High on the Hog (Freebie, Species)

I asked our discord to vote on the next blog topic and a new playable species won out, so this week on the blog I'm sharing these lovely folks who were originally intended for the core rulebook but ended up being taken out for the purposes of space and flow. 

 

PORC 

A proud and piggish people whose exuberance charms as often as it gets them into trouble. Whether a porc is trendsetting or starting a fight, they are wont to leave their mark wherever they go.

Physiology: Porcine humanoids with distinct snouts and broad builds, porcs also have a lot of varied traits. They might sport fur, tusks, or fantastic heads of hair as well.

Demeanor: Gusto is perhaps the most commonly exalted trait among Porcs. Most try to make the most of each and every day, though this takes many different forms. They might be the life of the party, refined connoisseurs of the arts, or enthusiastic warriors eagerly seeking their next great battle. There is a thin line between a typical porc being a delight or a menace.

Outlook:

• If your glass is half empty, hurry it up and drink the rest!
• Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Sometimes you may need to give it a black eye, though.
• There is no virtue in putting up with something that's only drags down your spirits.
• Life is the finest dish, so everything you do deserves a bit of garnish.
• Never trust anyone you wouldn't carouse with. 

History: Much like the gadabovids and mundymutts, porcs have lived in the Blazing Garden for quite some time, mostly in the region now known as No-Folk's Land. The 4th Aeon has seen them more actively migrate outwards, because while their homeland remains a land of plenty, it's also filled with enough dangers that many of them didn't care to stick around.

Adventurers: Porcs often set off on journeys to seek out thrills, excitement, and new joys to experience. While most are happy to settle somewhere that provides, there are some with appetites that can't be satiated who continue adventuring instead.

They can be a lot to handle at times, but their enthusiasm can often pull their adventure team through rough times.

Typical Names: Porc given names are intended as enthusiastic exclamations, while family names lean towards a shared passion or object of adoration. 

Examples: Glorio Banquet, Huzza Fontaine, Snorts Sailing, Missy Finery, Deary Theater 

 

Quirks: Inheritor Species

 

Species Size

Porcs are comparable in size to a typical human, but a bit shorter and more robust.

• You are a Medium Species.
  
  

Innate Ability

 

Goodly Gourmand

Porc's often try to live life to the fullest. One way this manifests is their love of good food and drink.

• During a fight, you can use your action to inhale a day's worth of rations to restore 1 lost heart.
• If you also have the Big Eater Quirk, you may restore 2 lost hearts instead. You may only do this once every 24 hours, however. 

 

Maturative Ability

 

Boarish Affront

Among porcs there are those who've mastered the art of particularly cutting barbs. You happen to be one of them.

• You may take a Turn to berate and insult a target within 1 area of you.
• Requires an Contest: Your and the Target's Aura
• If you succeed, the target becomes Dispirited. This can be dealt with normally or when the conflict at hand ends.
• This Ability may only be used once per combat or other perilous situation. Even the most witty of insults are dulled after repeated attempts. 

Amidst the giants (Setting)

The Unclaimed Land 

The stretch of continent now known as No-Folk Land has always been lush and arable. In the preceding Aeons it was the primary source of food for the Sol Alliance, cultivated by utilizing ancient magic to ensure bountiful harvests. The breaking of the Sun Machine and subsequent decline of the alliance's power changed this. 

It earned its current name after being subject to eternal daylight and deprived of workers and soldiers who would have its fields tended and protected from the enormous beasts of the region for generations. Immense creatures that had been driven into isolation soon congregated in the area, feasting on the unguarded bounty now lying there. Old, unmaintained rituals built up magic and ran wild, accelerating the growth of the flora and even altering it dangerously in some cases. Those that had been left behind there were in a perilous situation indeed.

But if there is one constant truth of the folk it is that they always find a way to survive. They gathered as best they could, learning how to live around the beasts, what food was still safe to eat, and where they could settle safely. The famous Knights of the Open Road were born from these efforts. While it is not an easy life, those native to No-Folk Land still manage to thrive in it.

A certain ruthlessness comes from this state, and it is likely why the area has no true centralized power. Settlements tend to be wary of each other and very territorial. While the occasional warlord or noble might try for a bit of conquest, seldom get very far before their ambitions are halted by a similarly minded neighbor or the maw of a great beast.

 

The Monster Slayers

There are a great many efforts that maintain the livelihood of those living in No-Folk Land. Runners that are integral to communication, those who hunt and gather food, wise ones who help guide important decisions, and so forth. The most famous among them are the Monster Slayers, who are renowned throughout Outer World for facing the equally famous giant beasts of the region with skill and courage that is unmatched by any other warriors known among the folk.

So great is their reputation that fighters from all corners of Outer World come to seek their advice. A somewhat satirical song about a stony-faced general from Aiden facing numerous slapstick hardships while traveling all the way to No-Folk Land has only made the slayers all the more notorious by exaggerating their many deeds for comedic effect.

Of course, the truth is less gleaming. Survivorship bias means that the slayers with high mana affinity who return after multiple clashes with those terrible creatures are far more talked about than the many who perish during their very first confrontation with one. Those that have tried to point this out are often scolded for being killjoys.