Broken Tusk Player's Guide

Your Character

Becoming a Broken Tusk

At the outset of the Quest for the Frozen Flame, your character is assumed to already be a member of the Broken Tusk following. Whether this means your character is a relatively new recruit or was born and raised a Broken Tusk is up to you. If your character is a recent joiner, where did they come from, and why did they decide to join the Tusks? If they were born a Broken Tusk, who are their best friends, and who are their rivals?
Members of the following are expected to treat one another with respect and as clanmates, regardless of where they came from or how they got here. Those who were born Broken Tusks usually have stronger bonds with their kinfolk, while new recruits typically have a broader worldview that allows them to see situations from multiple perspectives and befriend a wide variety of people. No roles or opportunities are reserved exclusively for natives or newcomers—as one Broken Tusk adage puts it “anyone can become anything.”
At the start of this adventure, each character in the party is training to become one of the following’s head scouts, so consider what your character might bring to the table in terms of hunting, foraging, or tracking—all skills vital to becoming a good scout. Of course, your character can have multiple roles within the following, as many Broken Tusks do. The backgrounds listed below represent some of these possible roles.
In terms of materials and knowledge, neither native Broken Tusks nor newcomers have an edge over the other. An ex-crusader’s cold iron sword may be a novel tool, but once it’s spent the warrior must travel far to have it mended, typically at great cost. Native Broken Tusks, on the other hand, know how to fashion atlatls, spears, bows, and other weapons from a wide variety of available resources. A traveling merchant bearing bread and wine may wow Broken Tusks for a moment, but again, there are few ovens or vineyards in the Realm with which to replenish such stores. Conversely, many cultures such as the Broken Tusk can take down game southerners could scarcely dream of, and they are no strangers to the wonders of fermenting berries or roots.
Regardless of where they came from, Broken Tusks who fare best in the following tend to be those who respect its lengthy history, its variety of rich traditions and customs, and the ideals represented by its banner: compassion, bravery, and fortitude.

Broken Tusk Houses

Each member of the Broken Tusk following belongs to one of four different houses. Each is led by a single high-ranking Tusk. House members spend most of their time with one another, sharing duties, forming friend groups, and occupying the same communal sleeping tent.
Each house is represented by a triad of animals that individually embody courage, cleverness, and resilience. Broken Tusks typically identify themselves with just one of the three animals represented in their house, and their personal effects often feature that animal. The four houses, their leaders, and the animals that embody each house are as follows.

• Falcon House (headed by Eiwa), which includes hares and glyptodons.
• Moose House (headed by Nakta), which includes bears and ravens.
• Musk Ox House (headed by Merthig), which includes saber-toothed tigers and bighorn sheep.
• Otter House (headed by Argakoa), which includes wolves and aurochs.

Character Suggestions

Unlike many Mammoth Lord followings, Broken Tusks actively recruit new members, always looking to bolster their ranks with all kinds of backgrounds and all types of talents.

Alignments

Selfishness, cruelty, and greed have little place in a community where each member’s contributions are integral to the group’s survival. Other than evil, characters of any alignment fit equally well in the Broken Tusk following.

Ancestry (aka Races)

Due to the conflict that caused the formation of the Broken Tusk, few humans, dwarves, or halflings remain in the following, and no elves at all. The following is primarily made of Harengons, Minotaurs, Tabaxi, Firbolgs, Satyr, and a very small number of Dragonborn.

To select your ancestry, see the 1. Character Creation article.

As they continue to roam the Realm and accumulate more followers, the Broken Tusks’ ancestral and ethnic prospects are sure broaden further. Because their way of life appeals to those who are naturally curious, reflective, and open-minded, it would be no surprise to see many other peoples join their ranks.

Classes

Mammoth Lord followings consist of hardy people as a rule. The Realm is harsh and everyone in the following, regardless of expertise, must pitch in for the group to survive. I am inclined to allow just about any class and subclass so long as it makes sense for the campaign. Retheming is a great way to make just about anything fit.

See the 2. Class Selection article for more information.

Languages

If your ancestry or culture grants you Common as a starting language, you instead start with Hallit, the language spoken by nearly every person, indigenous or otherwise, in the Realm. You can choose Common as an additional language, if you wish, though it won’t be especially useful in the Quest for the Frozen Flame. Otherwise, common ancestral languages in the Realm include Dwarven, Elvish, and Goblin to some extent. Because Broken Tusks live alongside woolly mammoths and other animals, players whose characters have the power to speak to animals may find this adventure particularly rewarding.

Skills and Feats

The Broken Tusk’s scouts must be quick on their feet, keen of eye and ear, and hardy and hale if they are to lead their following safely through the Realm. Acrobatics and Athletics play obvious roles in the daily lives of Broken Tusks, as does Naturecraft. Less apparent but no less useful are social skills like Deception, Persuasion, and Intimidation, all of which can be used to improve one’s standing in the following or to make a strong impression outside the following. Though all knowledge is power in the Realm, a character will do just fine if they lack proficiency in Arcana or Lore.
Regarding feats: The most useful are those that will help one survive in the wild, work well with a growing community of friendly travelers, and ably lead a group through uncharted territory. Feats that promote duplicity, theft, or other antisocial behaviors are generally less useful when traveling among folks with a common goal. In the Broken Tusk following, cooperation and teamwork are far more important than individual cunning.

See the 3. Skills and Field Expertise article for important information about skills.

Additional Backgrounds

The following backgrounds are available and tailor-made for this campaign, but you are free to select any background from other source books so long as it makes sense. You are also free to invent your own background, subject to DM approval. And I’m happy to make suggestions or adapt feats/powers from other systems. In fact, most of the features below were adapted from Pathfinder 2e.

Broken Tusk Recruiter

Your gifted tongue, friendly demeanor, and deep knowledge of Broken Tusk culture and traditions make you an ideal recruiter for new followers. Whenever Broken Tusks come upon weak, weary, or wandering souls, you’re often the first sent to meet these folks and determine if they would be a good fit for the following.

• Skill proficiencies: Lore, Persuasion
• Tool proficiencies: Any one of your choice
• Language proficiencies: Any two of your choice
• Feature: Group Speaking

You are practiced in interacting with groups and can use the momentum of your words to sway even the most rigid of minds. When you make a Persuasion check to influence a number of targets equal to or less than your proficiency bonus, compare your result to the lowest DC of all targets.

Adopted Exile

The Realm may be a dangerous place full of conflict, but the ravages of war leave no part of the world untouched. You were a soldier in the army of a distant country. What you saw during those wars changed you forever — so much so that you became a wanderer, hermit, or other voluntary outcast. When you came upon the Broken Tusk following, you discovered a people whose values and traditions made you feel whole again. The Broken Tusk was supposedly once a much bigger following, and so you’ve joined them in the hopes of helping them heal old wounds and rebuild in the shadow of loss. In the process, perhaps this new family will help you do the same.

• Skill proficiencies: Lore, Perception
• Tool proficiencies: One gaming set
• Language proficiencies: Any one of your choice not spoken by members of the following
• Feature: Military Experience

You may not have achieved a high rank back in your homeland’s army but you still remember your extensive military training and use it to encourage your friends. As a reaction, you may grant an ally that can hear you advantage on a save versus fear. You may do this a number of times equal to your Charisma bonus (minimum 1) and regain all uses of this ability on a long rest. Additionally, you gain the Pilgrim’s Token feat. You carry a small token of protection from a site holy to your faith, or you touched your religious symbol to a relic or altar at such a site. So long as this token is in your possession, you gain +1 to your initiative modifier.

Megafauna Hunter

Life is only as meaningful as its risks, and the risks you’re willing to take are big indeed. Like the greatest Mammoth Lords, you revel in the thrill of the hunt, especially when it involves mortal combat with megafauna, dinosaurs, and other oversized beasts. Though you’re still early in your hunting career, your talent shows great promise, and you have a natural knack for tracking and taking down big game such as moose, saber-toothed tigers, and even wild mammoths.

• Skill proficiencies: Athletics, Naturecraft
• Tool proficiencies: Hunting traps
• Feature: Titan Wrestler

You can attempt to Disarm, Grapple, Shove, or Trip creatures up to two sizes larger than you, albeit at disadvantage.

Mammoth Herder

You’re adept at calming, wrangling, and living beside wooly mammoths and other megafauna commonly found in the Realm. Perhaps you’ve even formed a particularly strong bond with one or two of your following’s animals, and you tend to get along with other herders in the following. When the Broken Tusk following must move, you and the other herders know how to convey this message to the animals in your herd.

• Skill proficiencies: Animal Handling, Naturecraft
• Tool proficiencies: Vehicles (land)
• Feature: Train Animal

You can spend time teaching an animal to do a certain action. See the link below for more details. The DM determines the DC of any check required and the amount of time the training takes (usually at least a week). It’s usually impossible to teach an animal a trick that uses critical thinking. An animal taught to do a specific action can be commanded to do so by you and designated handlers without requiring a check. https://2e.aonprd.com/Actions.aspx?ID=58

Northland Forager

The vast tundra and looming mountains of the Realm may seem featureless and barren to the untrained eye, but you know better. You see what others don’t: nutritious roots buried beneath muddy reeds, succulent bird eggs cradled in craggy rocks, restorative berries nestled among thorny thickets, and more. In the south, farmers toil in dusty fields to eat the same vegetables every day, but your diet is varied and you’re rarely hungry; the entire Realm is your garden.

• Skill proficiencies: Naturecraft, Examination
• Tool proficiencies: Healer’s kit
• Feature: Forager

While using Naturecraft to subsist off the land, if you fail, you still manage to find sustinance for yourself. On a success, you can provide Supply for yourself and a number of additional creatures equal to your proficiency bonus. On a critical success, you can take care of additional creatures equal to twice your proficiency bonus. Multiple smaller creatures or creatures with significantly smaller appetites than a human are counted as a single creature for this feat, and larger creatures or those with significantly greater appetites each count as multiple creatures. The DM determines how much these creatures need to eat.

Songsinger in Training

You are a pupil of the Broken Tusk Songsinger. She has been the Broken Tusk’s foremost songsinger for many winters, and she sees in you a promising disciple who can carry the torch when it’s time for her to pass it. The role of songsinger is a great distinction. These chanters, musicians, and poets are responsible for recording, preserving, and sharing the Broken Tusk’s oral history. As one of these songsingers, it’s up to you to decide which stories are worthy of passing on and which should be left along the migration trail.

• Skill proficiencies: Lore, Performance
• Tool proficiencies: One type of musical instrument
• Language proficiencies: Any two of your choice spoken by members of your following
• Feature: Impressive Performance

Your performances and skill in oratory inspire admiration and win you fans, but can also put the fear of the gods into your audience. You can use Performance in place of Persuasion or Intimidation when influencing others.