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 digitigrade feet, but these trait is not universal. Beyond these common traits, yutu 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.

Family: Yutu are born in litters and capable of very quick population growth, but normally only a few alpha does in a community are breeders. Mothers of successful litters become elders and are authority figures in yutu society. They may advice on day-to-day decisions, but their true responsibility lies in strategic decisions for the community and in maintaining the relationships with gods and spirits. The remaining population support these family groups and pursue individual careers with little distinction between genders. Kittens around the age of six seek mentors among the entire adult population, what looks to outsiders like a parent-child relation is often really an apprenticeship.

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 respect or awe 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. Many yutu honor their ancestors, champions and alpha does of the past, sometimes becoming ancestor worshipers.

Adventurers: Their loyal natures make yutu respond to calls of duty; the most common reason for a yutu to leave their society is for service in response to an obligation. Such yutu rarely return to their home and 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.

This does not trigger an attack of opportunity. A yutu with the Greater Trip feat do not cause the target of such a trip to trigger attacks of opportunity.

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 10 feet., but only in soil. A yutu using burrow speed leaves a tunnel, but this tunnel is unstable and likely to collapse in 24 hours unless properly supported. This replaces disarming humility.
• Flee Forward The yutu gains a +2 bonus on combat maneuver checks made to overrun an opponent and does not trigger an attack of opportunity when doing so. This bonus only applies while the yutu is 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

Race Traits

Yutu can choose among the following race traits.

Bunny Hop Acrobatics is a class skill for you. When using the Acrobatics skill to jump, the DC of a long jump is 1 for every 2 ft. jumped, rather than the normal 1 ft. This counts as assisted movement and does not stack with the benefits of assisted movement.

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.

Tunneler You can burrow through sand and soft earth at a speed of 5 ft., leaving a tunnel behind. This tunnel will collapse in an hour unless supports are added. If you have the burrowing racial trait, add 5 ft. to your burrowing speed and the tunnels you create do not collapse.

External Links

• Yutu @ Wikipedia.

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