d20 4e Nosfecatu Publishing Tikbalang Guardians of Kalikasan.pdf

CONCEPTION, DESIGN

Billy Recio

Buan Campaign Setting, the Realm of Kalupaan, the Realm of

Kalikasan, all characters and the distinctive likeness thereof,

and all related elements are properties of Billy Recio. This

product is protected under the copyright laws of the Philip-

pines. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material

or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express

permission of Nosfecatu Publishing.

COPY EDITOR

Philip Corpuz

COVER, INTERIOR ILLUSTRATION,

GRAPHIC DESIGN

James Macaspac

Made in the Philippines

SPECIAL THANKS TO

Adam Fuqua, Christian Castell, Erwin Casia,

and Jaykie Lazarte

The characters, stories, and incidents portrayed in this product

are entirely ictional.

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TIKBALANG

“Swift defenders of Kalikasan, creatures of brawn and guile.”

RACIAL TRAITS

Average Height: 6’8”-7’2”

Average Weight: 150-280 lb.

Ability Scores: +2 Constitution, +2 Dexterity or Charisma

Size: Medium

Speed: 7 squares

Vision: Low-light

Languages: Common, Elven

Skill Bonuses: +2 Arcana, +2 Endurance

Born of Kalikasan: You are considered a fey creature for

effects that relate to creature origin.

Fleet of Foot: You gain a +2 racial bonus on Initiative

checks.

Racial Power: You can use Unearthly Gallop as an at-will

power.

Unearthly Gallop

You master your immediate surroundings with a quick glance,

allowing you to move about unhindered.

Tikbalang Racial Power

At-will

Minor Action Personal

Effect: The next time you willingly move from your space

before the start of your next turn, you ignore dificult terrain.

Special: You can only use this power once per turn.

Like many fey creatures, the mysterious tikbalang

are forest guardians that one will only see if they allow you

to. But unlike their gnomish or elven cousins, they have little

reason to hide their presence from those that offend them.

Though they also employ deceptive magic to ward off the

many gates to Kalikasan, they are just as likely to literally

kick a trespasser out of their demesne.

Play a tikbalang if you want . . .

L to be mysterious and forceful.

L to be a creature of magic and physical might.

L to be a member of a race that favors the barbarian, paladin,

and warlock classes.

Physical Qualities

Tikbalangs are astounding specimens, about a head

taller than the imposing dragonborn. They combine equine

and human features, with a horse-like head and long legs

that end in hooves complementing a slender, humanoid

torso. Fur is prominent but short all over their bodies, with a

range of colors similar to those found on horses.

A tikbalang’s most prominent feature, however, is

its impressive mane. If tikbalangs are ever seen as creatures

of vanity, it is because of the amount of attention they

dedicate to these locks of hair. They have been known to

spend hours washing their hair and softening it with coconut

oil. Others have even been known to knot charms and small

talismans into them to form intricate designs. Perhaps this

attention to their mane adds fuel to the rumoured tikbalang

weakness. Each tikbalang is said to possess a golden strand

of hair in their mane that, when wrested off and tied into a

ring, allows one to charm one of these fey creatures.

Tikbalang are also accomplished Pintados, and

they have been known to sport primal tattoos that depict

their swiftness. Common motifs include designs reminiscent

of clouds and gusts of wind.

As fey creatures, tikbalang live longer than humans

do. They reach adulthood in as few as 14 harvests, but can

live to see as many as a hundred harvests.

Playing a Tikbalang

Tikbalangs are creatures of the wild, and their

approach to life is as impulsive as their origins. They do not

share the patience of other long-lived fey, for what is the

point of living long if all you do is wait the whole time?

Action is the gift of life, and tikblangs are among the swiftest

fey to respond to danger. Thus, other fey value them as the

irst line of defence against interlopers. In many cases, they

are the only line of defence needed.

Tikbalang foals grow up seeing their elders

defending Kalikasan from harm, whether through forcing

ignorant humans to respect the wilds and their fey inhabitants,

or repulsing vicious creatures of shadow that seek to subvert

nature. The young ones are thus encouraged to join in this

sacred duty, and their brothers and sisters all assist in their

upbringing. A strong sense of brotherhood and community

is instinctive in their society, and most tikbalangs develop a

strong sense of commitment to their peers.

Tikbalang clans refer to themselves as a kapatiran ,

a term that translates as brotherhood or compact. Other than

their own parents, a datu that acts as its warchief, and a sect

of spiritual leaders known as the babaylan, a tikbalang views

everybody in the kapatiran as a brother or sister, part of an

extended family. Tikbalang adventurers have been known to

extend this view to their companions, given time.

It is uncommon for tikbalang to revere gods; most

instead revere the purity of the natural world. Those who do

worship a deity usually revere those gods who teach the value

of honor among brothers, as well as gods and goddesses who

have strong ties to nature. These tikbalang are not treated

differently from those who prefer more primal beliefs.

Interestingly, many deities who espouse honor are also

pioneers of brick, mortar, and other forms of “civilization”,

something that most tikbalangs are vehemently against.

Tikbalang who worship these deities have views that clash

with outsiders that share the same religious patron.

Tikbalang Mythos

The mysterious tikbalang is the focal point of

many tales. Whether accurate or not, these stories relect the

tikbalangs’ reputation amongst the other races.

The irst story is a corruption of the role of tikbalangs

as the stalwart protectors of Kalikasan against various iends

and creatures of shadow. In these tales, tikbalangs take on

the role of the forest demon, isolating groups of unwary

travellers one by one and slaying them in many gruesome

ways. Tikbalangs, for their part, ind this reputation useful,

and most do little to dispel such notions. Some twisted souls

actually embrace the role of forest demon with open arms.

Firsthand accounts of tikbalang that sink to such acts of

depravity exist, albeit few and far between.

While the images of seven-foot tall, horse-headed

demons evoke fear, this next tale encourages the most daring

to seek these frightening creatures out. It is said that within

the luxurious mane of every tikbalang lies a golden strand

that, when plucked out and tied around the inger of a person

(occupying a ring slot), that person charms the tikbalang

into his or her service. Is this myth true? Certainly, it is not

unusual for a tikbalang to encounter opponents that try to

grab their precious mane in search of the elusive strand.

Many tikbalangs are adept wrestlers, and they naturally see

this assault as the ultimate trespass on their person. Anyone

who grabs their mane had better ind what they’re looking

for, because angry tikbalangs are rarely merciful.

Another story relates that while the tikbalangs are

experts at deceptive magic, they are easily fooled by such

trickeries themselves. In a battle of wits, many a tikbalang has

been defeated by a wily opponent. This has not always held

true, however; not all tikbalangs are susceptible to deceptive

magic. In fact, only those that are active practitioners of the

illusory arts are likely to be vulnerable to such charms.

On the whole, tikbalangs are fey creatures with

strong magical ties. Even those who do not pursue arcane or

Tikbalang Characteristics: enduring, fraternal, impulsive,

protective, swift, wild

Male Names: Lysto, Tagbanon, Tikas, Udyok

Female Names: Akaba, Kalira, Laya, Ydlihp

Tikbalang Adventurers

Kalira is a tikbalang warlock. The fey pact and its

ties with nature are natural to her kin, but it wasn’t enough

to stop a shadowy lycanthrope from slaying her innocent

younger sister. Now she bargains with darker powers, and

some among her kapatiran whisper that she was responsible

for her sister’s death. As an adventurer, she vows to never let

a member of her new family die, and to ind the lycanthropic

beast who led her down her dark path.

Tikas is a tikbalang barbarian, and he is an

unstoppable force in the battleield. Tikas views deception as

a form of indecision; interlopers must be removed by force.

With his primal might and occasional bursts of sorcerous

power, he intends to do just that. Though the only portal back

to his kapatiran has closed behind him, Tikas views this as a

momentary setback. Once he inds a way home, he will leave

the group of adventurers that he’s been forced to cooperate

with. He tells himself that no, he’s not really growing fond of

this strange kapatiran that he has become a part of.

Udyok is a tikbalang paladin who reveres Dian

Masalanta, goddess of the mountains. During his irst

harvests serving as a fey knight to the goddess, he constantly

found himself ighting against the insidious snakefolk of

the primordial Zom’a. Tired of waiting for the attackers to

strike, he has joined a party of adventurers who plan to get

to the source of the snakefolk infestation.

A Primer on Buan

The tikbalang race is tailored for the Buan

campaign Setting, which is loosely based from Philip-

pine Mythology. The tikbalang can be easily ported to

any other campaign setting, but here is a short primer

on Buan for those interested.

History is an alien concept in Kalupaan. To

them, only a lifetime is worth measuring: Anything lon-

ger than that shifts to the realm of myth. Tales are told

of the most epic heroes ighting armies by oneself, or

of rising ighting toe to toe with the gods themselves.

These legendary warriors could have lived a lifetime or

a thousand lifetimes ago. In essence, what happened

is more important than when.

The world, known for those who bother to

name it as Kalupaan, is a world ruled by the sea, but

thousands upon thousands of islands dot this world.

The deep forests of these islands, in turn, give way

to Kalikasan, the mysterious land where the fey dwell.

Those who stumble to Kalikasan are often unnerved,

for the familiar echoes of the ocean’s waves are all but

gone here.

Will your heroes ind their rightful place in the

epic songs of the babaylan, or will they fade into ob-

scurity as their lifetime passes?

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