Today we look at and produce some new rules to bring the dinosaur riding halflings of the plains to your Eberron Pathfinder 2 games! First we will look out an alternative take on the Druid’s primal focus to bring your Mask Weaver to PCs and then present a new heritage that grants a ritual to bring the paired dinosaur with rider to life. Finally we discuss the current rules for halflings and some future plans that affect these dino wranglers.
There are many druid traditions in Eberron and those that serve as spiritual guides and keepers of tribal tradition of the Talenta Plains are referred to as the Mask Weavers. To learn more you can consult the following source: (Dragonshard: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebds/20051107a). One way to bring a member to life as a Player Character is a little bend to the current rules for the druid’s Primal Focus (though this can probably apply to any future primal focus using caster classes).
Simply put you allow your druid player to don a personally crafted mask that serves as the primal focus for material components BUT requires a free hand to help guide the spirits to help you cast your primal spells. Mechanically this should be equivalent to the standard primal focus rules but we will codify a few things below that might come up.
Weaver Mask is a personal unique level 1 wooden item that can be crafted in a day with a material cost of 2 gold pieces with the following stats: Hardness 3 HP 12 BT 6. Donning the mask takes 1 interact action; normally I allow it to be stored hanging of the neck or belt of the character but of course if it stored in a backpack or such that would be another Interact action to retrieve.
Additionally a Weaver Mask can serve as a Hunter Mask and vice versa.
Below I give you a new halfling heritage that gives instant access to a new ritual to create that bond between rider and dinosaur that is iconic to the Talenta halflings.
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Talenta Plains Halfling - Heritage
You were raised on the wide plains of Talenta where dinosaurs roam the lands and your ancestors have been surviving on for generations. Dinosaurs are a companion to your people in both body, mind and for some, your food. The Mask Weaver druids have taught you how to create your Hunter Mask and to forge a bond with your selected moun via a ritual spell. Additionally a Talenta Plains halfling can always selection a dinosaur for their animal companion.
Hunter’s Bond - Ritual 1
Uncommon | Divination | Mental
Cast: 1 Hour Cost: Wood, tools and paints costing in total of 2 gp
Primary Check: Nature (Trained)
Range: 10 feet Target: One animal dinosaur
Special: Before the ritual you must spend a day with the cost materials creating a mask which you will finish as part of the ritual to create the Hunter’s Bond.
You attempt to forge a bond and a spiritual connection bridge via the hunting mask to a select dinosaur to be your mount.
Success: You have created a Hunter’s Bond with your selected dinosaur. As long as the mask is on your person (does not have to be worn) and unbroken (Hardness 3 HP 12 BT 6) you treat this dinosaur as if it had the mount trait. If the mask is broken the dinosaur loses the mount trait until repaired. If the mask is destroyed then a new mask will need to be made and the ritual performed again.
Failure: You fail to create the bond, you can try again the next day with the same mask.
Critical Failure: Something went horribly wrong and you have upset the beast. For a day the Target dinosaur is hostile to you and the mask is destroyed (most likely by the target but also from magical feedback). You can attempt the ritual again in one week.
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Between the Core book, my first Equipment post and today’s post I think we have what it takes to get people started with Talenta and other non-dragonmarked associated Halflings in the lands of Eberron.
In the future I maybe Bestiary stats for fastieth and glidewing along with animal companion stats for them as I feel the current raptor is more attuned to the clawfoot or carver.
Thank you for your time and I hope this proves useful to you. If you like to know how to support you can check out the links at the top of the page. A special thanks to the Eberron Discord Communities and extra special one to ChaosOS.
