Gravers

Gravers

Living among dwarves gravers are welcome associates, though they bear keeping an eye on!

Gravers are natural diggers and climbers and able to easily get to places dwarves find difficult, which combined with their acute sense of smell makes them great at finding and rescuing trapped miners or sniffing out foes. They also make good merchants, especially with magical assistance to speak.

Traits

75 points

Attribute Modifiers: ST-2 [-20]; DX+1 [20]; HT+1 [10].

Secondary Characteristic: Modifiers: HP+4 [8]; SM -1.

Advantages: Discriminatory Smell (Emotion Sense, +50%) [23]; Double-Jointed [15]; Fangs [2]; High Manual Dexterity 2 [10]; Night Vision 5 [5]; Sensitive Touch [10]; Sharp Claws [5]; Signals, Chemical Messengers [15]; Slippery 2 [4]; Subsonic Hearing [5]; Temperature Tolerance 2 (Cold) [2].

Perks: Burrower [1]; Fur [1].

Disadvantages: Cannot Speak, Mitigator (Nose ring) [-9]; Increased Consumption 1 [-10]; Kleptomania (12) [-15]; Semi-Upright [-5].

Quirks: Honest [-1]; Likes Shiny things [-]; Nosy [-1]; Proud [-1]; Wanderlust [-1].

Feature:

Racial Skills: Climbing (A) DX-1 [1]-11; Detect Lies (H) Per+1

[1]-11*; Wrestling (A) DX-1 [1]-10.

Optional Traits: Catfall; High Manual Dexterity, Honesty; Vibration Sense (Whiskers).

Common Equipment: They use magical jewelry as ear piercings and sometimes collars or anklets. However worn items easily slip off without magic such as the Hex spell.

Physiology

Gravers are stocky and muscular, with short legs ending in 5 (retractable) crampon like toes ideal for climbing.

It has a broad and rounded head and resembles a cross between a ferret and a small bear.

Adults grow to 42 inches in length with a tail about 10 inches long and weigh up to 55 lbs. They are semi-upright so can go from about 18 inches at the shoulder when walking to over 3 feet when standing.

They have thick oily fur that is great at repelling water and keeps it from freezing in snow. They also have very loose fitting skin and extraordinary flexibility that makes them hard to grapple and able to turn fully around in tunnels no bigger than they are.

Psychology

Gravers are extremely curious and fond of shiny things. They love to explore and often hire on as scouts to explore the area around dwarven settlements to provide early warning against threats, especially in their younger years. They are also natural jewelers and craftsman specializing in fine detail work. Their acute smell makes them great at spotting liars and they tend to be honest themselves and these traits empower them as merchants. They are acquisitive and consider anything not nailed down or watched carefully to be fair game, especially if its shiny or sparkles! However if caught they will happily return it if its politely pointed out.

Culture

Gravers get along well with each other and almost everyone, though many find the kleptomania hard to deal with.  However their reputation for honesty and quality craftsmanship make them popular merchants. Due to their inability to wear armor they tend to shy away from adventuring roles, though when they do they tend to be martial artists, scouts and thieves with a few mages here and there.

Magic

Magic is very common among gravers, though typically its a variant of Imbuement (Runic) with their own specialized symbol system.  A few learn the full Sigil/Rune system of the Dwarves and fewer still learn other systems.

Known Skills

Enhancement Skills: Annihilating Weapon; Continuing Attack; Crippling Blow; Drugged Weapon; Electric Weapon; Forceful Blow; Ghostly Weapon; Incendiary Weapon; Penetrating Strike; Project Blow; Shockwave; Stupefying Blow; Sudden Death; Supreme Control; Telescoping Weapon; Traumatic Blow.

Transformation Skills: Burning Strike; Chilling Strike; Corrosive Strike; Dazzling Display; Deafening Display; Fatiguing Strike; Impaling Strike; Strike of Negation.

Martial Arts

Gravers favor a grappling and pushing style, mixed with effective use of fang and claw for more serious combat. Many disputes are resolved in a formal match where both fight semi-upright on their haunches and try to shove the other outside a small circle. They feel it looks more 'civilized', though recognize its impracticality in life or death combat where they fight in the more horizontal fashion. they will fight dwarves this way (who also have a similar style).

When in deadly combat they tend to fight in a more crude and even animalistic fashion, using teeth and claws and bringing their opponent to the ground as quickly as possible.Ground Fighting is not needed from a horizontal position, except if they are on their backs.

Going into close combat is often a deadly advantage where they can use their natural weapons and most humanoids have to resort to daggers or knives.

Skills: Brawlng; Games (Sumo); Sumo Wrestling; Wrestling

Techniques: Attack From Above (Brawling); Breakfall; Choke or Strangle; Choke Hold; Deadly Pounce (Pyramid 3/111); Feint (Sumo Wrestling); Ground Fighting; Head Lock (Teeth); Neck Snap (Teeth); Rake; Sweep (Sumo Wrestling); Targeted Attack (Brawling Bite/Neck); Trip (Sumo Wrestling).

Cinematic Skills: Breaking Blow; Immovable Stance; Kiai; Lizard Climb; Power Blow; Push; Sensitivity.

Perks: Special Exercises (HP can exceed ST by 100%)

Optional Traits

Secondary Characteristics: Improved HP

Advantages: Fearlessness; Fit or Very Fit; Hard to Subdue; High Pain Threshold; Perfect Balance; Recovery; Vibration Sense.

Disadvantages: Fat or Very Fat; Gluttony.

Skills: Acrobatics; Climbing; Intimidation.

Techniques:

Designers Notes

Gravers are meant to replace gnomes in the Chalice World setting. I wanted something dexterous, good underground, likes jewelry and would compliment my dwarves well. I based them off ferrets (upgraded to wolverine size) with a touch from Sparrials.