Wyrd of the Week: Broc

 Broc: An Animal Lineage for The Hero’s Journey, Second Edition

Badgers are curious creatures. In many tales they are portrayed as kindly or even polite to woodland travelers

who offer them courtesy and respect Yet other stories speak of a terrible ferocity that becomes all consuming

when thesee burrowing mammals are cornered or their cubs are threatened. Both are equally true and on rare

occasion a badger will find itself drawn to a strange visitor from beyond their forest home or in the company of

woodland dwellers like elves or even halflings. This gives rise to their natural curiosity and spurs them to

adventure, setting them apart from their kin. Known as Brocs, they travel alongside heroes and adventurers whom

they take up as a surrogate cete or clan. Rabidly defending their new family, they become surprisingly hardy allies

to the rare few who have been offered the friendship of a diminutive but tenacious Broc.

Table 1-1: Broc Attributes

Attribute	Dice Pool
Might	1d6+2
Finesse	1d6+12
Resolve	1d6+12
Insight	2d6+1
Bearing	2d6+1
Weal	2d6+6

Table 1-2: Broc Archetypes

Archetype	Level Limit
Bard	--
Burglar	3
Knight	--
Ranger	5
Swordsman	--
Warrior	4
Wayfarer*	3
Wizard	--
Yeoman	7

*See The Hero’s Companion, pg 23-26

Broc Lineage Abilities

Ferocious Nipper: Like other animal lineages, Brocs are incapable of wielding weapons in combat regardless of what is normally permitted to them by their archetype. In addition, they cannot wear armor or use shields. Fortunately, their thick fur provides them a natural Reduction Value of 1. When engaged in combat they are quite furious in spite of their small size, becoming more so if a battle lasts for an extended period. Badgers fight using a combination of their ferocious bite, which inflicts 1d6 damage or attacking with one of their clawed paw which inflict 1d4 points of damage. Because they cannot wield weapons, Brocs may spend any Myth Points they earn to add Aspects to their natural weapons.

Mad Badger: If a Broc dedicates themselves to battle, they become a whirling dervish of claws and fangs. On any round in which a Broc has made a successful melee attack with their bite attack or one of their two claw attacks then on the following round they make one additional attack with one of those three weapons. If they make two successful melee attacks on the second combat round, their fury grows and they can make three attacks on the third round of combat. These attacks must be made using their natural weapons and the same natural weapon cannot be used twice in a single combat round. This means a Broc can make a maximum of three melee attacks in a single combat round when so enraged: a single attack with their bite and one attack each with their claws. Once a Broc has achieved a state of rage where they are capable of making three attacks per combat round they remain able to do so until all of three melee attacks made in a single round miss. At this point, the process starts over again if a Broc remains in melee combat.

Sharp Claws, Sharp Senses: Brocs may use their claws to burrow through soil and other soft materials at the rate of excevating one five-foot cubic area after an hour of dedicated work. Their keen sense of smell and sharp hearing also means their normal chance to be surprised is a 1 on 1d12. They are also capable of seeing clearly in low light conditions, such as moonlight or starlight, but are still blind in complete or magical darkness.

Tiny and Agile: Because of their small size and natural agility, Brocs have a +5 bonus to their Defense. They have the same Movement as Humans and Elves. They may also climb trees and other natural surfaces, but may only do so when moving at Cautious Movement.

Tenacious Survivor: Brocs receive Advantage on all Saving Throws made to resist Grievous Wounds and heal one additional point of Endurance each day when recovering Endurance through natural means.

Languages: Brocs can understand the languages of humans, villar, and mammals that dwell in forested regions such as squirrels, bears, elk, and the like. Their speech is limited, however, and they cannot verbally communicate with humans or most other sentient species. Strangely enough, they are able to converse with the villar as well as other forest-dwelling mammals.

Brocs and Professions

Brocs do not normally have a profession (see page 13 of The Hero’s Journey, Second Edition) and almost all are Unskilled. If the Narrator wishes to allow Brocs to have a profession, then they should reference Table 1-3: Broc Professions. Regardless of their profession, Broc do not begin play with any equipment or gold.

Table 1-3: Bucca Professions

Roll (1d100)	Bucca Profession
Farmer	1-5
Forester	6-70
Gambler	71
Navigator	72-24
Unskilled	75-100

You can buy The Hero's Journey, Second Edition and all its supplements on DriveThruRPG.com! If you're looking for more Animal Heritages then check out the Rover, a loyal canine, in The Hero's Companion or our supplement dedicated entirely to playing furry and feathered friends, Of Beasts Brave and True!