Medium: As Medium creatures, Caine have no special
bonuses
or penalties due to their size.
Base land speed is 30 feet.
+2 racial bonus on Search,
and Spot
checks.
Favored Class: Ranger
+1 to smell
+1 to Hear
+2 to dex
-1 Con
-1 Str
Charisma is very important to them as it determines their status
with
other Caine.
All Caine have the Sprint feat automatically. Sprint: When running, the character moves a maximum of
five
times his or her normal speed instead of four times. If the
character
is in heavy armor, the character can move four times his or her
speed
rather than three times. If the character makes a long jump, the
character gains a +2 competence bonus on his or her Jump check.
Fatigue
rolls will begin atn 1/2 the characters constitution score in
rounds. Infighting
Infighting: The individual is skilled in the aspects of close combat
peculiar to Caine. It is similar to the human brawling skill and
follows the same rules with these exceptions.
lnfighting allows the use of teeth at close range or claws at short
range, with a DM + 2 to hit. In addition, a Caine receives a DM of +
1
if his charisma is higher than his opponent's; Caine always have a
higher charisma than non-Caine for this purpose. lnfighting skill
also
allows surrender by an individual losing a fight if both individuals
have infighting skill. The surrender is given by simply quitting the
fight and going limp; the winner automatically accepts the
surrender.
If the winner is of lower charisma than the loser, the two exchange
charisma values (but a rise in charisma may not exceed 3 points). Caine
The Caine are a race of intelligent beings Their biochemistry
and
genetic make-up is almost identical to a number of terrestrial
animals
(notably humans).
The Caine are descended from carnivore - chaser stock. They are
carnivores of the family Canidae, and almost certainly of the genus
Canis. The development of intelligence was the result of natural
mutations and other environmental factors.
Physically, contemporary Caine are not very impressive. The typical
Caine is about 1.6 meters in height and weighs approximately 60
kilograms. They are upright bipedal carnivores, rear limbs
digitigrade,
and still bear a considerable resemblance to their ancestral canine
stock externally, though internally there are many important
differences.
Caine hands are very similar in size and appearance to human hands,
though with significant internal dissimilarities. They have
approximately the same physical parameters as humans, and are able
to
use the same equipment without modification or additional
instruction.
The hands tend to be somewhat more slender and dextrous than human
hands (on the average; there is still considerable variation among
individual Caine). Their fingers retain sharp pointed,
non-retractable
nails which can function as claws in some close combat situations.
The Caine retain many of the characteristics of their canine
ancestors,
far more so than humans and their primate forefathers. They are
covered
with a short fur, generally brown, black, or rust colored, though
frequently combining shadings of these and other colors. Their tails
are fairly long and generally end in a flaring brush.
The muzzle is much shorter and less pronounced than in Terran
canines,
but still is quite evident.
On the average, Caine reactions are somewhat faster than those of
the
typical human, but there are still wide variations between
individuals.
Caine eyesight is much sharper than human sight, but responds
somewhat
differently to colors; by human standards, Caine color patterns
frequently seem extremely unusual, sometimes rather muddy, at other
times garish and clashing. Hearing is excellent, but again slightly
out
of phase with human standards. Sounds which are generally too
high-pitched for human ears can be detected, but the lower ranges
are
often inaudible or only vaguely sensed, rather than heard. The Caine
also possess keen noses, as befits their ancestry, but their sense
of
smell cannot in any respect be considered the equal of the K'kree,
the
acknowledged masters of olfactory stimuli.
Their native moral alignment is Law/Neutral/Ballance/Magic most
often.
TYPICAL PSYCHOLOGY
Just as they physically continue to exhibit many of the features
which
are derived from their ancestral stock, so, too, do Caine show a
number
of mental and behavioral traits which bear a fairly obvious
relationship to the instinctive behavior of the social carnivores.
The
Caine are still very much like the pack-oriented canines who are
their
genetic cousins.
Caine are frequently characterized as "inconsistent" by outsiders,
who
see many of their behavior patterns as contradictory and strange. In
actual fact, this seeming inconsistency is no more prevasive than in
human cultures, but because these "contradictory" actions and ways
of
thought crop up in areas where humans are accustomed to a greater
degree of uniformity of thought and behavior, the label has stuck.
Some
say Caine traits include inconsistency, confusion,mercurial
temperament, and disloyalty.is common, and has often been a symptom
of
prejudice (as is all too often the case).
These contradictions are, in fact, based upon the most basic
instincts
of the Caine race. For example, the Caine are a rather gregarious
people, taking joy in the company of one another and seeking the
security and comfort of fellowship with others of their own kind.
This
is a natural offshoot of the instincts which kept the hunting packs
of
pre-sentient Caine canines together. Yet at the same time Caine
within
a group are engaged in nearly constant struggles to achieve prestige
and dominance, which frequently gives the appearance of a
quarrelsome,
sometimes even treacherous nature. Indeed, Caine move from one group
or
association to another with great regularity, and seemingly have no
loyalty to any specific institution or purpose.
This, too, is a function of the pack mentality. Dominance and
prestige
play important parts in Caine society, and a Caine is rarely content
with the status quo for long. His chief, driving motivation is
generally to achieve a higher place in the structure of the social
group, or to find a group in which such a higher position can be
achieved. Much of this is tied in with the concept of charisma, a
general, human-applied term often used to characterize the
individual
Caine's ability to dominate others of his kind. The social group is
generally united in respect for a single individual whose charisma
is
higher than theirs. Such an individual means much, much more to
Caine
than does a distant, impersonal government or similar institution.
Thus, though gregarious, Caine tend to be united on a low level, in
bands or small groups (the equivalent of packs in the society of
sentient Caine).
For the same reasons, these groups tend to be unstable. Though a
Caine
may give his loyalty to a charismatic leader, and be willing to
follow
that leader over the dictates of higher authority if necessary, each
Caine in the group will seek to improve his own position within the
group, or will be susceptible to the attractions of some other group
where advancement looks faster or the charisma of the leader is
superior. It is this aspect of Caine psychology which has given rise
to
the notion of disloyalty and indecision as characteristics of
the
race. To a Caine, loyalties are temporary, but no less strong for
all
of that.
A Caine will do his best for the group for as long as he remains
with
that group, but does not expect to remain in that group forever ...
nor
do others expect him to do so. In time, that Caine may move on to
join
another group, possibly with diametrically opposed objectives and
ideals; or the Caine might become a loner for a time. Always,
however,
he is seeking to improve his own lot by moving on to a position
which
enhances his own charisma and dominance.
In most respects, (particularly in physiology), the Caine is
identical
to the Traveller race The Vargr.
