savant
81-85: Solaric Creature
86-90: Suzerain
91-95: Swamp Lord
96-100: Warlord
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