Turtlefolk, Ishiga 石亀

In ages past, the ishiga were the keepers of the world’s history and lore. Great libraries dotted the land, full of contracts, deeds, and other legal documents, all sorted properly among stories of brave heroes, their cowardly allies, and dastardly villains. Anybody who needed to know anything visited an ishigan library where the chances were very good they could eventually find what they were looking for. But that all changed when the dark elves attacked. The ishigan’s libraries that weren’t burned to the ground became fortified outposts and training camps for those who would fight against the invaders from below. Centuries of careful documentation and knowledge were lost in what felt like the blink of an eye, never to be recovered.

At present, the ishiga continue to act as the world’s foremost purveyors of intelligence and historical rhetoric, but their expertise has shifted from the careful collection and ordering of tomes to mastery of computer chronology and the (somewhat) free expansion of knowledge for all.

Total Cost: 11 points (standard).

Ishiga Racial Traits

Ability Score Modifiers: +2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, –2 Dexterity (0 points). Turtlefolk are tough and vastly intelligent, but their natural form is often less than graceful.

Size: Medium (0 points. An ishiga’s size grants no bonuses or penalties.

Speed: Slow and Steady –1 point. An ishiga’s base speed is 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.

Type (0 points). Turtlefolk are humanoids with the reptilian subtype.

Natural Armor: 3 points. Ishigan have +2 natural armor.

Retract: 3 points. When a critical hit or sneak attack is scored on an ishiga, there is a 25% chance that the critical hit or sneak attack is negated and damage is instead rolled normally. Once this occurs, the ishiga’s natural armor grants only a +1 bonus until the ishiga is healed back to full. If damaged again in this way, the shell is considered broken and grants no bonus until the ishiga is healed to full and a mending spell or similar effect is used on its shell.

Timeless Knowledge: 5 points. Ishigan always treat Knowledge (history) and another relevant Knowledge for their time-period as class skills. They gain a +2 racial bonus on all Knowledge checks when trained in those skills.

Languages: (1 point). Ishigan speak Common. An ishiga with high Intelligence scores can learn any languages they want (except Druidic and other secret languages).