 their children regardless of the mother, but lacking any sense of time, responsibility, or discipline, they make terrible fathers. Their crossbreed offspring are generally raised by their mothers, who sometimes keep them away from the satyr fathers in an effort to provide a stable environment. Pipers, also known as fetch, panlings, pucks, and rakes, are party animals who take after their fathers despite their mothers' best efforts. They can be male or female and are able to bear children with nearly any sentient race. Indeed, many crossbreeds are truly a mix of piper and something else, though pipers do not advertise this fact. Piper Racial Traits +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma. Pipers are nimble and dashing, a combination that makes them excellent dancers. Medium-size . Pipers have no special bonuses or penalties relating to their size, but those who must wear specially tailored footwear pay double the normal cost. Pipers are a hearty breed. Standing between 5 and 6 feet tall, they have broad shoulders, strong arms and backs, and striking facial features. A piper's most obvious characteristic is a set of horns protruding from the forehead, too small to be useful as weapons but too large to hide under her mop of curly hair. They curve backward slightly A male piper sports facial hair and slightly thinner growth on his back, arms, and legs. Female pipers seem to take after fairer fey races, with huge volumes of curly locks on their heads but little other body hair. .All pipers' hair grows quickly and is nearly impossible to keep under control: One who trims her hair at the beginning of the week looks unkempt by the end. Male pipers rarely bother to shave, as stubble reappears within hours. Most pipers are dusky, with dark brown or ruddy skin and black, brown, or auburn hair, though any coloration is possible. They have pointed, swept-back ears . Pipers' legs are not completly goatlike, but they have no need for footwear of any kind even when walking on broken glass or in snow. [In game terms, a piper enjoys the sensitivity of being barefoot but is treated as wearing stout boots when walking in dangerous terrain.] Pipers are fond of dance, music, festivals, and members of the opposite sex. They are a lusty folk who live and enjoy to the fullest every moment of every day. Pipers do not believe in being depressed or moody, for no situation can be improved by such behavior . This constant giddiness can be annoying even to those who know pipers well-they are cheerful and boisterous in the face of certain doom. Only the destruction of a work of great beauty such as a masterwork instrument, or the devastation of a serene forest, can sadden a piper, who may playa dirge for days if brought low enough. Pipers are not fools, though they often play the role of jesters. The y know evil exists, and many are willing to take up arms against tyranny and oppression. Most prefer to improve the world by cheering and encouraging those who are downtrodden, or inspiring greatness in others. There is a point past which pipers cannot stay passive, however, and enough primal fey rage remains within to surprise those who dismiss them as useless romantics. Much like her sorrow, once a piper's anger has been roused it is not easily set aside. All pipers are chaotic or neutral in alignment, and most are good. Though they often upset town elders, seduce the young and innocent into revelries of song, dance, and drink, and rarely worry about the consequences of holding a festival during the harvest season, pipers never mean to cause harm. They simply have a knack for upsetting the social order and honestly see a bit of disruption from boring, staid lives as a good thing. Once properly chastised, pipers usually offer to pitch in, helping clean up town squares, repair broken carts, and bring in an ignored crop. Pipers left with their fathers become true wild children , running naked through the woods, luring travelers into thickets, and playing midnight concerts with sprites . These wild pipers are most often called pucks and are generally assumed to be just another kind of fey.Dryads, nymphs, and treants sometimes take in these untamed youth s in an effort to quiet them and acclimate them to the mortal world. Failing this, most pucks never set foot in civilization and spend their days at play, consumed with the pursuit of endless happiness . Though this may seem an idyllic life, pucks generally come to bad ends in all but the most peaceful of woodlands , for they lack the natural defen ses of satyrs and are easy prey for the darker things of the wilds. Pipers reared by their mother s learn to use the tool s of civilization to augment their natural talents, often becoming master bards, noble rangers, or powerful druids. A piper is an endless trial for not just her mother but her entire community, for she cannot follow rules when they forbid anything that looks fun or sounds interesting. Pipers also cause problems because while they reach physical maturity quickly, shaving by the age of twelve and looking fully adult (though always youthful) by thirteen, most don't learn the wisdom to overcome their impulses until decades later . Those with strong mothers learn faster, as the sound of their parent's voice raised in frustration or indignation cuts through even the most carefree frolicking. Pipers enjoy the company of elves, gnomes, halfings, humans, and most fey races . Rather, few dwarves can stand a piper's constant efforts to put together a spontaneous dance, and arc breeds get tired of being referred to as "tusk -faces" and "spoilsports." Pipers have a great fondness for magic and nature , and thus are more respectful of clerics, druids, rangers, sorcerers and wizards than most other classes. Pipers and bards get along famously, though they sometimes have to be separated for the sake of others' sanity. Though they are not themselves even slightly orderly, pipers have great respect for those who are and work surprisingly well with paladins. |