Monday, October 21, 2013

The Amazon Class

For Barbarella the one and only amazon of my heart.

Amazon
Requirements: STR 11 (Western), DEX 11 (Eastern)
Prime Requisite: STR or DEX
Hit Dice: 1d8
Maximum Level: 12

Zem, the turtle-borne world of the Hill Cantons, bears not one but two great nations of what are ham-fistedly called “Amazons” by the weak of imagination. 

Both tribes claim a common founding (and likely apocryphal) figure the great Queen Dwar Kin and a similar martial and matriarchal bent to their cultural ethos, and despite their differences in psycho-geography and language, they exhibit a rather remarkably consistent culture.

Those of Oiorpata, that distant and exotic isle near the resting point of the Sun Lord's daily ride, are a fine, strong-boned, if verbally assertive race noted for their love of high-crested, baroque helmets, polished armor, and knitting circles. World famous is their biennial Ebon Festival of the Pearls, a soiree that marks both the climax of the black pearl harvest from the swamp-polyps and the victory of that muscle-bounded race of maidens against the invading forces of the Overkingdom in the Twicefold Battle of Vague Suggestiveness, now some 112 years ago. It is said that the high-point of the festivities is the public bathing and drinking by their much-feared, rubenesque queen of the blood of 12 male lovers.

The amazons styled as the Bila-Urkithians are a semi-nomadic race who ride the eastern reaches of the Sea of Grass. The “White” Urkithians favor wildly-stripped, baggy trousers in defiance of their more patriarchical neighbors, the Pantless Barbarians, gaily-colored tassels, and phyrgian hats or helmets. Though thinner-boned then their western sisters, they are of a durable and fierce nature, particularly hating all forms of the romanticized Amazonomachy so beloved by Overkingdom court painters. They are ruled by a council of elected Hetwimmin who meet annually to organize a massive, and mostly peaceful demonstrative march through the Hill Cantons.

Western Amazons by way of their life-long training and aesthetic choice are masters (mistresses?) thrown or hurled weapons, most notably the pilum (a heavy javelin delivering d6+1 damage), lasso or atlatl, gaining a +1 to hit and an incredible extra 30 feet of range with such weapons. They also deal +1 in damage in melee when striking with a spear.

Eastern Amazons gain a +1 to hit when on horseback and a +1 to hit with their beloved composite bows or darts. They also receive a +1 to hit with the gracefully-styled hand-axes they prefer.

Amazons as a willful race save as Dwarves.

They so despise those weak-willed men who encase themselves in gothic-plated cocoons of steel that they may only wear armor of chain (or half-plate) and under.

Amazon Level Progression
Experience Level Hit Dice (1d8)
0 1 1
2,101 2 2
4,201 3 3
8,401 4 4
16,801 5 5
33,601 6 6
70,001 7 7
140,001 8 8
280,001 9 9
400,001 10 +3 hp only *
540,001 11 +6 hp only *
660,001 12 +9 hp only *
*Hit point modifiers from constitution are ignored



2 comments:

  1. Very Nicely Done! Have an Exalt!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like it too. Rich in evocation, simple in essence. It would be a fun class to play in a more conventional group.

    ReplyDelete