“The mountain bends for no one — but it remembers every step.”
Appearance
Rukkan are towering, broad-limbed humanoid primates standing between 6'8" and 7'6". Their arms are long relative to their torsos, built for reach, climbing, and grappling. Their fur runs short to medium-length in dark slate, umber, bronze, or grey. Their faces are broad with pronounced cheek ridges, wide noses, and piercing eyes of amber, grey, or glacial blue. Their posture is primarily upright but they can transition to four-limbed movement with startling speed. Their voices carry resonance like distant thunder. Every movement seems deliberate and grounded — a mountain given grace.
Origin & Lore
Rukkan history is oral and architectural simultaneously — they build to remember. Massive mountain monasteries, stone-carved waypoints, load-bearing structures whose function doubles as record. Their emergence from the Long Night was quieter than most species' — they were already in the mountains when everything ended. Three generations without other species to negotiate with refined their philosophy to its essential elements. Their concept of violence — the conversation of last resort — developed during this isolation. Internecine conflict between Rukkan families during the Long Night was devastating and left deep cultural scarring.
Baseline Traits
All Rukkan receive these traits at character creation at no cost.
Stonehide Flesh
When unarmored, base AC equals 13 + Constitution modifier (maximum 16). May still use a shield.
Unbreakable Frame
Resistance to bludgeoning damage from nonmagical sources. Advantage on Strength and Constitution saves to resist being knocked prone or restrained.
Savage Momentum
When you hit a creature with a melee attack or unarmed strike, move up to 10 feet without provoking opportunity attacks. Once per turn.
Feral Grip
Proficiency in Athletics. Once per Short Rest, roll with advantage on an Athletics check to climb, grapple, or break an object.
Four-Limbed Sprint
When Dashing, drop to all fours — speed increases by 10 feet and ignore difficult terrain made of stone, earth, or dense vegetation.
Species Advancement Tree
You earn Species Points at levels 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10. Tier 2 requires at least 1 Tier 1 purchase. Tier 3 requires at least 1 Tier 2 purchase.
Tier 1 Available at levels 1 and 3
Instinctive Reflex 1 SP
When an enemy misses you with a melee attack, use Reaction to immediately make one unarmed strike or shove against that creature.
Last Step 1 SP
Once per Long Rest, when reduced to 0 HP but not killed outright, drop to 1 HP instead and immediately move up to half your speed.
Mountain Bloodline 1 SP
Choose Highstone (cold resistance + damage reduction Reaction), Deepwood (40 ft climb speed + Stealth proficiency), or Ashclimber (fire resistance + fire discharge attacks).
Stone Voice 1 SP
As an Action, project calm authority — creatures within 30 ft must save or be unable to take aggressive actions until your next turn. Uses per proficiency bonus per Long Rest.
Tier 2 Available at levels 5 and 7
Deep Grasp 1 SP
Grappled creatures have disadvantage on checks to escape. Drag grappled creatures at full speed. Use Bonus Action to pin a grappled creature — it becomes restrained.
Crushing Advance 1 SP
When you move at least 15 feet and hit a creature, they take additional damage equal to your Strength modifier and are pushed 10 feet.
Mountain's Patience 1 SP
Gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws. Advantage on Insight checks. Once per Short Rest, immediately end the frightened or charmed condition on yourself as a Free Action.
Tier 3 Available at level 10
Apex of Stone 1 SP
Once per Long Rest as a Bonus Action, enter a state of absolute stillness and force — for 1 minute, cannot be moved by any nonmagical or magical effect, and your unarmed strikes deal 3d8 + Strength modifier damage.
Living Mountain 1 SP
Your Stone Voice no longer requires a save against creatures with a lower CR or level than you. Your Stonehide AC increases by +2 while you have not moved this turn.
Roleplaying a Rukkan
Power without discipline is rubble. The Rukkan philosophy of violence as the conversation of last resort. Every action is a beat in something longer. Boulder-slow to start, impossible to stop once moving.
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