Quick Stats:

• Ability Score Adjustment: +2 Balance, -1 Muscle
• Class Level Limits: See Racial Level Limits
• Multi-Class Options: Shaman + any non-priest, or Thief + any one non-rogue
• Height (M/F): 33 in / 33 in +1d6
• Weight (M/F): 40 lbs / 38 lbs +2d8
• Aging:
  • Starting: 6 + 1d4 years
  • Adult/Middle/Old/Venerable: 7 / 25 / 33 / 50
  • Maximum: 50 + 1d20 years
• Languages:
  • Bonus Languages: Xvart
  • Recommended Languages: Common, Chuklian, Tanar’ri, Yip Yak, Undercommon
• Movement: 6
• Special Abilities:
  • Xvarts infravision enables them to discern gradients of heat within 60 feet in darkness.
  • Xvarts can communicate with rats and bats, including giant versions and supernatural rat-like or bat-like creatures (such as Osquips or Mobats). A xvart can usually convince such creatures to call off an attack with a successful Leadership check.
  • Xvarts excel at overbearing enemies, even those larger than themselves. A xvart is treated as one size larger (i.e. medium sized) when attempting an Overbearing attack.
• Special Restrictions:
  • Bright light hurts xvart eyes, giving them a -1 penalty to their attack rolls when in direct sunlight.
  • Xvarts are small-sized. They cannot use Large-sized weapons and must wield Medium-sized weapons in two hands.
  • As small-sized creatures, xvarts have 2/3 the carrying capacity of a human of equal strength.

Background: Xvarts are a race of small, blue-skinned, black-haired, orange-eyed, goblin-like humanoids native to hilly, cavernous regions. Although weak individually, they are extremely prolific, and are almost always encountered in large groups. Like all goblinoids, they are an ancient and primitive race, predating humans, dwarves, gnomes, and even elves evolutionarily speaking.

Tribal by nature, xvarts have little interest in fighting humanoids, who they consider bigger and scarier than they are, and will normally avoid conflict with humanoids unless starvation or the depredations of adventurers gives them a cause to make raids on human settlements, or something bigger and nastier has come along and forced them to do its bidding. They do look down on kobolds and like to kick them around to feel bigger, however. Dwelling in deep, remote forests or underground caves, xvarts will fight to protect their own against other humanoids, but aren’t known to war with themselves, unlike goblins. Furthermore, their lairs tend to be well-patrolled and surprisingly clean – especially compared to the typical goblin’s squalor.

Xvarts worship Raxivort, a fiendish demipower who created them and who claims dominion over rats and bats. As a result, they have the ability to speak to these animals and so their lairs tend to feature them as allies, especially giant or dire variants thereof. They consider the rat and bat strains of lycanthropy to be holy blessings, and so are often allies for wererats and werebats that happen to share their territories.

Xvart society is crude by human standards, but effective in keeping the small creatures alive. Xvarts will lair in a complex of caves or in the deep forest. Xvarts are mostly resistant to the elements, wearing simple cloth doublets. They prefer blues and greens to dress in, and except for their orange eyes, they blend into their surroundings well.

Xvarts live a communal existences with hunting parties going out daily to try to gather food for the tribe. Xvarts will kill livestock or small animals, or raid farms for crops. Xvarts are not fussy eaters, and will adapt to almost any diet.

Xvarts live for only 50 years, and it is a tough existence for them. Most creatures are larger and more powerful than they are. Xvarts mate twice a year, in the spring and in the fall. Each mating produces two children, which are cared for communally until age seven when they are old enough to assume their tribal duties of hunting and caring for the camp.