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From Fax Encyclopedicus

==General Information== ===Personality=== Goraz tend to be even-tempered and generally amiable, though they tend not to show much emotion. This does not manifest as hostility, but rather as an almost preternatural calm that other races sometimes find infuriating. Goraz tend to be very deliberate in their actions and decisions. Goraz value tradition greatly, and tend to be very family focussed. Goraz are strong willed, though this tends not to manifest as obstinance; instead, goraz simply listen politely to others, and then simply do what they had already made up their minds to do. Angering a goraz is very difficult, but when they feel it is necessary to fight, they are implacable foes. ===Physical Description=== Goraz stand between 4 and 5 feet in height, with males tending to be slightly taller. Despite being shorter on average than humans, goraz often weigh as much or more. This is due to their exceptionally dense bones and muscles. In fact, the bones of a goraz are essentially stone, and their skin and hair is also extremely hard and thick. Goraz are slightly broader of build than a human of similar height, but not significantly so. Goraz are very similar in appearance to warthogs, with a pronounced snout and four heavy tusks. Males also have four horn-like protrusions on the sides of their heads. Goraz are somewhat hunchbacked. Goraz tend to have dark brown, or occasionally black or gray, skin with dark brown or black hair. Males rarely grow beards. Hair styles vary widely between mesa towns, but each town tends to have a traditional style worn by adults. Goraz usually have black or brown eyes, though dark yellow or dark green are common. Goraz reach adulthood around age 35, and some live for over 500 years. ===Relations=== Orcs admire the toughness and fearlessness of the Goraz, but they also find the passivity, lack of personal ambition, and adherence to tradition almost incomprehensible. Overall, most orcs find Goraz extremely frustrating. ===Alignment=== Due to their love of tradition and the importance of the many and complex rituals that appear in their every day life, alongside their focus on the family over the self, Goraz tend to be lawful. Though they are willing to lend a helping hand, Goraz tend to leave well enough alone. Thus, most are neutral with a tendency towards good. Very few are actively evil, as selfishness or cruelty are generally alien to the Goraz culture and mindset. ===Goraz Lands=== A series of badlands and mesas form the ancestral homes of the goraz. These lands are arid, sparsely vegetated, and rocky. They are subject to severe heat in the summer and intense cold in the winter. The goraz primarily make their homes on the mesas, with stunning cliff-side dwellings carved right out of the rock. The tops are reserved for carefully tended fields, with the area around the mesa serving as pasture lands for bison and yaks. Each of these mesa towns is usually associated with a nearby monastery, and the head of the monastery is also the political leader of the town. Though the goraz do not claim a formal nation, the various monasteries are all effectively part of the same religious tradition, and thus provide a unifying force throughout the goraz homelands. ===Religion=== Goraz hold that all things have an inherent divine nature. This includes not only living things, but also any physical object. Since all things are divine, goraz believe that it is necessary to carefully manage the many disparate and sometimes competing spiritual energies around them. Goraz religious leaders carefully arrange communities, even individual homes, to maximize beneficial energies and minimize negative ones. Goraz also tend to wear specific clothing and carry charms meant to balance their own energies as well. Most also examine astrology and numerology for guidance. For a goraz, virtually every action has a ritual component, passed down through the generations, to call upon the correct spiritual forces. In addition to the every-day divine forces, goraz also believe in great spirits, almost deity-like beings that represent the pure essence of a particular concept - for example, there is a spirit for stone, water, yaks, corn, goraz, arrows, and so forth. Goraz will sometimes call upon a spirit appropriate to the task on hand, but only at need. Many goraz priests have one or two patron spirits. Alongside these traditions is the Stone Way, a monastic tradition that seeks to find perfect balance in all things, creating a stasis in which the adherent has found a center that need never move. Quixotically, the goraz maintain that this is not a stagnant or unchanging state. Most goraz revere the Stone Way, but only a small portion actively follow it. ===Languages=== Goraz speak their own language, Gorazi, a slow and guttural tongue that has been likened to "two stones rubbing together." Goraz outside their homelands usually speak fluent, if heavily accented, common. ===Names=== ===Adventures=== ==Goraz Racial Traits== *+2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, -2 Dexterity, -2 Charisma. A goraz's body and will are as tough as stone. However, their dense build robs them of agility, and their reserved nature can be frustrating to other races. *Medium. As medium creatures, goraz have no special bonuses or penalties due to size. *Goraz base speed is 20 feet. *A Goraz's tusks give it a natural attack in the form of a gore that deals 1d6 points of damage. *Low-light vision: A Goraz can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. Goraz retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions. *Natural armor +1. Goraz skin is stony and tough. *Immune to fear spells and effects. Goraz do not make a show of great courage, but they are essentially impossible to frighten. *Stone’s Embrace (Su): Once per day, a goraz can gain an enhancement bonus to its natural armor equal to its Wisdom bonus. This bonus lasts for one minute. While this ability is active, the goraz suffers a -2 armor check penalty in addition to any other armor check penalties it is subject to. *Automatic Languages: Common and Gorazi. Bonus Languages: Dwarven, Hezral, Goblin, Orcish, and Terran. *Favored Class: Cleric. ===Random Heights and Weights=== {| cellpadding="2" cellspacing="5" !align="left" | Race !! Base Height !! Height Modifier !! Base Weight !! Weight Modifier |- | Goraz, male ||align="center" | 4'0" ||align="center" | +2d6 ||align="center" | 150 lb. ||align="center" | x (2d4) lb. |- | Goraz, female ||align="center" | 3'10" ||align="center" | +2d6 ||align="center" | 140 lb. ||align="center" | x (2d4) lb. |} ===Random Starting Ages=== {| cellpadding="2" cellspacing="5" !align="left" | Race !! Adulthood !! Babarian<br>Rogue<br>Sorcerer !! Bard<br>Fighter<br>Paladin<br>Ranger !! Cleric<br>Druid<br>Monk<br>Wizard |- | Goraz||align="center" | 35 years ||align="center" | +3d6 ||align="center" | +6d6 ||align="center" | +9d6 |} ===Aging Effects=== {| cellpadding="2" cellspacing="5" !align="left" | Race !! Middle Age !! Old !! Venerable !! Maximum Age |- | Goraz||align="center" | 155 years ||align="center" | 185 years ||align="center" | 245 years ||align="center" | +3d% years |} [[Category:Player Character Races]][[Category:Skybreak]][[Category:Footprints]]

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