Overview
Shoony are a rare dog-like humanoid people with Undead-like features that are often viewed with great fear and mistrust. These features can be partial exoskeletons such as skulls, bones glowing through their flesh, ectoplasmic body parts, unusual eyes, eerily black or white fur, and quite commonly, luminescent fur markings. The shoony are said to simply walk out of the fogs of Ferweth, the region in which almost all Shoony are found, and superstition states that they must be granted hospitality in order to avoid incurring a curse. The name “Shoony” may come from the Vili word for death, as that’s where the Ferwethis thought they originated from at first.
You might…
- Use the superstition and fear surrounding your kind to your advantage.
- Become loyal to those who take you in, and watch over them.
- Try to keep an aura of composure generally, but get too excited in the heat of things.
Others probably…
- Fear, and perhaps try to hide their reaction to, your presence.
- Try to appease you without letting you too close, hoping you move on.
- Appreciate your loyalty, once granted.
Physical Description
Shoony are dog-like humanoids, usually akin to breeds with a longer snout and a more slender, angular form. Beyond the baseline however they differ a lot due to the presence of various fearsome features (much based on their heritage). These range from exoskeletal parts, ectoplasmic parts, to intense and piercing eyes, crooked and sharp teeth, sickly looking faces and lips, to sometimes rabid and eclectic movement. Some Shoony prefer to walk on three or four limbs or eat without the use of utensils, though they know it’s frowned upon (and looks monstrous) in society and usually keep it to when they’re alone. Since most Shoony seem to have come out of the fog at an adult age, and recently at that, their lifecycle is poorly understood, as is their age of maturity and maximum life-span.
Society
Shoony do not come from Shoony societies, due to their origins as ‘lone wanderers out of the fog,’ but they do sometimes congregate into ones. Certain settlements of a sufficient size (mostly around Ferweth) have semi-secret societies of Shoony whom gather to aid each other, read and discuss literature and politics, and perhaps decide to support or suppress certain factions or guilds they deem unfriendly to the Shoony. These are the ‘civilised’ Shoony inside settlements, though they’re still viewed with suspicion. Outside of larger settlements, Shoony may form small alliances in which they help each other survive whilst being isolated from general society - some of which go on to plot infiltrations or revenge missions against those who turned them away.
Beliefs
Most shoony aren’t outright evil despite their popular perception, and in fact find it distasteful and brutish to act like a mere crude monster. They do however tend to possess a very ‘realist’ view of the world, seeing self-interest as natural and both relations and eloquent social interaction as a means to an end - though it is only fair, given “everyone does it.” Popular Edicts exploit people’s fears, ensure your own security Popular Anathema risk your own hide for strangers, act like a crude monster
Adventurers
Shoony bear a tendency to wander due to their ‘advantage’ in gain access to the settlements they go to, though conversely, they also are limited by the fact their kind is feared.
Names
Shoony names come in two main forms. One is short, guttural, and often sound like loose strings of unassociated vowels and soft consonants to people of other ancestries. The other type is romantic, evoking a sense of eloquence and also importance. Even males will often use intersex or feminine-sounding names to soften their identity. These types of names are often pulled from literature, long dead authors, heroes or even villains.
Sample names Ahogo, Ambrose, Arnbin, Belle, Bondin, Dominic, Ebmeur, Catherine, Gopor, Valentine, Hiemgur, Madeline, Oriog, Penelope, Raliamar, Isabelle, Uhulrig, Ungrin.
Mechanics
Vendrith Shoony, also known as Eerie Shoony, share some of the core of Shoony. Hit points (6), Speed (25), Attribute Boosts (Dexterity, Charisma, Free), Attribute Flaw (Constitution), Languages (Common, Shoony) and Low-Light vision remain unchanged. Vendrith Shoony however are Medium-sized by default, and don’t get the Blunt Snout feature. Instead they gain:
Shoony’s Curse You see yourself fit to invite yourself into places, and bring wrath upon those who would turn you away. Free Action, once a day. Trigger: you attempt a Charisma based check to be allowed entrance into a settlement, building, room or the like. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to triggering check. This counts as a fear effect - creatures with bonuses against fear effects also receive them against your check (if they’d receive a bonus to a will save, add it to the DC you’re rolling against).
Heritages
Vendrith Shoony get access to these heritages, instead of the default Shoony ones.
Watchdog Shoony
You’re attentive to dangers that may befall you or your companions, but as you sit watch you have a glassy look on your eyes, as if staring into the abyss. Your Perception DC against other’s attempts to Sneak or Hide gains a +2 circumstance bonus, and you the same bonus to Seek a Hidden creature within 30 feet of you.
Leads to… Canine Training (1), Suspicious Eyes (1), Ambush Awareness (5), Loyal Empath (5), Steadfast Ally (13).
Inescapable Shoony
You move in erratic ways, and rush forward in disturbingly swift bursts. Gain the Shoony Pursuit action: 1 action, movement. Requirement: not adjacent to an enemy. Stride up to your speed with a +5 feet circumstance bonus to your speed, or a +10 if you have two free hands. You must move in a straight line towards an enemy, and end up closer to an enemy than you started.
Leads to… Non-Bipedal (1), Suspicious Eyes (1), Canine Training (1), Rabid Sprint (5).
Rabid Shoony
People aren’t sure if you’re quite healthy, and you occasionally foam at the mouth in the heat of things. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to saving throws against disease, against gaining the sickened condition, and to remove the sickened condition. When you roll a success on a Fortitude save affected by this bonus, you get a critical success instead.
Leads to… Rabid Sprint (5), Sickly Bite (5), Poison Mouth (9).
Skulldog Shoony
You have bits and pieces of exoskeleton, usually in the form of a skull over your head. You gain 8 ancestry hit points instead of 6, and gain the Diehard general feat.
Leads to… Play Dead (1), Already Dead (1), At Home with Death (9), Skeletal Resistance (9).
Domesticated Shoony
All things considered, you look the least like a monster from a cautionary tale out of most Shoony. Still not the most suited for public socialisation, you probably find the thrills of engaging with other people within guild halls and secret societies. Gain training in Diplomacy or Deception, or a skill of your choice if you already gain both for free. This proficiency increases to Expert at level 3. Gain the Hobnobber feat if you chose diplomacy, the Charming Liar feat if you chose Deception, or one of your choice if you gained both skills for free from elsewhere.
Lost Puppy (Uncommon)
You’re short in stature and can look like a bit of a puppy - whether that increases your creep or cuteness varies on how you use it. You’re Small instead of Medium. Gain a skill training in a Charisma based skill of your choice, or any skill if you already had training in all of them. You gain a +3 circumstance bonus to Aid allies on any Charisma based check.
Leads to… Scamper Underfoot (1), Tough Tumbler (5), Loyal Empath (5), Steadfast Ally (13).
Ghostly Shoony (Rare)
Some of your limbs, always including a hand, and sometimes other body parts, are of a semi-corporeal appearance similar to a ghost’s ectoplasm. Gain Telekinetic Hand as an innate occult or divine cantrip.
Leads to… Ectoplasmic Shield (1), Eerie Glow (1), Already Dead (1), Ghostly Hover (5), Flights of Fancy (9), Phase Through (13).
Ancestry Feats 1
Bloodhound’s Nose (1)
Lineage. Gain 30ft imprecise scent. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Track creatures you have smelled before, including from getting the scent from an item or location.
Courageous Breed (1)
Lineage. Successes against fear effects become critical successes. +1 circumstance bonus to will saves and DCs against fear, +2 if its against demoralise.
Chompers (1)
Gain a Jaws attack dealing 1d4 piercing damage with the Unarmed, Finesse and Grapple trait.
Leads too… Sickly Bite (5).
Pierce the Darkness (1)
Gain Darkvision, but only see in black and white.
Dig Quickly (1)
2 Actions to dig your tile into difficult terrain. Also can help put out a fire adjacent.
Leads to… Sodbuster (9).
Shoony Lore (1)
You’ve learned what you can about your mysterious and dispersed people, as well as how you best survive in this world frightened by you. You gain the trained proficiency rank in Religion and Intimidation. If you would automatically become trained in one of those skills (from your background or class, for example), you instead become trained in a skill of your choice.
You also gain the Additional Lore general feat for Shoony Lore.
Shoony Weapon Familiarity (1)
You gain access to all [uncommon](https://2e.aonprd.com/Traits.aspx?ID=721) weapons with the Shoony trait and those listed here. You have familiarity with weapons with the Shoony trait plus the [Whip](https://2e.aonprd.com/Weapons.aspx?ID=404), [Scorpion Whip](https://2e.aonprd.com/Weapons.aspx?ID=114) [Spiked Chain](https://2e.aonprd.com/Weapons.aspx?ID=417) and [Scourge](https://2e.aonprd.com/Weapons.aspx?ID=531) — for the purpose of proficiency, you treat any of these that are martial weapons as simple weapons and any that are advanced weapons as martial weapons.
At 5th level, whenever you get a critical hit with one of these weapons, you get its critical specialization effect.
Suspicious Eyes (1)
You pay close attention to the people around you, allowing you to more easily notice when they act out of character. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Perception checks when using the Sense Motive basic action to notice enchanted or possessed characters. If you aren’t actively using Sense Motive on an enchanted or possessed character, the GM rolls a secret check, without your usual circumstance bonus, for you to potentially notice the enchantment or possession anyway.
In addition to using it for skill checks, you can use the Aid basic action to grant a bonus to another creature’s saving throw or other check to overcome enchantment or possession. As usual for Aid, you need to prepare by using an action on your turn to encourage the creature to fight against the effect.
Non-Bipedal (1)
Prerequisites Inescapable Shoony or Watchdog Shoony, You’re not a big fan of the whole ‘walking on two legs’ thing. If you have two free hands, increase your base speed by 5.
Canine Training (1)
Prerequisites Inescapable Shoony or Watchdog Shoony. When you Scout, you grant your party a +2 circumstance bonus to initiative rolls instead of the normal +1.
Scamper Underfoot (1)
Prerequisites Lost Puppy, Small size. Gain a +1 circumstance bonus to acrobatics to tumble through medium or larger enemies, and they don’t become difficult terrain.
Leads to… Tough Tumbler (5).
Ectoplasmic Shield (1)
Prerequisites Ghostly Shoony. Gain a special version of the Shield cantrip as an innate spell, really working by allowing attacks to partially phase through you. The spells hardness is 1 higher, and increases by 1 more every time it is heightened. If the attack deals vitality or holy damage or comes from a weapon with ghost touch, however, the shield cannot block any damage. If you have the Shield cantrip from a separate source, track your temporary immunity to the cantrips separately.
Eerie Glow (1)
Prerequisites Ghostly Shoony. Your ectoplasmic parts can emit light. Gain the light cantrip as an innate cantrip but you can only cast it on yourself or on your Telekinetic Hand. You cast the spell as a free action instead. It only emits dim light up to its full radius, and no bright light. You must Dismiss the spell as usual.
Already Dead (1)
Prerequisites Ghostly Shoony or Skulldog Shoony. Rare. Lineage. Gain a weakness to holy damage and vitality damage equal to a third of your level (rounded down, minimum of one). Gain the Basic Undead Benefits.
Leads to… At Home with Death (9).
Play Dead (1)
Prerequisites Ghostly Shoony, Skulldog Shoony or Rabid Shoony. You lie prone and pretend to be a dead monster. As long as you don’t move or take any actions requiring anything other than your mind, you appear dead. To see through your ruse, another creature must succeed at a check against your Deception DC, either by Seeking or Recalling Knowledge (typically using Society or an appropriate Lore skill). This ability doesn’t work against creatures that already know about the Shoony’s undead-like appearances, unless you look particularly dead even by their standards.
Ancestry Feats 5
Shoony Paddle (5)
You ignore difficult terrain and greater difficult terrain from bogs and shallow water. When you roll a success to Swim, you get a critical success instead.
Creepy Smile (5)
Gain intimidating glare - if you already have it as a chosen feat, you can immediately retrain out of it. When you Demoralise a creature from dim light or darkness against someone who can’t see fully at that level of light, gain a +1 circumstance bonus. This only works if it has the visual trait, such as when using intimidating glare.
Fetch! (5)
1 Action. Flourish. Stride once, and you can Interact to pick up an item at any point on the way. You gain a +10 circumstance bonus to your speed for this movement as long as you do Interact to pick up an item. If you have the Handy with your Mouth feat, you can pick the item up with your mouth.
Invited by other Means (5)
Gain half the Shoony’s Curse circumstance bonus when breaking into a place you have been denied entry. Applies to Thievery Checks to Pick a Lock and and Athletics checks to Force Open.
Ambush Awareness (5)
Prerequisites Watchdog Shoony You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Perception checks attempted as initiative rolls, increasing to +3 if any enemy uses Stealth as their initiative. These bonuses rise to +3 and +4 respectively if you gain Master in Perception. Additionally, if your initiative roll result is tied with that of an opponent, you go first, regardless of whether you rolled Perception or not.
To Deny a Shoony (5)
Prerequisites Shoony’s Curse. You damn those who reject your right to enter still. When rejected, choose one creature responsible. You gain a grudge against this creature until you decide to drop it or gain a new grudge. You gain a status bonus to damage rolls, intimidation checks and stealth checks against this creature equal to half the circumstance bonus.
Thrill of Adrenaline (5)
Prerequisites Expert in Intimidation. The slight fear you instil in others by nature raises their heartrate in a way that feels exciting. You can add a +2 circumstance bonus to Make an Impression and Request against creatures you have successfully Coerced in the past, though the activities gain the Fear trait (which creatures may gain benefits against). Creatures remain susceptible to this indefinitely once you’ve Coerced them, though the GM may remove the possibility if they feel wronged by you in a serious way.
Tough Tumbler (5)
Prerequisites Scamper Underfoot. Your movement ends only when you critically fail an Acrobatics check to Tumble Through an enemy’s space (or when you don’t have enough Speed to move all the way through its space). You still trigger reactions on a failure to Tumble Through, but you gain a +1 circumstance bonus to AC against attacks that you trigger in this way.
Loyal Empath (5)
Prerequisites Lost Puppy or Watchdog Shoony. You can use the Aid reaction to grant a bonus to another creature’s Will saving throw.
Leads to… Steadfast Ally (13).
Ghostly Hover (5)
Prerequisites Ghostly Shoony. Once per day. As an action, start levitating just off the ground for 5 minutes. Become immune to non-magical difficult terrain and ground-based hazards. Also gain access to arrest a fall while active.
Leads to… Ghostly Leaps (9).
Sickly Bite (5)
Prerequisites Rabid Shoony, Jaws attack. Creatures you bite must make a Fortitude saving throw against your Class or Spell DC (whichever is higher), or gain an affliction. If the creature is taking Bleed damage or is on less than half their max hit points, they gain a -2 circumstance bonus to the saving throw. After succeeding against this save or getting rid of the affliction after first getting it, a creature becomes immune to it for 24 hours.
Affliction: Rabidismalism Traits. Max duration 3 rounds. Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3
Rabid Sprint (5)
Prerequisites Rabid Shoony or Inescapable Shoony. 2 actions, requirement: both hands free. You run on all fours as fast as you can. Stride three times.
Ancestry Feats 9
Guardian’s Growl (9)
Prerequisites expert in Intimidation
Trigger You successfully Seek a hidden or undetected creature.
You give a throaty growl to attempt to Demoralize a creature you just found. You don’t take the –4 penalty for not sharing a language with the creature.
Special If you have the Creepy Smile ancestry feat, you may add its bonus to this check if applicable despite not being a visual intimidation.
Handy with your Mouth (9)
You can as an action prepare an item that you carry in your mouth. You can safely Release the item into a free hand again as a free action, or if the item is a consumable, you can consume it yourself as a free action without needing to hold it in a hand first. While the action keeps the Manipulate trait, you automatically succeeds the flat check from being grappled when you use this version. As long as you an item in your mouth your speech is noticeably difficult to understand, and you are unable use jaws attacks, do auditory actions that require you to speak like Demoralise, and to cast Spells without the subtle trait.
Greater Curse (9)
Prerequisites Shoony’s Curse. The curse’s circumstance bonus increases to +4.
Flights of Fancy (9)
Prerequisites Ghostly Hover. Unlimited use ‘Flight’ action but you have to end your turn on the ground, UNLESS you have ghostly hover active.
At Home with Death (9)
Prerequisites Already Dead. Gain the advanced undead benefits.
Skeletal Resistance (9)
Prerequisites Skulldog Shoony. Your body becomes resistant, your hardened bones deflecting weapons and other forms of damage. You gain resistance 2 to cold, electricity, fire, piercing, and slashing damage. This resistance increases to 3 at 13th level and 4 at 17th level.
Sodbuster (9)
Prerequisites Dig Quickly. You gain a burrow Speed of 10 feet through loose soil or dirt. This speed increases to 15 feet at level 11.
Poison Mouth (9)
Prerequisites Rabid Shoony. Gain the bonus from Rabid Shoony also against all Poisons, and Poison resistance equal to half your level. Special If you have a jaws unarmed attack you can apply poisons up to your level to your jaws attack without being affected in any harmful way, though you can still be poisoned by fully ingesting an ingested poison. The potential penalty to saving throws for the target from the Sickly Bite feat also apply.
Ancestry Feats 13
Return to Fog (13)
You have an easier time navigating fog. Gain a +4 circumstance bonus to Survival checks to navigate fog. In addition, the flat check DCs for you to target a creature Hidden by fog is 8 instead of 11, and for a creature Concealed by fog it is 3 instead of 5.
Eccentric Attraction (13)
Prerequisites Domesticated Shoony.
Tug of War (13)
Prerequisites Chompers. If you have a creature grappled with your Jaws, against them you gain a +1 circumstance bonus to maintain your grapple and a +2 circumstance bonus to Reposition. On success to reposition a creature you have grappled with your jaws you can move them 5 feet further, at the same time of which you may take a Step (as you pull them along).
Curse you All (13)
Prerequisites To Deny a Shoony. You can hold a grudge against 3 creatures. This increases to 5 at level 15.
Steadfast Ally (13)
Prerequisites Loyal Empath. You can use the Aid reaction to grant a bonus to another creature’s Will saving throw even when you haven’t prepared to help.
Phase Through (13)
Prerequisites Ghostly Shoony. You can phase your telekinetic hands through walls - potentially allowing you Interact with items on the other side. When you want to do so, declare a portion of wall you’re going through. The GM decides on a target for your spell which would be in the way, if there is one. Since you’re doing this blind - if there is a target, you may need to make a Perception or Crafting check to identify what you are touching.
Ancestry Feats 17
Strength of Eight Legions (17)
You meditate for 24 hours in a one-time ceremony within a forest or cave; after your seclusion, your frame and limbs swell with warlike might to enact your vows. You permanently gain the effects of enlarge, and your maximum Hit Points increase by your level. The ceremony transforms most of your gear to the appropriate size for your new body (though powerful items like artifacts or items strongly tied to their original size can’t transform, at the GM’s discretion).
The Cycle Continues (17)
Frequency once per day
Trigger You are reduced to 0 Hit Points and would gain the dying condition or would otherwise die.
You prevent yourself from dying and regain Hit Points equal to 6d8 plus half your level. If the cause of your death was a condition or effect that would still cause you to die after regaining Hit Points, such as a high value on the doomed condition, you suppress that effect for 1 minute.
Divine Declaration (17)
Once per day, you can cast divine decree as a 7th-rank divine innate spell.
See You in Hell (17)
Frequency once per day
Trigger You’re reduced to 0 Hit Points by a creature but not immediately killed.
A blast of spiritual energy lashes out from the depths of your soul, targeting the creature who attacked you. The creature takes spirit damage equal to the amount that reduced you to 0 Hit Points (basic Will save with a DC equal to your class DC or spell DC, whichever is higher).