'The only way to surprise a Squirrel is with a loaded crossbow at extreme range - so long as none of your head lice fart while you're aiming.'
Imperator Marshal Jokan Mah'li of the Church of Nuveen
The Surenashi, while the most diminutive of Panisadore's races, are only underestimated at one's great peril. They are tough, wiry and surprisingly muscular for their size. Extraordinarily quick and nimble, they are superb climbers and the hard, claw-like nails of their fingers and toes provide them purchase on rough surfaces no others can take advantage of (one of the reasons many Tall Folk to refer to them derogatorily as 'squirrels'). While they have decent night vision, their eyesight is otherwise poorer than other races, being slightly nearsighted. Their almost supernatural hearing however more than compensates for this.
While the Surenashi are a generally friendly and curious people, they tend to avenge the slightest injury to person or procession with creative zeal. They seem to love the thrill of a good adrenaline rush and readily take risks. Commonly treated as 2nd Class Citizens in their travels on the surface they are fiercely loyal and protective of their own kind and companions, while they tend to view the Tall Folk (esp. humans) as brutish and overbearing and have a further penchant for playing 'practical jokes' on those who offend them - authority figures being their favorite targets. Harassing or harming them or members of their troupe will invariably elicit an 'appropriate' response (called a foh'mii) . Surenashi estimations of retaliatory propriety are generally based upon the objective of ensuring that offenders will not repeat their mistakes (and will reflect the offense in some fashion); payback can take any form their imaginations can produce but will invariably be a serious bitch.
The Template cost is higher than other races, however because of their constantly mobile lifestyle halflings are far less influenced by the cultures they travel among. They also intermarry between troupes a great deal (and troupes may often split up, dissolve, or simply form) resulting in the most genetically homogeneous race on Panisadore. Racial sub-typing is therefore minimal and variant characteristics largely superficial. As a result racial variant and cultural/regional lenses are likewise minimal.
Surenashi Template [45]
Abilities [20]
ST -3 [-30]
DEX +1 [20]
HT +1 [10]
HP +5 [10]
Basic Speed +.5 [10]
SM -2 or -3 (avg height 2', wt 10 - 35 lbs)
Background [3]
Language: Double Speak (Native, literacy not necessary) [3]
Advantages [145]
Extended Lifespan x2 [2]
Night Vision 1 [1]
Acute Hearing 5 [10]
Discriminatory Hearing [15]
Parabolic Hearing 2 [8]
Subsonic Hearing [5]
Ultrahearing [5]
Protected Hearing [5]
Silence 3 [15]
Sharp Teeth [1]
Blunt Claws [3]
Clinging (rough surfaces) [10]
Perfect Balance [15]
SUperjump [10]
Combat Reflexes [15]
Ambidexterity [5]
Flexibility [5]
Fit [5]
High Pain Threshold [10]
Disadvantages [-130]
Chummy [-5]
Gluttony [-15]
Increased Consumption 1 [-10]
Absent Minded[-15]
Curious [-5]
Social Stigma (2nd Class Citizen) [-5]
Intolerance (stereotypical Tall Folk) [-5]
Compulsive Behavior: Exaggeration [-5]
Trickster [-15]
On the Edge [-15]
Code of Honor [-5]
Duty (Troupe, 9 or less) [-5]
Sense of Duty (to race) [-15]
Near-sighted (-3 Spot, -1 Targeting hit locations, Distance x 1.5 non-thrown missile weapons) [-10]
Quirks [-5]
Careful
Broad Minded
Bow-legged
Dislikes Authority Figures
Cannot Float
Skills [2]
Fast Talk (IQ-1) [1]
Public Speaking; Spec: Storytelling (IQ) [1]