Friday, August 30, 2019

LBB/OD&D: Overman Race

Garth of Ondunin, an overman, pictured on the cover

Overmen are a semi-primate warrior race created by wizards less than a millennium ago. They stand 7 feet tall; have no noses but only nostril-slits; they have yellow, somewhat wrinkled skin; their eyes are red (or uncommonly gold) with black pupils; black hair grows from their scalps and black fur covers most of their bodies; and their five-fingered hands have two opposable thumbs. They possess little sexual dimorphism: Female overmen (overwomen) are physically identical to males except for their reproductive organs and scent-phermones; an overman described himself as "sexually incompatible" with humans and judged human women based on aesthetics rather than sexual features.
Overman have a tendency for bold, decisive, and rather unplanned action. This extends not just to war but also politics and trade. They worship no gods but do not go out of their way to antagonize them or their followers.

•Overmen player characters must have minimum strength and constitution scores of 12 each
•May not be clerics, magic-users, or similar classes
Deal 1 additional damage using melee and throw weapons
•Receive a +5 on saves against non-magical diseases that can infect humans
•Extra thumb increases both grip strength and manual dexterity (possible +5% to certain thief skills and other effects at referee's discretion)
•All chain and plate armor must be made to order (and usually at 30-50% markup)
•May receive a reaction adjustment of -1 to -3 in areas where the century-long human-overman wars still cause resentment (base 35% chance per human settlement)