Kender O.C.C.


                                               By:
                                          Nicholas Vardy 


  During the cataclysm in Ansalon some Rifts formed. Unfortunately many kenders found some of these Rifts. Now the happy
little kenders are spread throughout the palladium Megaverse. They are now everywhere and now taking everything. From
now on you are going to have to keep a closer eye on your possessions!

  Four things make a kender's personality drastically different from that of a typical human. Kender are utterly fearless,
insatiably curious, unstoppably mobile and independent, and will pick up anything that is not nailed down (though kender with
claw hammers will get those things as well).

  The fearlessness that all kender possess gives them a strong sense of confidence about a situation, even if things look
hopeless and grim. ("No sense in running away now. There's five hundred goblins surrounding us!") Kender react effectively to
dangerous situations, fighting hard and fearlessly. They sometimes come up with some bizarre tactics which may carry the day
in battle, and they don't let their fearlessness get in the way of self-preservation - most of the time.

  Kender appreciate the need for caution, but their uncontrollable curiosity gets them into trouble on adventures. They forever
have to check out unexplored places and peek into dark corners. They have no desire to be the second or third persons who
ever entered and left the Caverns of Unspeakable Doom; they want to be the very first. Pointing out that no one returns from
the Caverns of Unspeakable Doom has no effect. In fact, describing what makes the caverns so unspeakable might even excite
the kender further and make him or her determined to go to the caverns at once. ("An evil archmage and an army of ogres?
Wow! Let's go see 'em!") Some kender might allow their curiosity to overcome their common sense when facing unusual
opponents, such as a dragon, though they eventually learn when running is best.

  A kender's fellows are often in the position of having to teach him that certain things have big, nasty teeth, and that avoiding
these things is often in the kender's best interests, regardless of what the kender's opinions are in the matter. Whenever a
kender displays an inordinately sensible attitude about danger, it is probably because the kender realizes that performing this
action will ruin any further chances of doing exciting things - ever.

  Kender are intensely curious about everything. Magic awes and fascinates them, as do any large, unusual, and dramatic
creatures like chimeras, centaurs, unicorns, and, or course, dragons. Kender are drawn to beautiful things, but they may find
certain things that others find disgusting to be intriguing or humorous in some way (even some gully dwarves).

  Though strong-willed, kender are not prone to consider all the possible results of their behavior. A kender may quickly and
impulsively paint herself into a corner, then wait for someone else to come along and get her out of the jam. Sometimes this
means that the kender's fellow adventurer's are painted into the same corner. ("I guess I shouldn't have opened that locked
door with the warning signs on it, huh?") Experienced adventurer's quickly come to dread that most awful of kender sayings:
"Oops!"

  Another important point is that kender need action - and they need it now. They thrive on excitement and yearn for new
adventures. "I'm just along for the fun" is a common saying among wandering kender. It has been suggested that the worst
torture that could be inflicted on a kender would be to lock him up and simply give him nothing new to do or look at.
(Conversely, it is said that the worst torture one can visit on any non-kender would be to lock him up in a bare cell with a
bored kender.) Some kender believe that evil creatures are condemned to an afterlife where they will be eternally bored.

  Most kender are encountered during wanderlust, a peculiar phase that comes on a kender in his early 20s. Apparently the
kender's natural curiosity and desire for action suddenly go into overdrive at this time, and kender are driven to wander the
land as far as they can go. Wanderlust may last for many years, and some kender have a habit of making maps of their travels
during this time. Sadly, most kender are poor mapmakers, lacking the patience and skills to chart their travels accurately.
Kender may collect other maps during this time to satisfy their curiosity about other places. This wanderlust is responsible for
spreading kender communities across the continent of Ansalon.

  Risky deeds draw kender like dragons are drawn to gold, but risk must be combined with action or else they'll lose interest.
Gambling with cards won't hold a kender's attention for long, but seeing if one can outrun a mad owlbear is another thing.
Bravery is easily confused with recklessness where kender are concerned.

  Kender are natural extroverts and enjoy making new friends and seeing new places. The majority of them are very
personable and friendly - perhaps too friendly for some people, who dislike their nosiness, their extreme talkativeness (which
grows worse when they get excited), and their habit of pocketing everything that interests them. Kender also resent being given
orders; they want to do what they want to do especially if they have their minds set on doing it. Telling them to do otherwise is
worse than useless, as they will complain loudly and disrespectfully, using their taunting skills if they're mad enough. The best
way to handle kender, say old adventurers, is not to give them orders, but to get them to volunteer.

  Kender are sensitive and can be easily hurt by indifference or intentionally cutting remarks (triggering their taunting talents
almost immediately). They treasure their friends; if one's friends are injured or slain, the kender may become very depressed
and upset. Death only seems to affect a kender when it comes to one that the kender knows and loves, or when it is meted out
by disaster or warfare to innocent beings (including any kender). In such cases, the distress that the usually cheerful kender
feels seems extremely terrible. A story is told of a human ranger in the Age of Dreams who wounded a deer that was the pet of
a kender community. The sight of an entire village of small kender crying their hearts out was so upsetting to the ranger that he
quested until he found a druid who could heal the animal, then retired and took up fishing.

  Kender are also masters of taunting, sarcasm, and outright rudeness when it suits them to use it. Their intense curiosity gives
them shocking insights into the character and nature of other people, though such an awareness is generally shallow. It is acute
enough, however, for a kender to forge an idea of another person's character flaws, giving the kender the ability to create the
most stinging insults that can be imagined. Full-scale riots have been reportedly started by irritated kender who opened up on
someone their their verbal guns.

  Taunting is one of the few defenses that kender have. Physically small, kender resent anyone who takes advantage of them. A
kender could not imagine taunting a fellow kender; after all, they're in this together. Taunting is especially effective if a kender
has others to back him up or some trap that a maddened attacker can be lured into with little cost to the kender himself.
Though not very effective against the largest creatures (who will not have their combat effectiveness reduced greatly), taunting
might still give a hard-pressed kender an edge in a fight. It is best used only against those who are either attacking or are about
to attack; there's no sense in angering a potential friend.

  The kender concept of personal property and theft deserve special attention. Because many kender develop thieving talents,
most people assume they are. This isn't so. The intense curiosity that kender feel feeds their desire to know how locks can be
opened, how to approach people unseen and listen in on their conversations, and to reach into pockets or pouches to find
interesting things to look at. Thieving comes naturally to them - so naturally they cannot see it as thieving.

  Kender do not steal for the sake of profit. First of all, they have little concept of value. Faced with a choice between a 2000
gp diamond and a huge, glittering chunk of purple glass, 90 kender out of 100 will take the glass. (The rest will take both but
will get rid of the diamond first.) They pick things up out of curiosity and wander off with them. Sometimes the owner of an
item leaves before the kender can give the item back, or else the kender becomes enchanted with the item and forgets to return
it. If adventuring, a kender will regard anything found in an enemy stronghold as fair game for picking up, as such items are
marvelous curios and might prove useful later on.

  Even if caught taking an item red-handed, the range of excuses a kender will offer if found to have something that doesn't
belong to him is amazing:

     "Guess I found it somewhere."
     "I forgot that I had it."
     "You walked off before I could give it back."
     "I was afraid someone else would take it."
     "You must have dropped it."
     "You put it down and I didn't think you wanted it anymore."
     "Maybe it fell into my pocket."


  Kender, like everyone else, do not like the idea of someone deliberately taking an item from someone else without the latter's
permission. To be called a thief is still considered a base insult. This assertion sounds remarkable in view of the fact that kender
constantly "borrow" things from each other and from visitors (without asking) in their home communities. Kender don't regard
their idea of borrowing as stealing, however. If they need something, they'll take it. If they see something interesting, they'll pick
it up and pocket it. A popular proverb defines a kender heirloom as anything that remains longer than three weeks inside a
kender's home.


Alignment: Any (90% are Unprincipled/Anarchist)

Attributes: IQ:3D6, ME:3D6+4, MA:4D6, PS:2D6, PP: 4D6, PE:4D6, PB:3D6, SPD:2D6

Hit Points: PE + 2D6/level

S.D.C.:1D4 x10

Magic: No magic powers.

P.P.E.: 1D4x10

Psionic: Just natural automatic mind block

I.S.P.: None

Appearance:
  (Hair)Light blond to deep brown usually in a decorated topknot.
  (Eyes) Normal rage.
  (Skin) Pale white in winter, golden chestnut brown in summer.
  (Ears) Pointed like an elves.
  (Voice) Kender have a wide range of pitch ability. They tend to talk in relatively high tones, but their vocal chords allow them
to speak in low tones as well. They can usually imitate animal sounds very well. Older kender will tend to have lower voices.
When kender become excited, kender tend to speak very quickly and ramble at the same time, making it hard to follow what
they're trying to say.
  (Facial Expressions) One thing about kender is that they are very emotional and always tend to show it. They have intense
facial expressions. A saying says that there is nothing as happy as a cheerful kender and nothing as sad as a crying one.

Height: 3 ft + 3D6 inches

Weight: 70 lb + 4D6 lb

Lifespan: Around 100 years, Wanderlust starts around age 20.

Natural Abilities: Infervision 30 ft, Immune to HF and is completely fearless, kender Taunt, Natural automatic mind block.

Combat: Standard

Bonuses: +3 to Parry and Dodge, +1 Attack

Handler Skills:
  Pick Pockets +15%
  Pick Locks +10%
  Prowl +10%
  Concealment +5%
  Palming +5%
  Language: Kenderspeak 98%
  1 other Language

5 OCC Related skills:
  Communications: None
  Domestic: Any +5%
  Electrical: None
  Espionage: Any +10%
  Mechanical: Locksmith only
  Medical: First Aid only -15%
  Military: Any -5%
  Physical: Any (Excluding Assassin & Martial arts)
  Pilot: Ya Right, Like they can concentrate on driving with all this new stuff around
  Rogue: Any +20%
  Science: Basic math only
  Technical: Any
  W.P.: Any (smaller weapons preferred)
  Wilderness: Any +5%

Secondary Skills: 3 skills at first level and 2 at 3,6,9,12,15