Milo v3
2013-02-25, 07:17 AM
The following races are all different castes of the Karos species in the Shining Talons campaign setting, and are the only options for player characters.
I used the Race Builder from pathfinder to make these races (giving 15 points to each) so I'm really unsure of the balance.
Note on Bloodlines:
This races innately gain bloodlines, which have yet to be made. These bloodlines come from two lists, heritage (these bloodlines represent the heritage of the Karos), and region (these bloodlines represent an aspect of the plane they were raised on).
Also, because these Bloodlines come from the race, Bloodline levels aren't required.
Heritage Bloodlines
Blessed Bloodline
Forged Bloodline
Regional Bloodlines
Ashborn (Fire Dominant)
Bloodborn (Blood Dominant)
Celestial (Good Aligned)
Darkborn (Shadow Dominant)
Deathborn (Negative Dominant)
Enriched Soul (Empowered Soul)
Entropic (Erratic Time)
Eternal (Flowing Time)
Fiendish (Evil Aligned)
Heavyheart (High Gravity)
Hollow Arcana (Dead Magic)
Lifeborn (Positive Dominant)
Limited Soul (Limited Magic)
Minds Tether (Subjective Gravity)
Resistant Soul (Impeded Magic)
Seaborn (Water Dominant)
Skyborn (Air Dominant)
Softheart (Low Gravity)
Steelborn (Metal Dominant)
Stoneborn (Earth Dominant)
Symbiote (Sentient)
Tainted Soul (Wild Magic)
Untethered (No Gravity)
Urbanite (Urban Setting)
Worldshaper (Highly Morphic)
Karos
Physical Description
Karos are similar in appearance to humans with some differences depending on the caste;
Gilded Karos have golden or amber eyes.
Thralls are much smaller in size, and time warps around them.
Warriors have pale flesh, and blank eyes which hide their intelligence.
Karos of the Gilded and Warrior castes possess the ability to create a semi-real tendril, which they can use to manipulate objects. The exact appearance of these tendrils are unconsiously chosen by the Karos.
Since the Karos are a single species, they can all interbreed. Which race of Karos the child is born into, is determined by the parents:
Gilded + Gilded = Gilded with the Blessed Bloodline.
Gilded + Thrall = Thrall.
Gilded + Warrior = 25% chance Gilded with the Forged Bloodline.
Gilded + Warrior = 75% chance Warrior with the Blessed Bloodline.
Thrall + Thrall = Thrall.
Thrall + Warrior = Thrall.
Warrior + Warrior = Warrior with the Forged Bloodline.
Lands
The Karos dwell across hundreds of planes of existance, with their settlements drifting with the planes. The largest settlement is on the Plane of Normae, which is one of the only static realms. Normae is also the capital of the Normaedic nation.
Religion
Karos worship a collection of several gods. These gods are worshipped equally, with people often changing who they pray to daily.
Language
Nearly every nation possesses its own language, formed from a collection of the nearby planar dialects. This has resulted many languages possessing similiarities but are completely different.
Gilded Karos
To say that a Gilden Karos is two faced would be a kind gesture, with most possessing over twenty personas. While amoung one group, you may be the gilded's friend, in another a rival, or even an enemy. This drives other Karos to innately distrust the Gilded.
These multiple persona arise from two factors; the Gilded are the leaders of Karos society, forcing them to forge alliances with as many people as possible, even the enemies of their friends.
The second factor is drawn from the divine power that most Gilded channel. Because of their high status, Gilded are allowed to be trained as a priest. With this talent they are able to merge with their deities, which also bestows aspects of the deities personality. It is common for a priest to change with deity they are channeling on a daily basis, resulting in their minds being severally distorted from one day to the next.
The largest honour a Gilded can bestow upon another is known as True Alliance. This is when a Gilded regards someone as an ally regardless of which persona they are in. Mating pairs are legally required to be in True Alliance with each other.
Racial Traits
Fey: Gilded Karos are tainted by fragments of the ancient world turning them into creatures of the Fey type with the Karos subtype.
Medium: Medium races have no bonuses or penalties due to their size. A Medium creature has a space of 5 feet by 5 feet and a reach of 5 feet.
Gilded Karos's base land speed is 30 ft.
+2 Con, +2 Cha: Gilded Karos are said to be gifts from the gods, possessing natural charm and hardy bodies.
Ancient Knowledge (Su): Gilded Karos can spend a full-round action to access ancient snippets of knowledge from their minds. This predicts the weather in an area for the next 24 hours. This prediction is always accurate, but cannot account for spells or supernatural effects that might alter the forecast.
Fragments: The fragments of the ancient world in Gilded Karos unnerve normal animals. Gilded Karos take a 4 penalty on all Charisma-based skill checks to affect creatures of the animal type, and receive a +4 dodge bonus to AC against animals. Animals' starting attitude toward Gilded Karos is one step worse than normal.
Heritage: Gilded Karos have a Heritage and Regional Bloodline of their choice. One of the bloodlines is intermediate in strength, while the other is minor
Hundred Personas: Gilded Karos gain a +6 racial bonus to bluff checks. This bonus is reduced if used for purposes other than lying, lowering the bonus to +2.
Low-Light Vision: Gilded Karos can see twice as far as other Karos in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of shadowy illumination. It retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
Manipulator: Gilded Karos possess a +2 racial bonus to intimidate checks.
Mental Tendril (Su): Gilded Karos can form a semi-real tendril which can be used to carry objects. They cannot wield weapons with their tendrils, but they can retrieve small, stowed objects carried on their persons as a swift action. The appearance of the tendril is unconsiously chosen by the Karos.
Thralls
Used as servants and workers by the other Karos, Thralls are swift in mind and body. They use their small size and unnatural mobility to move through the cities with amazing efficiency.
Said to contain the Great Calamity within their flesh, they are able to warp time around themselves. This gives them what appears to be amazing speed and reflexes, and gives them time to think things through.
It is this legend which causes the Gilded to repress the Thralls, with the gods being opposed to the Great Calamity.
Racial Traits
Humanoid: Thralls are Humanoids with the Karos subtype.
Small: As a Small creature, a Thrall gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but he uses smaller weapons than humans use, and his lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a Medium character.
Thrall's base land speed is 60 ft. In addition Thralls gain a +10 foot racial bonus to their speed when using the charge, run, or withdraw actions.
+2 Dex, +2 Int, -2 Cha: Thralls possess subtle control over time, allowing them to make more controlled movements and think faster than other races. The myths about their origins to leave them distrusted and hated by a large amount of Karos culture.
Continuum Shift: Once per day, when a Thrall makes a Reflex saving throw, it can roll the saving throw twice and take the better result. It must decide to use this ability before attempting the saving throw.
Perfect Rush: Thralls innately reposition themselves to gain a +2 bonus on combat maneuver checks made to bull rush or overrun an opponent. This bonus only applies while both the thrall and its opponent are standing on the ground.
Planar Taint: Thralls have two Regional Bloodlines of their choice. One of the bloodlines is intermediate in strength, while the other is minor.
Slow Fall: Thralls land on their feet even when they take lethal damage from a fall. Furthermore, they gain a +1 bonus to their CMD against trip attempts.
Slow Sound: When moving, the warped time slightly reduces the noise produced. Thralls reduce the penalty for using Stealth while moving by 5 and can make Stealth checks while running at a 20 penalty (this number includes the penalty reduction from Slow Sound).
Warriors
Grown by ancient scientists while the Material still existed. The Warriors are, as the name suggests, designed for combat in the foes of the Karos.
They are powerful and enduring, but are normally relatively naive until they reach old age.
MORE FLUFF TO COME....
Racial Traits
Humanoid: Warrior Karos are Humanoids with the Karos subtype.
Medium: Medium races have no bonuses or penalties due to their size. A Medium creature has a space of 5 feet by 5 feet and a reach of 5 feet.
Warrior Karos base land speed is 30 ft.
+2 Str, +2 Con, -2 Wis: Warrior Karos are strong and enduring, but are often far too trusting.
Darkvision 60ft.
Enduring Soul: Warrior Karos have a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against disease and mind-affecting effects. In addition, they take no penalties from energy-draining effects (though they can still be killed if they accrue more negative levels than they have Hit Dice). After 24 hours, any negative levels they've gained are removed without any additional saving throws.
Fearless: Warrior Karos are designed to have a +2 racial bonus on all saving throws against fear effects.
Heritage: Warrior Karos have a Heritage and Regional Bloodline of their choice. One of the bloodlines is intermediate in strength, while the other is minor.
Instinct: Warrior Karos receive Improved Initiative as a bonus feat.
Mental Whip (Su): Warrior Karos can form a semi-real tendril can make melee attacks with a semi-real tendril. This is a secondary attack. A creature hit by this attack cannot move more than 10 feet away from the attacker and takes a 2 penalty to AC as long as the tendril is attached (this penalty does not stack if multiple tendrils are attached). The tendril can be removed by the target or an adjacent ally by making an opposed Strength check against the attacking creature as a standard action or by dealing 2 points of damage to the tongue (AC 11, damage does not reduce the Warrior Karos's hit points). A Warrior Karos cannot move more than 10 feet away from a creature stuck to its tendril, but it can release its tendril from the target as a free action. A Warrior Karos can only have one creature attached to its tendril at a time. A Warrior Karos can pull a creature attached to their tendril 5 feet toward them as a swift action. The appearance of the tendril is unconsiously chosen by the Karos.
Slam: Warrior Karos are amazingly strong, possessing a Slam attack as a Primary attack. This slam attack deals 1d6 points of bludgeon damage.
Tough Flesh: The pale skin of a Warrior Karos is grown to be tough, bestowing a +1 natural armour bonus to armour class.
I used the Race Builder from pathfinder to make these races (giving 15 points to each) so I'm really unsure of the balance.
Note on Bloodlines:
This races innately gain bloodlines, which have yet to be made. These bloodlines come from two lists, heritage (these bloodlines represent the heritage of the Karos), and region (these bloodlines represent an aspect of the plane they were raised on).
Also, because these Bloodlines come from the race, Bloodline levels aren't required.
Heritage Bloodlines
Blessed Bloodline
Forged Bloodline
Regional Bloodlines
Ashborn (Fire Dominant)
Bloodborn (Blood Dominant)
Celestial (Good Aligned)
Darkborn (Shadow Dominant)
Deathborn (Negative Dominant)
Enriched Soul (Empowered Soul)
Entropic (Erratic Time)
Eternal (Flowing Time)
Fiendish (Evil Aligned)
Heavyheart (High Gravity)
Hollow Arcana (Dead Magic)
Lifeborn (Positive Dominant)
Limited Soul (Limited Magic)
Minds Tether (Subjective Gravity)
Resistant Soul (Impeded Magic)
Seaborn (Water Dominant)
Skyborn (Air Dominant)
Softheart (Low Gravity)
Steelborn (Metal Dominant)
Stoneborn (Earth Dominant)
Symbiote (Sentient)
Tainted Soul (Wild Magic)
Untethered (No Gravity)
Urbanite (Urban Setting)
Worldshaper (Highly Morphic)
Karos
Physical Description
Karos are similar in appearance to humans with some differences depending on the caste;
Gilded Karos have golden or amber eyes.
Thralls are much smaller in size, and time warps around them.
Warriors have pale flesh, and blank eyes which hide their intelligence.
Karos of the Gilded and Warrior castes possess the ability to create a semi-real tendril, which they can use to manipulate objects. The exact appearance of these tendrils are unconsiously chosen by the Karos.
Since the Karos are a single species, they can all interbreed. Which race of Karos the child is born into, is determined by the parents:
Gilded + Gilded = Gilded with the Blessed Bloodline.
Gilded + Thrall = Thrall.
Gilded + Warrior = 25% chance Gilded with the Forged Bloodline.
Gilded + Warrior = 75% chance Warrior with the Blessed Bloodline.
Thrall + Thrall = Thrall.
Thrall + Warrior = Thrall.
Warrior + Warrior = Warrior with the Forged Bloodline.
Lands
The Karos dwell across hundreds of planes of existance, with their settlements drifting with the planes. The largest settlement is on the Plane of Normae, which is one of the only static realms. Normae is also the capital of the Normaedic nation.
Religion
Karos worship a collection of several gods. These gods are worshipped equally, with people often changing who they pray to daily.
Language
Nearly every nation possesses its own language, formed from a collection of the nearby planar dialects. This has resulted many languages possessing similiarities but are completely different.
Gilded Karos
To say that a Gilden Karos is two faced would be a kind gesture, with most possessing over twenty personas. While amoung one group, you may be the gilded's friend, in another a rival, or even an enemy. This drives other Karos to innately distrust the Gilded.
These multiple persona arise from two factors; the Gilded are the leaders of Karos society, forcing them to forge alliances with as many people as possible, even the enemies of their friends.
The second factor is drawn from the divine power that most Gilded channel. Because of their high status, Gilded are allowed to be trained as a priest. With this talent they are able to merge with their deities, which also bestows aspects of the deities personality. It is common for a priest to change with deity they are channeling on a daily basis, resulting in their minds being severally distorted from one day to the next.
The largest honour a Gilded can bestow upon another is known as True Alliance. This is when a Gilded regards someone as an ally regardless of which persona they are in. Mating pairs are legally required to be in True Alliance with each other.
Racial Traits
Fey: Gilded Karos are tainted by fragments of the ancient world turning them into creatures of the Fey type with the Karos subtype.
Medium: Medium races have no bonuses or penalties due to their size. A Medium creature has a space of 5 feet by 5 feet and a reach of 5 feet.
Gilded Karos's base land speed is 30 ft.
+2 Con, +2 Cha: Gilded Karos are said to be gifts from the gods, possessing natural charm and hardy bodies.
Ancient Knowledge (Su): Gilded Karos can spend a full-round action to access ancient snippets of knowledge from their minds. This predicts the weather in an area for the next 24 hours. This prediction is always accurate, but cannot account for spells or supernatural effects that might alter the forecast.
Fragments: The fragments of the ancient world in Gilded Karos unnerve normal animals. Gilded Karos take a 4 penalty on all Charisma-based skill checks to affect creatures of the animal type, and receive a +4 dodge bonus to AC against animals. Animals' starting attitude toward Gilded Karos is one step worse than normal.
Heritage: Gilded Karos have a Heritage and Regional Bloodline of their choice. One of the bloodlines is intermediate in strength, while the other is minor
Hundred Personas: Gilded Karos gain a +6 racial bonus to bluff checks. This bonus is reduced if used for purposes other than lying, lowering the bonus to +2.
Low-Light Vision: Gilded Karos can see twice as far as other Karos in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of shadowy illumination. It retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
Manipulator: Gilded Karos possess a +2 racial bonus to intimidate checks.
Mental Tendril (Su): Gilded Karos can form a semi-real tendril which can be used to carry objects. They cannot wield weapons with their tendrils, but they can retrieve small, stowed objects carried on their persons as a swift action. The appearance of the tendril is unconsiously chosen by the Karos.
Thralls
Used as servants and workers by the other Karos, Thralls are swift in mind and body. They use their small size and unnatural mobility to move through the cities with amazing efficiency.
Said to contain the Great Calamity within their flesh, they are able to warp time around themselves. This gives them what appears to be amazing speed and reflexes, and gives them time to think things through.
It is this legend which causes the Gilded to repress the Thralls, with the gods being opposed to the Great Calamity.
Racial Traits
Humanoid: Thralls are Humanoids with the Karos subtype.
Small: As a Small creature, a Thrall gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but he uses smaller weapons than humans use, and his lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a Medium character.
Thrall's base land speed is 60 ft. In addition Thralls gain a +10 foot racial bonus to their speed when using the charge, run, or withdraw actions.
+2 Dex, +2 Int, -2 Cha: Thralls possess subtle control over time, allowing them to make more controlled movements and think faster than other races. The myths about their origins to leave them distrusted and hated by a large amount of Karos culture.
Continuum Shift: Once per day, when a Thrall makes a Reflex saving throw, it can roll the saving throw twice and take the better result. It must decide to use this ability before attempting the saving throw.
Perfect Rush: Thralls innately reposition themselves to gain a +2 bonus on combat maneuver checks made to bull rush or overrun an opponent. This bonus only applies while both the thrall and its opponent are standing on the ground.
Planar Taint: Thralls have two Regional Bloodlines of their choice. One of the bloodlines is intermediate in strength, while the other is minor.
Slow Fall: Thralls land on their feet even when they take lethal damage from a fall. Furthermore, they gain a +1 bonus to their CMD against trip attempts.
Slow Sound: When moving, the warped time slightly reduces the noise produced. Thralls reduce the penalty for using Stealth while moving by 5 and can make Stealth checks while running at a 20 penalty (this number includes the penalty reduction from Slow Sound).
Warriors
Grown by ancient scientists while the Material still existed. The Warriors are, as the name suggests, designed for combat in the foes of the Karos.
They are powerful and enduring, but are normally relatively naive until they reach old age.
MORE FLUFF TO COME....
Racial Traits
Humanoid: Warrior Karos are Humanoids with the Karos subtype.
Medium: Medium races have no bonuses or penalties due to their size. A Medium creature has a space of 5 feet by 5 feet and a reach of 5 feet.
Warrior Karos base land speed is 30 ft.
+2 Str, +2 Con, -2 Wis: Warrior Karos are strong and enduring, but are often far too trusting.
Darkvision 60ft.
Enduring Soul: Warrior Karos have a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against disease and mind-affecting effects. In addition, they take no penalties from energy-draining effects (though they can still be killed if they accrue more negative levels than they have Hit Dice). After 24 hours, any negative levels they've gained are removed without any additional saving throws.
Fearless: Warrior Karos are designed to have a +2 racial bonus on all saving throws against fear effects.
Heritage: Warrior Karos have a Heritage and Regional Bloodline of their choice. One of the bloodlines is intermediate in strength, while the other is minor.
Instinct: Warrior Karos receive Improved Initiative as a bonus feat.
Mental Whip (Su): Warrior Karos can form a semi-real tendril can make melee attacks with a semi-real tendril. This is a secondary attack. A creature hit by this attack cannot move more than 10 feet away from the attacker and takes a 2 penalty to AC as long as the tendril is attached (this penalty does not stack if multiple tendrils are attached). The tendril can be removed by the target or an adjacent ally by making an opposed Strength check against the attacking creature as a standard action or by dealing 2 points of damage to the tongue (AC 11, damage does not reduce the Warrior Karos's hit points). A Warrior Karos cannot move more than 10 feet away from a creature stuck to its tendril, but it can release its tendril from the target as a free action. A Warrior Karos can only have one creature attached to its tendril at a time. A Warrior Karos can pull a creature attached to their tendril 5 feet toward them as a swift action. The appearance of the tendril is unconsiously chosen by the Karos.
Slam: Warrior Karos are amazingly strong, possessing a Slam attack as a Primary attack. This slam attack deals 1d6 points of bludgeon damage.
Tough Flesh: The pale skin of a Warrior Karos is grown to be tough, bestowing a +1 natural armour bonus to armour class.