Kellus
2011-07-16, 06:40 PM
Bennu
"I've lived countless lives before this and faced foes so mighty they make you look like a summer breeze. And I'd tell you all about those times, if I could just remember any of them."
Made for use with my campaign setting (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11427525), but still compared against normal 3.5.
The bennu are a bird-headed race of mortals connected to the ancient bennu bird, or phoenix. They're short-lived, but if they achieve what they know as purification during their lifetimes, they are reborn in fire when they die, and receive another lifetime. Thus every bennu seeks a way to prove himself through adventure and grand exploits. Purification of the soul requires great challenges and great sacrifice, and is not for the faint of heart.
Personality: The bennu is a tragic race, because the only way to make a new bennu is to undergo rebirth. Since not every bennu achieves purification in their lifetime, their numbers continually shrink and the race as a whole is endangered. Every bennu is born in fire without memories of their past lives, but when they become an adult they are traditionally presented with a collection of stories of their previous exploits for them to live up to. Benue are eager adventurers, because proving their worth and earning glory is the only way to ensure the continuation of the race.
Physical Description: Bennu look like humans with the head of a heron. They have a beak in place of a mouth and feathers often grow all over their bodies. Nobody's entirely sure if or how bennu actually reproduce, because as long as anyone can remember the only way there have even been new bennu has been when an old bennu bursts into flame. Bennu sometimes have vestigial wings, but they can't fly with them.
Relations: The bennu get along well with other races, but mostly because they avoid pointless conflict at all costs. Unlike virtually every other race the bennu cannot afford needless bloodshed, because there's a finite number of them. The bennu were mostly ignored by the rakshasa, and during their rule they fled the warzones for the fringes of the empire. Nobody really knows where the bennu first came from, but there are legends of them arriving in ships from across the ocean. Despite several attempts to seek out the ancestral homeland, no bennu have been able to find a trace of their origin. They are, however, accomplished sailors, as at home on the sea as they are on solid ground. In more recent times with the invention of iceships the bennu have taken to the vessels with a passion, and there are no better crewmen to be found.
Language: Bennu often have trouble pronouncing the sounds of words in the Common language, but they can make themselves understood well enough. They have their own language, Benn, which is much more suited to their physiology. Unfortunately, while other races can learn to understand it the language is almost impossible to speak without a beak to make the proper whistles and trills.
Adventurers: A strange dichotomy faces the bennu: in order to survive they need to seek out grand adventurer and purify their soul, but if a bennu dies before that point the race as a whole suffers. Bennu are brave, but never foolhardy, and rarely reckless. They will accept and even look for challenges to prove themselves, but they never leap before they look.
Racial Features
Humanoid
+2 Dex, -2 Con: A bennu is quick and agile in nature, but weak. They don't have as hardy a constitution as most races, which means they need to solve most problems by outthinking them instead of facing them straight on.
Medium: As Medium creatures, bennu have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Speed: Bennu have a base land speed of 30ft.
Gliding (Ex): Bennu can use their birdlike traits to their advantage, catching the wind with their vestigial wings. When they fall, they can choose to move 20ft. horizontally for every 5ft. they fall. A bennu takes damage from falls as if they were half their actual height.
Great Ally (Ex): Bennu work exceptionally well with their allies. When successfully aided on a skill check or attack roll by an ally, or when aiding another, a bennu applies or gains a +3 bonus on its check or attack roll (instead of the normal +2 bonus). Furthermore, a bennu gains a +4 bonus on attack rolls against an opponent flanked by an ally (instead of the normal +2 bonus).
Heart of Fire (Su): Being blessed with the heat of the phoenix, a bennu stays warm even in the coldest of environments. Bennu are immune to effects from cold temperatures.
Purification (Su): When a bennu achieves 10 HD they can undergo purification, which requires them to explode into flames. This is a full-round action that deals 100 fire damage to everything within 100ft. of the bennu, and can only be performed once (Reflex save DC 15 + the bennu's Constitution modifier for half damage). The bennu's health is fully restored, and any injuries they might have are removed. They can also select one of the following benefits to be reborn with
Ability Boost: The bennu can add +2 to one of their ability scores as an untyped permanent bonus.
Soul Flame (Su): The bennu's soul burns brighter than any fire. Mundane flames pale before his inner glow. The bennu gains immunity to fire damage.
Wings (Ex): The bennu's wings develop fully, allowing them the gift of flight. They gain a fly speed of 40ft. (average maneuverability).
Skills: A bennu has a +4 racial bonus on Climb and Use Rope checks thanks to them spending so much time on ships.
Automatic Language: Benn, Common
Bonus Languages: Any
Favoured Class: Corsair (Rogue for use in normal 3.5)
"I've lived countless lives before this and faced foes so mighty they make you look like a summer breeze. And I'd tell you all about those times, if I could just remember any of them."
Made for use with my campaign setting (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11427525), but still compared against normal 3.5.
The bennu are a bird-headed race of mortals connected to the ancient bennu bird, or phoenix. They're short-lived, but if they achieve what they know as purification during their lifetimes, they are reborn in fire when they die, and receive another lifetime. Thus every bennu seeks a way to prove himself through adventure and grand exploits. Purification of the soul requires great challenges and great sacrifice, and is not for the faint of heart.
Personality: The bennu is a tragic race, because the only way to make a new bennu is to undergo rebirth. Since not every bennu achieves purification in their lifetime, their numbers continually shrink and the race as a whole is endangered. Every bennu is born in fire without memories of their past lives, but when they become an adult they are traditionally presented with a collection of stories of their previous exploits for them to live up to. Benue are eager adventurers, because proving their worth and earning glory is the only way to ensure the continuation of the race.
Physical Description: Bennu look like humans with the head of a heron. They have a beak in place of a mouth and feathers often grow all over their bodies. Nobody's entirely sure if or how bennu actually reproduce, because as long as anyone can remember the only way there have even been new bennu has been when an old bennu bursts into flame. Bennu sometimes have vestigial wings, but they can't fly with them.
Relations: The bennu get along well with other races, but mostly because they avoid pointless conflict at all costs. Unlike virtually every other race the bennu cannot afford needless bloodshed, because there's a finite number of them. The bennu were mostly ignored by the rakshasa, and during their rule they fled the warzones for the fringes of the empire. Nobody really knows where the bennu first came from, but there are legends of them arriving in ships from across the ocean. Despite several attempts to seek out the ancestral homeland, no bennu have been able to find a trace of their origin. They are, however, accomplished sailors, as at home on the sea as they are on solid ground. In more recent times with the invention of iceships the bennu have taken to the vessels with a passion, and there are no better crewmen to be found.
Language: Bennu often have trouble pronouncing the sounds of words in the Common language, but they can make themselves understood well enough. They have their own language, Benn, which is much more suited to their physiology. Unfortunately, while other races can learn to understand it the language is almost impossible to speak without a beak to make the proper whistles and trills.
Adventurers: A strange dichotomy faces the bennu: in order to survive they need to seek out grand adventurer and purify their soul, but if a bennu dies before that point the race as a whole suffers. Bennu are brave, but never foolhardy, and rarely reckless. They will accept and even look for challenges to prove themselves, but they never leap before they look.
Racial Features
Humanoid
+2 Dex, -2 Con: A bennu is quick and agile in nature, but weak. They don't have as hardy a constitution as most races, which means they need to solve most problems by outthinking them instead of facing them straight on.
Medium: As Medium creatures, bennu have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Speed: Bennu have a base land speed of 30ft.
Gliding (Ex): Bennu can use their birdlike traits to their advantage, catching the wind with their vestigial wings. When they fall, they can choose to move 20ft. horizontally for every 5ft. they fall. A bennu takes damage from falls as if they were half their actual height.
Great Ally (Ex): Bennu work exceptionally well with their allies. When successfully aided on a skill check or attack roll by an ally, or when aiding another, a bennu applies or gains a +3 bonus on its check or attack roll (instead of the normal +2 bonus). Furthermore, a bennu gains a +4 bonus on attack rolls against an opponent flanked by an ally (instead of the normal +2 bonus).
Heart of Fire (Su): Being blessed with the heat of the phoenix, a bennu stays warm even in the coldest of environments. Bennu are immune to effects from cold temperatures.
Purification (Su): When a bennu achieves 10 HD they can undergo purification, which requires them to explode into flames. This is a full-round action that deals 100 fire damage to everything within 100ft. of the bennu, and can only be performed once (Reflex save DC 15 + the bennu's Constitution modifier for half damage). The bennu's health is fully restored, and any injuries they might have are removed. They can also select one of the following benefits to be reborn with
Ability Boost: The bennu can add +2 to one of their ability scores as an untyped permanent bonus.
Soul Flame (Su): The bennu's soul burns brighter than any fire. Mundane flames pale before his inner glow. The bennu gains immunity to fire damage.
Wings (Ex): The bennu's wings develop fully, allowing them the gift of flight. They gain a fly speed of 40ft. (average maneuverability).
Skills: A bennu has a +4 racial bonus on Climb and Use Rope checks thanks to them spending so much time on ships.
Automatic Language: Benn, Common
Bonus Languages: Any
Favoured Class: Corsair (Rogue for use in normal 3.5)