Library / Character Origins

Tengus

The crowlike tengus are known as a race of scavengers and irrepressible thieves.

The crowlike tengus are known as a race of scavengers and irrepressible thieves. Covetous creatures predominantly motivated by greed, they are vain and easily won over with flattery. Deceptive, duplicitous, and cunning, tengus seek circumstances in which they can take advantage of the situation, often at the expense of others, including their own kind. They can be highly competitive, but impulsive and rash. Some claim their behavior is innate, while others believe their selfish mannerisms are cultural and developed as a learned adaptation that has enabled their people to endure through centuries of oppression.

Tengus are natural survivalists. For many, only theft and guile have afforded them the temporary luxuries other races take for granted. In the past, both humans and powerful races such as giants sought the bird-folk as slaves and servitors. Many tengus scavenged for survival, scraping for food in the shadows of cities or living as subsistence hunters and gatherers in the wild. Their descendants now struggle to find their place in contemporary society, often competing against negative stereotypes or driven to embrace them, and they rely on thievery and swordplay to get by in a harsh and unforgiving world.

Tengu

Tengus are humanoids with the tengu subtype.

Senses

Tengus have low-light vision.

Sneaky

Feat and Skill Racial Traits 5 RP

Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race gain a +4 racial bonus on Stealth checks.

Gifted Linguist

Feat and Skill Racial Traits 2 RP

Prerequisite: Standard or linguist language quality; Benefit: Members of this race gain a +4 racial bonus on Linguistics checks, and they learn one additional language every time they put a rank in the Linguistics skill.

Swordtrained

Offense Racial Traits 4 RP

Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race are trained from birth in swordplay, and as a result are automatically proficient with swordlike weapons (including bastard swords, daggers, elven curve blades, falchions, greatswords, kukris, longswords, punching daggers, rapiers, scimitars, short swords, and two-bladed swords).

Natural Weapon

A tengu has a bite attack that deals 1d3 points of damage.

Carrion Sense

Senses Racial Traits 1 RP

Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race have a natural ability to sniff out carrion. This functions like the scent ability, but only for corpses and badly wounded creatures (creatures with 25% or fewer hit points).

Claw Attack

Tengus with this racial trait have learned to use their claws as natural weapons. They gain two claw attacks as primary natural attacks that deal 1d3 points of damage, and are treated as having the Improved Unarmed Strike feat for the purpose of qualifying for other feats. This racial trait replaces swordtrained.

Exotic Weapon Training

Instead of swords, some tengus are trained in exotic weaponry. Such tengus choose a number of eastern weapons equal to 3 + their Intelligence bonus, and gain proficiency with these weapons. This racial trait replaces swordtrained.

Glide

Some tengus can use their feathered arms and legs to glide. Tengus with this racial trait can make a DC 15 Fly check to fall safely from any height without taking falling damage, as if using feather fall. When falling safely, a tengu may make an additional DC 15 Fly check to glide, moving 5 feet laterally for every 20 feet he falls. This racial trait replaces gifted linguist.
Ability Modifiers
CON -2 DEX +2 WIS +2
Details
Size
Medium
Speed
30 ft.
Languages
Common, Tengu
Universe
core
Source
Advanced Race Guide
OGL 1.0a Notice. Pathfinder-derived Open Game Content on this page is used under the Open Game License v1.0a and Section 15 notice.