Shoony

Diminutive humanoids who resemble squat, bipedal dogs, shoonies are sometimes mistaken for weak and insular pacifists. However, their sheer perseverance, incredible work ethic, and resourceful use of diplomacy make shoonies far from helpless.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Shoonies are squat, furry humanoids with flattened canid faces and wet, black eyes. Their fur can be a variety of hues and patterns, with the most common colors being fawn or black, and their loose skin gives even the fittest shoony a pudgy appearance. Shoonies have short, curly tails that sometimes wag involuntarily when the shoony is content or particularly excited or pleased. Like canines, shoonies cannot sweat; they pant to mitigate heat and exertion, and it is not uncommon to see a shoony with a perpetually lolling tongue.
A shoony reaches maturity after just 8 to 10 years, and the elders of their villages rarely reach the age of 50. Little differentiates male and female shoonies except during the late stages of pregnancy, and as they age, both sexes develop graying facial fur, wrinkled skin, and frail joints. The average shoony is 3-1/2 feet tall and weighs 100 pounds.

Behaviour

Most shoony societies encourage empathy and loyalty, so they’re rarely evil, but they’re also practical, traditional, and timid. Most shoony adventurers are neutral good or lawful good.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Despite the shoony drive toward communal living, most shoony settlements are farming villages with populations of no more than a hundred. Shoonies work hard to make their lands bountiful and recognize that large, dense populations can negatively affect the ecosystem. Monster attacks, natural disasters, and exploitation from stronger cultures have all also limited the spread of shoonies across the Inner Sea region.
Despite their short lifespans, shoonies are happy-go-lucky people with an irrepressible love for the land and their fellow shoonies, and remain optimistic even under the worst circumstances. The simple pleasures of living on this beautiful world, engaging in hard work, and surrounding themselves with loved ones motivate shoonies to push through the hardships that all too often befall their people.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

You can see in dim light as though it were bright light, so you ignore the concealed condition due to dim light.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

With their strong family values and emphasis on found friends, it’s no wonder that shoonies take particular pride in naming their children after other loved ones. Shoony names are short, guttural, and often sound like loose strings of unassociated vowels and soft consonants to people of other ancestries. Shoonies value names and take great care to learn and speak the correct pronunciations of their friends’ names.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Common Shoony

Lifespan

50 Years

Average Height

3½ ft

Average Weight

100 lbs