| Racial Traits | Race Point Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Humanoid (hypello) | 0 |
| Size | Medium | 0 |
| Base Speed | Slow | -1 |
| Ability Score Modifiers | Flexible (+2 Dex, +2 Con) | 2 |
| Languages | Standard | 0 |
| Defense | Camouflage (swamp) | 1 |
| Defense | Hardy | 3 |
| Feat and Skill | Amphibious | 2 |
| Feat and Skill | Skill bonus x2 (handle animal and ride) | 4 |
| Feat and Skill | Skill Training (handle animal and ride) | 1 |
| Movement | Swim | 2 |
| Movement | Terrain stride (swamp) | 1 |
| Senses | Darkvision | 2 |
| Weakness | Poor Communication | -2 |
| Total | 15 | |
Hypellos are a race of amphibian creatures from the land of Spira. While their pronunciation of common is off and sometimes full of lisps many races can understand their meaning, with a heavy lisp on words with “S” in them like Shay (say) and Yesh (yes). Though they are also known for converting some words into gibberish, for example Ebullibody (everybody), Inveshtitagating (investigating) Imposhibibble (impossible), as well as ending most of their sentences with a questioning tone. They are agile in the water, but are not so nimble on dry land, walking at a torpid pace.
Standard Racial Traits
- Ability Score Racial Traits: Hypellos are sturdy yet flexible. They gain +2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution.
- Size: Hypellos are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
- Type: Hypellos are Humanoid creatures with a hypello subtype.
- Base Speed: Hypellos have a base speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance. Though due to their life near and within water, they have a swim speed of 30 feet.
- Languages: Hypellos begin play speaking Common and Hypello. Hypellos with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Moogle, Goblin, Sylvan, Dwarven. See the Linguistics skill page for more information about these languages.
Defense Racial Traits
- Camouflage: Hypellos receive a +4 racial bonus on Stealth checks in marshes and forested areas.
- Hardy: Hypellos gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison, spells, and spell-like abilities.
Feat and Skill Racial Traits
- Amphibians: Hypellos begin with the Amphibious racial trait, allowing them to breathe both air and water.
- Animal Empathy: Hypellos gain a +2 racial bonus to all Handle Animal checks made to influence animals.
- Rider: Hypellos gain a +2 racial bonus on Ride checks.
- Ride ze Shoopuf?: Hypellos treat Handle Animal and Ride as class skills.
- Swim: Hypellos have a swim speed of 30 feet and gain the +8 racial bonus on swim checks that a swim speed normally grants.
Movement Racial Traits
- Swamp Stride: A hypello can move through difficult terrain at its normal speed while within a swamp. Magically altered terrain affects a hypello normally.
Senses Racial Traits
- Darkvision: Hypellos can see perfectly in the dark up to 60 feet.
Weakness Racial Traits
- Poor Communication: Due to their vocal patterns and childish demeanor, hypellos gain a -2 to Diplomacy and Intimidation checks against all other races.
Alternate Racial Traits
The following alternate racial traits may be selected in place of one or more of the standard racial traits above. Consult your GM before selecting any of these new options.
- Defensive Training: Hypellos often live in close proximity to very large animals and dangerous creatures they must learn to avoid in order to survive. They gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC against Large or larger animals and magical beasts. This racial trait replaces swamp stride.
- Fishy Merchant: Hypellos who put themselves up as tradesmen do surprisingly well, regardless of their speech. Hypellos with this racial trait gain a racial bonus of +2 to Bluff and Diplomacy checks, as well as ignoring their Poor Communication trait, when engaging in a trade. This racial trait replaces animal empathy and rider.
- Glider: Hypellos’ aerodynamic bodies and thick webbing between the toes enable a falling hypello to treat the distance fallen as half the actual distance. The hypello can steer himself while falling, moving horizontally up to a number of feet equal to half the vertical distance fallen. The hypello cannot use this trait if it is wearing heavy armor, is carrying a heavy load, or is unable to react to the fall (such as being helpless). This racial trait replaces swamp stride.
- Land Lubber: Some hypellos stay away from the waters, taking to the sky in airships or settling in towns, as such their legs are stronger than others in exchange of their swimming ability. Hypellos with this racial trait increase their base speed to 30 feet. This racial trait replaces swim.
Variant Hypello Heritages
Although many hypellos follow the general model of the standard hypello, many more do not. Those of different lineages may evince dramatically different manifestations of their heritage, both in appearance and in ability. Here is 1 different potential heritage for hypello PCs. If you choose to use a specific bloodline instead of the general rules for creating a hypello, you should work with your GM to ensure that your character’s appearance reflects that bloodline.
- Alternate Skill: While most hypellos have a +2 racial bonus on Ride skill checks, those of the variant heritage listed below gain a +2 racial modifier to a different skill.
Table: Variant Hypello Heritages
| Heritage | Ability Modifiers | Alternate Skill | Size | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poroggo | +2 DEX, +2 iNT | +2 racial bonus on Spellcraft skill checks. | Small | Poroggo are essentially common toads which have, though arcane magicks, been granted faculties normally associated with spoken creatures, such as speech, bipedal ambulation, and the propensity for high-level cognition. Oft employed as familiars, the cognitive level of a poroggo is relative to the spell- crafting capabilities of the mage responsible for the creature's quickening, Once the spell has been broken, the poroggo will revert to its original state, retaining none of the knowledge it attained while sentient. |
Racial Archetypes
The following racial archetypes are available to hypellos:
- Drigagoonie (Dragoon; Hypello)
- Yabbleshammy Archer (Archer; Hypello)
Favored Class Options
The following favored class options are available to all characters of this race who have the listed favored class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the favored class reward.
- Archer: Add +1 foot to the range increment with bows or crossbows. This option has no effect unless the archer has selected it 5 times (or another increment of 5).
- Bard: Add +1/6 to the DC of all songs.
- Black Mage: Add one spell known with the poison or water descriptor from the geomancer’s spell list. This spell must be at least 1 level below the highest spell level the black mage can cast. The spell is treated as 1 spell level higher, unless it is also on the black mage spell list.
- Chocobo Knight: Add +1 hit point to the chocobo knight’s mount. If the chocobo knight ever replaces his mount, the new mount gains these bonus hit points.
- Dragoon: Add +1/2 bonus to Acrobatic skill checks for jumping.
- Fencer: Add +1/3 to the fencer’s Acrobatics, Climb, Escape Artist, Fly, Ride, and Swim checks.
- Geomancer: Add a +1/2 bonus on concentration checks. This bonus doubles in a forest or swamp terrain.
- Gunner: Add a +1/4 bonus on attack rolls when making a utility shot or a dead shot.
- Thief: Add a +1/2 bonus on Perception checks while in a forest or swamp.
