Race: Possum Children

Acknowledgements:  This fantastic race draws inspiration from the Virginia opossum, Dragonlance gully dwarves, Pillars of Eternity wild orlans, Pathfinder goblins, and rodoubleb’s Crossroads campaign.

Summary: Possum children are small humanoids.  While native to the forested highlands and foothills of the Appasip, possum children are opportunistic and flexible survivors, and have made themselves at home in the humid subtropics and other subregions of the Appasip.  

Physical Description: Possum children are among the smaller of the Appasip’s races, somewhat larger than the Pidgin people, but not as stocky as the People of the Earth.  While they can be variable when it comes to size (much like humans), typical possum children average 4 feet tall and weigh about 80 pounds.  In addition to their small stature, they are notable for their fairly hirsute bodies yet hairless prehensile tail.  Their head and body hair is variable, but is most often a dull grayish brown.  Other common colors are black, brown, gray or white.  All facial hair (eyebrows, eyelashes, beards, etc.) is always white.  In addition to human eye coloring, their eyes can be pink and red.

Society: Possum children can live among small clans or be loners.  In the wild, possum children might have several remote holds, leading a semi-nomadic life as they range out to hunt game and gather food.  They are semi-arboreal, but sometimes occupy burrows and abandoned structures.  In urban areas, their living conditions are more squalid, often taking up in slums and garbage dumps.  Possum children eat anything. Many keep a pot of stew boiling constantly, throwing anything dead or nearly dead into the pot.  Possum children do not have their own recognized language, and Dixie usually suits their purposes nicely.

Relations: Many of the races of the Appasip don’t consider the possum children a civilized race.  The possum children are tolerated more than accepted.  Nocturnal by nature, when living among the more civilized races, possum children can adapt to a diurnal schedule.  Some humans take them on as downtrodden, cheap labor for menial tasks.

Alignment and Religion: Possum children tend towards chaotic, and normally are not evil.  However, some wild clans have gained a reputation as murderous savages for their guerilla tactics.

Adventurers: Adventuring possum children, truthfully, have nothing better to do. The are often down on their luck, possibly despised, and have no better options.

Names: Bocephus, Bodean, Cletus, Delmont, Earl, Enos, Harley, Huck, Jed, Otis, Pervis, Roscoe, Rufus

Adulthood	Intuitive	Self-Taught	Trained
12 years	+1d4 (13-16 years)	+1d6 (13-18 years)	+2d6 (14-24 years)

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	3’ 7”	+2d4 (3’ 9” - 4’ 3”)	65 lbs.	+2d4×3 (71 - 89 lbs.)
Female	3’ 4”	+2d4 (3’ 4” - 4’)	50 lbs.	+2d4×3 (56 - 74 lbs.)

Racial Traits		Race Point Cost
Type	Humanoid (possum children)	0
Size	Small	0
Base Speed	Slow	-1
Ability Score Modifiers	Standard (+2 Con, +2 Wis, -2 Cha)	0
Languages	Standard	0
Defensive Racial Trait	Healthy	2
Defensive Racial Trait	Feign Death	1
Feat & Skill Racial Trait	Scavenger	2
Feat & Skill Racial Trait	Semi-Arboreal	2
Feat & Skill Racial Trait	Play Possum	1
Other Racial Trait	Pouch	—
Other Racial Trait	Prehensile Tail	2
Sense	Lowlight Vision	—
Sense	Darkvision 60 ft.	2
Total		11

Standard Racial Traits:

• Ability Score Traits: Possum children are opportunistic and flexible survivors, with a touch of common sense.  However, they lack charm and wit.  Constitution +2, Wisdom +2, Charisma -2
• Type: Humanoids with the possum children subtype.
• Size: Small (+1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a –1 penalty on combat maneuver checks and to their CMD, and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks)
• Speed: 20’
• Languages: Begin with Dixie

Defense Racial Traits:

• Healthy: Possum children are a hardy race that eat anything they can find.  They receive a +4 racial bonus on saving throws against poison and disease, and affects that might cause the nauseated or sickened conditions.  They are completely immune to the venom of copperheads, water moccasins, rattlesnakes and other serpents.  
• Feign Death: Once per day, possum children can completely mimic the appearance and smell of death.  Heart rate and breathing slow considerably.  The lips are drawn back, the teeth are bared, saliva foams around the mouth, the eyes close, and a foul-smelling fluid is secreted from the anal glands. The stiff, curled form can be prodded, turned over, and even carried away without reaction.  They can smell, hear, and similarly know what's going on, no sense of touch or sight is possible (essentially gains the paralyzed condition); thus, any wound or mistreatment of the body will not be felt and no reaction will occur, as though the subject were actually dead, but the damage still accrues.  In addition, this state acts as a delay poison and delay disease spell.  The possum child feigns death as a standard action, and the maximum duration is 10 minutes / Con score.  The possum child can also completely hold their breath in this state for up to 1 minute / Con score.  Possum children are aware enough that they can end this state as a move action.

Feats, Skills Racial Traits:

• Scavenger: Possum children can find food anywhere in any circumstances, +2 racial bonus to survival, and can use survival to forage for food in cities.
• Semi-Arboreal:  Possum children use their tail to assist with climbing, have a climb speed of 20 feet, and gain the +8 racial bonus on Climb checks that a climb speed normally grants.
• Play Possum:  +4 racial bonus to bluff checks to feign harmlessness, injury or death.  Ordinarily requires a full-round action, but possum children can feign as either a swift action or an immediate action.

Senses Racial Traits:

• Darkvision 60’
• Lowlight Vision

Other Racial Traits:

• Pouch: Female possum children have a marsupial pouch.This aids them with secret storage, hiding objects and drawing hidden weapons and objects.  +2 racial bonus on sleight of hand checks.
• Prehensile Tail: Possum children have long, flexible tails that they can use to assist with climbing or to carry objects. They cannot wield weapons with their tails, but the tails do allow them to retrieve small objects stowed on their persons as a swift action.

Alternate Racial Traits:

• Bite Attack: Some possum children possess pointed teeth and a natural bite attack that deals 1d6 points of damage.  Replaces the hardy trait.
• Cornered Fury: They may seem cowardly, avoiding most any danger, but corner a possum child and you will be in for a surprise. When reduced to half or fewer of his hit points, he gains a +2 racial bonus on melee attack rolls and to Armor Class. This racial trait replaces feign death.
• Craven: Some possum children are especially skittish. They gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC from AoO and while being flanked.  When affected by a fear effect, their base speed increases by 10 feet and they gain a +2 dodge bonus to Armor Class. This racial trait replaces feign death.
• Junk Tinker: Some possum children are able to get the most out of ramshackle equipment.  Gain a +2 racial bonus on Craft checks to build or repair weapons or equipment without the proper tools. They can make the attempt with any material that can hold the right shape for a few uses, but normally unfit materials produce items with the fragile quality. This racial trait replaces scavenger.
• Possum Empathy: Gain a +4 racial bonus on Handle Animal checks made to influence possums.  This racial trait replaces semi-arboreal.
• Skulk: Some possum children can blend easily into their environments, and move with surprising grace. Gain a +2 racial bonus on Stealth checks, and take only a –5 penalty on Stealth checks made to hide from creatures they have distracted with a Bluff check (rather than the normal –10 penalty). This racial trait replaces semi-arboreal.

Favored Class Options:

• Barbarian: Add +1 to the barbarian’s total number of rage rounds per day.
• Druid: Add +1 hit point or +1 skill rank to the animal companion. If ever replaces his companion, the new companion gains these bonus hit points or skill ranks.
• Gunslinger: Add +1/4 point to the gunslinger’s grit points.
• Hunter: Add +1 hit point or +1 skill rank to the animal companion. If ever replaces his companion, the new companion gains these bonus hit points or skill ranks.
• Occultist: Gain 1/4 of a new focus power.
• Ranger: Add +1 hit point or +1 skill rank to the animal companion. If ever replaces his companion, the new companion gains these bonus hit points or skill ranks.
• Rogue: The rogue gains +1/4 of a new rogue talent.
• Shaman: Add +5 feet to the range of one hex with a range other than “touch.”
• Witch: Add +5 feet to the range of one hex with a range other than “touch.”