Fachan (Savage Coast)

This unusual creature looks grotesque even compared to other ogres. Its vaguely humanoid body possesses only one leg, one arm, and one eye. The leg attaches to a special joint in the center of its pelvis, and the arm hangs from a socket set in the middle of the creature's chest. The fachan's eye is centered in its face like that of a cyclops.

A fachan has dull gray skin, wiry black hair on its head, and no body hair. Its eye is purple with a white pupil, like an ogre's, and they tend to possess very large ears. A fachan's heavily muscled body is actually quite agile. They move about with a short hopping run, sometimes making leaps as great as 10 feet in distance and clearing over 6 feet in height.

Fachans have a lifespan of approximately 90 years. They usually speak the languages of local ogres, trolls, and orcs.

Combat: In combat, fachans use clubs or morning stars as weapons, though some have discovered the usefulness of axes or swords. Because they have only one hand, fachans cannot use missile weapons or polearms, but they can wield a two-handed weapon (up to bastard sword size) and still deliver the full two-handed damage. In addition, fachans have a +4 damage bonus when striking with any hand-held weapon.

If unarmed, a fachan may kick or stomp any creatures less than 6 feet tall, doing 2d6 points of damage on each successful hit. Fachans can also hurl rocks weighing up to 40 pounds apiece to a maximum range of 60 yards, each causing 2d4+2 points of damage with a successful hit. However, the fachan's body structure and lack of depth perception (because of the single eye) gives the creature a -2 penalty to hit when throwing rocks (cumulative with the normal -2 medium range and -5 long range penalties).

Though fachans are considered giant class, rangers only gain one half the normal damage bonus because of the fachan's strange body arrangement. Fachans are very alert and are surprised only on a roll of 1.

Habitat/Society: One out of every 400 ogre births produces a fachan, which may stay with the tribe but usually seeks out its own kind. Fachans prey on any creature other than ogres, showing marked preference for the flesh of humans and demihumans. Fachans are also prone to exceptionally cruel behavior, directing it at anyone nearby. Only orcs and ogres make any attempt to get along with the creatures. Ogres try only because of the thin bonds of kinship between them; orcs bribe fachans to work as scouts and guards because of their great strength and exceptional hearing. Fachans can detect the sound of an approaching horseman from up to 5 miles away. Fachans also have a 10% chance of possessing a legacy leech.

Ecology: Alchemists and wizards have found that the hearing organs of a fachan may be made into a potion of clairaudience. Also, the hide of a fachan's hand can be made into a single gauntlet of fachan power for either the left or right hand depending on the fachan (50% chance either way). This gauntlet bestows 18/00 strength to the wearer's arm, hand, and shoulder for purposes of grip and damage bonuses.