Puk

Requirements: Minimum DEX 9
Ability modifiers: +1 DEX, –1 STR
Languages: Common, Low-Crypt Tongue or Root-Speak, the language of wolves

When a city dies the children survive. They do not survive unchanged. Puks are the babies and children left over from massacres, abandoned cities, or generally not taken care of, left to be cursed by fey creatures or unnatural elements of the world. These children grow down instead of up, into short, spindly, hairless humanoids, with oversized heads, sometimes with mere slits for noses and ears, mouths full of sharp pointy teeth, and black or reddish eyes that are visible even in the dark.

Left alone in their natural state, they communicate in hisses and yelps, and are barely above the level of animals. They wear rancid furs and random scraps of metal as armor, and wield whatever weapons they have been able to steal.

Though many Puks live underground, not all do so, especially those most likely to interact with humans and join adventuring parties. Puks can be somewhat surly and resentful when interacting with other beings, or even their own kin. These attitudes are only heightened by the fact that many Puks — though not all — are aligned with Chaos.

A mature Puk will occasionally extrude a tumor-like sac from its body, and attach it to a wall or tree. The sac will be heaped with ordure and dung, and grow in size as it absorbs this incubating material. After a few weeks, a full-grown Puk will emerge.

Combat

Armor must be tailored to Puks’ small size. Likewise, Puks can only use weapons appropriate to their stature (as determined by the referee). They cannot use longbows or two-handed swords.

Defensive Bonus

Due to their small size, Puks gain a +2 bonus to Armor Class when attacked by large opponents (greater than human-sized).

Detect Construction Tricks

Puks are fair miners and have a 2-in-6 chance of being able to detect new construction, sliding walls, or sloping passages when searching.

Infravision

Puks have infravision to 60’ (see Darkness under Hazards and Challenges in Old-School Essentials).

Resilience

Puks’ natural constitution and resistance to magic grants them a bonus to saving throws versus poison, spells, and magic wands, rods, and staves. This bonus depends on a Puk’s CON score, as follows:

Wolf Affinity

Puks live alongside wolves, including dire wolves. They can speak to these
animals and gain a +1 bonus to reaction rolls when encountering wolves. (See Encounters in Old-School Essentials.) If the result is 9 or greater, a wolf will consent to being ridden as a mount by the Puk.

Puk Rot

Puks have a tendency to naturally degrade things around them. Plants they touch wilt, milk they drink spoils, food they touch rots. If your party sleeps in an area around Puks without a watch, they're likely to wake up and find all their rations have maggots in them.