New Races: Minish & Skull Kid

Today, we have two new Races that are perfect fits for Halloween sessions of Reclaim the Wild – or for any campaign that needs a touch of the sweet, and of the spooky. We’re bringing you the Minish and Skull Kid Races!

These Races also come with two new kinds of items, the Kinstone and the Decorative Mask. Even if you don’t allow your players to use these Races, you might allow their influence by including these two new kinds of items.

These races were created by longtime community member Maddie. She’s been a positive, prolific presence on the Discord; I doubt this will be the last of her work we post on the website. We also have a Miniboss of one of these Races, courtesy of community member Blizzard.

Check out the new Races, Items, and Miniboss, below!

Skull Kid

Average Height: 3′ 6″ – 5′
Average Weight: 20 – 40 lbs.
Life span: Unknown; may be immortal
Skin colors: Beech, Cedar, Cherry, Walnut
Eye colors: Amber, Brown, Orange, Red, Yellow

Play a Skull Kid if you want…

• …to use your music for mischief as well as magic.
• …to always wear an inscrutable mask.
• …to be mysterious, child-like, and dangerous.
• …to be what both what children fear, and aspire to be.

Overview

Weakness: Light

Bonuses:

• You deal (Perform / 3) extra damage when using Expressive weapons.
• Your glowing eyes allow you to see in the dark without difficulty. When you would be Blinded, you are instead Dazzled.
• You may wear a mask even if your face is covered, but you may only wear one mask at a time. While wearing a Mask (magical or costume), you gain a Knack on rolls which benefit from the mask’s bonus. In addition, if you are wearing an animal mask you may communicate with animals. The animals are not compelled to be helpful, truthful, or even friendly.
• You gain the Battle Bard Feat for free.
• Choose one: Vanish (Spell), Koridai Countenance (Technique), Wingman (Feat), or Pacci’s Flip (Spell).

New Item: Decorative Mask

Mundane Tool (Wood)

Many cultures use masks for ceremonial and celebratory purposes. They can tell stories, glorify or vilify, they can be dramatic, fashionable, or help us change how others see us. While there are face-worn artifacts that can grant fascinating boons or house spirits great and vile, there can still be a mundane power in facial effigies worn for costume and ceremony.

When the Mask is created, select a subject for the mask to resemble, and specify if that subject is a monster, animal, or person/race. While worn, the mask grants a bonus of (Rank) to the following rolls:

• Person/Race: Social maneuvers against members of the race represented in the mask.
• Monster: Guile rolls against the monster species portrayed, or to all attempts Intimidate.
• Animal: Attempts to remain undetected in that animal’s natural environment, or to all attempts to Distract.

In addition to these bonuses, a mask of a person/race or a monster of the same size as the wearer provides a bonus of (Rank) to checks made in an attempt to Disguise the user as the subject. A mask whose subject is a specific individual may be used in this way to disguise the user as that individual. Masks of animals or of monsters of a different size than the wearer will require a matching costume to provide this effect.

A mask may not be worn if the face of the user is already covered.

New Race: Minish

Average Height: 2″ – 6″
Average Weight: 0 – 1 lbs.
Life span: Unknown
Skin colors: Alabaster to Tan
Eye Colors: Black (no iris)
Hair colors: Blonde, Red, Brown, Black

Play a Minish if you want…

• …to be a pint-sized Picori protector of peaceful places.
• …to help your allies understand the little things in life.
• …to focus on crafting weapons, items, and friendships.
• …to bring a smile to someone’s face every day.

Overview

Weakness: Darkness

Bonuses:

• Every Extended Rest, you may produce up to (Discipline) Kinstones of up to Rank (Smithing / 3). (See the Kinstone writeup below!) You may select the color of the Kinstone you craft, from Blue, Green, or Red (you cannot make Gold Kinstones). When two nearby characters (including yourself) fuse Kinstones, you may enhance the fusion, allowing the check bonus to last until your nest Extended Rest rather than being consumed when used. You may not enhance another fusion until you take an Extended Rest.
• You gain the Minish Minuet song, and may perform it without an Instrument, treating your Musical Power as equal to your Perform trait for the performance of this Song.
• When a nearby ally makes a Survey check, you may grant that ally Knack for that check. You may not do this again until you take an Extended Rest.
• Choose one: Any 1 crafting style costing 3 tokens or less (Feat), Jury-Rig Genius (Feat), Commander’s Call (Technique), or Create Ammo (lesser) (Spell).

New Item: Kinstone

Material

Among the many treats and helpful goodies the darling Minish leave for others to find, none are more fascinating and mysterious than the colourful Kinstones. These small objects appear as an odd half-disc of colourful stone, the “flat” edge of which is often beveled or shaped in a manner similar to a puzzle piece. It is said that if two people join together matching halves of a Kinstone, it will bring them great joy and good fortune!

Kinstones come in Red, Green, and Blue colours, each corresponding to the aspects of Power, Courage, and Wisdom respectively. There are also the much-rarer Gold Kinstones; these cannot be crafted (not even by the Minish!), but when found and fused, can apply their bonus to any Aspect.

During a Short Rest, two nearby characters who are at least neutral to each other (including heroes) may fuse a Kinstone. To do so, both characters must use a Kinstone of a matching colour. Doing so fills the fusing characters with a feeling of happiness and camaraderie toward the other.

Until their next Extended Rest, when a character who has fused a Kinstone makes a Trait Check using a Trait associated with that Kinstone’s Aspect, they may choose to gain a bonus of (Lowest Fused Kinstone Rank + 1) to that Trait Check. That character must be near their Kinstone fusion partner, or the Trait Check must involve their fusion partner in some way. Once this bonus is used, it is expended.

New Feats

Crafting Style: Minish

3 Tokens
Trait requirement: Smithing 3
Effect: You can choose to use this whenever crafting a weapon. The weapon costs 1 more material, gains 1 Accuracy, and deals +(Rank) additional damage to foes who are a larger size category than its wielder. (This bonus damage even applies while the wielder is under the effect of Minish Minuet or other shrinking effects, allowing shrunken Heroes to deal more than 1 damage in a swing to a normal-sized foe.)

Crafting Style: Skull Kid

3 Tokens
Trait requirement: Smithing 3
Effect: You can choose to use this whenever crafting a weapon. The weapon loses 1 Attack, gains 1 Accuracy, and is now Expressive.

New Miniboss: Skull Kid

Inspired by Maddie’s work on the Skull Kid and Minish races, community member Blizzard has written up a Skull Kid Miniboss to torment foes!

This Miniboss is best suited to harass and annoy Heroes while other foes cause them actual pain. Try pairing it with a pair of Heavies, or a few basic monsters of a more brutish bent, to give your players a fight (and a fright) they won’t forget.

You can check out the monster’s bestiary spreadsheet here, as well, for easier copying or printing.

EDIT, 29 October 2020: Updated the wording of how the Kinstone fusion Trait Check bonus works, clarified that the Minish crafting style does apply while you’re shrunk, and fixed a typo in the writeup for Monster Masks.