PDA

View Full Version : Pathfinder [Race Project] Blood of the Vashar



Xuldarinar
2016-03-06, 01:20 AM
Vasharans

-Vile and violently misotheistic, vasharans are often described as the dark reflection of humanity. Born out of anger and pain, they understand only hate, selfishness, and greed. Many have speculated they are an early offshoot of humanity, another entity's attempt at the creation of a race, or even by some to be of a failed first attempt at creation. Regardless of their origins, they love to kill, to maim, and most of all are driven towards deicide. It is this goal, this burning hunger to slay the gods, that has bound them together in a tenuous society.
-Physical Description: Vasharans are similar to humans, so much so that they are nearly indistinguishable from humans to the uninitiated. Their skin ranges from fair to very pale, and their hair is typically straight and black. To those not aware of the vashar, it is unlikely they would be able to tell the difference.
-Society: Vasharan society is tenuous at best. Status is achieved through power, and all members of their society are willing to what ever it takes to get what they desire. Strangely enough though, as violent and vile as they are, vasharans seldom kill others of their kind. Furthermore, their society is run democratically, overseen by a council of elected elders.
-Relations: Other races generally treat vasharans as they do humans, largely because few know the difference. While abroad, vashar often treat other races as humans do.
-Alignment and Religion: Vasharans do not understand concepts such as mercy, mindless, or love. Not even towards each other. Such things are so alien to them they would seldom think to even use them as leverage against members of other races. They have no aversion to gore, to filth, and they hold not even the concept of taboos. When it comes to religion, vasharans are intrinsically and violently misotheistic. The thought of being beholden to another being, a deity no less, is utterly repulsive and infuriating.
-Adventurers: Their desire of deicide has driven some to travel the world as adventurers. Favoring arcane and psychic magics, many have taken up the wizard, magus, and occultist classes, though many others are born into sorcery or become psychics. Despite their distaste for divine magic, some have been known to use it, typically in the form of ur-priests. Far more mundane combatants, from fighters to rogues, are also fairly common. Druids along with bards are virtually nonexistent.


Vasharan Racial Traits
+2 to any one ability score: Vasharan characters gain a +2 racial bonus to one ability score of their choice at creation to represent their varied nature.
Vashar: Vasharans are humanoids with the Evil and Vashar subtypes.
Medium: Vasharans are Medium creatures and receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Vasharans have a base speed of 30 feet.
Bonus Vile Feat: Vasharans gain a vile feat as a bonus feat at 1st level.
Skilled: Vasharans gain an additional skill rank at first level and one additional rank whenever they gain a level.
Vasharan Mind: Vasharans gain a +2 bonus on their saves vs fear effects and effects that bestow the sickened or nauseated conditions. This bonus does not apply against any poisons or diseases that bestow either effect.
Languages: Vasharans begin play speaking Common. Vashar with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages, such as Druidic).

Alternative Racial Traits
The following alternative racial traits may be selected in place of one or more of the standard racial traits above.


Betrayer: While all vasharans are wicked of heart, some are skilled at utilizing their supposed allies in combat. They gain a betrayal feat of their choice as a bonus feat. This racial trait replaces the vasharan's bonus vile feat trait.
Born Council Member: Some vashar hail from lineages that frequent the elected council. These vashar gain a +2 racial bonus on Intimidate checks and any skill checks to recruit members and teams for an organization. They also gain a +1 racial bonus on their Leadership scores (if they gain the Vile Leadership feat). This racial trait replaces the vasharan's skilled trait.
Divine Defiance: While all vasharans stand against the gods, there are those particularly resilient against the servants of the divine. They gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against divine spells and the spell-like abilities of outsiders. This racial trait replaces the vasharan's bonus vile feat trait.
Tainted: Vasharan, as a race, are inherently touched by evil. Some, however, are much more suited for tapping into it. They gain Malevolent Surge or Surge of Malevolence as a bonus feat. This alternative racial trait may only be taken in campaigns that utilize taint. This racial trait replaces the vasharan's bonus vile feat trait.



Favored Class Options

Antipaladin: Add +1 to the antipaladin's energy resistance to one kind of energy (maximum +10).
Cavalier: Add +1/4 to the cavalier's level for the purpose of determining the effects of the cavalier's challenge in regards to the cavalier's order.
Fighter: Add +1 to the fighter's CMD when resisting two combat maneuvers of the character's choice.
Magus: Add +1/4 point to the magus's arcane pool.
Medium: When gaining a taboo, the medium can use spirit surge without incurring influence and additional 1/4 time per day.
Mesmerist: Increase the mesmerist's bonus damage from painful stare by 1/2 point.
Occultist: Deal an additional 1/2 point of damage with focus powers.
Psychic: Add one spell with the evil descriptor to the psychic's spells known. This spell must be at least one level below the highest spell level he can cast if it is on the psychic spell list, or two levels below the highest spell level he can cast if it is not normally found on the psychic spell list.
Rogue: Add +1/2 to sneak attack damage dealt to divine spellcasters and creatures with the outsider type.
Sorcerer: Add +1/4 to the sorcerer's caster level when casting spells with the evil descriptor.
Spiritualist: Add +1 to the spiritualist's phantom's spell resistance. This spell resistance only applies against divine spells and the spell-like abilities of outsiders.
Summoner: Add +1 to the summoner's eidolon's spell resistance. This spell resistance only applies against divine spells and the spell-like abilities of outsiders.
Ur-Priest: Add +1/2 to the ur-priest's divine spell resistance.
Wizard: Add one spell with the evil descriptor to the wizard's spellbook. This spell must be at least one level below the highest spell level he can cast if it is on the wizard spell list, or two levels below the highest spell level he can cast if it is not normally found on the wizard spell list.


Vasharan Feats
The following feats are available to a vasharan character who meets the prerequisites.
(Nothing, as of yet)


Class Options
Vasharan society exists not only in the absence of worship, but a rejection and hatred of the divine unrivaled by other races. As such, they are prone to devising unique routes to channel this very hatred. Though the following class options are most common among vasharan, any creature could conceivably choose them.

Irreverence (Psychic Discipline)
Your hatred of the gods fuels your psychic abilities. Whether your mental abilities were sparked by this hatred, or merely are enhanced by these emotions is anyone's guess. In many ways, you are akin to an ur-priest, your rejection of faith both making you more resilient against it and able to steal it away.
-Phrenic Pool Ability: Wisdom.
-Bonus Spells: Murderous command (1st), disfiguring touch (4th), bestow curse (6th), debilitating portent (8th), foster hatred (10th), phantasmal revenge (12th), greater scrying (14th), greater planar binding (16th), miracle (18th).
-Discipline Powers: Your powers serve to scorn the devout.
-Forsake Divinity: You may not prepare or cast divine spells, aside from those drawn from the ur-priest class. However, you may add half of your levels in any divine spellcasting class aside from ur-priest to your psychic level for the purpose of your discipline's abilities.
-Divine Spell Resistance (Su): You gain a spell resistance equal to your class level plus your Wisdom modifier, but only against divine spells and the spell-like abilities of outsiders. If you gain levels in the ur-priest class, the levels stack for the purpose of this effect.
-Faith-Stealing Spell (Su): At 5th level, when you cast a harmful spell against a creature capable of casting divine spells, you may force them to make a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 your psychic level + your Wisdom modifier) or be unable to cast any divine spells for 1 round. If your spell fails to have any effect on the target, this ability is expended with no effect. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier.
-Steal Spell-Like ability (Su): At 13th level, you gain the ur-priest's steal spell-like ability class feature. For the purpose of this class feature, you treat your effective ur-priest level as your psychic level.

Order of the Shattered Chain (Cavalier Order)
While cavaliers who follow the order of the first law typically are humans who hail from Rahadoum, seeking to forever keep worship from their lands, there exists another order that is motivated towards a much more ambitious goal. These evil cavaliers follow the order of the Shattered Chain, and their goal is nothing short of the demise of the gods.

Cavaliers of the order of the Shattered Chain function identically like cavaliers of the order of the first law- They are simply instead vasharans or those who have aligned themselves with them and work towards deicide, rather than being humans of Rahadoum who seek to simply put an end to worship.

Promethean Kineticist (Kineticist Archetype)
Not all kineticists are bound inherently to the elements or by some blessing. Some, having studied the methods of ur-priests, have devised a means of drawing raw elemental matter from the gods themselves. Often referred to as promethean kineticists, these individuals steal fire and other elemental matter from the gods to raze their foes.
-Forsake Divinity: Promethean kineticists may not prepare or cast divine spells, except from classes that also grant the forsake divinity class feature. If a promethean kineticist possesses levels in a divine spellcasting class that does not possess the forsake divinity class feature, they may add half of their levels in such classes to their effective kineticist level for the purpose of utilizing their wild talents.
-Divine Reservoir (Su): Promethean kineticists can enter a meditative trance each day. Each promethean kineticist must choose a time at which he must spend 1 hour each day to spend pilfering the divine energy necessary power their wild talents, storing them in their divine reservoir. At the end of this process, a promethean kineticist gains a number of points equal to 3 + her Wisdom modifier. Points from this reservoir are used in place of burn. This ability replaces the Kineticist's Burn.
-Divine Spell Resistance (Su): At 2nd level, a promethean kineticist a spell resistance equal to their class level plus their Wisdom modifier, but only against divine spells and the spell-like abilities of outsiders. This ability replaces the kineticist's defensive talent.
(WiP)


Additional Options
The vashar have few true racial archetypes of their own. However, there are other options that are also frequent among their kind. Typically involving applying minor training as an ur-priest to other classes, these individuals find new and inventive ways to pilfer the divine. Such examples include;


Phantom Slaver: Spiritualist (Onmyoji Archetype) VMC Ur-Priest.
Relic Defiler: Occultist (Reliquarian Archetype) VMC Ur-Priest.
Warpriest of Ur: Warpriest VMC Ur-Priest.


Blood of the Vashar Traits
Human are not alone in their ability to intermingle with other races, though in the case of a vasharan's chosen companion it is seldom a voluntary ordeal. The following alternative racial traits are available to the non-vasharan descendants of a vasharan.

Scion of Blasphemy: The blood of the vashar runs strong, even in those touched by the planes. A character with this racial trait counts as an outsider (native) and a humanoid (evil, vashar) for any effect related to race, including feat prerequisites and spells that affect humanoids. They can pass for pure vasharan without using the Disguise skill. This racial trait alters the native subtype and replaces the non-common automatic language(s). This racial trait can be taken by aasimar, ifrit, oread, slyph, suli, tiefling, and undine.
Vashar Blood: Some half-elves or half-orcs are born not to unions between a human and a member of another race, but that of a vasharan. Half-elves with this trait count as both elves and vasharan for any effect related to race. Half-orcs with this trait count as both orc and vasharan for any effect related to race. Regardless of race, you no longer qualify for any feats that relate to possessing human ancestry, such as Pass for Human. This replaces elf blood and orc blood respectively.


Blood of the Vashar Feats
The following feats traits are available to the non-vasharan descendants of a vasharan.

Pass for Vashar
Your vasharan ancestry is more evident in you than most, making you easily mistakable for one of them.
-Prerequisite: Vashar Blood racial trait
-Benefit: You receive a +10 bonus on Disguise checks to disguise yourself as a human, and do not receive the penalty for disguising yourself as a member of another race when you do so. In areas populated or settled by vashar, you can take a 10 on your Disguise check, meaning most people tend to assume you are vashar unless given reason to think otherwise. To those unaware of the vashar, this bonus and check equates to disguising as human.

Vasharan Mind
The blood of the vashar runs strong through your veins. Many of the concepts held by your non-vasharan forebearers of fear and disgust are distant to you, invoking nothing in you if not delight.
-Prerequisite: Scion of Blasphemy racial trait or Vasharan Blood racial trait.
-Benefit: You possess the Vasharan Mind racial trait, granting you a +2 bonus on saves against fear effects and effects that bestow the sickened or nauseated conditions. This bonus does not apply against any poisons or diseases that bestow either sickened or nauseated.
-Special: You can only take this feat at 1st level. If you are a half-elf and take this feat, you cannot take the Drow Spirit or Elven Spirit feat.


Background Generator Assets
The following tables are for use with pathfinder's Background Generator (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/ultimateCampaign/characterBackground/backgroundGenerator.html), specifically if one wishes to play a vasharan or a half-vashran. If one wishes to play a half-elf or half-orc of vasharan decent, they may treat all instances and references to humans on the half-elf and half-orc tables as references to vasharan.



Vasharan Homeland
d%Result
01-75Vashar Homeland: You gain access to the History of Heresy faith trait and the Survivor regional trait.
76-90Human Homelands: Roll on the Human Homeland table.
91-100Unusual Homeland: Roll on the Unusual Homeland table.



Vasharan Parents
d%Result
01-70Both of your parents are alive
71-80Only your father is alive.
81-90Only your mother is alive.
91-100Both of your parents are dead. You gain access to the Orphaned social trait.




Vasharan Siblings
d%Result
01-501d6 siblings.
61-901d4 siblings
91-100No siblings.

Xuldarinar
2016-03-08, 11:31 PM
Extra Vasharan Content
Rather than leaving this post as it was, being a plead for expedient feedback, I've decided to put it to use. Here I'll post content on the vashar that really doesn't fit in the primary post. This can be from just things that don't mesh with what is above, or notes that I haven't found a way to wedge in.

Sample Vasharans
The following is a sample low-level vasharan ur-priest. In time I may stat up more samples, but for the moment here is simply one. Most of the vashar that parties would encounter would likely have more than one level under their belt, but one must always start somewhere.




VASHARAN
CR 1/2
XP 200
Vasharan ur-priest 1
NE Medium humanoid (evil, vashar)
Init +1; Senses Perception +3
DEFENSE
AC 16, touch 11, flat-footed 15 (+1 dex, +5 armor)
hp 8 (1d8+0)
Fort +2,Ref +1,Will +5; +2 vs fear, sickened, and nauseated (excluding disease and poison)
Spell Resistance 4 vs divine spells and outsider Spell-like abilities.
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee morning star -1 (1d8-1)
Ranged light crossbow +0 (1d8/19-20)
Special Attacks channel siphoned energy (5/day, 1d6 negative, DC 12)
Spells Prepared (CL 1st)
--1st- bane (DC 14), touch of bloodletting (DC 14)
--0 (at will)- bleed (DC 13), detect magic, light
STATISTICS
Str 8,Dex 12,Con 11,Int 10,Wis 17,Cha 14
Base Atk +0;CMB -1;CMD 9
Feats Command Undead, Willing Deformity
Skills Intimidate +5, Knowledge (planes) +4, Sense Motive +7
Languages Common

Vashar and their Descendents
A brief note, though this may be upgraded to a section in the primary post. Vasharans mix with other races in an unusual manner. Where humans (of a non-specific background) can mix with other races, so too can vasharans. In these instances, I've attempted to create content that can be used to reflect the children of such unfortunate unions. What I haven't truly touched upon is the mix of vasharans and humans, though I've had this idea since I started converting the race. You may note that in the tables on the bottom of the first post, there is a chance when using the race generator that a vasharan may be from human lands. This is because vasharan breed true when mixed with humans. Such children bare the same inherent distain for the gods and show no inherent apprehension to the things most humans do. These individuals grow up to further the agenda of their forbearers, whether they ever know their true lineage or not. The edge these individuals hold is they will take into consideration concepts that are not intrinsic to their people, and better acknowledge 'proper' conduct if they reach maturity. Why is the percentage only as high as it is? Because most vasharans live in their racial homelands, and such crosses are neither common outside of vashar lands nor do they often have long lineages in human lands. Now, I may in time create some racial traits, race traits, and the like to reflect such individuals. But for now, there is nothing to truly hammer that home.


Vashar-Outsider Relations
While vasharans oppose deities as a rule, and many of their tools in turn also are useful to combat outsiders, this does not mean the vashar are inherently opposed to all outsiders. Fiend worship is viewed in a similar light to deity worship, but their misotheistic tendencies do not automatically carry over to all outsiders. Below are examples of outsiders and the general relationship the vashar have with them.

Asura: Both the asura and the vashar are believed to be born from mistakes made by the gods, and both are known to hate the gods for one reason or another. As such, asura are one of the most accepted outsiders among the vashar. Some would say they are kindred spirits, but the vashar view them simply as entities that share with them a common goal, and perhaps even a common origin.
Daemon: Vasharans frequently oppose daemon kind, to a point, for while they may delight in the idea that the faithful may never get the reward they were promised, the vashar recognize they are just as likely candidates for a daemon's next meal. Some may form pacts with daemons, but it is a relative rarity compared to other fiends.
Demodand: Creations of the titans and opponents to the divine, demodand hold much in common with the vashar in terms of their ultimate goals. Demodands were however created by other entities that saw themselves fit to be gods themselves, and in this there is the problem. They may make for incredible tools for the vashar, but seldom do they view demodands as more than means to an end.
Demon: Nigh-infinite in number and verity, demon-kind always offers up plenty of potential allies and tools. Those that seek to bring ruin and corruption upon the gods as well as their followers are welcome servants of the vashar. Others, particularly those that explicitly serve the countless demon lords of the abyss, or those tied to the mother of monsters herself, are seen as things to be destroyed and cast back into the pit. Most scholars that believe that the first vashar was the first of the god's attempts at humanity and promptly was destroyed, also believe that it was a demon that took their remains and brought them back. Some go so far as to say it was a specific demon lord or a succubus who bore the next generation of vashar forever infusing them with fiendish blood and creating a special relationship between the vashar and demon-kind. Such claims, however, lack the evidence needed to hold them much higher than most other theories.
Devils, Divs, and Kytons: Servants of Asmodeus, Ahriman, and Zon-Kuthon respectively, these are all fiends that the Vashar not only generally refuse to cooperate with but they will make moves towards their destruction when given the opportunity.

Amnoriath
2016-03-09, 12:48 AM
While the flavor is all there mechanically it is just an evil human with less choices. Thematically I don't see any reason to not just be a human and use this flavor calling themselves the Vashar as a culture.

Xuldarinar
2016-03-09, 03:11 AM
While the flavor is all there mechanically it is just an evil human with less choices. Thematically I don't see any reason to not just be a human and use this flavor calling themselves the Vashar as a culture.


Thank you for commenting.


I do agree to a point, but there are some flavor elements to them that do set them apart, things that I think do potentially warrant them to be a separate race (or atleast make them a sub race with their own set of alternate racial traits).

Vasharans lack certain concepts entirely; Mercy, kindness, love, even our concepts of taboo and knee-jerk fears are things not present among them.


Of course, in spite of this WotC did see fit to make them human for all intents and purposes except for that bonus feat. Well, with the exception of subtype(s) where it is not established if they are humanoids of the human subtype, or if they are considered a unique raced. This, of course, bothers me.


I think at this point, while I suppose I could break things down here and just make them a human sub race that gets something.. I would like to really give them their own identity in pathfinder. Proto-human in origin, and perhaps human enough in appearance, but as distinct from humans as drow are from elves. To that end, perhaps I should throw in an additional racial trait to make up for their limited bonus feat choice and begins to set them apart.

Edit: Added racial trait; Vasharan Mind. This bestows a bonus to saves vs Fear effects as well as effects that bestow the nauseated and sickened conditions. The bonus, however, does not apply when either condition would be bestowed by a disease or a poison. Not only do vasharans gain this, but those explicitly of vashar descent may take these on via a feat if taken at 1st level.


Edit 2: A large amount of the original post's content was deleted, likely by my being tired and bumping a few keys on accident. In any case; I have recovered the vast majority of the information and will re-brew what I couldn't recover outright.

DeathsAdvocate
2016-06-13, 04:34 PM
The original Vashar do have a few things that set them apart from humans, given the following may be a questionable reading.

The first being the bonus vile feat can be any vile feat, even if you don't meet the prereq, rather then simply just an extra feat like humans get.

The second is in the language section "likely to pick up a few lesser words of the Dark Speech" this implies one of a couple things, the most likely is that they can take dark speech as a bonus language without need of the feat, other possible interpretations are they get the dark speech feat for free and or they simply can just use dark speech for free. You could argue that its just fluff, but there are times when fluff actually has mechanical effects, take the burrow ability for example. Burrow says to refer to the creatures description for what kinds of things it can burrow through.

I would argue that these interpretations are read as intended or there would truly be no difference between them and an evil human. They would just be more limited for no particular reason, and thus it just does not even make sense that they would be printed. As you pointed out it does not list their type, although it is probably humanoid, it could certainly be expanded on for the races benefit.

Just figured I would pop in and throw my simple interpretation out for you in case it would help. I really like the Vashar and am always saddened to see everyone just assume they are just worse humans.

DuctTapeKatar
2016-06-15, 11:49 AM
Looking at this, I noticed that they have a lot in common with the Contractors from the anime series Darker than Black. Lacking some major emotions, being backstabbing jerks, being human enough to pass scrutinizing eyes, ect. Its something to look into.

I think adding some other things, like quirks which make them stand out a bit more (Being rather gluttonous, greedy, lustful, ect.) would be interesting. Giving them a bonus if they complete these tasks (like stealing from someone and not getting caught gives a +1 bonus to dex-based skills) might also help out separate them from normal humans.