NEARLY PEOPLE (2)

Public Domain Image

Init always 10
Melee Atk
 • tussle +0 (1d4)
 • by weapon -2 (-1d)
Ranged Atk
 • by weapon -1d (-2d)
AC 9
HD 1d4
MV 20
Act 1d20
SP startle, magic suppression. familiar budding, disturbance
Fort +1
Ref +0
Will +1
AL N

Some say they were the first sketch draft of humans. Some say the Gods got drunk and were just fooling around with the building blocks of life...

The Nearly People exist in the dim corners of the world eking out a pitiable life of grubbing for food and shelter, and surviving just long enough in most cases to procreate.

They stand about two feet tall. Nearly People are so bizarre in appearance, in movement and in manner, that when first encountering them non-Nearly People must make a Will Save vs. DC 13 or lose an action and audibly gasp.

Some Nearly People can speak the common tongue. They tend to be capricious and often spiteful, but can be useful guides when magic is an obstacle or threat, given their ability to absorb it.

Any magical effect or enchantment that a Nearly person can touch, or is touched by, is reduced in effectiveness by half. Further, the Nearly person can exert their will to completely extinguish the magical effect, either for a short duration of time or permanently. They must make a Will Save vs. a DC of 10 + the caster's level + 1d8. If they make the Save, the effect is neutralized for 1d24 rounds. If they can make the Save and exceed the DC by 5 or more, the magic is completely negated from an active spell or enchantment. If hit by a fireball, and they make the Save, the adjustment is applied to all targets in the area of effect, since the effect is contiguous. They will have this effect on magic weapons that hit them. They do not need to use an Action Die nor take an action to initiate this effect, it simply happens as part of their inherent nature.

Nearly People can generate familiars of a sort from their very bodies. It takes them 1d4 days to generate up to 1d6 familiars of their own, which follow the standard rules for familiars, except that when the familiar dies, the Nearly person keels over into a coma for 1d100 days.

Their presence tends to disturb Dwarfs and Elves the most, creating the following temporary effects for those races, rolled anew for each change of circumstances in the course of an adventure* (roll 1d6):

 1) Initiative is reduced by 2 steps on the Dice Chain; all attacks are at -2 until the affected PC has been hit 1d4 times in combat.
 2) Luck is suppressed, reduced by half for this phase of exposure.
 3) Subject cannot sleep well, and suffers a cumulative -1 to all Action Dice each 48 hours.
 4) Subject does not eat well, suffering a -1 Stamina for any day they cannot succeed on a Fort Save vs. DC 15.
 5) Subject obsesses about having Nearly People along... Becomes increasingly irrational regarding Nearly person (RP).
 6) All perception and skill checks are made at -1d cumulative per 3 days.


* Such as: Journey to quested site / Exploring site for object sought / Object obtained, exiting site / Return to home, which represents 4 circumstances, thus calling for 4 such rolls.