Half Cooked Race: The Cragborn

Next week I'm going to be running a world building game (likely Dawn of Worlds) that I've been tweeting, G+ing, chatting, and basically doing everything but blogging about.  The original stated goal had been to sit down and create a whole new fantasy world right then when we get together.  Unfortunately, just knowing that this was coming up got some creative juices flowing and (gamers being gamers) I've had a couple of discussions with people in the game and (worst of all) I've already come up with a race that I intend to put into the game.  Hopefully history and other players will leave their mark on the beasts as well, but this should serve as a kind of proto-race going in.

In an effort to bring about a world that has bits of fun and whimsy in it, I've created the cragborn.  The name is pending on that because I kind of hate it, but haven't come up with anything better yet.  This race will likely be the tribal-not-fully-understood hairy things off away from civilization that everybody is somewhat concerned will take over the world.  However, instead of the world having something to hold them back, their own ineptitude is enough to prevent a hostile takeover.  You see, these monstrous furry beasts make all of their buildings, armor, and weapons out of ice.

Physical Description

Demonstration that I am not an artist.

The cragborn are great, furred creatures with broad snouts and thick fur.  Their size and heft are impressive and they have arms large and heavy enough that they are almost constantly hunched forward.  Much of the time cragborn use their arms to walk on all fours as a gorilla might, but they are capable of standing on their rear feet and do in combat.  They have long floppy ears that warriors will frequently pierce multiple times to hang with charms or trophies.

Cragborn dress primarily in loose fitting robes or dresses that leave their arms bare.  In general these garments are simple furs either kept naturally colored or dyed to more accurately mirror the arctic environment they live in.  Almost all cragborn wear masks of hardened ice even if they wear no other armor.  When they do wear armor they favor icicle designs oftentimes with very sharp edges.  In general they only wear backplates, masks, and arm guards as their hunched posture provides some protection on it's own.

Society

The cragborn live in small tribes that are generally self sufficient.  Warfare between the tribes is not unusual, but owing to their taste in weaponry and thick ice-proof hides the battles tend to not actually lead to much beyond destruction of property and release on anger.  Cragborn family units are generally composed of a mated pair and whichever pups they have that are not yet old enough to survive in the communal nurseries that older cragborn tend to.  There is little differentiation in social role based on gender.  Age, on the other hand, is taken very seriously with the eldest cragborn generally leading tribes.

Perhaps the cragborn's oddest and most well known ritual is The Taking.  The civilized world has not yet managed to determine exactly how the cragborn determine when The Taking will happen, but it appears to take hold of the entire race simultaneously.  The Taking has happened as early as six months after the previous one and as late as five years later.  For a week the cragborn will all suddenly return to their homes and the icy plains on which they live will seem to be free of life.  Then as a single force, they leave their arctic homes ready for war.  This giant force throws itself at the closest convenient city, crushing all in it's path right up to the point that their weapons and armor melt.  Now unarmed, the cragborn beat a hasty retreat to their homes, mourn their slain, and then move on as though their assault never happened.

Racial Traits
Although cragborn aren't terribly well suited for a PC race they do make a good challenge on their land and a short-lived threat outside of it.  This race was created using Eclipse: The Codex Persona and was haphazardly balanced for Pathfinder.  To play this race in 3.5, simply remove the +2 Con and hope for the best.

• Ability Scores: +2 Strength, -2 Intelligence, +2 Constitution
• Cragborn are strong and hearty, but they aren't exceptionally bright.
• Size: Cragborn are medium creatures and receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Base Speed: Cragborn have a base speed of 30 feet.
• Cragborn Immunity: Cragborn are immune to the first 5 points of ice damage from any source.
• Arctic Travel: Cragborn can pass over icy terrain without penalty.
• Scent: Cragborn have a strong sense of smell.
• Crag Climbing: Cragborn receive a +2 bonus to climbing.
• Intimidating: Cragborn receive a +1 to intimidate.
• Stealth (Snow): Cragborn receive a +1 to stealth, but only while in snow or ice.
• Augment Attack: Cragborn are able to do an addition 1d6 ice damage when using an ice weapon.  At DM's discretion this may apply to weapons enchanted to do ice damage in addition to weapons that are actually physically made of ice.
• Languages: Cragborn speak their own language of growls and howls, though cragborn can learn Common and other setting-applicable languages with high intelligence.

 I'm having some very serious doubts about cragborn being a feasible PC race (in part because The Taking could get very strange), but I like how it fits in general besides that.  Please let me know any thoughts you may have!  Especially names!