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Ryshan Ynrith
2007-10-10, 10:32 PM
The Riven


Riven Undercaste
A creature stands before you, gleaming like a silvered mirror. Its skin is smooth and glossy, and its features seem rounded off, polished away. Its eyes are liquid black, swirling with strange depths.

No one is entirely sure what made the Riven-not even they themselves. What is known is that they soon established themselves the better of an entrenched, fortified civilization-the Linye-and conquered their lands, precipitating the sinking of Elyesu. Unlike most of the foes the Linye have battled, the Riven draw their power from outside of the Six Facets, from the twisted madness of the Far Realms.

Undercaste are the lowest in the hierarchy of the Riven-they are as the Riven were when they were first born, and in a society which stresses improvement, this is not favorable. They are also the most traditionally sane, and could likely coexist with other humanoids should they desire-something the Highcaste has no interest in.

Like all Riven, Undercaste wear clothing and use equipment-no reason not to, by their thought. Their blood appears like the tarnish on old silver-iridescently dark.

Humanoid Type
+2 Cha, -2 Wis: The Riven have powerful, magnetic souls, but the strange forces of their birthplace has a detrimental effect on their mental stability.
+1 to all saving throws: The Riven seem naturally-or unnaturally- able to avoid ill effects.

The Riven revere two beings as deities: Elina, called the Spell Goddess, and Elani, the Sword God. They are not actually divine, and cannot grant their followers spells-there are no clerics or favored souls amongst the Riven faithful. However, their mastery of the twisted powers of the Far Realms lends them nigh-deific ability, and either can promote Lowcaste or Midcaste through a ritual.


Riven Midcaste:
This Riven is slightly larger than the others, and in its ebon eyes there is a faint, yellow-green pinpoint of light.

The Midcaste are either born of other Midcaste or made in a special ceremony with the Goddess Elina or the God Elani, where they are infused with the essence of the Far Realms (madlight). They are tougher and stronger than Lowcaste. Depending on their patron, Midcaste may be naturally adept at physical combat or spellcasting.

Outsider Type (Native)
4 Outsider HD
+4 Strength, +4 Dex, +4 Con, +2 Int, +4 Cha
+4 Natural Armor
+2 to all saves

Choose one:
Born of Elani (Favored of the Blade God): Grants SR (10+HD) and immunity to ability damage or drain, slow effects, and paralysis effects, as well as +3 to attack and damage with physical weapons. May use Body Surge and Bloodletter.

Born of Elina (Favored of the Spell Goddess): Grants casting abilities of a level 4 sorcerer, wizard, or healer. This does not include any non-spellcasting abilities of these classes but does stack with actual levels; thus, a 2nd-level Elina-born Midcaste wizard would cast spells as a fifth-level wizard but have the HD and base saves of a 2nd-level wizard. May use Soul Surge and Mind Break.


Body Surge: When in the presence of a significant source of madlight (a room saturated with madlight energy, or a vial of madlight serum), certain Riven may use Body Surge to draw power from it. Body Surge grants the Riven the effects of the Haste spell, a +5 Deflection bonus to AC, an additional +4 profane bonus to all physical abilities, and grants the Pounce special ability. These effects last for 1 round per hit die. Activating Body Surge is a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

Soul Surge: When in the presence of a significant source of madlight (a room with a Gate to the Far Realms, or a vial of madlight serum, for example), certain Riven may use Soul Surge to draw power from it. Soul Surge grants the effects of the Haste spell, a +5 Deflection bonus to AC, an additional +4 profane bonus to all mental abilities, and allows the Riven to cast an additional quickened spell each round. These effects last for 1 round per hit die. Activating Soul Surge is a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

Use of any Surge ability is accompanied by cosmetic changes as well-faint greenish-yellow veins run like cracks over the Riven’s skin, the eyes’ glow becomes more pronounced, and a vaguely distorted aura appears around the creature.

Bloodletter: Every time an Elani midcaste successfully strikes a foe with a piercing or slashing weapon, that foe takes 1 point of Constitution damage.

Mind Break: As a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, an Elina midcaste may inflict 1d4+1 points of damage to each of a single opponent’s mental ability scores. The target may make a will save (DC 10+1/2 HD+Cha modifier) to halve the damage. The Riven may use this once every 1d4 rounds.


Riven Highcaste:
The lone Riven in the midst of it all is of the same stature and general shape as the Midcaste, but there the similarity ends. Its eyes glow fiercely with a strange, distorted yellowish light, and its skin seems shattered into pieces by veins of the same color. The air around the Riven seems twisted; objects viewed behind it are out-of-focus and warped.

The Highcaste are hand-picked for singular purposes by Elani and Elina and imbued with a great deal of power. They are unique creatures, possessing one-of-a-kind abilities and powers.




This is a sort of rough draft, but input from the more experienced homebrewers is welcome.