[3.5] The Kreen of the Desert (races, classes, feats, and more)

[Rizban]

The Kreen of the Desert

Table of Contents

The Kreen Race

Kreen
Psionic Kreen
Kreen Racial Class
Psionic Kreen Racial Class
(http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=15250880#post15250880)

Racial Feats
Active Glands
Member of the Hive
Reminiscence
(http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=15250890#post15250890)

Chat-tok, the Ancestral Memory
Ancestral Chakak
Ancestral Chokak
Ancestral Ik
Ancestral Kak
Ancestral Tik
Ancestral Tikik
Ancestral Koskcha
(http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=15250890#post15250890)
Prestige Classes

Ka'chatak
Ta'chat-tho (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=15250894#post15250894)


Faith and Religion

Klik'chak (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=15250902#post15250902)


Other Races and Creatures of the Desert
Athik (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=15250909#post15250909)



Introduction

I developed this variation of the thri-kreen a number of years ago as part of a collaborative world creation game. I started off with the 3.5 update to the kreen and tried to work backwards to recapture their second edition flavor and concept. The development changed from that to fit more with the game world as they developed. The kreen have long been my favorite race, and I have shared this homebrew many times over the years. It has been extensively play tested, and I'm quite happy with it, though I'm always open to suggestions, ideas, and criticism. Though it's been linked many times, this homebrew has never actually been posted on these forums in its entirety. So, I have chosen to share it with the Playground now.


The Kreen Race

The Kreen are a race of insect-like beings sometimes likened to the praying mantis. Their minds are alien, driven by instinct, ritual, and genetic memory, though they are more like the more common races than one might expect. Many believe them to be bloodthirsty monsters, for they are indeed great hunters who relish the hunt and the kill, but that is but the surface.

Within kreen culture, there exist two very distinct groups. While closely related, they sometimes see themselves as two different races.

The Thri are fierce warriors, hunters, and trackers. They live out their lives as nomads, wandering the burning sands of their desert home. A clutch of roving Thri is fearsome to behold, a family of wandering hunters, perfectly adapted to the desert, ever looking for the next oasis. Thri posses a purity of mind and distinct nobility and unique to the deserts. While open and welcoming to others, they guard their clutch with a brutality not unlike a deadly sandstorm.

The Tohr, by contrast, believe the Thri to be mere savages while they are the truly civilized ones. Though they still enjoy the hunt, they have given up their nomadic life to build an empire along the shores of the Da'sed-Dun river. The metropolitan Tohr are masters of their environs, creating great cities that excel in areas of spirituality and the arts, the only areas of study they view as truly worthwhile.


Personality: Kreen are defined by the clutch, the family unit. There is little more sacred to a kreen than family. A kreen will defend a clutch-mate to the death. To a kreen, there is simply no other option. Though the clutch is usually formed from a kreen's blood relatives, there are times when a kreen can bond with other kreen and even members of other races. A kreen so bonded treats them just as he would his own family. Kreen tend to view anyone outside of his immediate clutch as a potential enemy and can be overly suspicious of others. Kreen also have no need for sleep and do not understand why other races need it, regarding it as a weakness or a bad habit. Kreen usually perceive those who require sleep as simply being lazy.

Thri are generally more reserved when meeting others than the Tohr, but they are always friendly and welcoming, traits which frequently aid their survival in the hostile wastes. However, they are quick to turn should a guest prove false or hostile.

Tohr tend to regard all other Tohr as a sort of extended clutch. While the clutch has become less meaningful to them, no sane Tohr willingly harms or betrays another of his race. Should a Tohr be in danger, others will rush to his aid, though they will not readily lay down their own lives for him.


Physical Description: Kreen are easily likened to a praying mantis in human size. Though they lack the distinct large abdomen of the mantis, the similarities are unmistakable. Kreen stand between 5 and 7 feet tall, tending toward 7, with the females being noticeably larger and stronger. Their exoskeleton is a sandy yellow in color, allowing it to move stealthily in its desert home. Of its six limbs, only the two hind limbs are used for walking, though they are obviously built for speed and powerful leaping. Their four upper limbs are built for grasping and rending their prey, with jagged edges and ending in sharp claws. Their heads are dominated by their large compound eyes and powerful mandibles. Most kreen wear only simple leather harnesses sufficient to carry their belongings, though Tohr tend to wear bits of expensive cloth as decoration and to denote social status.


Relations: Kreen view themselves as truly noble and as physically perfected hunters. Though they tend to look down on the other races, they tend to regard them more as children than as inferior beings. They also view themselves as the protectors and keepers of the land and will bring to justice anyone who despoils the land.

Thri generally regard anyone who farms or works the land as beneath contempt, unworthy of even giving notice. To them those who willfully avoid the predator to prey relationship are avoiding their natural roles and are at best cowards or prey themselves.

Though they live in cities, Tohr do not farm, having many of the same preconceptions as their Thri brethren. They employ members of other races to work the fields in order to provide for the herds of animals used to feed the Tohr population. Though not enslaved, most of these are indentured servants who will never leave their farms.

Elves deserve a special mention, as they are always in mortal danger around the kreen. Kreen find the scent of an elf to be particularly enticing, eliciting a strong predatory instinct toward the elf that the kreen has a difficult time suppressing. Any kreen who has tasted elf flesh becomes quickly addicted to what they describe as a meal handed down by the gods, and they will even turn on former allies to sate their addiction for fresh elf.


Alignment: Driven by their racial memories and instinct and ruled by their attachment and devotion to the clutch, kreen are almost exclusively lawful in alignment. Though often inscrutable, they live by rigid rules for social behavior and can become confused or irritated when others fail to live by their unspoken codes.


Kreen Lands: Kreen love heat and basking in the sun, living almost exclusively in hot, dry climates. They gladly take to the endless dune seas of the desert that other races avoid, provided enough prey can be found.


Religion: Thri-kreen favor a shamanistic tradition honoring the clutch, the land, and a few racial deities. Their shamans serve as the spiritual leaders of the race. Tohr and Thri both avidly worship Klik'chak and Cliktith. Klik'chak, the creator and bringer of knowledge is sometimes affectionately called Father. The Kreen also believe in certain local deities, livings gods ascended from the priest-kings of their society. Kreen generally believe non-Kreen deities are imaginary or mere pretenders to godhood, unworthy of worship and eventually doomed to destruction and eternal torment for their prideful lies.


Language: Kreen speak their own language, which has no name in their own tongue, though it is usually referred to as either "Kreen" or "Click" by other races.


Kreen Names: Kreen make no distinction between names for male and female, nor are they named at their birth. Each kreen is simply referred to as "child" or a childish nickname until they reach adolescence and complete a quest, usually a hunt of some kind, to enter adulthood. They acquire a name at that time, which is always related in some way to their quest.


Adventurers: Few kreen become adventurers outside of their own lands. Most who do are on their ritual quest, seeking to complete a grand task to be recognized as an adult and hero among their people. On occasion, these kreen seeking glory will join with a band of adventurers for their own ends, though they seldom remain for long after they believe their quest completed.

[Rizban]

Kreen Racial Traits


+2 Strength, +4 Dexterity, –2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom, –4 Charisma
Monstrous Humanoid: Kreen are not subject to spells or effects that affect humanoids only, such as charm person or dominate person.
Medium: As Medium creatures, kreen have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Kreen base land speed is 40 feet.
Darkvision out to 60 feet.
Immunity to magic sleep effects.
+3 Natural Armor: A kreen’s exoskeleton is tough and resistant to blows.
Multiple Limbs: Kreen have four arms.
Natural Attacks: Kreen can have four claws and a bite attack. The claws and bite deal 1d4 damage, but the bite is a secondary attack. A kreen can attack with weapons and its bite or claw attacks as secondary attacks.
Poison (Ex): Bite, initial damage 1d6 Dex, secondary damage paralysis 2d6 mins, DC 11 + Con modifier. A kreen may only make one poisonous bite attack per day.
Leap (Ex): Kreen have a +30 racial bonus on Jump checks.
Ancestral Memory: Kreen have access to a genetic ancestral memory of their species; however, it can only be realized through certain feats or class features, without which they gain no additional benefits.
Weapon Familiarity: Kreen can treat gythkas and chatkchas as martial weapons rather than exotic weapons.
Racial Hit Dice: A kreen character begins with two levels of monstrous humanoid, which provide 2d8 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +2, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +0, Ref +3, and Will +3.
Racial Skills: A kreen’s monstrous humanoid levels give him skill points equal to 5 × (2 + Int modifier). His class skills are Balance, Climb, Hide, Jump, Listen, and Spot.
Kreen have a +4 racial bonus on Hide checks in sandy or arid settings.
Racial Feats: A kreen character gains Deflect Arrows as a bonus feat, even if he doesn't meet the prerequisites.
Automatic Languages: Common, Kreen. Bonus Languages: Athik, Dwarven, Elven.
Favored Class: Thri: Ranger
Tohr: Cleric (Klik'chak or Cliktith only)
Level Adjustment: +1.


Psionic Kreen

Many kreen find themselves living among their brethren, the Athiks, another insect-like race of their homelands. The powerful psionic nature of the athik hive-mind can forge a link with a kreen, forever imprinting upon him and altering his nature. These psionic kreen become part of the hive and gain benefits from it, though they lose something of themselves in the process.


Psionic Kreen are exactly as the standard Kreen except as follows.
Ancestral Memory: Joining the Hive effectively blocks the kreen's connection to his ancestral memories. They have no access to the ancestral memories, nor can they take advantage of any feats or prestige classes which have ancestral memory as a prerequisite.
Natural Chakak: Though a psionic kreen has no access to ancestral memories, he gains the benefits of the first level of Ancestral Chakak. When the kreen reaches 8 Hit Dice, he gains the benefits the second level of Ancestral Chakak. This does not count as ancestral memory for any purposes.
Member of the Hive: A psionic kreen gains Member of the Hive as a bonus feat. He is treated as though he were an athik for the purposes of all athik racial abilities. Additionally, a psionic kreen gains the ability to speak telepathically with any athik or psionic kreen within 10 feet.
Racial Feats: A psionic kreen character does not gain any bonus feats.
Favored Class: Psychic Warrior
Level Adjustment: +2


Kreen Racial Class
The Kreen race as presented has a hefty price. Starting out with two racial Hit Die and a +1 Level Adjustment gives a Kreen a minimum Effective Character Level of 3. This means that a player can not choose to play a Kreen in a campaign which starts out at level 2 or lower. The following is a "racial class" which allows a Kreen player to start out at level one as a younger Kreen who has not yet reached the pinnacle of Kreenness. As he levels up, the Kreen character will gain access to the full range of Kreen racial abilities as well as begin to gain levels in standard classes.

This racial class serves as both race and class. If a character takes levels in this class, he is a kreen and gains only the racial abilities given as part of this class. A kreen must take all three levels of this class before taking levels in any other class.



Base Attack
Bonus
Fort
Save
Ref
Save
Will
Save Hit
Dice Special
1st
+1
+0
+2
+2 1d8 Kreen base traits, natural armor +1, natural attacks, leap +10
2nd
+2
+0
+3
+3 2d8 Natural armor +2, leap +20, Deflect Arrows, +2 Dex
3rd
+2
+0
+3
+3 2d8 Ancestral memory, poison, natural armor +3, leap +30, +2 Dex, level adjustment


Hit Die: d8
Class Skills (2 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level): Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), and Spot (Wis).

Class Features
All of the following are class features of theKreen Racial Class.Kreen Base Traits: Kreen gain the following base racial traits at 1st-level.

+2 Strength, –2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom, –4 Charisma.
Medium size: Kreen have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Kreen base land speed is 40 feet.
Dark vision out to 60 feet.
A Kreen has a +4 racial bonus on Hide checks in sandy or arid settings.
Immunity to magic sleep effects.
Multiple Limbs: Kreen have four arms.
Weapon Familiarity: The gythka and chatkcha are martial weapons for Kreen.
Automatic Languages: Common, Kreen. Bonus Languages: Athik, Dwarven, Elven.
Favored Class: Thri: Ranger
Tohr: Cleric (Klik'chak or Cliktith only)
Level Adjustment: +0

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A kreen is proficient with its natural weapons and but not with any armor or shields.

Natural Armor (Ex): A kreen's exoskeleton toughens as he ages. At 1st level, a kreen has a +1 natural armor bonus. At 2nd and 3rd levels, the bonus increases by an additional +1.

Natural Attacks: Kreen can have four claws and a bite attack. The claws and bite deal 1d4 damage, but the bite is a secondary attack. A kreen can attack with weapons and its bite or claw attacks as secondary attacks.

Leap (Ex): A kreen's mastery of leaping through the air improves as he strengthens his legs. At 1st level, a kreen gains a +10 racial bonus on Jump checks. This bonus increases to +20 at 2nd level and to +30 at 3rd level.

Deflect Arrows: A kreen character gains Deflect Arrows as a bonus feat at 2nd level, even if he doesn't meet the prerequisites.

+2 Dexterity: At 2nd level, a kreen gains a +2 increase to his Dexterity score. He gains an additional +2 for a total of +4 at 3rd level. These are racial bonuses.

Ancestral Memory: A kreen of at least 3rd level gains access to the genetic ancestral memory of their species; however, it can only be realized through certain feats or class features, without which he gains no additional benefits.

Poison (Ex): At 3rd level, a kreen's poison glands are fully mature, and he can deliver a poisonous bite attack. Bite, initial damage 1d6 Dex, secondary damage paralysis 2d6 mins, DC 11 + Con modifier. A kreen may only make one poisonous bite attack per day.

Level Adjustment: 3rd level is a level adjustment. The kreen gains no Hit Dice or skill points, and neither his base attack bonus nor his saves are advanced. He gains all other benefits listed at this level.
Psionic Kreen Racial Class
The psionic kreen racial class functions exactly as above except that it is 4 levels long instead of 3 and gains Member of the Hive at 3rd level instead of Ancestral Memory.
Use the table below for psionic kreen.



Base Attack
Bonus
Fort
Save
Ref
Save
Will
Save Hit
Dice Special
1st
+1
+0
+2
+2 1d8 Kreen base traits, natural armor +1, natural attacks, leap +10
2nd
+2
+0
+3
+3 2d8 Natural armor +2, leap +20, Deflect Arrows, +2 Dex
3rd
+2
+0
+3
+3 2d8 Member of the hive, poison, natural armor +3, leap +30, +2 Dex, level adjustment
4th
+2
+0
+3
+3 2d8 Natural Chakak, level adjustment


Hit Die: d8
Class Skills (2 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level): Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), and Spot (Wis).

Class Features
All of the following are class features of thePsionic Kreen Racial Class.Kreen Base Traits: Kreen gain the following base racial traits at 1st-level.

+2 Strength, –2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom, –4 Charisma.
Medium size: Kreen have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Kreen base land speed is 40 feet.
Dark vision out to 60 feet.
A Kreen has a +4 racial bonus on Hide checks in sandy or arid settings.
Immunity to magic sleep effects.
Multiple Limbs: Kreen have four arms.
Weapon Familiarity: The gythka and chatkcha are martial weapons for Kreen.
Automatic Languages: Common, Kreen. Bonus Languages: Athik, Dwarven, Elven.
Favored Class: Thri: Ranger
Tohr: Cleric (Klik'chak or Cliktith only)
Level Adjustment: +0

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A psionic kreen is proficient with its natural weapons and but not with any armor or shields.

Racial Hit Dice: Kreen gain Monstroud Humanoid racial Hit Dice 1st level and at 2nd level. Hit Dice gained through this class are counted as kreen racial Hit Dice for any effects that depend on racial Hit Dice.

Natural Armor (Ex): A kreen's exoskeleton toughens as he ages. At 1st level, a kreen has a +1 natural armor bonus. At 2nd and 3rd levels, the bonus increases by an additional +1.

Natural Attacks: Kreen can have four claws and a bite attack. The claws and bite deal 1d4 damage, but the bite is a secondary attack. A kreen can attack with weapons and its bite or claw attacks as secondary attacks.

Leap (Ex): A kreen's mastery of leaping through the air improves as he strengthens his legs. At 1st level, a kreen gains a +10 racial bonus on Jump checks. This bonus increases to +20 at 2nd level and to +30 at 3rd level.

Deflect Arrows: A kreen character gains Deflect Arrows as a bonus feat at 2nd level, even if he doesn't meet the prerequisites.

+2 Dexterity: At 2nd level, a kreen gains a +2 increase to his Dexterity score. He gains an additional +2 for a total of +4 at 3rd level. These are racial bonuses.

Member of the Hive (Ex): A psionic kreen has joined with the Athik Hivemind. He is treated as a member of the athik race for the purposes of the Hive Telepathy and Hive Cooperation abilities. He can not gain the Ancestral Memory ability or benefit from any ability that makes use of it.

Poison (Ex): At 3rd level, a kreen's poison glands are fully mature, and he can deliver a poisonous bite attack. Bite, initial damage 1d6 Dex, secondary damage paralysis 2d6 mins, DC 11 + Con modifier. A kreen may only make one poisonous bite attack per day.

Level Adjustment: 3rd and 4th levels are level adjustments. The kreen gains no Hit Dice or skill points, and neither his base attack bonus nor his saves are advanced. He gains all other benefits listed at this level.

Natural Chakak (Ex): A kreen gains 1 bonus power point at 4th level. Though he doesn't gain the ability to manifest any powers, he gains the following psi-like abilities with a manifester level equal to 1/2 Hit Dice. The save DCs are Charisma based.
3/day—chameleon, know direction; 1/day— psionic displacement, metaphysical claw

[Rizban]

Feats

FeatPrerequisitesBenefit
Active GlandsPoison special ability with limited uses per dayIncreased uses of poison
Athik TelepathyAthikIncreased telepathy range
Member of the HiveInt 10, must be accepted by the athiks as beneficial to the hive.Short range telepathy, treated as an athik for most purposes
ReminiscenceKreen race, Ancestral Memory racial ability, character level 4thAccess to ancestral memories

Active Glands [Monstrous]Your poison-producing glands are more active than normal, allowing your body to produce more poison each day.
Prerequisites: Poison special ability with limited uses per day
Benefit: You are able to use your poison special ability 2 additional times per day.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times, and its benefits stack.

Athik Telepathy [Racial, Psionic]Your telepathy range is greater than that of most athiks.
Prerequisites: Athik
Benefit: The range of your Hive Telepathy and Hive Cooperation abilities increases by 20 feet.

Member of the Hive [General]You become part of the athik hive and join with the hive mind.
Prerequisites: Int 10, must be accepted by the athiks as beneficial to the hive.
Benefit: You gain the Hive Telepathy psi-like ability of the Athik race, allowing you to communicate telepathically with any athik or creature that possesses this feat within 20 feet. You are also treated as if you were an athik for the purposes of all athik racial abilities.
You gain 1 power point.
As long as you remain a member of the hive in good standing, you gain a +2 competence bonus on checks made with one of the following skills chosen when you gain this feat: Autohypnosis, Knowledge (psionics), or Psicraft.
Special: This feat may be taken in place of Wild Talent and counts as Wild Talent for all purposes.
This feat counts as the Favored in Organization (Athik Hive) feat for most purposes.
An athik may not take this feat.
Reminiscence [Racial]Your poison-producing glands are more active than normal, allowing your body to produce more poison each day.
Prerequisites: Kreen race, Ancestral Memory racial ability, effective character level 4th
Benefit: You gain access to an ancestral memory for which you meet the prerequisites.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times, each time selecting a new ancestral memory. The same ancestral memory can not be selected more than once.
Chat-tok - The Ancestral Memory

Within the genetic makeup of every kreen lies the dormant memories of every kreen in his ancestral lineage. Accessing these memories is not a simple task, and most kreen will go a lifetime without even realizing they have them. There are several locations in the world as well as a few classes which can allow a kreen to unlock the ancestral memories. When you gain access to a specific ancestral memory, called a reminiscence, refer to the following chart, which is divided by type and level of reminiscences that can be learned.

Selecting a particular reminiscence for the first time always gives you the Level 1 ability, selecting it a second time always gives you the Level 2 ability, and selecting it a third time always gives you the Level 3 ability. You may not gain the ability associated with a level more than once. For example, you may not select Ancestral Tikik at Level 1 twice to gain the Sandskimmer feat twice, despite being allowed to have Sandskimmer multiple times. The only exception to this rule is Ancestral Kak, which you may select multiple times, choosing a different bonus feat from the list each time.

While these memories are present in all Kreen, they are not accessible without training through certain class abilities or the Reminiscence feat. These are not automatic abilities or racial traits. There are two classes which grant access to the ancestral memory: Ta’chat-tho and Ka'chatak.


Ancestral ChakakThis reminiscence unlocks your psionic potential and imparts to you the abilities of your ancestors hidden within yourself.
Special: Reminiscence (Ancestral Chakak) counts as a [Psionic] feat for all purposes except that you do not need to already be psionic to gain the feat.

Level 1
You become Naturally Psionic, gaining 1 bonus power point.
You also gain the ability to manifest the following psi-like abilities with a manifester level equal to the number of Reminiscences you possess. The save DCs are Wisdom-based.

know direction and location 3/day
metaphysical claw 1/day


Level 2
You gain the following psi-like abilities, each usable 3/day, with a manifester level equal to the number of Reminiscences you possess. The save DCs are Wisdom-based.

catfall
hustle
immovability


Level 3 – Minimum effective character level 9th.
You gain the following psi-like abilities with a manifester level equal to the number of Reminiscences you possess. The save DCs are Wisdom-based.

sand lash 3/day
greater concealing amorpha, truevenom 1/day


Ancestral ChokakYou unlock the secrets and arcane techniques of your ancestors with this reminiscence, increasing the potency of your arcane magics.

Level 1 You gain Drift Magic as a bonus feat, even if you do not meet the prerequisites.]
If you already have the Drift Magic feat, you instead gain an additional +1 to caster level when using Drift Magic.
Level 2
You gain the following spell-like abilities with a caster level equal to the number of Reminiscences you possess. The DCs are Intelligence-based.

locate water 3/day
scimitar of sand 3/day
fuse sand 3/day


Level 3 – Minimum effective character level 9th.
You gain an additional +1 to caster level when using Drift Magic.
You gain the following spell-like abilities with a caster level equal to the number of Reminiscences you possess. The DCs are Intelligence-based.

tormenting thirst 1/day
wall of sand 1/day


Ancestral IkThis reminiscence imparts upon you the ancient wisdom of your priestly ancestors and, through it, a stronger connection to the divine.
Special: You must worship Klik'chak to gain the benefits of Ancestral Ik.

Level 1 Once per day, you may use the granted power of the Sand domain. If you already possess the Sand domain, you are able to use its ability one extra time per day. You also gain a bonus on the Wisdom check when using the granted ability of the Sand domain equal to twice your Ancestral Ik level.
Level 2 Once per day per Ancestral Ik level, as an immediate action, choose one of your ability scores. When making rolls based on the chosen ability score, you may instead use your Wisdom modifier. Once activated, this ability lasts a number of rounds equal to the number of Reminiscences you possess.
Level 3 – Minimum effective character level 12th. If you are a cleric of Klik'chak, you may prepare any spells granted by any of his domains in your domain slots, even if you do not normally have access to those domains. You do not gain the granted powers of any of his domains that you do not normally possess. You may also use the granted power of the Sand domain one additional time per day.
If you prepare divine spells but do not have domain slots, you may prepare one of Klik'chak's domain spells per spell level, even if you cannot normally prepare it.
If you spontaneously cast divine spells, you gain one additional spell slot per spell level. You may use these bonus slots only to cast spells from Klik'chak's domains as if they were spells known to you.
Ancestral KakThe skill of the many great warriors among your ancestors becomes yours with this reminiscence. Each time you select this reminiscence, you gain a bonus feat from the following list, but you must meet all prerequisites for the selected feat.
This reminiscence may only be taken three times.
Special: Reminiscence (Ancestral Kak) counts as a [Fighter] feat.

Level 1
Active Glands
Improved Natural Attack
Iron Will
Mighty Leaping
Multiattack
Improved Multiattack
Multitasking
Multiweapon Fighting
Improved Multiweapon Fighting
Greater Multiweapon Fighting
Leap Attack
Spring Attack

Ancestral TikThis reminiscence unlocks the abilities of the most successful hunters among your ancestors, giving you the skills necessary to locate your quarry.

Level 1 If you do not have the Track feat, you may make Survival checks to track a target as if you did.
You also gain a bonus on Survival checks to follow tracks equal to the number of Reminiscences you possess.
If you have the Urban Tracking feat, you may choose to add the bonus to your Gather Information checks instead.
You may only gain the bonus on one of these two skills, and the bonus may not be changed once chosen.


Level 2 You gain a favored enemy as per the Ranger class feature with a +2 bonus. If you already have a favored enemy, you may choose to increase the bonus of your existing favored enemy by +2 instead of gaining a new favored enemy.
In addition, you gain a bonus on attack rolls against the selected favored enemy equal to half your favored enemy bonus.
Level 3 – Minimum character level 7th. You gain psychic tracking (http://dsp-d20-srd.wikidot.com/psychic-tracking) as a psi-like ability and may use it at will with a manifester level equal to the number of Reminiscences you possess.
Psicraft becomes a class skill for all of your classes.
Ancestral TikikUnlocking the memories of your druidic ancestors with this reminiscence gives you powerful ties to the land.

Level 1 You gain the Sandskimmer feat as a bonus feat. If you already treat all sand as normal terrain through taking Sandskimmer twice or race/class features, your movement speed across sand instead increases by 10 feet.
You no longer leave a trail when crossing sand unless you choose. This functions much like the druid's trackless step ability but only functions when moving over sand.
You also gain a bonus on wild empathy checks equal to twice your Ancestral Tikik level. This does not grant you the ability to use wild empathy if you do no already possess that ability.
Level 2 Once per day, you may concentrate for 10 minutes to gain knowledge of the surrounding territory. You instantly gain knowledge of as many as three facts from among the following subjects: the ground or terrain, plants, minerals, sources of water, people, general animal population, presence of natural creatures, presence of powerful unnatural creatures, or even the general state of the natural setting. In outdoor settings, this ability operates in a radius of 5 miles. In natural underground settings - caves, caverns, and the like - the radius is limited to 500 feet. This ability does not function where nature has been replaced by construction or settlement, such as in dungeons and towns.
Level 3 – Minimum effective character level 12th. You gain sandstorm usable 1/day as a supernatural ability with a caster level equal to the number of Reminiscences you possess. The maximum duration is 10 minutes.
Ancestral KoskchaThis reminiscence is so powerful that it has profound effects on your body, not just your mind. You awaken long dormant memories of flight and your body responds by undergoing metamorphosis, transforming your body to more closely resemble your ancient ancestors.

Level 1 – Minimum character level 7th. You grow a set of gossamer wings and can fly as your ancestors once did in ancient times. You gain a racial fly speed equal to your base land speed with poor maneuverability. It is impossible to Move Silently while flying with these wings.
Additionally, by using your wings, you are able to jump higher and farther. Your racial bonus on Jump checks increases by +5, and the maximum distance you may jump is not limited by your movement speed.
Level 2 – Minimum character level 10th. Your maneuverability while flying increases by one step.
Your racial bonus to Jump checks also increases by an additional +5.
Level 3 – Minimum character level 13th. Your maneuverability while flying increases by one step.
Your racial bonus to Jump checks also increases by an additional +5.

[Rizban]

Prestige Classes

Ka'chatakThe ka'chatak is a skilled kreen warrior who has unlocked the Chat-tok, the Ancestral Memory, of the kreen within himself. Guided by the wisdom of the past, he is a deadly hunter, warrior, and defender of the kreen and garners great respect from his clutch.

Becoming a Ka'chatak
Many kreen hunters follow the path of the ranger, which is an ideal entry for the ka'chatak. The wisdom of kreen hunters past enables a ranger to continue to improve his abilities particularly well, more so than with any other class. Barbarians and fighters also become ka'chatak, but they have a more difficult time acquiring the necessary skills. However, any kreen warrior who wishes to honor and learn from his ancestors will benefit from this class.

Requirements
To qualify to become a ka'chatak, a character must fulfill the following criteria. Race: Kreen
Base Attack Bonus: +5
Skills: Knowledge (nature) 5 ranks
Feats: Two-Weapon or Multiweapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (gythka), Reminiscence
Special: If lacking the Reminiscence feat, may have experienced a natural racial memory trigger, such as viewing the Sands of Klik'chak in Da'luk, or have been trained by an accomplished ta'chat-tho.



Base Attack
Bonus
Fort
Save
Ref
Save
Will
SaveSpecial

Reminiscence[/td][/tr]
1st
+1
+0
+0
+2
Racial familiarity, ranger class features
1
2nd
+2
+0
+0
+3
Dune stalker
1
3rd
+3
+1
+1
+3
—
2
4th
+4
+1
+1
+4
Slayer
2
5th
+5
+1
+1
+4
Tir'gythka
3

Hit Die: d6
Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level): Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Tumble (Dex).

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Ka'chatak.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A ka'chatak gains no new proficiencies with any weapons, armor, or shields.

Reminiscence: At 1st level and every odd level thereafter, a ka'chatak gains access to a specific memory, called a reminiscence, contained within his ancestral memory. He may select any one ability of his choice from the kreen ancestral memory chart (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=15250890&postcount=3), but he must meet all the prerequisites for the chosen ability.

Racial Familiarity (Ex): As a ka'chatak begins to unlock the knowledge of the past, he learns better how to deal with his own race. A ka'chatak gains a +5 circumstance bonus on Diplomacy checks made to influence the attitude of other kreen and on Gather Information checks when dealing with kreen.

Ranger Class Features: If a ka'chatak has ranger levels, his ka'chatak levels stack for purposes of determining the abilities of his wild empathy and caster level with ranger spells but not any other ranger class feature such as favored enemies or spells per day.

Dune Stalker (Ex): At 2nd level and higher, a ka'chatak adds his class level as a circumstance bonus on all Hide and Move Silently checks.

Slayer (Ex): Through the revelation of ancestral memories of the champions among the kreen, a ka'chatak becomes a greater hunter. He may select one of his favored enemies and gains an additional +4 bonus against that favored enemy. If he does not already have a favored enemy, he gains one as per the ranger class feature but with a +4 bonus rather than a +2. Additionally, he gains a +4 bonus on melee attack rolls against the selected enemy.

Tir'gythka (Ex): At 5th level, a ka'chatak becomes a true master of the gythka. Through training and ancestral memories, a ka'chatak learns to strike with astonishing strength. This ability allows him to treat both ends of a gythka as two-handed weapons when using it as a double weapon. This allows him to add 1-1/2 times his Strength bonus on damage rolls with each end of the weapon, and any damage bonus from the Power Attack feat is doubled when used with the weapon.
This does not increase the penalties for fighting with two weapons. The gythka is still treated as a one-handed and a light weapon for the purposes of penalties when fighting with two weapons.

Ka'chatak was originally based on the Revenant Blade prestige class from Player's Guide to Eberron. I liked the concept of the ancestral guidance and focus on double weapons, both of which fit well with the kreen's racial weapon and existing ancestral memory. I adapted the class to fit with the kreen and allowed it to gain reminiscence in place of the ancestral guidance ability.

Ta’chat-tho“Ke chat kera g'de'na, ti'a na'g'tokmma'ak. Tak n'cha'ik ti'a-tho ker se'chat.”
(I remember our common past, each one of our ancestors. You would hardly believe how many lives this represents…)

Tk-k’t, Kreen ta’chat-tho

Ta’chat-tho are kreen who delve deep to find understanding of the Ancestral Memory. They are respected by their fellow kreen for their wisdom, philosophies, and their knowledge of history, often elevating them to positions of leadership within the clutch. Ta'chat-tho follow the path of chat-tho, the kreen ancestral memory, In an attempt to relearn the mysteries of their ancestors' past.

Only kreen can become ta’chat-tho, but they can be from any class. The majority are wizards, clerics, and archivists as those are the most likely to dedicate themselves to better understanding their race’s ancient history.

Ta’chat-tho are seen as the living repositories of their race's millenia old history, often becoming advisors to clutch-leaders and a source of inspiration to their fellow Kreen.

Becoming a Ta’chat-tho
Most Ta'chat-tho come from the ranks of the clergy, starting as clerics. Though their spellcasting abilities suffer a bit, they become priests and leaders among their people. Paladins and rangers also find their way into this class. There are also a number of non-divine casters who follow the path of the ta'chat-tho, but their numbers are fairly limited.

Requirements
To qualify to become a ta’chat-tho, a character must fulfill the following criteria. Race: Kreen
Skills: Concentration 10 ranks, Knowledge (nature) 10 ranks.
Feats: Iron Will, Reminiscence
Special: If lacking the Reminiscence feat, may have experienced a natural racial memory trigger, such as viewing the Sands of Klik'chak in Da'luk, or have been intensely trained by an accomplished ta'chat-tho.



Base Attack
Bonus
Fort
Save
Ref
Save
Will
SaveSpecial

Reminiscence[/td][/tr]
1st
+0
+0
+0
+2
Chat-tho awakening, pheromone presence (acknowledgment)
1
2nd
+1
+0
+0
+3
Ancestral wisdom
2
3rd
+1
+1
+1
+3
+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
2
4th
+2
+1
+1
+4
Pheromone presence (enthrallment)
3
5th
+2
+1
+1
+4
Ancestral understanding
3
6th
+3
+2
+2
+5
+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
4
7th
+3
+2
+2
+5
Pheromone presence (dedication)
4
8th
+4
+2
+2
+6
Chat-tho enlightenment
5
9th
+4
+3
+3
+6
+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
5
10th
+5
+3
+3
+7
Pheromone presence (inspiration)
6

Hit Die: d8
Class Skills (6 + Int modifier per level): Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Perform (oratory) (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language (n/a), Spot (Wis), and Survival (Wis).

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Ta’chat-tho.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A ta’chat-tho gains no new proficiencies with any weapons, armor, or shields.

Chat-tho Awakening (Ex): The strong connection a ta'chat-tho shares with his genetic ancestors bolsters his spiritual resilience. At 1st, 4th, and 9th levels, a ta'chat-tho gains a +1 racial bonus to his Will saves.

Pheromone Presence (Ex): A ta'chat-tho can emit pheromones that all kreen recognize as emanating from one who is especially in touch with the ancestral memory. These pheromones can be used to trigger intense reactions in other kreen. A ta'chat-tho may use Pheromone Presence a number of times per day equal to the number of Reminiscences he has, including those gained through the Reminiscence feat. Different types of pheromones can be emitted as he advances within this class Acknowledgment: At 1st level, a ta'chat-tho continually emis pheromones that encourage positive relations with other kreen. All kreen within 60 feet react to the ta'chat-tho as though they were two steps more friendly in attitude. This ability can be activated or suppressed as a free action and has a 24 hour duration.
Enthrall: At 4th level, a ta'chat-tho can release pheromones that enthrall all kreen as the spell with the following exceptions. This ability only affects kreen and has a maximum range of 60 ft. The save DC is 10 + Wis modifier + the number of Reminiscences the ta'chat-tho has, including those gained through the Reminiscence feat. Emitting these pheromones requires a standard action to activate and can be maintained for up to 1 hour using only a standard action each round. Even after this ability ends, the kreen retain their initial attitude toward the ta'chat-tho.
Kreen affected by these pheromones for at least an hour become eligible to begin learning the ways of the ta’chat-tho or ka'chatak, even if they make their save.
Dedication: At 7th level, a ta'chat-tho can release pheromones that cause an almost irresistible suggestion as the spell with the following exceptions. This ability affects any number of kreen in a 30-ft.-radius emanation. The save DC is 10 + 1/2 class level + Wis modifier + the number of Reminiscences the ta'chat-tho has, including those gained through the Reminiscence feat. The request must be brief and reasonable and delivered entirely in the kreen language. Even after this ability ends, the kreen retain their initial attitude toward the ta'chat-tho. Emitting these pheromones requires a full-round action.
Inspiration: At 10th level, a ta'chat-tho can emit pheromones that inspire other kreen to experience the greatness of their race’s past deeds. All kreen within 30 feet gain a +4 racial bonus on attack rolls, saves, ability checks, and skill checks, immunity to fear effects, and 10 temporary hit points for the next hour. Emitting these pheromones requires 1 minute.

Reminiscence: At 1st level and every even level thereafter, a ta'chat-tho gains access to a specific memory, called a reminiscence, contained within his ancestral memory. He may select any one ability of his choice from the ancestral memory chart (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=15250890&postcount=3), but he must meet all the prerequisites for the chosen ability.

Ancestral Wisdom (Ex): At 2nd level, a ta'chat-tho gains a racial bonus to all Wisdom-based skills equal to his ta’chat-tho level.

Spellcasting: When a ta'chat-tho gains 3rd, 6th, and 9th level, he gains new spells per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known, if applicable) as if he had also gained a level in any one divine spellcasting class to which he belonged before he added the prestige class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If he had more than one divine spellcasting class before he became a ta'chat-tho, he must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known.
A kreen who possesses no divine spellcasting ability instead gains a +1 racial bonus on attack and damage rolls with his natural weapons and kreen racial weapons at each of these levels.

Ancestral Understanding (Ex): By tapping into the experience of uncounted kreen generations, the ta'chat-tho can add his Wisdom modifier (if positive) to all Intelligence checks and Intelligence-based skill checks in addition to his Intelligence modifier.

Chat-tho Enlightenment (Ex): At 8th level, a ta'chat-tho gains a permanent 2 point increase to his Wisdom score. This is a racial bonus.

[Rizban]

Faith and Religion

Klik'chak
The Sacred Sand, The Barren Lord, Death Bringer, The Reaper, From End to Beginning, Guardian of the Cycle
Greater Deity
Symbol: A setting sun of dark red-brown above a half circle of gray
Home Plane: Amensi
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Portfolio: Deserts, Drought, Afterlife, Rebirth, Ancestors, Samsara
Domains: SandSandstorm, AncestorOA, Death(see below), LifeECS, RestorationDLCS, ThirstSandstorm
Worshipers: Nomads, desert dwellers, the Chosen of Sand, Kreen, those who seek knowledge of the True Afterlife
http://mornproductions.com/img/KlikchakSymbol.png
Klik'chak is widely known as the master of deserts, less well known as the lord over Amensi, the True Afterlife. The followers of Klik'chak primarily worship his desert aspects, revering him as The Barren Lord or as The Sacred Sand, giving a semi-divine reverence to all the deserts' sands in deference to their god.

Few individuals know or understand Klik'chak's role in governing death and the afterlife, and he is commonly feared as the bringer of death. Unfortunately, his priests do little to change this misconception. Klik'chak does not bring death but only enforces it when it is a being's natural time, ushering its soul into the afterlife. Death is not the end, however, as Klik'chak guides those willing and able along the paths to rebirth, that they might live again in a new life. There are a few small, misguided death cults throughout the world that revere Klik'chak, though they receive little, if any, divine benefit from him. In fact, many of his other followers hunt these heretics and seek to stamp out their beliefs.

Klik'chak is also the patron deity of the Kreen race, and they claim he takes their form. Indeed, most depictions of the god do indeed resemble a kreen. Though he is also often depicted in humanoid form outside of Kreen lands, many members of the faith, regardless of race, view this as heretical. Many of the tenets of his faith and other aspects of the deity seem odd to many people in the world but make perfect, logical sense when viewed through the prism of the kreen worldview.



Worshipers of Klik'chak follow a doctrine of preservation. They seek to preserve things as they are, unchanged through the millennia. In the case of the Chosen of Sand, the goal is to preserve all deserts in a pristine and untainted state. For Klik'chak's Kreen worshipers, the ultimate goal is to preserve the unique Kreen-ness of their own existence. The clutch and, by extension, the Kreen nation become the single most important things in a Kreen's life. The followers of Klik'chak are a resolute, unchangeable group, destesting all things that fall outside the natural order of things as they perceive it. Klik'chak detests all forms of undead, and clerics who follow him always turn undead, regardless of alignment.

The priests of Klik'chak do not have a typical hierarchy seen in many highly organized faiths. Many priests, particularly among the Chosen of Sand are druids or rangers rather than clerics; however, the high priest among the Chosen is always a cleric and is known as the Emissary of Sand. Among the Chosen, only one formal temple exists, located in the far southern deserts of Ramua. This Temple of Sand is an elaborate structure, almost to the point of being a small palace, carved into the living rock of a deep gorge. Among the Kreen of Xiua, priests of Klik'chak are known as ik'chtik and have a very strict clerical order with varied ranks and responsibilities. There is a great temple built near each major Kreen city, with the largest and most important just outside the city of Da'luk. These temples are generally built of sandstone and marble and inlaid with hieroglyphs of electrum and orichalcum, metals believed to be sacred to Klik'chak. The Kreen also have a strong tradition of ancestor worship, and many smaller temples honoring past rulers and great heroes tend to be built into expansive temple complexes around the main temple resembling small cities themselves.


Avatars
Klik'chak possesses three avatars which constantly travel the Material Plane, only occasionally venturing into the outer planes. Each remains unseen to mortal eyes as they perform their assigned tasks in maintaining the cosmic order, though they may occasionally manifest to the lucky, or unlucky, few. Each avatar has cults devoted to its worship throughout the world.

Death
Well known and feared throughout the world, the enigmatic figure known as Death is seen as wrapped in the shrouds of the grave. A black, almost featureless being, though probably male, walks the world to claim the souls of those who would evade a natural end to life. His hands, the only part of his body ever visible, are pale and desiccated, as if the ages of the world have set upon them. Though apparently feeble with age, these hands have a supernatural strength to them and a grip which can not be easily broken.

Individuals merely raised or resurrected are seen as more or less natural and left to their own, but individuals who attempt to prolong their lives through undeath quickly draw his wrath. Death does not intervene directly except to counter the meddling of other gods, but he will give signs and omens and the occasional blessing if it will bring about the ultimate destruction of undead.

Death carries a censer, shaped like a lantern, from which a thick greenish smoke slowly oozes. This censer is known as the Censer of the End and makes up half of the artifact known as the Lights of Eternity. He also carries a great scythe, with which he harvests the souls of the recalcitrant.


The Barren Lord
The form of the Barren Lord is much like that of Death, heavily shrouded and featureless, though the Barren Lord's shrouds are the pale browns of the desert sands. Unlike his counterparts, the Barren Lord has no apparent purpose among mortals. The figure simply wanders the wastes, crossing back and forth across the lands that Klik'chak considers sacred. Where he goes, the priests of Klik'chak are blessed, finding their connection to their god strengthened. Many rites, rituals, and holy days are scheduled to be held when it is believed the Barren Lord will pass by, so the timing of such events varies depending where in the world you are. It is entirely possible that, by traveling, one could partake in the same annual ritual multiple times in one year.

The Barren Lord's true purpose is known only to Klik'chak himself, though many believe it is a guardian of the wastelands who protects Klik'chak's followers from harm.


Essence
Sister to Death, Essence is also Death's opposite. Essence takes the form of a fair woman, dressed in dark pink robes wrapped tightly around her form, a silk scarf wrapped about her head and soulders. Her face is mostly obscured by a flowing veil, but her face and supple hands reveal olive skin and deep-set eyes so brown as to be almost black. Though none have heard her speak, she is known to have a musical laugh reminiscent of tinkling bells.

Essence frequently travels between Amensi and the planes, for it is her job to ferry souls from the afterlife to the realms of the living, whether that be through resurrection or reincarnation. It is Essence who ensures the soul's safe travel to its proper place, and those recently resurrected may catch glimpses of her upon their revival, though these memories quickly fade as if waking from a dream.

Essence carries the Lamp of the Beginning, the second part of the Lights of Eternity, a lantern of wrought gold and glowing rock crystal, which she uses to light her steps between realms.

Death Domain
Klik'chak does offer the Death domain, but he abhors undead. As such, the exact spells he offers differ from the Death Domain spell list as presented in the Player's Handbook.
Klik'chak offers the following alternative spells:

3. Speak with Dead: Corpse answers one question/two levels.
6. Undeath to Death: As circle of death, but affecting only undead.
8. Devastate Undead: Target undead must save or be destroyed; caster takes damage.

Devastate Undead
Necromancy
Level: Death 8, Sorcerer/Wizard 8
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One undead creature/level within a 40-ft.-radius burst
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

If a target undead creature fails its saving throw, it is destroyed. Creatures that are not undead are not affected by this spell. Only undead whose Hit Dice are less than or equal to the caster's level are affected.
When an undead creature is destroyed by this spell, a feedback of negative energy is forced into the caster. This negative energy deals 5 damage per HD of destroyed undead. If the caster is undead, the negative energy instead heals it.

[Rizban]

Other Races and Creatures of the Desert

Athik

Athiks believe themselves to be the chosen people of their deity Cliktith, sibling to the kreen god Klik'chak. They are very ant-like in nature and maintain a powerful devotion to their hive, which drives an athik's every action. Athik society frowns upon displays of emotion and independent thought but rewards hard work and personal accomplishment. They are almost invariably hardworking beings who keep to themselves. Athiks hold the safety and preservation of their hive as the highest virtues, which should be upheld even to the detriment or death of the individual. Cooperation is fundamental to their nature, and all have strong empathy and helpful attitudes towards one another, strengthened by the hive mind they all share. Different hive colonies seldom compete with one another, viewing themselves as extensions of the whole. When two hives come into conflict, the smaller of the two usually picks up and moves to a new area or is absorbed into the larger.

Physical Description: Athiks look much like human children or halflings from a distance, but they have very distinct insectile features reminiscent of ants, including large, multifaceted eyes so dark blue as to be almost black, two small antennae, and small mandibles on the sides of their mouths. They are covered with a shiny black carapace marked with a few small spots in varying shades of gray and dark blue, which are the primary distinguishing marks between individuals, at least to an outside observer.
They have only four limbs, two arms, each of which end in a hand with four fingers, and two legs with didactyl feet. They have no lungs but instead absorb oxygen through spiracles on their bodies.
Adults never vary more than an inch from three feet, eight inches tall, and all appear virtually identical, even to the trained eye.


Relations: Athik colonies tend to be remote and xenophobic, viewing outsiders as a disruption to the hive. However, they view the kreen as distant relatives and willingly cooperate with them in many instances. Several large athik hives have formed a symbiotic relationship with the Tohr kreen, living and working in their cities as farmers and craftsmen while the Tohr provide resources and protection.


Alignment: Athiks are almost exclusively lawful, the demands of the hive shaping their mind and will. Any athik who is not lawful is seen as aberrant and a potential threat to the hive.


Athik Land: Like ants, athiks can be found almost anywhere, though they live almost exclusively in communal colonies underground. The largest athik hives are in kreen lands, where they have been able to thrive due to their alliances with the kreen.


Language: Athiks have no native language, relying exclusively on their short range telepathy for communication with one another. However, almost all athiks have learned a simplified version of the kreen language in order to communicate with those outside the hive.


Athik Names: Athiks do not have names as other races do. To maintain a more ordered society, athiks identify themselves as a series of complex numbers, usually only properly communicable through telepathic means. They understand that other races lack their innate understanding and politely accept any nicknames given to them for ease of communication, though the athik themselves rarely, if ever, use a nickname for themselves or each other.


Adventurers: Athiks do not go on adventures. To abandon the hive for such is tantamount to treason and a completely alien desire to the athik. Occasionally, however, the hive will send one or more athiks on a particular mission in distant lands that they must accomplish. Even more rarely, an aberrant athik who has fled the hive and lived becomes an adventurer from lack of being able to function in other societies. It is these few individuals who make up the entirety of athik adventurers.

Athik Racial Traits

+2 Strength, -2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma. Athiks, like ants, are amazingly strong for their size; however, they rarely express any emotions and tend to have a detached view of the world.
Small Monstrous Humanoid As a Small creature, an athik 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. Athiks are not subject to spells or effects that affect humanoids only, such as charm person or dominate person.
Athik base land speed is 20 feet.
Darkvision out to 60 feet.
Antennae (Ex): Athiks' antennae allow them to automatically sense the presence of foreign substances in the air as soon as they are exposed, granting a +2 bonus on saves against airborne toxins, such as poison gas. An athik is also able to use his antennae to sense vibrations in the air around himself, giving him blindsight out to 10 feet.
+1 Natural Armor: An athik's exoskeleton is tough and resistant to blows.
Increased Capacity (Ex): Athiks are capable of carrying exceptionally great loads for their size. An athik's carrying capacity is the same as a creature one size category larger with the same strength score. He does not take speed penalties, check penalties, or have a maximum dexterity bonus due to encumbrance when carrying a medium or heavy load, and he may use all class abilities as if he were carrying only a light load. An athik takes penalties as normal when wearing medium or heavy armor.
Stability (Ex): Athiks are exceptionally stable on their feet. An athik has a +4 bonus on checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing, flying, riding, or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground).
Hive Telepathy (Ps): Athiks can speak telepathically to other athiks within 20 feet, but they can not use this ability to communicate telepathically with any other race.
This ability is always active, but it can be suppressed for 1 round as a free action. An athik's manifester level for this ability is equal to 1/2 his Hit Dice.
Hive Cooperation (Ps): Through constant, subtle communication, athiks are better able to assist one another than other races. Athiks grant double the normal benefit when performing an Aid Other action so long as the creature they aid is also an athik and within 20 feet.
Naturally Psionic: Athiks gain 1 bonus power point at 1st level. This benefit does not grant them the ability to manifest powers unless they gain that ability through another source, such as levels in a psionic class.
Automatic Languages: Common, Kreen. Bonus Languages: Dwarven, Elven, and Sylvan
Favored Class: Psion

[Aldurin]

I remember, always wanted to try it out, as it actually made something interesting out of multiple arms (regular Thri-Kreen are meh and the insectile template is fluff-lite) and made a race with RHD something that actually looks fun to play.

Good to see you posting it on the forum finally so it gets more attention.

[Rizban]

I'm actually doing a full update to all of it as I transfer it over from my personal site too. Most of the changes are minor language updates, but there are also a few minor functionality changes as well, just little things that have cropped up over the past couple years of using them.

The biggest "change" is actually getting the fluff posted for them accurately rather than just being a copy/paste of the fluff from XPH.

[LordErebus12]

I just seriously considered scraping a huge section of my current campaign setting Belladonis (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=274523), deleting the Mant (a thri-kreen like race) and simply linking to this race and thread. I could adapt this entire race into my world. The map would then have to have thri kreen in the desert underground away from the acid rains. My skale race would get shifted to the jungles to make room for the Thri-Kreen in the desert. Although... they could share parts or even contest over it. The Skale are diggers and could make quick work out of making new tunnels for the Thri-kreen if such an alliance would open up such negotiations.

[Rizban]

I take it as pretty high praise that you'd consider scrapping your own work in favor of mine. I haven't even gotten everything posted up yet.

Do keep in mind though that the "Thri" are just one of the two major factions of kreen here. I'm not really going into very heavy detail on the two, but you should be able to get a good feel for the differences between the two in the fluff.

[LordErebus12]

I take it as pretty high praise that you'd consider scrapping your own work in favor of mine. I haven't even gotten everything posted up yet.

True. i will keep my eye on whats going on and help whenever i can. once it get a better feel and see how it evolves before leaping in. im gonna make a leap of faith that its gonna be awesome.

I want to adapt parts of what you have here, but i hate to plagiarize large bodies of text to repost on my campaign setting, so I figured I would voice that i want to reference your work in a tasteful manner without simply swiping it. Who knows? i might get the setting published eventually.



Do keep in mind though that the "Thri" are just one of the two major factions of kreen here. I'm not really going into very heavy detail on the two, but you should be able to get a good feel for the differences between the two in the fluff.

tell me more, i always thought it was just the thrikreen, minus the flying ones, via feats.

[Rizban]

tell me more, i always thought it was just the thrikreen, minus the flying ones, via feats.In official material, there's just the thri-kreen.

In this version, the Thri-kreen are the nomads while the Tohr-kreen are the city builders. There are references throughout the fluff posted above to the two groups, giving some insight into each. I'm trying not to go too much into them, as I'd like this to be something that can be easily added into games rather than becoming a campaign setting itself.

Edit: On another note, I've got both of the prestige classes posted. I'm pretty tired though, so I'll get the next section formatted and posted tomorrow.

[LordErebus12]

What is this Athiks you've mentioned? i searched it and all i got was an image of a Dromite paired with some racial traits. Is it your homebrew?

[Rizban]

Yes, it is a home brewed race. I'll be posting them in the last section.

[Rizban]

What is this Athiks you've mentioned? i searched it and all i got was an image of a Dromite paired with some racial traits. Is it your homebrew?Went ahead and posted the updated Athiks. So, now you know, and knowing is half the battle. :smallwink:

[Rizban]

Fixed a couple of typos. I'll try to get the ancestral memory section up tomorrow.

[Rizban]

Just got the ancestral memory posted up.

[Aldurin]

Where is the Active Glands feat from, listed in the Ancestral Memory of Bonus Feats?

[Rizban]

It's a racial feat I haven't posted yet but will

Prereq: Poison attack limited by times/day
Benefit: Use +2/day

[Mephibosheth]

I haven't gotten through all of this and don't have any specific comments at the moment. I just wanted to say that I love what you're doing with the Kreen. They've always been one of my favorite races! Nice work!

[Lappy9001]

This is insanely cool, looks great both fluff and crunch-wise!

The Kreen racial class table looks like it has some errors in the save and Hit Dice progressions, although I may just not be familiar enough with monster classes.

[Rizban]

Thanks for the comments!

I fixed the table. The problam was that I messed up editing the right fields. Table formatting is nasty sometimes. :smalltongue:

[AttilaTheGeek]

Background: I have only ever once played 3.5, and that was back in middle school. I've played Pathfinder exclusively, so I'm not familiar with much 3.5. And so begins the nitpicking!


Though they still enjoy the hunt, they have given up their nomadic life to build an empire along the shores of the Da'sed-Dun river.

This shows that they're setting-specific; I was confused by this for a while before I figured their setting was just common knowledge among 3.5 players. Still, you might want to include a little background.


Personality:

This whole section seems very strict. "All Kreen act this way, have these beliefs, and follow this code". I personally feel like that doesn't leave a lot of room for character creation.

Grammar nitpicks:

Kreen tend to view anyone outside of his immediate clutch as a potential enemy and can be overly suspicious of others.

This should probably begin with "A Kreen tends to" to match the rest of the paragraph, or change to "outside of their immediate clutches" which, while awkward, matches the couple sentences following.


Kreen are easily likened to a praying mantis in human size.

I think this should read "a praying mantis OF human size".


Their four upper limbs are built for grasping and rending their prey, with jagged edges and ending in sharp claws.

After reading this, I thought "Do they get multiattack? No, they end in claws. They must not be able to use them for hands. I wonder if those claws are natural attacks?", and then I had to look down into the statblock, which is big, and search for the natural attacks. What I'm saying is, I think it would just be convenient if you included a mention of the natural attacks here.


Any kreen who has tasted elf flesh becomes quickly addicted to what they describe as a meal handed down by the gods, and they will even turn on former allies to sate their addiction for fresh elf.

What purpose does this serve? It means a Kreen can't work with an elf in the party and, while it does give some racial character, it seems very restrictive. It reminds me of the paladin's code in that it deals with absolutes.


Ancestral Memory: Kreen have access to a genetic ancestral memory of their species; however, it can only be realized through certain feats or class features, without which they gain no additional benefits.

What does this mean? How is it unlocked? If it's mentioned below, you should summarize or say "see below for details", but as is it's just confusing.


The following is a "racial class" which allows a Kreen player to start out at level one as a younger Kreen who has not yet reached the pinnacle of Kreenness. As he levels up, the Kreen character will gain access to the full range of Kreen racial abilities as well as begin to gain levels in standard classes.


a younger Kreen who has not yet reached the pinnacle of Kreenness. As he levels up...


the pinnacle of Kreenness

Yes.


Level Adjustment: 3rd level is a level adjustment. The kreen gains no Hit Dice or skill points, and neither his base attack bonus nor his saves are advanced. He gains all other benefits listed at this level.

The table above this for the racial class advances BAB and the Will save, despite this saying otherwise.


Chat-tok - The Ancestral Memory

There don't actually seem to be any ancestral memories?

Overall, this is really polished. I had to resort to nitpicking grammar to find things to comment on! The racial abilities are consistent with the fluff, which is supported by the racial class and prestige classes. Maybe to emphasize the difference between the Thri and the Tohr, you could introduce different favored class bonuses, in the style of pathfinder?

[Rizban]

Background: I have only ever once played 3.5, and that was back in middle school. I've played Pathfinder exclusively, so I'm not familiar with much 3.5. And so begins the nitpicking!

This shows that they're setting-specific; I was confused by this for a while before I figured their setting was just common knowledge among 3.5 players. Still, you might want to include a little background. Actually, it is setting specific in that this is pulled out of a particular setting and redone slightly for general consumption. Putting names to things doesn't restrict the setting so much as provide stubs from which a DM can create things. Naming a river and saying they have an empire along that river doesn't restrict them to a setting but still gives a small amount of background to give DMs an idea on how to incorporate them into a game if he so chooses.



This whole section seems very strict. "All Kreen act this way, have these beliefs, and follow this code". I personally feel like that doesn't leave a lot of room for character creation.It's not any more "strict" than any racial personality description. It is, perhaps, a little more detailed based on the concept of having a racial memory that guides them, making them more similar to one another, but it is fluff that can be ignored at will of so desired.


Grammar nitpicks:


This should probably begin with "A Kreen tends to" to match the rest of the paragraph, or change to "outside of their immediate clutches" which, while awkward, matches the couple sentences following.



I think this should read "a praying mantis OF human size".I'll fix those.




After reading this, I thought "Do they get multiattack? No, they end in claws. They must not be able to use them for hands. I wonder if those claws are natural attacks?", and then I had to look down into the statblock, which is big, and search for the natural attacks. What I'm saying is, I think it would just be convenient if you included a mention of the natural attacks here.That's fluff text... You typically don't include rules in the fluff, because it can get messy trying decipher rules from the fluff. Yes, they have four arms with claws, but the rules for them is in the rules section. It would be silly not to mention that in the fluff for their physical description though, as that's a pretty major part of their physiology.



What purpose does this serve? It means a Kreen can't work with an elf in the party and, while it does give some racial character, it seems very restrictive. It reminds me of the paladin's code in that it deals with absolutes.It's fluff. Ignore it if you want. There's no rule that enforces this. That said, this was part of their original fluff from second edition, and it was something unique and different that I wanted to retain here. That doesn't mean that you're required to use it. It can, however, make for very interesting interactions if your group chooses to use that fluff.




What does this mean? How is it unlocked? If it's mentioned below, you should summarize or say "see below for details", but as is it's just confusing.It specifically says "only be realized through certain feats or class features". I'm not sure how that is unclear. I would assume that reading that means that you flip over to the feats/classes areas to see, as that's clearly indicating that the rules will be in those areas.




Yes. What's wrong with that? I thought it humorous.




The table above this for the racial class advances BAB and the Will save, despite this saying otherwise.No... Pretty sure it doesn't. Third level is the level adjustment. BAB and saves and HD are unchanged at that level.




There don't actually seem to be any ancestral memories? Just double checked, and they are, in fact, there. I posted them a couple days before you made your reply here...


Overall, this is really polished. I had to resort to nitpicking grammar to find things to comment on! The racial abilities are consistent with the fluff, which is supported by the racial class and prestige classes. Maybe to emphasize the difference between the Thri and the Tohr, you could introduce different favored class bonuses, in the style of pathfinder?I don't play pathfinder and have no particular interest in learning all the new rules just for converting this project over to it...

[LordErebus12]

Cliktith got no love in the religion section... i see how it is :smalltongue: Forgetting about the mother of the Kreen, no doubt.

[Rizban]

Cliktith is Klik'chak's brother and primarily the god of the Athiks. I'm going to expound upon the Athiks and both gods a bit when I get the time to type it out.

[LordErebus12]

Cliktith is Klik'chak's brother and primarily the god of the Athiks. I'm going to expound upon the Athiks and both gods a bit when I get the time to type it out.

im shocked that they don't have a mother deity, unless you just havent came up with one, or something.

[Rizban]

They do not have a mother deity, though Klik'chak does have two children, one he formed from the elements of nature, and the other a great spiritual leader dedicated to evangelizing the non-insectoid races of the world whom he raised to the status of demigod and adopted.

Klik'chak is referred to as Father but is actually genderless. He is their creator and lord of the desert, but his primary role is as the guide from death to life. Followers of Klik'chak believe that they move to the afterlife only temporarily upon death and eventually are led back to rebirth as a new being. Rebirth, however, is optional, and not all choose to be reborn. Those who commit particularly grievous sins are banished to Riikano, a hellish plane of fire and ice arranged in an endless maze of identical rooms in order to drive its prisoners mad.

[inuyasha]

It's a racial feat I haven't posted yet but will

Prereq: Poison attack limited by times/day
Benefit: Use +2/day

I think theres a feat that does this in complete psionic

[Rizban]

I think theres a feat that does this in complete psionicSo there is. I had not forgotten about those feats. The difference is that Thri-kreen Poison is a Psionic feat, requiring a character to have a pool of power points or psi-like abilities in order to select it. The base kreen in this project do not have either and so cannot select that feat. Hence the addition of the new feat.

Additionally, Active Glands is not going to be restricted only to kreen being available to any creature with a poison attack with limited uses per day.

[inuyasha]

So there is. I had not forgotten about those feats. The difference is that Thri-kreen Poison is a Psionic feat, requiring a character to have a pool of power points or psi-like abilities in order to select it. The base kreen in this project do not have either and so cannot select that feat. Hence the addition of the new feat.

Additionally, Active Glands is not going to be restricted only to kreen being available to any creature with a poison attack with limited uses per day.

ah I understand now! :) I would like to see more races/monsters :)

[Rizban]

I'll definitely be posting more races/monsters when I get the chance!

For now, I've posted the Psionic Kreen Racial Class variant, the Active Glands feat, and reorganized the posts in the thread a bit.

[LordErebus12]

could i make a big request? could you make a sort of Desert Wasp creature like this? maybe the raptorian could be a starting point?

[Rizban]

You mean as a player race or as just a monster? :smallconfused:

[LordErebus12]

You mean as a player race or as just a monster? :smallconfused:

perhaps as a player race, like the Kreen or Athik.

[LordErebus12]

So... what are the two god's granted domains?

[themourningstar]

This is pure awesomeness- Dark Sun was always one of my favorite settings, and the thri-kreen were always freaking awesome. You have made them even more so, while making them an actual viable choice as a PC race. Thanks and omj this is great work! I will be rummaging through the rest of your homebrew now. :D

[Rizban]

So... what are the two god's granted domains?Klik'chak - Sand, Thirst, Death, Life, Restoration
Cliktith - Law, Mind, Planning, Vermin



This is pure awesomeness- Dark Sun was always one of my favorite settings, and the thri-kreen were always freaking awesome. You have made them even more so, while making them an actual viable choice as a PC race. Thanks and omj this is great work! I will be rummaging through the rest of your homebrew now. :DThanks! I haven't had much time to work on any of it lately, but I've done a few minor things here and there. I should have some more free time coming up, so expect to see updates to everything soon!

[Rosenrot]

You didn't include the Kreen phrase book from The Thri-Kreen of Athas.

I have it listed in my character listings, under the "This" link

[WhiteLycan]

Due to the lack of a thumbs up, +1 or "Like" button, I'll just give you a bump. Kreen have been one of my top 2 favorite races since I first discovered them. (Alongside Illithid)

[Rizban]

Finally got the tables and posts updated and some errors fixed.

[Ilinoris]

Wow, these Thri-kreen are great, and just perfect for my upcoming campaign! I would love to see you progress the work on this as Thri-kreen is most likely my favorite D&D race :-)

[LordErebus12]

Hive Cooperation (Ps): Athiks grant double the normal benefit for the aid other action so long as the creature they aid is also an Athik and within 10 feet.

I realize that this is for 3.5, but I will mention that in pathfinder, this racial ability is utterly broken. You can easily be granting a +10 bonus (with that ability its +20) at 10th level to another ally if you build it right.

There is a post about it here. (http://taking10.blogspot.com/2014/07/aid-another-in-pathfinder-is-more.html)

[Rizban]

Hive Cooperation (Ps): Athiks grant double the normal benefit for the aid other action so long as the creature they aid is also an Athik and within 10 feet.

I will mention that in pathfinder, this following racial ability is utterly broken, since you can easily be granting a +10 bonus (with that ability its +20) at 10th level to another ally.No offense, but this is D&D 3.5, not Pathfinder. I don't play PF and am not overly familiar with all of the rules. If you want to adapt this to PF, just change it to an extra +2 bonus or whatever is appropriate.

[LordErebus12]

No offense, but this is D&D 3.5, not Pathfinder. I don't play PF and am not overly familiar with all of the rules. If you want to adapt this to PF, just change it to an extra +2 bonus or whatever is appropriate.

And I realized that, but I figure it was worth mentioning. I dont know if you can min-max aid another actions in 3.5., but it might be worth a second thought.

EDIT: Complete Adventurer has some expanded Aid Another rules. For a quick summary, for every 10 points which you beat the base 10 DC, you get a +1 on the Aid action. However you need 5 ranks in the skill, or +5 BAB to take advantage of this extra help. There is an Aid Another feat in Oriental Adventures which makes it give +4 instead of +2 (only on attack/AC, though, not on skills).

Good job otherwise, you are brilliant with this OP.

[Rizban]

And I realized that, but I figure it was worth mentioning. I dont know if you can min-max aid another actions in 3.5., but it might be worth a second thought.

EDIT: Complete Adventurer has some expanded Aid Another rules. For a quick summary, for every 10 points which you beat the base 10 DC, you get a +1 on the Aid action. However you need 5 ranks in the skill, or +5 BAB to take advantage of this extra help. There is an Aid Another feat in Oriental Adventures which makes it give +4 instead of +2 (only on attack/AC, though, not on skills).

Good job otherwise, you are brilliant with this OP.With the racial restriction, and the fact that optimizing for it means you're building to make the rest of the party better, I'm actually okay with it as written.

[LordErebus12]

With the racial restriction, and the fact that optimizing for it means you're building to make the rest of the party better, I'm actually okay with it as written.

Now that you mention it, yeah. I have no problem with it anymore.

[Rizban]

Made some changes to the Ancestral Memory section to clarify a few entries and fix a few minor errors.
Added a table for the two feats, because I just like feat tables.
Fixed some formatting errors with the tables.

[Rizban]

Update and New Content!
Made a few minor updates to this, mostly spelling and grammar errors that I spotted, cleaned some things up, and added a whole new section. Additionally, there is one new feat.

Faith and Religion is the new section, which includes a full write up for the kreen god Klik'chak.
I also have the write up for the athik god Cliktith about half finished and will be adding it as soon as it's ready.

[pyrefiend]

Did you take Cliktith and Athiks from when I made them 8 years ago? (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=4530702&postcount=16) I'm honestly pretty confused coming across this!

[Rizban]

Did you take Cliktith and Athiks from when I made them 8 years ago? (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=4530702&postcount=16) I'm honestly pretty confused coming across this!
Actually, yes, I did originally. Most of this homebrew is a result of the game you and I played in that produced those, but it has developed significantly from there through several D&D games that have included them based on player feedback and needed balance tweaks. I sent you a PM about using them in 2013 just before I started this thread, but I never heard back from you until now...

[pyrefiend]

Actually, yes, I did originally. Most of this homebrew is a result of the game you and I played in that produced those, but it has developed significantly from there through several D&D games that have included them based on player feedback and needed balance tweaks. I sent you a PM about using them in 2013 just before I started this thread, but I never heard back from you until now...

Alright that's fine! That is some serious nostalgia, I had forgotten all about them.

[Rizban]

Alright that's fine! That is some serious nostalgia, I had forgotten all about them.
Well, I hope the revised version in this thread lives up to the nostalgia. :smallbiggrin:
Look over the Athiks and let me know what you think.