Namazu

Having long had a fascination with humanoid animals (Thank you TMNT), I was overjoyed to see these fishy fellas pop up in my G+ feed care of +Scrap Princess a while back. I was immediately inspired to write up a Labyrinth Lord (OSR) compatible racial class. The class has changed a wee bit in the interim, but not much.

Namazu (Rumblefish) Racial Class

Kashima puts the smack down on
the Great Namazu

Namazu are carp-faced humanoids with an unusual influence over the earth. Namazu are able to cause tremors and earthquakes.

The Namazu are first and foremost peace-loving builders and peasants. They pay worship to Kashima to help them restrain their emotions and focus their efforts on building.

They rarely intend to incite tremors. Unfortunately when agitated or inebriated, they can unfortunately invoke their power to terrible effect. Most namazu also have an aversion to underground areas, mostly for fear that they might cause a quake.

A greater Namazu is allegedly responsible for the great Edo earthquake of 1855.

Namazu are darkly coloured and scaled all over. They require a submersion in water once a day, but otherwise have no trouble on land. Namazu that fail to bathe will lose one point of Constitution per day until they can get enough water, regaining lost points at one per day.

Prerequisite: Con 9

Prime Requisite: Str; Str 13, +5%xp; Str 16, +10%xp.

Weapons: Any.

Armour: Any.

Spells: None.

Saves: as Dwarf.

Attack: as Fighter.

Hit Die: d8.

Namazu guilt for their progenitor
makes them great builders

Namazu are master builders. Any construction project with a few Namazu labourers will be more efficient, seeing a 20% reduction in construction time.

Namazu, by their caste, are usually dirt poor. A wealthy Namazu is a rarity. 1st level Namazu start with 25% of the usual start-up funds for PCs.

Once per day, a Namazu can rumble the earth when agitated or injured. The rumble affects a target up to 50 feet away. By throwing itself on the ground and thrashing in anger, the Namazu unleashes a seismic wave to knock down enemies or even buildings. After the effect is resolved, the Namazu is prone.

Younger inexperienced Namazu produce tiny ruptures and sometimes have little to no effect, but as a Namazu matures there is a measure of control to the rumble effect. At 4th level, the Namazu can roll for effect and opt for any lesser effect. A 10 point success could be reduced to a 9 point success and any one effect from the chart can be chosen.

It is important to point out that Namazu culture is centred around maintaining composure and the rumble fit is a sign of poor control. After all, it is considered a terrible faux pas to pitch a fit and destroy the neighbourhood. Generally, youth or extraordinary circumstance will lead to the rumble effect (and it is a rare and unusual thing to see it used in a premeditated manner).

Rumble Mechanic: make a Constitution check (low roll success) with a modifier to the roll based on the chart below. A successful check has caused some damage, the margin of success determines the potential destruction wrought.

Level	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9+
Mod.*	-5	-3	-1	+1	+2	+3	+4	+5	+1**

*DM can adjudicate lower or higher bonuses for RP situations; **From 9th level, an additional +1 per level is applied to the roll.

1 to 9 point success: minor damage 1d6, roll d4 for additional effect.

1. rocked off balance, lose dex bonus to AC (one round).
2. knockback, pushed away 5'.
3. stumble-fished! pushed 5' and lose Dex bonus to AC (one round).
4. knockdown, target is prone.

10 to 19 point success: major damage 2d6, roll d for additional effect.

1. knockdown.
2. crumbled underfoot, target is immobilized for 1d4 rounds.
3. disarmed! target drops held weapon or shield.
4. disoriented! target is stunned for 1d4 rounds.

20+ point success: catastrophic damage 2d10 crushing or falling, roll on major damage effect table and following table, d4.

1. Cone shaped fissure, 10' wide. Starts as a crack, that quickly widens.
2. A perfect circle, 20' diameter. A round sinkhole opens under the target.
3. Churn baby, churn. The earth rolls over and the target is rolled with it.
4. Mired! The ground swells with water and mud quickly forms under the target. Target is slowed, but only takes 1d10 damage.

At the DMs discretion, multiple Namazu may have a more profound effect if they should all succumb to the urge to rumble simultaneously.

Labyrinth Lord Advanced Race Option:

Namazu: +1 CON, -1 INT

Favoured Classes: Bushi (Fighter), Yakuza (Thief).

Racial benefits: as above; low caste, expert builders, rumble.