Hutaakan

The Hutaakans are a race of humanoid jackals (or, originally, humans with the heads of jackals) from the Dungeons & Dragons setting of Mystara. They speak in fluting, mellifluous tones using a complex language possessed of a haunting, musical quality... at least, that's what they tell themselves. Hutaaka as a language sounds like a lot of coughing and barking to human ears, although they arguably sound better when using more human-familiar languages.

In the ancient days of Mystara, the Hutaakans were created by the Immortal Pflarr, an arrogant, haughty and amoral deity of magical craftsmanship and research, and were close allies to the Nithian Empire. At the height of their power, the Hutakans claimed dominion over most of what is now Karameikos.

Unfortunately, thanks to Pflarr's incompetence, the Immortal Thanatos corrupted the Nithians and eventually the Immortals were forced to destroy the homeland of both allied powers to save Mystara from destruction.

The bulk of the race was either destroyed or moved to live in the Hollow World, alongside other extinct civilizations, but there are small, isolated communities of hutaakans scattered across the surface of Mystara as well, especially in the mountains to the north of Karameikos.

Traditional hutaakan culture is a strong, strict and, frankly, rather arrogant theocracy. Priests rule over the race as a whole, with a caste of fuctionaries (bureaucrats) overseeing the managerial side of things and all other hutaakans laboring to serve the will of their superiors. Taught from the cradle that they are the chosen of Pflarr, hutaakans don't mean to be jerks, but they come off as haughty and snobbish when interacting with other races, despite thinking of themselves as sensitive, civilized, and intellectual people. Isolationist, they view their culture as refined and pacifistic - all "truths" eagerly espoused by their domineering, all-controlling priest-kings.

Hutaakans have a vague and indetermined relationship to the gnoll and lupin races. Various sources have described them as either ancestors or relatives of one or both races, with perhaps the most common version of the tale claiming that lupins descended from the interbreeding of hutaakan and gnoll, possibly refined with the addition of human crossbreeds in subsequent generations. Others sources say that in some parts of the world, hutaakans have integrated with gnolls or lupins to the extent that, whilst still biologically distinct, their old culture has been lost and they consider themselves part of their new culture instead.

PC Stats

Unfortunately, the only Advanced Dungeons & Dragons stats for hutaakans that exist are those to be had in the AD&D Mystara Monstrous Compendium Appendix, leaving their PC stats restricted to Basic D&D rules found in the Hollow World Player's Guide, as outlined below:

Racial Ability Modifiers: -1 Strength, +1 Wisdom

Prime Requisite: Wisdom. A hutaakan with 13 or higher wisdom gets a +5% experience bonus, whilst one with 16 or higher Wisdom gets a +10% experience bonus.

Tough Hide: Hutaakans lower their Armor Class by -1 (for example, default AC is 8 in BD&D and 9 in AD&D).

Naturally Stealthy: A hutaakan can Move Silently and Hide in Shadows as if they were a Thief of equivalent level.

Religious: All hutakans must take either the Honor Pflaar skill or the Mysticism skill, both of which key off of Wisdom.

Slow: Hutaakan basic movement rate is 90' in BD&D and 30' in AD&D.

Shamans and Wokani: A hutaakan can reach 8th level as a shaman and can use all cultural weapons bar swords. A hutaakan can reach 4th level as a wokani, which can only use daggers, staves and slings.

Cultural Melee Weapons: Dagger, Sword (Short, Broad), Mace, Club, Hammer (War, Throwing), Staff, Whip.

Cultural Missile Weapons: Crossbow (Light, Heavy), Sling.

Cultural Armor: Leather, scale mail, chain mail, banded mail, shield (horned, knife, sword).

Hutaakans make saving throws as if they were clerics of the same experience level, in BD&D.

The hutaakan experience table is as follows:

1st - 0 XP, 1d4 Hit Dice

2nd - 1,200 XP, 2d4 Hit Dice

3rd - 2,400 XP, 3d4 Hit Dice

4th - 4,800 XP, 4d4 Hit Dice

5th - 9,600 XP, 5d4 Hit Dice

6th - 20,000 XP, 6d4 Hit Dice

7th - 40,000 XP, 7d4 Hit Dice

8th - 80,000 XP, 8d4 Hit Dice

8th level is the ceiling for hutaakans, although they gain a new general skill slot for every 400,000 experience points earned.

Gallery

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  AC9/DMR2