Crys, The Growing Crystals (Pathfinder Race and Feats)

[LordErebus12]

Crys:

http://i.imgur.com/Ez6xN.jpg

A race of Humanoid Earth Elementals who are native to the deepest reaches of the material plane, the lowest sections of the Underdark, etc. They have often broke through the ocean floor from time to time with beautiful spired cities that are entirely encased in crystal.

Physical Description: Crys were once humans who had been fused with living crystal. Their bodies appear to made of ice or white crystal crafted to match their normal human anatomy with a few exceptions. they appear human with male and female attributes exaggerated. Females are slim, slender and very graceful; while males are strong and sturdy.

They have learned that consuming different types of powdered minerals can cause their body's crystals to change slightly, eating one type of gemstone can cause a dramatic shift in crystal color and growth shape over time. The most common color for their skin is an icy blue.

Hair colors vary as well, with many colors not found in normal humanoid color tones. Hair is soft and supple, not crystalline and immobile; a lot more coarse than normal hair, however.

Many Individuals who have gained the ability to control the living crystal in their body, use the ability to grow their crystal in the desired part of of the body for both a source of income and for decoration.

Society: The crystal towns and cities of Crys are commonly peaceful places with no crime. its said their enforcers of the law can literally look into people’s minds to determine their guilt or innocence, so crime has been thoroughly abolished.

The Crys have very strict law and any crime cannot be hidden from the Crys and their ability to read minds. While the laws may be near impossible to fight, most people agree they are just and properly enforced, the ones who do not agree usually go into exile. With the ability to read each other’s minds corruption is near impossible, unless all of the Crys in the area are also corrupt.

Relations: Their human appearance means a Crys can blend into societies with little trouble. Crys have an air of superiority and power that most people can pick up on that makes them feared or respected by people of other races; however, fear is more common than respect. People who appreciate the law and abilities of the Crys tend to enjoy time among them while people who deal in crime tend to avoid them at all costs.

Alignment and Religion: The law among the Crys tends to make evil acts an impossibility, Crys that use their powers for evil are constantly on the run from their own kind. Most Crys are either good, lawful, or neutral, being evil or chaotic tends to be more trouble than it is worth. There is no established religion among the Crys; people may follow any god or gods they wish assuming it doesn't consistently come to trouble with their society.

Adventures: A Crys may find the life of an adventurer as exciting ways to better themselves and their people. Running into a Crys on the surface, wandering some road so far from their homes is rare, but not impossible. They have been known to reach the surface from time to time.

Life: Crys grow like a human up to age 20, at that point they are considered adults and stop ageing, they do not suffer the negative effects of ageing until they decide their time among the living is complete, usually around 100 years.

Death:This final stage of life is referred to as Returning to the Crystal, at which point they become inanimate and begin to grow in size, crystals growing randomly from every surface until they no longer resemble anything remotely humanoid in shape. This is often with their significant other if they are both Crys. While there is no law limiting the age of people it is looked down on to choose to outlive your family in such a way.

Height / Weight: Crys have a Sexual Dimorphism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_dimorphism)throughout the entire species. The average Male Crys is between 6 and 7 feet tall and weigh significantly more, between 200 and 300 lbs. The average Female is between 5 and 6 feet tall and weighs roughly half, between 100 and 150 lbs.

Crys Racial Features:
+2 wisdom, +2 constitution: A Crys mind is strong and ordered, while their bodies are tough and resilient. Additionally, males gain +2 Strength and -2 Dexterity; females gain -2 Strength and +2 Dexterity. Males are stronger but slower than the weaker, lithe females.

Medium Humanoids: Crys have no bonuses or penalties due to size.

Normal speed: Crys have a base speed of 30 ft.

Darkvision: 60 ft.

Sonic Vulnerability: Any sonic damage dealt to the Crys increases by 50% and any saves made against sonic effects are made at a -2 penalty. Also, there is a 10% chance that the Crys becomes deafened for 1 minute by any sonic effect.

Crystal Body: Crys gains 5 resistance acid, DR/5 vs nonlethal and +2 natural armor. Crys has both the earth and elemental subtypes and gain the following abilities from these subtypes.

Immunity to paralysis, poison and stunning

Crys are not subject to critical hits, flanking and do not take additional damage from precision-based attacks, such as sneak attack.

Elementals do not breathe or sleep but do require food (See Crystallization Feeding for details).
Crystallization Feeding: a Crys does not need to eat or drink, instead they must eat 10 pounds of soft material like food, soil, plants, or cloth per day or suffer starvation, and this has no real effect on his body weight besides the increase of weight associated with healing.

Each pound of food eaten heals the crys as if it had fast healing 5 for 1d4 rounds, to a maximum of 1 use / level per day. A Crys's current weight decreases when he takes damage and increases when he heals or consumes a least a pound of food. The Crys's weight increases/decreases by his hp total.

Toughness: Crys gain toughness as a bonus feat.

Like A Rock: Crys are not buoyant in water and sink because of being made of solid crystal. They have a -8 racial penalty to athletic checks made to swim.

Spell like abilities:
Mindlink - at will
Read Thoughts - 2/day

Languages: Crys speak Terran. Bonus Languages include Aquan, Common, Dwarven and Undercommon.

CR +1



Special Thanks goes to Rentaromon, who came up with the concept and most of the design work.

i figured id alter it up a bit for a change as i really liked it. Maybe it'll breathe more life into the race with some changes, and figured it would work well with the Colossi Class.

[LordErebus12]

Reflective Skin: The Crys skin is cut with finer angles and edges that turn aside glancing projectiles at the cost of the amount of healing gained from consuming material, the bodies healing less with each use. The Crys gains a +2 deflection bonus to AC versus ranged attacks.

However, when consuming material to repair their body, they only heal as if they had fast healing 3 for 1d3 rounds. This ability is only usable 1/ two levels per day when functioning as such. The Crys’ replaces the standard Crystalline Feeding in exchange for this alternate racial ability.

Hollowed Crystal: The Crys body is noticeably hollower; the body can take in water or air to alter the buoyancy while in water, no longer sinking because of being made of solid crystal. They have a -4 racial penalty to athletic checks made to swim when filled with water or a -2 racial penalty to athletic checks made to swim while filled with air.

The Crys can breathe in an inhaled poison and store it for later, able to breathe it upon a target with a melee touch attack. The Crys’ replaces the Like A Rock and Toughness abilities in exchange for this alternate racial ability.

Alternate Spell-like Abilities:
Hypnotism - At Will
Fascinate - 2 / Day

[LordErebus12]

Alter Crystals
Crys have learned that consuming different types of powdered minerals can cause their body's crystals to change slightly, altering the color of their skin to a similar shade for several hours. Adapted, they learned to ingest large amounts of valuable gemstones to gain a permanent color change.

Prerequisites : Constitution 14+, Consume a minimum of 500 gp of a certain type and color of gemstones per day, for a week.

Benefit: Eating one type of gemstone exclusively for a week can cause a dramatic and permanent shift in Crys body color, hair color and growth shape of any crystal growths upon the Crys over the following month. Consuming rare materials such as diamond have occurred but it is strongly discouraged for safety reasons but any type of gemstone can be grown in this way.

{table=head]{colsp=3}Table: Gemstone Effects
Skin Color| Gemstone Type | Growth Rate
White |Diamond |Slowest (1d4 weeks per 150+1d% gp)
Black |Onyx or Obsidian |Slow (1d4 weeks per 250+3d8 gp)
Purple |Amethyst |Medium (1d4 weeks per 350+6d6 gp)
Green |Emerald |Medium (1d4 weeks per 350+6d6 gp)
Yellow | Topaz |Fast (1d4 weeks per 500+5d10 gp)
Red |Ruby |Medium (1d4 weeks per 350+6d6 gp)
Light Blue |Sapphire |Medium (1d4 weeks per 350+6d6 gp)
Dark Blue |Azurite |Fast (1d4 weeks per 500+5d10 gp)
[/Table]



Crystal Growth
Crys have learned that with concentrative efforts, they can alter their bodies in a more dramatic way. This ability allows the growth of weapons and armor from the body of the Crys.

Prerequisites : Constitution 16+, Consume a minimum of 1000 gp of a certain type and color of gemstones per day, for a week.

Benefit: Eating this much of one type of gemstone exclusively for a week can cause a the growth to double in value after growth.

The ability also allows a Crys to grow shards of crystal from their body to serve as weapons or armor. This means that a Crys is nearly impossible to truly disarm. With practice the Crys is able to make any melee weapon he wishes by reforming his body.

This process takes its toll on his body though; each piece of armor or weapon he makes damages his health by a certain amount, with two handed dealing twice what a single handed weapon would. This damage cannot be healed in any way and does not heal naturally until the shaped item is either absorbed back into the body or removed from the body (by a successful sunder attempt for example). These are restored when absorbed or healed as normal if sundered or torn off.

{table=head]{colsp=2}Table: Crystal Gear
Weapon/Armor Type| HP Drain*

Simple Weapons | 2
Light Armor | 2
Buckler | 2
Light Shields | 2
Martial Weapons | 4
Medium Armor | 4
Heavy Shields | 4
Heavy Armor | 6
Tower Shields | 6
Exotic Weapons / Armor | 10
[/Table]

*: The costs given are for a One handed weapon; two handed weapons cost double to listed cost, with the exception of exotic two handed weapons (they cost 15 hp drain rather than 20).

These weapons and armor are considered natural weapons as well as manufactured weapons for purposes of spells and effects that enhance or improve either manufactured weapons or natural weapons (such as the magic fang and magic weapon spells). The Crys is automatically considered proficient with any weapons or armor he shapes.

If the crys chooses to enchant a crystal weapon or armor, whenever he shapes that type of item, it always is formed with the magical effect intact.

Lets use long sword for example; If he creates a crystal +1 long sword then adds flaming, whenever he shapes a long sword, it will have that quality and enhancement bonus. In turn, if he decides to then craft a short sword from that available crystal long sword, it will not maintain the flaming ability or enhancement bonus, despite the same crystal being used for both swords.

If a magical crystal weapon is sundered and destroyed, there is a 20% chance that the magical effect cannot be saved, the chosen armor or weapon loses the magical effect as if it was a different weapon/armor entirely.

Armor shaped has the same armor bonus, max dexterity modifier and speed reduction as a normal suit of the same type but spell failure chance and check penalty are reduced by 20% and -5 respectively. Weapons deal the same damage and maintain the same critical chance as their manufactured counterparts.

All shaped weapons grow from the crys's arms and remain attached to their body making them impossible to be removed by disarm attempts though a successful opposed strength check or sunder attempt can snap them off. Two handed weapons remain attached to only one hand though they must be held in both to be used effectively in combat. Double weapons are treated as two separate weapons when applying magical effects.

Any item shaped can be reabsorbed back into the Crys’s body, restoring his health by whatever the cost to shape the item was. The Crys must be in contact with the item for the entire time it takes to absorb it.

Both shaping an item and absorbing one is a full round action that provokes attacks of opportunity and can be interrupted, though no hit points are lost from the shaping. A successful concentration check allows the Crys to continue the process.

All items created this way are made of crystal with a hardness of 8 + 1/4 a point per level. All crystal has 10 hit points + number of HP drain sacrificed in the making, per inch of thickness.

You cannot use this ability if the item you are shaping would drop you below 1 hit point. Shaping armor while wearing a manufactured suit of armor causes the non-shaped armor to tear and fall off, rendering it useless until repaired. The same does not hold true for other clothing (DMs discretion) as the armor can form over top of or around it.

This ability can be used three times per day. This feat can be taken multiple times, each time increasing the number of uses this ability can do per day by two uses.

[Merchant]

I was wondering if your feats will have anything to do with eating gems and the changes to their bodies.

I like this race. I hope to see very flavorful racial feats.

[LordErebus12]

added two racial feats as requested.

[Deviston]

Why... is it obviously less beneficial to play a male than a female? Despite the obvious HP benefit of toughness, the female heals less from consuming stuff. Do women suffer from some sort of degrading disease or something?

Also...

+2 wisdom, +2 constitution, -2 Charisma: A crys mind is strong and ordered, while their bodies are tough and resilient. They do however, seem to lack in relating to other humanoids.

Medium: Crys have no bonuses or penalties due to size.

Normal speed: Crys have a base speed of 30 ft.

Darkvision: 60 ft.

Crystal Body: Crys gains acid resistance 5, DR 10/- vs nonlethal and take and extra 5 damage from any source of sonic damage and may never gain sonic resistance or immunity.

Crys do not breathe, sleep, or eat but can use earthy "food" to heal (See Crystallization Feeding for details).

Crystallization Feeding: A Crys does not need to eat or drink, instead they can consume 10 pounds of earthy material to heal (stone, dirt, gems etc.).

Each pound of food eaten (done as a full round action that provokes an Attack of Opportunity) heals 1 hp, to a maximum of 10; when a total of 10 pounds are consumed they heal an additional 2 hit points per level. A Crys maximum weight, however, does increase by his hp total and decreases when he takes damage and increases when he heals or consumes a least a pound of food.

Bonus Feat: Crys gains Toughness as a bonus feat.

Stony Weight: Crys are not buoyant in water and sink because of being made of solid crystal. They have a -8 racial penalty to athletic checks made to swim.

Languages: Crys speak Terran. Bonus Languages include Aquan, Common, Dwarven and Undercommon.

...IMO.

[LordErebus12]

Why... is it obviously less beneficial to play a male than a female? Despite the obvious HP benefit of toughness, the female heals less from consuming stuff. Do women suffer from some sort of degrading disease or something?



I think gender dwarfism is common enough in our world's creatures that it could be possible in a magical setting. the males heal more, are stronger and have a bit more hp, while females heal less, are faster and are more agile. fair in my book. No disease, we are just talking a lighter frame. I dont think either of them are too off balance because of that; males might be better monks, while females might prefer a cleric. but the swapping of a +2/-2 on Str/Dex isnt too much.

[Deviston]

Hmmm.... I can't seem to think of a single instance of gender dwarfism in 3.0/3.5/3.P to use as a precedent. Not to mention the fact that how is it that every single male is automatically better at healing than every single female? I wonder how the 5 foot 120 pound male would heal better than the 7 foot 230 pound female. I don't know... it just seem far far too much of a step away from traditional rules.

[LordErebus12]

Hmmm.... I can't seem to think of a single instance of gender dwarfism in 3.0/3.5/3.P to use as a precedent. Not to mention the fact that how is it that every single male is automatically better at healing than every single female? I wonder how the 5 foot 120 pound male would heal better than the 7 foot 230 pound female. I don't know... it just seem far far too much of a step away from traditional rules.

you got it backwards.
the females are half the size of males (not size class wise, but thickness and weight). Females are half the weight of males. Also, yeah, no gender dwarfism in D&D or pathfinder. but in real species alive today (like ferrets, for instance) have the female gender noticeably smaller in compared to the larger males.

p.s. I meant to use the actual term for it. Sexual dimorphism is a trait found in birds, rodents, even mammals. most times is simply ornamentation, with bright colors on male birds, the manes of male lions, increased size in male ferrets, etc.

[Deviston]

I wasn't speaking about the average of the races, I was speaking about two specific instances. Unless you hard code their weight, height and what not then there are variables. And in the case of Mr. Scrawny vs Miss Beefmaster, how is it that still, he heals better than her. And this isn't RL, this is D&D. In species alive today we also don't have magic and elemental powers. I'm just saying, it's much a better choice to stick to the normalcies of the standard than to deviate oh so extremely like making gender variances.

[LordErebus12]

I wasn't speaking about the average of the races, I was speaking about two specific instances. Unless you hard code their weight, height and what not then there are variables. And in the case of Mr. Scrawny vs Miss Beefmaster, how is it that still, he heals better than her. And this isn't RL, this is D&D. In species alive today we also don't have magic and elemental powers. I'm just saying, it's much a better choice to stick to the normalcies of the standard than to deviate oh so extremely like making gender variances.

i sort of did, the range limits do not overlap so you wont get a larger female in comparison to the smallest male.

Females
5-6 ft.
100-150 lbs.

Males
6-7 ft.
200-300 lbs.

[Deviston]

Do what you will.

::unsibscribed::

[LordErebus12]

so you'd rather see this

Crystallization Feeding: a Crys does not need to eat or drink, instead they must eat 10 pounds of soft material like food, soil, plants, or cloth per day or suffer starvation, and this has no real effect on his body weight besides the increase of weight associated with healing.

Each pound of food eaten heals 1 hp, to a maximum of 10 + 2 / level per day. A Crys maximum weight, however, does increase by his hp total and decreases when he takes damage and increases when he heals or consumes a least a pound of food.

[LordErebus12]

Do what you will.

::unsibscribed::

really? im just brainstorming, by the Nine... was all that necessary?

[LordErebus12]

Crystallization Feeding has been changed.

[Sypher667]

Mind if I ask what crystalization feeding was pre-change? I kinda like the race, and I for one like the sexual differences. It makes it feel like I have 2 different races to choose from, which I like. I may not play pathfinder, but I do know it converts pretty easily back to 3.5 (usually).

[LordErebus12]

Mind if I ask what crystalization feeding was pre-change? I kinda like the race, and I for one like the sexual differences. It makes it feel like I have 2 different races to choose from, which I like. I may not play pathfinder, but I do know it converts pretty easily back to 3.5 (usually).

Crystallization Feeding: a crystalline does not need to eat or drink, instead they must eat 10 pounds (5 pounds for females) of soft material like food, soil, plants, or cloth per day or suffer starvation, and this has no effect on his body weight. Each pound of food eaten heals 1hp, to a maximum of 2/level per day. A crystalline maximum weight increases by his hp total and decreases when he takes damage.

as per the original creator. i thought it was fair, but it appears to be a bit unnecessary. i agreed with it but for balance sake, i made them both heal and recover at the same rate.

i had granted a maximum of 10 +2/per level healing from eating like this if male or 5+2/per level if female. i then changed it to its current form. i will be rewriting the whole thing soon.

[LordErebus12]

As current, the only thing differing the races are height, weight and the ability bonuses/penalties. racial feat is now just toughness.

[Deviston]

I can see differing ability bonuses, and obvious weight/height differences. Here is a thought... what about adding several different Alternate Racial Abilities (like the Pathfinder Advanced Races Guide) and add fluff that many women develop this or that trait while most men develop THIS or THAT trait? That way the person picking the race has several options (like Sypher said, different races) but everything fits together and is well balanced.

I didn't know how to say it, but balance was my dislike for the lower female healing. I didn't realize that was what I was concerned about, but now that it is put to words I see that's the case. Here is an example btw.

Alternate Racial Trait

Reflective Skin: The crys skin is cut with finer angles and edges that turn aside glancing blows yet are harder to repair. The crys gains a +3 deflection bonus to AC versus ranged attacks, but when consuming material to repair their body they only heal 5 hit points plus 1 hit point per level.

[LordErebus12]

I can see differing ability bonuses, and obvious weight/height differences. Here is a thought... what about adding several different Alternate Racial Abilities (like the Pathfinder Advanced Races Guide) and add fluff that many women develop this or that trait while most men develop THIS or THAT trait? That way the person picking the race has several options (like Sypher said, different races) but everything fits together and is well balanced.

I didn't know how to say it, but balance was my dislike for the lower female healing. I didn't realize that was what I was concerned about, but now that it is put to words I see that's the case. Here is an example btw.

Alternate Racial Trait

Reflective Skin: The crys skin is cut with finer angles and edges that turn aside glancing blows yet are harder to repair. The crys gains a +3 deflection bonus to AC versus ranged attacks, but when consuming material to repair their body they only heal 5 hit points plus 1 hit point per level.

Added three alternate sets of racial goodies.

[Rentaromon]

A interesting take on what i made, i like it! I'm not sure what the argument about healing was. Both male and female heal the same amount, however females NEED to eat less. That does not mean they can't eat as much if they need to heal.

[LordErebus12]

thanks, it was an interesting challenge to make it a pathfinder race, rather than 3.5

[Rentaromon]

Check out the my version, i added the class

[LordErebus12]

Check out the my version, i added the class

the class is confusing and formatted weirdly.