Beastfolk, Aranthi (3.5e Race)

Aranthi

The word means 'smells like honey,' taken from a 5-petalled flower known to the elves for its unassuming appearance and exceptionally sweet fragrance. But while the aranthi race do have the same unassuming, pleasant charm expected of the flower from which they take their name, their scent, when used as a sprayed musk, is one of their most potent weapons, as best befits a sentient species with its ancestral roots drawing from skunks. The aranthi (also called skunklings) were raised from their lowly state through constant exposure to the natural magic found so freely in lands filled with the fey, and so generation by generation, year by year, the skunks who lived in these lands lived out their shy, quiet, peaceful lives, growing steadily larger and more intelligent, until they achieved true sentience and began to spread their numbers into the wider world. They are gradually coming to be a not-uncommon sight in many human cities, chattering happily in their attractive Sylvan-accented voices, as they have found that they enjoy the energy to be found in the bustle of urban areas, though the majority of aranthi are still found in the sylvan areas from which they come.

Personality

These furry fellows are good-hearted by nature, taking very much after their animal forebears in terms of pleasant disposition and agreeable tendencies. Aranthi will actually go out of their way to defuse conflicts before they start, and attempt to find common ground with all those they come in contact with, which makes them natural diplomats. They tend to be a bit too shy to make exceptional leaders, though they make excellent advisors and ambassadors. Shyness is their worst weakness, for it makes them impressionable, and sometimes easily bullied, so long as they do not feel badly threatened. Their natural weapon is a source of quiet confidence as well as mild embarrassment for the race as a whole, so that despite their retiring natures they always know that they have a defense available for emergencies.

Physical Description

The aranthi have many of the characteristics of skunks, including the stereotypical black-and-white stripes, mottling, or spots; a solidly-built body; a long, bushy tail (which sometimes hinders their motions in its attractive flowing about their bodies); and a bright, attractive furry face. Aranthi are Medium-sized, and while their body proportions tend to be similar to those of humans, they are most comely in their builds, and the extremes of corpulence are almost nonexistent among the skunkfolk.

Approxamate sizes and ages.(Added by JhessianZ. Original writer please make corrections later)

• age: full grown at 15, live to about 70
• males between 5 and 6 feet
• females between 4'6" and 5'6"
• males between 150 and 200 lbs
• females between 125 and 175 lbs

Relations

The skunkfolk are among the most agreeable of the sentient species, and so they find it easy to make friends. They are most at home in the company of gnomes, liking the same sorts of pleasant, quiet lives that these small forest and hill-dwelling folk find most attractive, and the good-natured humor that goes with the gnomish way of life. They also get along well with elves, though they sometimes find this long-lived race a bit intimidating and aloof, and with the fey, who regard them almost as family because it was from the fallout of their magical energies that the aranthi first came into being. Aranthi do not have any true racial enemies, though individuals might have fallings out with other individuals or groups.

Alignment

The aranthi tend to be kindly in disposition, but retiring in nature. They are most often Neutral Good in alignment, trying to do the most good while causing the least harm.

Lands

Aranthi live in temperate climes, preferring areas with ample groundcover so that they can gain a measure of privacy whenever they feel the need for it. They often live in the same sorts of areas where gnomes and elves and the fey live, and thus do their best to maintain good relations with these mystic races, largely keeping out of the way and not taking more from their environments than they need to survive. Their communities are small, usually consisting of a few related families, with the oldest females forming a council to decide matters of importance. Though the majority of the skunklings still live in the wilderness, many aranthi have started to move into the big cities, enjoying the excitement and energy found in those places. They have no cities of their own yet, and it is unlikely that they will ever form any, since they enjoy being around other races too much and are a bit too shy to be so ostentatious about their racial presence.

Religion

The skunkfolk generally prefer to keep their worship practices quiet. Being such a new species, they have no gods of their own, and instead tend to take after the deities of those with whom they share space, usually the fey and the gnomes, since the elven gods are often a bit too far removed and intimidating for aranthi to really identify with them.

Language

The aranthi speak Common and Sylvan as their starting languages, and can choose from Draconic, Elven, Gnoll, Gnome, and Halfling as bonus languages.

Names

Typical examples of aranthi names include Adatha, Cadara, Golowe, and Maranthe. Names are usually similar for males and females, though they almost always have a distinctive elven cast to them. Aranthi will often borrow names from other races in which they have friends, though they often (though not always) fail to see the difference between boy names and girl names, which can result in some humorous situations.

Adventures

With a wide world about them, and being such a young race, the aranthi are quite daunted by the possibilities abounding around them, and thus usually choose to keep to their small and secretive communities, living out quiet and uneventful lives removed from most other races and events. However there are more than a few who have started to take an active interest in the world around them, or who have grown bored or disgruntled with their present lot in their geriarchical matriarchy. Thus it is growing increasingly common for younger aranthi to cautiously head out into the wide world, to satisfy curiosity or to find a new place for themselves where they can make a difference. Aranthi, affable and eager to please as they are, are also easily swayed by entreaties by their friends from other races to come on adventures and put their skills to use in the service of others.

Racial Traits

• +2 Constitution, +2 Charisma, -2 Dexterity, -2 Wisdom:
• Humanoid(animal)
• Medium-size.
• Aranthi base land speed is 30 feet
• Musk (Ex): 1/day can spray musk in a 30' cone, requiring a Fortitude save (DC 10 + aranthi's Constitution bonus) or be stunned and unable to act for 1 round, and smell bad (no roll to track by scent, and –2 on all social rolls) for 1 week, lessened to 1d3 days if washed off with tomato juice or similar solvents.
• +2 on Intimidate checks, due to the reputation brought by their natural weapon
• Automatic Languages: Common, Sylvan. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Elven, Gnoll, Gnome, Halfling.
• Favored Class: Bard or Ranger.
• Level Adjustment: 0

Vital Statistics

(Added by JhessianZ, original writer please make corrections later)

Table: Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
15 years	+1d6	+1d6+6	+1d6+12

Table: Aging Effects

Middle Age^1	Old^2	Venerable^3	Maximum Age
35 years	55 years	65 years	+ years
At middle age, −1 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At old age, −2 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At venerable age, −3 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.

Table: Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	5' 0"	+1d12	10 lb.	(× 1d10)+150 lb.
Female	4' 6"	+1d12	10 lb.	(× 1d10)+125 lb.

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