full zorark flavor

Zorark

“Masters of illusion, a people who live quietly amidst other races, never showing their true forms.”

RACIAL TRAITS
Average Height: 5’3” - 6’0”
Average Weight: 150 - 175 lbs

Size: Medium
Speed: 6 Squares
Vision: Darkvision

Languages: Common, up to one other
Ability Scores:  +2 to your choice of two stats
Skill Bonuses: +2 Bluff and your choice of one other

Shapechanger: You are a shapechanger; you can alter your appearance. As such, you are subject to effects and conditions that affect shapechangers.
Illusionist: You have the Illusion racial power.
Night Daze: You can use the Night Daze racial power.


Illusion
‘You change your appearance to that of another person or an object.’
At-will ~ Polymorph
Minor Action      Personal
Effect: You alter your physical form to take on the appearance of any Medium humanoid. You retain your statistics in your new form, and your clothing, armor, and possessions do not change. The new form lasts until you change form again. Any creature that attempts to see through your ruse makes an Insight check opposed by your Bluff check, and you gain a +5 bonus to your check.

Night Daze
‘Summoning the dark energy inside you, you release a black burst from your body toward your foes.’
Encounter
Minor Action    Close Blast 3
Targets: All creatures 3 squares in front and adjacent
Attack:  Cha vs Will, Wis vs Will
Hit: 1d8 + Cha mod damage, and the target is Dazed.
Increase to 2d8 + Cha mod damage at the 11th level, and increase to 3d8 + Cha mod damage at the 21st level.
Miss: Half damage, and the target does not become Dazed.
Special: When you create your character, choose either Charisma or Wisdom as the ability score you make attacks with. This may not be changed.


Some tales say the vulpine race of the Zorark rose from the mingling of fox spirits and the native races of the Feywild. Other stories pin the origin of the people to the dark corners of the Shadowfell, where some race unnamed, unrecorded in history, was warped as they learned to harness its dark energy for their own. More still claim some combination of both. Whatever the origin point is, only the oldest of gods may remember, as there have never been any civilizations to record, no dedicated historians to document their people. Even the Zorark themselves seem not to actively pursue their origin, instead preferring to work and dwell peacefully among and with the cultures they live in.

Play a Zorark if you want to...
Be able to change your appearance at will and be a master of disguise.
Be renowned for your ability to stealthily skulk around, be it to avoid conflict or get the jump on a tough enemy.
Look like a fox.
Play an adaptable race, whose talents depend on the background you live in.


PHYSICAL QUALITIES

Zorark strongly resemble humanoid foxes. They are covered in dark gray fur, though some have tails and some do not. When a Zorark does have a tail, it tends to be large and bushy, with thicker fur than the rest of the body. They have a tendency to be thin and slender, though this is not always the case. Often, they stand at just about five and a half feet, though smaller or larger cases are not unheard of.

Their hands frequently end in deep crimson claws, though this is not always the case, as some Zorark like to keep said claws filed down. Their feet often look like some combination of a dragon's claw and a fox's paw, though having purely a fox's is rather common also. A Zorark's head features a long snout, large ears and a mouth perfect for grinning widely. Their eyes have a wide range of colors, from more typical browns and blues to bright purples, oranges and reds.

A typical Zorark has body fur of solid dark gray or black, though some may have deep crimson fur from the elbow and knee downward. Said body fur can be short and tight to the body, or it can be soft, supple and long. Sometimes, it's a combination of both, manifesting in manes or similar. Their hair is most frequently deep ruby red, but often ranges into other colors, like purples, blues, or rarely whites and greens.

Zorark have few traditions between them that don't come from the cultures they live among. One such tradition, universal for most Zorark and passed down since a time nobody remembers, is the gifting of an illusion focus to a young Zorark who comes of age. This focus stays with them their whole lives, and is usually crystalline, with runes unique to the individual carved into it. It can be any color, and is most frequently worn as a hair ornament, though some individuals prefer to wear theirs as an earring. As a result, many Zorark wear their hair very long.

Young Zorark grow at about the same rate humans do, reaching adolescence at around the age of 13 and adulthood at approximately 18. They live about 120 to 150 years on average, longer than a human but not as long as the likes of an Elf or Eladrin.


PLAYING A ZORARK

Zorark have no solid culture to speak of, instead adapting to the primary culture in the areas where they live. This results in a race whose traits and characteristics vary wildly - no two Zorark are the same. For example, a Zorark who lives among Dragonborn may value honor over their lives and have the brawny physical qualities to match. On the other hand, a Zorark who came to live among Elves may be as impulsive and reverent of nature as those around them.

Most frequently, Zorark prefer to use their Illusion ability to blend into those around them and truly take on the form of their home. These individuals tend to view this as the least they can do for those peoples who graciously allow them to live among them. Some do not go around veiled in illusion in their home towns, preferring to show their true faces to those they've come to know. More dishonest members of the race utilize their ability in order to fleece or rob.

Zorark can sometimes be hard to earn the trust of, but will readily drop the act for anyone they consider a friend. They frequently love to entertain and make merry for their friends and copatriots, and are often skilled in the arts, acting, comedy or music. It is not uncommon to see a Zorark playing an instrument for tips in a park or on a street corner, or doing a performance at a pub or theater. They are often considered to be wonderful actors due to their shape-changing ability.

There are many stories pertaining to the origin of the Zorark, ranging from fox spirits of the Feywild, to agents of the Shadowfell, to the creations of some god or goddess whose name has long since been forgotten. No current deity lays claim to their origin. However, racial background does not have a strong bearing on most members of the race. Their curiosity is only in passing, and they live very much in the here and now of the places they inhabit, rather than looking toward the past. There are some who seek out their origins, but most frequently, they come up empty-handed.

Zorark Characteristics: Loyal, artistic, musical, quiet, adaptable, tricksy, mirthful

Zorark adapt the naming trends of the cultures they live amongst.