Note: This is a guide to playing characters that are ethnically Terruk, from the Terruk-Mal, or originally employed primarily in Terruk lands. Tips presented here are not strictly speaking hard and fast rules for gameplay. Instead they are to be treated as a rough guideline. Individual players and game masters may decide to follow, none of these rules, all of them, or select which to follow or ignore on their own merits.
5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons
Races
The Terruk-Mal is a diverse nation. Orcs though the dominant race, represent only a slight plurality of the overall population. Sizable minorities of hobgoblins, humans, bugbears, goblins, and gnomes exist, and, especially in the case of the larger goblinoids make up the bulk of the settled population. Half-orcs have become much more common since the seizure of Huria, and small populations of dwarven, aarakocra, and halfling merchants are also found in the land, plying their trade along the major trade routes. Planetouched beings are extremely rare, as contact with extraplanar beings and planar travel themselves are rare, and as a result Planetouched beings are, at best almost unheard of in the Terruk-Mal. In Terruk culture, and many of the subcultures found within the Terruk-Mal, glory obtained in battle, or glory obtained in the hunt are extremely common, and influential cultural values and its pursuit turns out a great number of adventurers.
Common Terruk Races
Backgrounds
The Terruk-Mal is, aside from Fuíguo a relatively wild frontier territory, and as a result most people participate in a nomadic lifestyle. Nomadic herders and hunters make for fairly strong adventurers, and indeed many Terruk come from these humble backgrounds. Others, often those with religious gifts, are inducted into religious circles. In the more settled parts of the Terruk-Mal, there is room for more careers beyond subsistence, with militant and industiral work being particularly common among the proud Fuí peoples and an active, if small courtly life. Rare, but not entirely unheard of are a handful of scholars who came to the wildlands to conduct research in greater privacy.
Common Backgrounds
Classes
The hostile conditions in much of the Terruk-Mal often strongly favor those who have effective survival skills, and outside of city the more scholarly types will find themselves in an unusually difficult position. As a result, adventurers who can trace their backgrounds from the Terruk-Mal tend more strongly towards classes with martial abilities than those who use magic.
Artificer: Very rare, and indeed almost unheard of outside Fuíguo or the mountain goblin communities. Almost all artificers from the Terruk-Mal favor the
artillerist'spath.
Barbarian: In the steppes of the Terruk-Mal, many take up the path of primal fury, and those classed as barbarians are perhaps the most common type of adventurers from the Terruk steppes, though others certainly close in commonality for Terruk adventurers. Terruks, despite their reputation however, possess a rather tranquil fury, and as a result wild abandon to the rage is rare. Common barbarian paths include;
Ancestral Guardian,
Storm Herald,
Totem Warrior,
Wild Magic, and
Zealot.
Bard: Though, not especially common on the Steppes, it is not unheard of for traveling bands of minstrels to walk along commercial routes or to put on performances for the settled peoples. The most common bard paths are;
Lore,
Swords, and
Valor.
Cleric: Almost unheard of in the bulk of the Terruk-Mal, the only major centers where clerics can be found is within the realm of Fuíguo. This, as a result has colored the interpretation of religious texts within the Terruk-Mal favoring much more martial doctrines and oaths over other kinds. The common cleric paths include;
Ambition,
Forge,
Order,
Solidarity,
Strength,
War, and
Zeal.
Druid: Druidic traditions are by far the most common religious traditions in the Terruk-Mal favored by almost all of the nomadic peoples, and most of the settled peoples as well. A wide array of druids and shamans provide for the spiritual needs of most of the populace, and most all circles can be found among the Terruk-Mal. The common types of druid include;
Dreams,
Land,
Moon,
Shepherd,
Spores,
Stars, and
Wildfire.
Fighter: The path of the fighter is relatively common as many mercenary bands, warlord retinues, and martial orders continue to produce an astounding number of trained warriors. In the Terruk-Mal there is a preference for raw martial might over magical trickery, though those from the far north have adopted the runecrafting ways of the local giants. Common fighter paths include;
Battle Master,
Cavalier,
Champion,
Rune Knight,
Samurai
Monk: Though not as common as in other parts of the world, a few monastic temples have been set up the Terruk-Mal's southern mountains or on the steppe teaching those who are willing to travel the difficult lands to reach them. None of the major elemental temples are located here allowing other traditions greater sway over martial arts in the Terruk-Mal. Common monk paths include;
Mercy,
Ascendant Dragon,
Astral Self,
Drunken Master,
Kensei,
Open Hand,
Sun Soul.
Paladin: Proper knightly orders are extremely rare in the Terruk-Mal, and as a result many would be paladins find it hard to take their oaths within the country, going abroad to properly be inducted into their orders. This has resulted in a strong influence of Aeillan paladins over the Terruk. Other less scrupulous sorts who have violated their oaths and are in hiding from their former comrades in arms make their homes in the vast steppe. Common paladin paths include;
Conquest, and
Oath Breaker.
Ranger: Those who guard the wild places are in no shortage of demand in the Terruk-Mal, and a great many rangers take up arms to protect the wildlands in the region, making them one of the most common Terruk adventurer types to be seen. The most common ranger paths are;
Beastmaster,
Gloom Stalker,
Hunter,
Monster Slayer, and
Swarmkeeper.
Rogue: Rogues in the outlands are necessarily very focused on pragmatic wilderness skills becoming exceptionally skilled archers, dashing highway robbers instead of cutpurses and gang bosses. The common rogue paths are;
Scout and
Swashbuckler.
Sorcerer: With the relative lack specialized academic institutions to train wizards and other educated sorts, many magically gifted people find themselves without access to the studies that would hone their abilities, and must therefore seek out practical experience to hone their magic. Most types of sorcerer can find representation in the Terruk-Mal, and indeed sorcerous psionics are the only common kind in the land. The common sorcerer paths are:
Aberrant Mind,
Draconic Bloodline,
Divine Soul,
Shadow Magic,
Storm Sorcery, and
Wild Magic.
Warlock: Warlock pacts are quite common in the Terruk-Mal as, though the region lacks in many of the traditional venues for patrons, its nature as a continental crossroads invites many patrons to the region anyway. The common Warlock paths include;
Archfey,
Celestial,
Fiend,
Genie,
Great Old One,
Hexblade,
Undead, and
Undying.
Wizards: Outside of Fuíguo there are almost no institutions that could train wizards, making them rare at best. In Fuí academies there is a strong focus on pragmatic battlefield applications as a result of longstanding traditions within Fuí society. The common wizard paths are;
Abjuration,
Evocation, and
War Magic.
