The fleet-footed Brushrunner lives a life of serenity, basking in the sun and chasing wild game on the lushly vegetated plains of Alcirya. His long legs and lean body make him a natural athlete; he sprints with the speed of a cheetah and leaps with the grace of a gazelle. His harmonious relationship with nature has sharpened his aesthetic sense, encouraging him to develop his artistic skills. Brushrunners belong to extended families called moieties, consisting of a hundred or more relatives and friends. A moiety lives and hunts on a particular section of land, called the moiety estate, of which there are many across the plains. Brushrunners must obey all directives of their moiety elders, which involve the care and protection of the estate.
Role
Brushrunners are social creatures who value tradition, order, and cooperation. When a Brushrunner joins an adventuring party, he selects a party member to act as his surrogate moiety elder, usually the strongest party member or the one with the most forceful personality. An acceptable surrogate must be older than the Brushrunner and preferably of the same sex. The Brushrunner honors the surrogate with a pledge of loyalty and a small gift of food or trinkets. If the chosen party member declines to serve as the Brushrunner’s surrogate, the Brushrunner picks someone else. (Note that the Brushrunner’s surrogate doesn’t necessarily have to be the party‘s actual leader.) Once he secures a surrogate, the Brushrunner will follow his orders implicitly and without hesitation. Should the surrogate dishonor himself, for instance, by mistreating the weak or needlessly endangering the party, the Brushrunner will sever his ties with the surrogate by snapping a bone in front of his face or spitting on his feet. The Brushrunner then selects another surrogate to follow. If no suitable surrogate is available, the Brushrunner may anoint himself as a moiety elder. He then expects the other party members to do as they’re told. If they decline, he sulks and whines. But because cooperation means more to a Brushrunner than getting his way, he will eventually comply with the consensus of the party and agree to follow the designated leader. If comfortable with the party‘s chain of command, a Brushrunner is easy-going and playful. He enjoys catching butterflies, watching clouds drift by, and slipping worms down the backs of stuffy companions. He makes a good hunter and scout, though he’s somewhat undependable. A Brushrunner on the trail of a deer may become distracted and not return for the rest of the day. He may disappear into the brush without a word of warning, showing up an hour later with a rabbit carcass or a colorful wildflower
Distinctive Appearance
None
Special Benefits
A Brushrunner can sprint at triple speed (45 Movement Rate) for up to three consecutive rounds on a single Strength check. All checks made while running are made at one category better; a normal Strength check for triple movement and Strength -4 for quintuple movement. He may move and fight normally afterward, but before sprinting again, he must rest without moving for as many rounds as he sprinted.
A Brushrunner leaps and springs as a barbarian two levels higher.
When making a melee attack, the Brushrunner can go into a frenzy of whirls, spins, and darts that confuses opponents and makes the Brushrunner more difficult to hit. A successful Dexterity check begins the frenzy. If the check fails, he may try again in another hour. If the check succeeds, the Brushrunner gains a -3 bonus to Armor Class. A Brushrunner can maintain a battle frenzy for a number of rounds equal to his Constitution. The frenzy ends automatically at the end of this period; he may also voluntarily end the frenzy at any point. A Brushrunner can use his battle frenzy ability no more than once per hour.
Once per month, a Brushrunner can create any of the following objects, assuming necessary materials are available. Each work takes 3d4 hours to complete, after which the Brushrunner must make an Escape Artists' Trick proficiency check. If the check succeeds, the art work has the properties described below. If the check fails, the work has no special properties.
- A painting on a sheet of bark, called an orroboree, portraying an ailing or wounded character or creature. The Brushrunner carefully touches each section of the subject’s body; sections that are sensitive, warm, or obviously distressed are depicted on the orroboree in striking shades of primary colors. If a character with the Healing proficiency - including the Brushrunner himself - ministers to a patient represented by an orroboree, the patient recovers at twice the normal rate (2 hit points per day even when traveling or engaging in non-strenuous activity; 4 hp per day if the ailing character gets complete rest; 6 hp per day if the wounded character rests and the ministering character has both the healing and herbalism pmfiaencies.)
A 6-foot hardwood pole called a rangga cawed with crude images of human faces and decorated with vines. The rangga turns undead at a level equal to the Brushrunner. A rangga loses its properties if uprooted or defaced; it is not possible to carry a rangga through an adventure and use it as needed. It repels undead for 1d4 weeks.
A small wooden bust of a deer or other herd animal, called a maraiin. Though crudely sculpted, the maraiin’s flawless symmetry and understated beauty gives it a value of 3d8 gp.
Special Hindrances
Though a Brushrunner may wear any armor normally allowed barbarians, he finds it uncomfortable and confining. If he wears armor, he can’t use the Special Benefits of sprinting, leaping and springing, or battle frenzy. (However, he still gains these benefits when carrying a shield.)
Every year, a Brushrunner must complete a task designated by his moiety elders. Completing the task proves allegiance to the elders and affirms kinship with the moiety. The Brushrunner must return to his moiety estate every year to receive a new task If this is impractical, the Brushrunner repeats the same task from the previous year. The DM assigns the task from the following list, or may make up his own:
Slay a particular creature without the help of his companions; the creature must have Hit Dice equal to at least half of the Brushrunner’s experience level. (A 5th-level Brushrunner must slay a creature with 3 hit dice.)
Take a young Brushrunner into the outworld and act as the child’s mentor for a few weeks If the youngster is lost, killed, or seriously wounded, the Brushrunner fails his task.
Spend a week serving the moiety, collecting food, tending to the infants, and caring for the sick.
Fetch a particular gem or precious stone as a gift for the moiety elder.
A Brushrunner who fails to complete the task is overwhelmed with shame. He must destroy a favorite weapon or possession (chosen by the DM) and may not use any special benefits for one month. An Atonement spell halves the duration of the special benefits suspension.
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