DMs Only: Tisbaga

Racial Traits

• +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, –2 Dexterity: Tisbaga are both tough and wise, but somewhat awkward.
• Medium: Tisbaga are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Deep Diver: A tisbaga’s base swim speed is 40 feet. A tisbaga has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. A tisbaga can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. A tisbaga can use the run action while swimming, provided they swim in a straight line.
• Amphibious: Tisbaga have the aquatic subtype, but they can survive indefinitely on land.
• Low-Light Vision: Tisbaga can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
• Ungainly: Tisbaga have a base speed of 20 feet on land.
• Unusual Frame: A tisbaga may not wear armor and may not take Armor Proficiency feats. Armor Proficiency feats gained through class levels do not grant the ability to use armor, but may still be used to qualify for other feats or class levels. They may still wear other items of clothing, including wondrous items.
• Hardshell: A tisbaga receives a +5 natural armor bonus.
• Seabond: Tisbaga sorcerers with the Elemental (water) bloodline treat their Charisma score as 2 points higher for all sorcerer class abilities. Tisbaga clerics and druids with the Water domain or Ice and Oceans subdomain cast their domain powers and spells at +1 caster level.
• Tisbaga Magic: Tisbaga with a Wisdom of 11 or higher gain the following spell-like abilities: 1/day - create water, purify food and water, hydraulic push. The caster level for these effects is equal to the tisbaga's level. The DC for these spells is equal to 10 + the spell's level + the tisbaga’s Wisdom modifier.
• Weapon Familiarity: Tisbaga are proficient with tridents and nets, and treat the harpoon as a martial weapon.
• Languages: Tisbaga begin play speaking Common and Aquan. Tisbaga with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Aboleth, Aklo, Draconic, Sahuagin, and Sylvan.

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Tisbaga are an ancient sea-dwelling race, dwelling in scattered holdings and large city-states of cultivated coral on the ocean floor. Despite their appearance, tisbaga are not especially slow, either mentally or physically; however, they are known as thinkers who might ponder a question for longer than most before answering. Most tisbaga are peaceful and slow to anger. While they have the same range of emotions as humans, tisbaga are not as demonstrative and often seem cold and distant to more passionate races. This, combined with a naturally long lifespan,

Physical Description: Tisbaga resemble humanoid sea turtles, with leather, reptilian skin and shells that cover their backs and bellies. Tisbaga skin is hairless and generally a mottle of light and dark shades of green. Numerous dark bumps and callouses dot their skin, and most have a frill atop their heads. Their back shells are usually shinier and darker than their skin, while their front shells tend to be lighter, with a white-yellow cast. A tisbaga’s eyes look something like the eyes of humans, but the pupils are horizontal ovals in shape. Their irises are vibrantly colored, usually blue but sometimes green or red. A tisbaga’s mouth is vaguely beak-like, with a few sharp teeth for cutting food into swallowable pieces. While nimble and graceful underwater, tisbaga walk on solid surfaces with a ponderous, rolling gait.

Society: Many tisbaga feel a bond with nature and strive to live in harmony with the natural world. Their culture emphasizes an attitude of stewardship over their surroundings. This is viewed by some as meddling or intrusive, but tisbaga are generally seen as the shepherds of the oceans.

Relations: Tisbaga have limited interaction with surface dwellers. Since most of their of their contact is with maritime traffic, they tend to generalize the air-breathing races as either being inflexible and martial (due to naval military forces) or rapacious and greedy (merchants and pirates). This tends to give a tisbaga reason to be wary and distant when they encounter air-breathing creatures. This, combined with the difficulty of reading and interpreting tisbaga emotion, reinforces the common perception of tisbaga as alien and inscrutable. Those who have extended contact with them, however, find them to be just as personable as other races, if only more subtle.

Alignment and Religion: Respectful of tradition and stewardship, tisbaga tend to be lawful. They do not have any need for stringent legal codes and expansive laws. Each member of their society is assumed to act with honor and integrity, seeking the best outcome for the most people. The tisbaga typically worship in the druidic tradition. Those who seek a figure of worship tend to turn to Sulh, an Immortal Power embodying the oceans of the Wold.

Adventurers: Some tisbaga experience wanderlust in their youths, leaving their holdfasts and city-states to wander the oceans and learn of what lies beyond. These tisbaga can display an intense curiosity in the world and those they meet. Tisbaga life and culture tends to revolve around the cultivation and guidance of the world around them, leading many of them to pursue adventuring careers as clerics, druids, and rangers.

Male Names: Amikishi, Gamar, Iskander, Khadzhi, Tofik, Sayad.

Female Names: Anabaji, Irada, Nazrin, Gulnara, Beyim, Yetar.