[”There is a land of the Dingling People. Its people have hairy legs below their knees as well as horse hooves. They are adept at running.” –Guideways Through Mountains and Seas
Yes, I’m going to be covering some of the many chimeras, monstrous races and miscellaneous weirdos found in Guideways Through Mountains and Seas, the classic Chinese cosmology/bestiary. But why aren’t I calling this the Dingling? Because I did some research, and the Dingling were a real ethnic group. I greatly enjoy monstrous humanoids, but have no desire to perpetuate 2000+ year old racism. So even though the name ipotane for a horse-legged humanoid is dubious at best, it’s a name.]
Ipotane From the waist up, this humanoid
is indistinguishable from a human, but they have the hoofed legs of a horse and a long tail. They wear a suit of heavy armor.
The
ipotane are brutish and warlike humanoids known for their speedy and
devastating raids on other peoples. Most ipotanes are evil, and they view other
cultures as weak and worth preying on if they cannot defend themselves. They see
little virtue in making things for themselves if they cannot be stolen, and
arms and armor are the rare crafts they take any pride in. An ipotane’s voice
is harsh, but can become surprisingly melodious, and they train at mimicking
the sounds of beasts in order to lure prey—both animal and humanoid. Ipotanes
tend to get along well with orcs—the ipotane are faster and benefit from their
allies’ darkvision. Such mixed bands are particularly devastating to settled
communities; the ipotanes strike in the day and the orcs at night, leaving no
time to rest or recover from their depredations.
Although
ipotanes are often drunken and dissolute in their free time, they are skilled
at the art of war. Ipotanes advance by character class, and most of them are
fighters or barbarians. Few ipotanes have the patience or mental skill for
wizardry or alchemy, but clerics, druids and sorcerers are known among them.
The most feared and ambitious ipotane leaders are anti-paladins, and these
scourges can take an ipotane troop from a localized threat to greater influence
and widespread terror.
Ipotanes as Player Characters An
ipotane does not have racial Hit Dice and advances by character class. An
ipotane character has the following traits
+2 Str, +2 Con, -2 Int Ipotanes are strong and hardy, but
have little appreciation for intellectual pursuits Medium size An ipotane gains no benefits or
penalties from its size Speed 40 ft. Natural attacks An ipotane gains a hoof attack
that deals 1d4 points of damage. This is always a secondary attack, even if the
ipotane makes no weapon attacks in the same round it attacks with its hoof. Agility An ipotane gains a +4 racial bonus
to all Acrobatics checks Sound Mimicry An ipotane can perfectly imitate the
sounds of animals. To use this ability, the ipotane makes a Bluff check opposed
by the listener’s Sense Motive check to recognize the mimicry, although if the
listener isn’t familiar with the person or type of creatures mimicked, it takes
a –8 penalty on its Sense Motive check. The creature has a +8 racial bonus on
its Bluff check to mimic animal sounds it has listened to for at least 10
minutes. The ipotane cannot duplicate the effects of magical abilities (such as
bardic performance or a harpy’s captivating song). This ability does not allow an
ipotane to speak or understand languages it doesn’t know. Languages An ipotane begins play speaking
Ipotane and Common. An ipotane with a high Intelligence score may choose from
the following bonus languages: Abyssal, Gnoll, Halfling, Orc
Ipotane are native to the continent of Vedzeva, where they are usually known simply as ‘horse-folk’. Once vassals to the powerful yak-folk, the Five-Scale Alliance’s rise shattered their master’s power and left them free to do as they wished. Trained only in making war, they consider all other races their enemy and are notorious raiders, especially fond of stealing horses. Though previously only a localized issue, ipotane attacks have become more common across the continent in recent times. Some postulate that a powerful warlord has managed to unite them.
Shores of Swords 