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The Demented One
2006-08-07, 07:52 PM
The Visquaera
The Visquaera are an ancient race of empathic beings. They are notable for the talent as actors and telepaths, and are unique for their utter psychological dependancy on masking their faces. Visquaerae almost constantly act, emulating almost any character imaginable, and changing characters as a man might change his clothes.

Personality
Often times, the apparent personality of a Visquaera is just an act. This is no deception on there part–taking on the emotions of others is a deeply rooted part of the Visquaera psyche. In the rare, unguarded moments when a Visquaera is not putting on an emotional act, they are revealed to be a meek, sensitive folk.

Physical Description
Visquaerae are slightly shorter than humans, generally standing about four to five and a half feet tall. Their limbs, however, are about half a foot to a foot longer than those of a man. Visquaerae have a notably pale skin, and are completely hairless. The face of a Visquaera is almost always covered by a mask, but, when unmasked, the face of a Visquaera is to revealed to be a smooth, almost featureless thing. They have small, bright eyes, a short and thin mouth, and mere slits in place of nostrils and ears.

Relations
Visquaerae can insinuate themselves into almost any culture due to their natural empathy, and thus consider all races their friends and allies. Though most return their friendship, elves tend to distrust them, believing that they hide something grim and dire behind their masks.

Alignment
Personal freedom and self expression are vital parts of a Visquaera’s life. Most Visquaerae, therefore, are chaotic. They have no tendencies towards good and evil. However, Visquaerae will often act in ways seemingly contrary to their alignment as part of whatever character they may be acting out at the time, though they are careful to never actually violate whatever tenets they hold.

Visquaera Lands
The ancient Visquaera race lived on great, sweeping plains, marking their territory with standing stones centered around an amphitheater. The amphitheater served them as royal palace, church, community home, and public theater. While most Visquaerae have been integrated into other cultures, and thus hold no lands of their own, some still dwell in the ancient theater-cities of their forefathers.

Visquaera Religion
The Visquaerae are not a particularly religious people, though they sometimes portray those who are. Most of those Visquaera who do find a religious calling worship a god they call the Liedhirn, a being thought to be the patron of actors, empaths, and all who take on the thoughts and emotions of others. Liedhirn is Chaotic Neutral, and offers the domains of Chaos, Mind, and Trickery.

Visquaera Language
Visquaerae speak a complex language that uses makes heavy use of allusion, metaphor, and poetry in every day usage. Their language is based partly on their natural talent to sense the motives of others, making it hard for non-Visquaerae to learn. A non-Visquaera must have at least 2 ranks in Sense Motive to learn the Visquaera tongue.

Visquaera Names
All Visquaerae have a single name, given to them at birth by their parents. However, they pick up nicknames, titles, and pseudonyms as a small child might pick up interesting stones, leaving them with a dearth of appellations to be called by. In addition, many Visquaerae adapt the name of whatever character they are currently portraying as a temporary surname of sorts.

Visquaera Names (Both Genders)
Avonyelion, Ashka, Kavaru, Lonsaenyus, Misyaerei, Rheay, Risakae, Saelei, Sheinsi, Tavris, Yehirn

Adventurers
Most Visquaera adventurers venture out into the world as part of a complicated act, becoming a hero to better portray the role of a hero. Others quest to seek out new cultures and learn their stories, adding to the number of characters they portray. Some, meanwhile, simply grow bored, and venture out on a flighty whim.

Visquaera
* +2 Charisma, -2 Intelligence. Visquaerae have great force of will, but lack any great capacity for reason.
* Medium: As Medium creatures, Visquaerae have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
* Visquaera base land speed is 30 feet.
* Psi-like abilities: Once per day, a Visquaera with a Charisma of 11 or higher may use empathy as a psi-like ability, manifester level 1st.
* The DC of any Telepathy power a Visquaera manifests is increased by 1.
* Mask Dependant: A Visquaera bereft of its mask loses its racial Charisma bonus and is shaken until it dons another mask.
* Thought Acting: A Visquaera may make a Perform (Acting) check in place of a Perform (Thoughtsong) checks.
* +2 racial bonus on Perform (Acting) and Sense Motive checks.
* Automatic Languages: Common and Visquaera. Bonus Languages: Any except secret languages
* Favored Class: Thoughtsinger (http://pdftohtml.markoer.org/pdf2html.php?url=http://www.bossythecow.com/TheThoughtsinger.pdf)*. A multiclass Visquaera’s Thoughtsinger class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing

* This is a homebrew class made by Keith Baker. It’s in a pdf format, just so you know.

Feats
Art Above All Things [Racial]
Your mastery of your craft allows you to triumph over the distractions of the mundane world.
Requirements: Visquaera, Perform (Acting) 4 ranks
Benefit: You may make a Perform (Acting) check in place of a Autohypnosis or Concentration check.

Empathetic Manipulation [Racial]
Your keen social insights allow you to influence others.
Requirements: Visquaera, Sense Motive 4 ranks
Benefit: You may make a Sense Motive check in place of a Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate check.

Improved Empathy [Psionic, Racial]
Your empathic talents are much greater than those of most of your kin.
Requirements: Visaquaera, Manifester level 6th
Benefit: You may use your empathy psi-like ability at will. In addition, the manifester level of it becomes equal to your class manifester level.

Lesser Mask Dependancy [Racial]
Your dependancy on masking yourself can be suppressed with great willpower.
Requirements: Visquaera, Base Will save +5
Benefit: Each round that you are unmasked, you may attempt a DC 25 Will save. If you succeed, you do not suffer the normal penalties of being unmasked that round.

Items

Torque of Astral Masking
This Torque is a crystal band with five miniature masks set in it. As a swift action, you may take one of the masks from the torque and shatter it. Doing so wraps your face in a mask of ectoplasm. The mask only lasts for five rounds, after which it fades away. Once all five of the masks have been used this way, the torque becomes useless.

Faint Metacreativity, ML 5th. Craft Universal Item, concealing amorpha. Cost 1,000 gp + 80 xp. Price 2,000 gp.

Crystal Mask of Mental Melodies
The wearer of this crystal mask gains a +5 competence bonus on Sense Motive and Perform (Acting) checks. In addition, if he is a thoughtsinger, his thoughtsinger level is treated as being five higher for determining the effects of his inspire courage, fascinate, and inspire heroics thoughtsong abilities.

Faint Telepathy, ML 5th. Craft Universal Item, mass missive, creator must have the thoughtsong class feature. Cost 8,000 gp + 640 xp. Price 16,000 gp.

KaroLunel
2006-08-07, 08:33 PM
Neat! ;D
I always thought an acting race would be neat, and combined with psionics, it's just a really idea. :)

martyboy74
2006-08-07, 08:47 PM
I sense a wilder...with a DC 17 will save for mind thrusts at 1st level.

Fax Celestis
2006-08-07, 08:57 PM
I sense a wilder...with a DC 17 will save for mind thrusts at 1st level.
That, my friend, is what they call "pwnage".

The Demented One
2006-08-07, 09:41 PM
I sense a wilder...with a DC 17 will save for mind thrusts at 1st level.
Any worse than a Gnome Illusionist 1 with a DC 17 Color Spray?

martyboy74
2006-08-08, 11:18 AM
Any worse than a Gnome Illusionist 1 with a DC 17 Color Spray?
Nope, not really. CDGing beats 1d10 points of damage any day.