Tylwydd (3.5e Race)
Tylwydd
Personality
Tylwydd live life to its fullest, treating every moment as a miracle and a work of art. They are often driven to the excesses of what is deemed "tolerable behavior" by the stuffier races and sometimes beyond. Yet they are also capable of enjoying the simple pleasures of life like good food and honest friends. The Tylwydd perspective on life is quite a strange one by human standards and is best summed up by the following quote from a Tylwydd by the name of Glen-Hen-Pin:
"What you, you blind and blinkered humans elves and dwarves, what you never see is the fact that existence is really there. Or at least you don't marvel at it. But I do! Every time I wake, every time I open my eyes the world is there anew! But different and new! Every sunrise is a unique work of art, as is ever cloud and the ripples caused by every shower on every pond. Every storm is a dance of water and air. Thunder and lightning are a unique symphony never to be repeated! AND I WANT TO SEE IT ALL!!"
Oddly enough the only place where they do not propel themselves to this level of exposure is in relationships, whilst they may seduce princes and enchant young milk maids Tylwydd remain with one life partner, known as a life bond, for all their lives, bonding in a way that may even go beyond mere love. Torture is nothing to a Tylwydd as all experience is experience, but imprisonment is worse than mutilation and tyranny is worse than death.
An odd occurrence in the Tylwydd, happening about once every 200-300 years depending on the individual, although cycles average out for united couples, the Tylwydd develops a craving to do something real, worthwhile and memorable and settles down in an area for about seventy years. During this time they are almost immovable and put all their effort into the area they are in and raising a family as this is the only time they are fertile. Both genders carry children, often four of five at once, for about sixteen weeks. Tylwydd become adults at the age of sixty and more than likely never see their parents again unless their parents require a body to inhabit.
Physical Description
Tylwydd stand at around six foot eight inches for the males and around seven foot for females. They have pale red skin and either ruby or sapphire eyes, quite literally as the eyes reflect light much like a cats. Their hair is usually either black or a very dark green and both genders tend to wear it long. Neither gender can grow facial hair. Tylwydd tend to be very thin for their height and as such weigh about 5% more than humans. Their facial features are angular but warm. They become adults at 60, middle aged at 120, old at 240, venerable at 300 and then die 2d20 years later.
Relations
Tylwydd love human society, its fast pace and ever changing fashions are almost addictive to them. They can get on very well with elves and halflings, elves because of their free natures and halfings because of their hospitality, sense of fun and love of good food. The more dangerous and brutal Tylwydd can find Orcs and Goblins "great fun" and there have been more than a few instances of drow either hiring or allying with Tylwydd bands for brief periods, often about the length of a short to medium war. They tend to find dwarves stuffy but there are a legends of an ancient dwarven thane who spent many of his earlier years traveling with a Tylwydd by the name of Fan-Kil-Kon who later became his oath brother. Dwarves point out that this is still unique, despite the fact that it happened over one hundred thousand years ago.
As a rule however Tylwydd hate having to make decisions based on race or gender as it is far more to get to know someone.
Alignment
The vast majority of Tylwydd are chaotic and lawful Tylwydd are almost unheard of. Tylwydd tend to be either good or evil, in roughly equal amounts, but neutral Tylwydd are rarer.
Lands
Due to the fact that they travel almost constantly the closest thing Tylwydd have to lands is their band. These groups of up to 30 Tylwydd travel the lands foraging, hunting, busking or raiding for their survival. Most Tylwydd don't even have this level of organization and only ever meet a few other Tylwydd a century. Only grave circumstances will separate a tywlydd from their life bond however.
Religion
It is the spiritual beliefs of the Tylwydd that make them so unique but conversely tend to draw them away from religions. They reincarnate and can access the memories of their previous lives, albeit with some difficulty. Tylwydd therefore don't care about the afterlife or death. They view all of life as a game and they get to keep going around.
Language
All Tylwydd are born knowing Tylu, a language that they have spoken through all ages and therefore is so prominent in their past lives memories that they never need to learn it.
Names
Tylwydd names are groups of three, two, or three syllable words. There is no distinction of gender, a Tylwydd chooses the second two parts of their own name at the age of 20 from those portions that where used by their previous lives. The first is given at birth and comes from a previous life of the parent who bore them.
Racial Traits
- Type: Humanoid (Tylwydd)
- Stat Bonuses: +2 Str, +2 Dex, -2 Wis. Strong and agile Tylwydd are also impulsive.
- Size: Medium
- Base Land Speed: 40 ft.
- Automatic Languages: Tylu and any two others.
- Bonus Languages: Any
- Low-light vision
- Tylwydd memory: Tylwydd gain proficiency in one martial weapon chosen randomly by the DM. They always treat all knowledge skills as class skills. They gain a +4 racial bonus on knowledge and bardic knowledge checks.
- Deeper memory: Each Tylwydd chooses one race, nation (or geographical region, past or present) and class. They gain +12 on all knowledge and bardic knowledge checks on creatures that fit all three, such as the elven warlocks of Fengron forest or the human knights (fighters) of the destroyed lands of Flamkar.
- Favored class: Bard
- LA: +3
Vital Statistics
Adulthood | Simple | Moderate | Complex |
---|---|---|---|
20 years | +4d6 | +6d6 | +10d6 |
Middle Age1 | Old2 | Venerable3 | Maximum Age | |
---|---|---|---|---|
30 years | 40 years | 50 years | +1d20 * 4 years | |
|
Gender | Base Height | Height Modifier | Base Weight | Weight Modifier |
---|---|---|---|---|
Male | 5' 6" | +1d6 | 120 lb. | 5 × (2d6) lb. |
Female | 5' 0" | +1d6 | 90 lb. | 5 × (2d6) lb. |
Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Races