Yutu (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

Yutu (Chinese: jade rabbit) is the name of the moon rabbit in Chinese mythology. The rabbit is associated with the moon in Korean, Japanese, and Aztec myth. A combination of wisdom, innocence, playfulness, and devotion characterizes most mythical rabbits.

Description

Yutu, also known as usagi or rabbit-folk, are humanoids with the physical characteristics of rabbits, much like tengu have the features of crows. They are known for their generosity and devotion.

Physical Description: Rabbit-folk are short, about 4'10, with the distinctive ears and tails of rabbits. Most also have human-like hair, marked incisors, and long feet that walk on toes, but these trait is not universal. Beyond these common traits, yatu vary from human to very animal-like in appearance, some having skin, others fur, some having humanoid faces and others rabbit-like snouts or somewhere in between. Both animal-like and human-like rabbit-folk share the full color range of their human and animal parts, with very pale and and very dark colors both somewhat more common than in either rabbits or humans.

Society: Yutu live in tight communities, usually under conditions humans would consider cramped. They have a great need of social interaction and physical contact, tough this can be restrained and codified in structured societies. Generally serious workers, most yutu are simple farmers, with a special talent for gardening and cultivating rare plants. Ordered and predictable, yutu are generally appreciated by neighbors and often end up in positions of responsibility if not leadership. Yutu society centers on the does, with bucks often in honored positions of little authority or loosely attached to families. Fidelity is not seen as a virtue among yutu, but adolescent males often attach themselves to an elder male who may or may not be their father.

Relations: With a mix of tolerance and friendliness, yutu get along well with most other races. Their seriousness can annoy gnomes, while halflings sometimes resent their honesty. Elves look down fondly on yutu, while dwarfs like how yutu let themselves get drunk under the table. Even predatory creatures, like catfolk and gnolls, often appreciate yutu for their willingness to sacrifice, never realizing how dangerously well-organized a group of yutu can be until it is too late. While popular in most camps, yutu do not command deep respect and are rarely leaders or politicians.

Alignment and Religion: Rabbit-folk are serious, devoted, and hard-working with a natural tendency towards lawful and good alignments. They can devote their loyalty to others even over alignment differences; a lawful yutu makes a good servant for a chaotic nobleman. Likewise, they show little alignment prejudice in matters of faith; they often worship patrons much more chaotic than themselves. Gods of the moon gain their special devotion and love.

Adventurers: Their dutiful natures make yutu respond to calls of duty; the most common reason for a yutu to leave their societies is for service in response to an obligation. Such yutu, usually bucks, rarely return to their home and instead serve for life. If the cause for their call is lost, such as if a noble patron dies, they may become wanderers and adventurers. Others adventure in the service of their patron, being trusted to represent their interests far from home.

Male Names: Bai, Eiji, Gen, Hanasuke, Hatsu, Hirohito, Hirooshi, Hisao, Ichiro, Jiro, Makoto, Saburo, Shiro, Xueqin, Yusheng.

Female Names: Aiko, Aki, Anzu, Chikako, Hanako, Haya, Huilang, Kaiya, Kikue, Linh, Mingyu, Nuwa, Tami, Tu, Umeko, Yanyu, Yu.

Standard Racial Traits

• Ability Score Racial Traits: +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma.
• Size: Rabbit-folk are Medium creatures and gain no special advantages or disadvantages from size.
• Type: Yutu are humanoids with the yutu subtype.
• Base Speed: 30 ft.
• Languages: Yutu begin play speaking Common and Yutu. Yutu with high intelligence scores can choose from the following: Catfolk, Dwarf, Elven, Gnome, Halfling, Sylvan, and Tengu.
• Random Starting Age: Base age 12 years
  Barbarian, Rogue, Sorcerer +1d4
  Bard, Fighter, Paladin, Ranger +1d6
  Cleric, Druid, Monk, Wizard +2d6.
• Aging Effects: Middle Age 35. Old 60. Venerable 90. Max 90+3d20.
• Height and Weight (not including ears): Male Height 4'5 Weight 120 lbs. Modifier 2d4 Weight Multiplier x2 lbs.,
  Female Height 4'3 Weight 115 lbs. Modifier 2d4 Weight Multiplier x3 lbs.

Offense and Defensive Racial Traits

• Parting Kick: When doing the withdraw action, a yutu can make a trip combat maneuver as a swift action before moving. The trip combat maneuver and withdraw action each triggers attacks of opportunity according to the normal rules for each action.

Movement Racial Traits

• Sprinter: Yutu gain a 10-foot racial bonus to their speed when using the charge, run, or withdraw actions.
• Jumper Yutu are always considered to have a running start when making Acrobatics checks to jump.

Skill Racial Traits

• Disarming Humility: Yutu are forthright and disarming, which wins them allies in the long run. They gain a +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy checks.

Senses Racial Traits

• Limited Tremorsense: Through a combination of scent, hearing, and sensitive paws, yutu can sense the presence of creatures and objects in contact with the ground up to 30 ft. away, even if the creatures are invisible or have full concealment. This is not a precise sense; the yutu knows where creatures are, but still suffer normal concealment miss chance. Creatures can use Stealth normally against the Yutu by threading carefully.

Alternate Racial Traits

• Hare These yutu has large ears and tall ears that add at least a foot to its total height. Hares have lowlight vision and gain a +2 bonus on Perception checks. This replaces limited tremorsense.
• Burrowing The yatu has a burrow speed of 20 feet. This replaces sprinter and jumper.
• Flee Forward The yutu gains a +2 bonus on combat maneuver checks made to bull rush or overrun an opponent. This bonus only applies while both the member of this race and its opponent are standing on the ground. This replaces parting kick.

Yutu in Greyhawk

Yutu are relatively common in Nippon and the Nippon Territories, and exist Zindia and the Celestial empire. Individual yutu may travel to other parts of the world in the service of an employer.

Advance Race Guide Design Points

+2 Parting Kick
+1 Sprinter
+2 Jumper
+2 Disarming Humility
+2 Tremorsense

9 points

Racial Trait Options

Yutu can choose among the following traits.

Bunny Hop Acrobatics is a class skill for you. When using the Acrobatics skill to jump, you halve DCs based on the length of the jump. This counts as assisted movement and does not stack with the benefits of assisted movement.

Burrower You can burrow through sand and soft earth at a speed of 5 ft., leaving a tunnel behind.

Forager Like your ancient forebears, you can subsist on many kinds of green plants. You gain a +4 trait bonus on Survival checks to find food.

Karumijutsu Acrobatics is a class skill for you. When using the Acrobatics skill to jump, you take only a +2 DC increase per foot you leap upwards, rather than the normal +4. This counts as assisted movement and does not stack with the benefits of assisted movement.

Stomper You can stomp the ground to create vibrations easily picked up with tremorsense, and can send messages to others with such senses up to ten times the range of their tremorsense. The Yutu language has special expressions transmitted this way; you can transmit fairly complex messages if both you and the listener knows the language.

External Links

• Yutu @ Wikipedia.

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