New Planetouched (more coming later)

[Eldan]

Well, after our first game over text messenger, a few people in my group decided that they really needed more different planetouched than there already are. I tended to agree, since only having Tieflings, Aasimar and the Genasi in the standard setting got old after a while, and my players all decided to have planar bloodlines. So, long story short, I decided to sit down and create a few planetouched of my own.



All the planes have those that are touched by their energies. They may have distant outsider ancestry, or just parents that were in the wrong place at the wrong time... humans are one of the strangest peoples of the planes, some say, when even living in a place can change their offspring.


Aetheling (Ysgard-touched)

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The essence of Ysgard is the essence of glorious heroism, of epic sagas and adventures, wild emotions and inspirations, honour and the clashing elements of nature, a place were giants, fallen heroes and gods, where the one is stronger than the many, where they brave overcomes all odds to gain glory and honour.

The Aetheling, therefore, units in his mind the bravery and indepencene of this place with a lust for glory and recognition. They can take an endless variety of shapes, but often have strong, vibrant hair and eye colours, muscular bodies and an abundance ot of body hair. Those related to the giants of Muspelheim might have dark skin and bodies taller than those of all around them, while those related to the fey of the seelie court could have slender, but strong bodies.

The similarities among the Aethelings are not in their bodies, but in their minds: they strong-willed and single-minded to the point of stubbornness, but also inconsistent in their emotions, changing from grim bloodlust to a drunken joy in mere moments, making and forgetting friendships in instants. This inconsistency is their weakness, for they are rarely able to concentrate on any one thing for long.

Stats:

• +2 Str, +2 Cha, -2 Int: Aethelings have both strong and inspired personalities and bodies, but they are not the type for serious studying or long contemplation, mostly prefering to act on an impulse.
• Creature Type: Native Outsider
• Base Speed: 30 ft.
• Darkvision: Aethelings can see in the darkness up to 60 feet.
• Racial Skills: an Aetheling gain a +2 racial bonus on intimidate checks.
• Spell-like abilities: An Aetheling can cast both heroism and Resist energy once per day as a 1st-level caster or a caster of his class levels, whichever is higher, but only on himself.
• Special Qualities: Fire and cold Resistance 5.
• Accelerated healing: While not as pronounced as in the fallen heroes of Ysgard, who heal from any injury at night, even lethal ones, these touched still recover form wounds faster than others, effectively trippling their natural healing rate.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Giant. Bonus Languages Celestial, Dwarven, Elven, Sylvan, Undercommon
• Favored Class: Barbarian
• Level Adjustment: +1

Battlespawn (Acheron-touched)

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Few ever visit the infernal battlefields of Acheron: mercenaries fighting in the endless conflicts, treasure-hunters scouring the cubes for forgotten weapons of destruction, the stranded and those seeking out the gods of battles. It is from these roots that the battlespawn are born, children with the sounds of battles and the voices of dead soldiers in their minds. They have been connected to bladelings sometimes, but such relations have never been proven.

They are hard creatures, both mentally and physically: their skin either ghostly pale, dark or, often, with the appearance of metal or stone, sometimes cold to the touch, with eyes that show little emotion.

Stats:

• +2 Con, -2 Cha: the battlespawn are literally hard as stone, but all too often jaded and emotionless from birth.
• Creature Type: Native Outsider
• Base Speed: 30 ft.
• Spell-like abilities: Once per day, as a move action, a battlespawn can use true strike, as a 1st-level caster or a caster of his class levels, whichever is higher, but only on himself.
• Special Qualities: Cold resistance 5, damage reduction 3/adamantine, +1 natural armor.
• Battlemind: Battlespawn gain a +2 racial bonus against all fear effects. Whenever a battleswpawn is holding a weapon or wearing armour he is not proficient with, he may concentrate for a full round to gain proficiency with it for the next five minutes, at which point he has to concentrate again, or lose that proficiency.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Infernal. Bonus Languages: Fiendish, Goblin, Orc, Modron, Undercommon
• Favored Class: Fighter
• Level Adjustment: +1

Beloved (Elysium-touched)

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Few of those mortals that visit Elysium ever leave, for it subtly captures the minds of visitors, enthralling them with it's beauty until few ever want to leave, at least of those with good alignment.
It is, then, not surprising that there is a fair share of those with elysian energy coursing in their veins. Of those, however, few ever leave their homeplans, happy to live a quiet live in harmony with those around them. Those that leave often do so because they feel that there are too many wrongs in the multiverse, and that it does not become them to enjoy peace and quiet while other suffer.
Infused with the energy of pure good, the Beloved are friendly creatures, hailing from a plane where good deeds are necessary to even walk from one town to another. They tend to be of a happy disposition, if sometimes a little naïve.
The beloved tend to have hair in vibrant colours: gold, auburn, red or even pure white, and eyes in equally strong colours: the green of leaves, ocean blue, azure or gold and even their skin often has a golden or silvery shimmer to it.

Stats:

• +2 Wis, +2 Cha, -2 Str: The beloved are empathic, perceptive and comely in mind and body, but disinclided to engage in violence.
• Creature Type: Native Outsider
• Base Speed: 30 ft.
• Darkvision: 60 ft.
• Racial Skills: +2 diplomacy, +2 heal: the silver tongues of the beloved are famous in all places where discussion is favored over violence, and they have a gift for helping others in need.
• Spell-like abilities: A beloved can use enthrall once per day as a 1st-level caster or a caster of his class levels, whichever is higher.
• Special Qualities: Negative Energy Resistance 5. A beloved also has a +2 bonus against sleep spells and effects, and against all spells of the charm or compulsion subschools.
• Vibrant Aura: wherever a beloved is present, colours seem brighter, the weather calmer, enjoyable tastes and smells more intense and all tasks seem to go easier. Therefore, all creatures within 5 feet of the beloved have a +1 morale bonus on all craft, diplomacy, handle animal, perform and profession checks. In addition, the beloved can recreate the effect of a goodberry spell once per day on any meal he prepares himself.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Celestial. Bonus languages: archon, eladrin, aquan, auran
• Favored Class: Cleric
• Level Adjustment: +1

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Gloomkin (Waste-touched)

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Those that get out of the grey wastes alive rarely get to enjoy the fact for long, for wracking diseases, the emotion-draining effects of the gloom and perpetual nightmares hunt them, often for the rest of their lives. The Yugoloths, original inhabitants of the wastes, are extremely reluctant to reproduce at all, and while the Nighthags might do so, most of their children become hags as well. It is therefore no surprise that the waste-touched are perhaps the rarest of all planetouched, isolated in the world from birth.

Gloomkin are clearly marked by the wastes: many of them are grey or black all over: hair, eyes, skin, with dark purple and rarely a sickly green. Many show symptoms of diseases they do not in fact have: sweaty skin, wracking coughs, festering wounds. They are distant and calculalting towards others, removed from many of the emotions that plague others, many of them even having difficulties recognizing others as not tools or pawns in their games.

Stats:

• +2 Con, +2 Int, -2 Cha: The gloomkin, being descendants of those that survived the glooms, are tough by nature, and their minds are calculating, but cold.
• Creature Type: Native Outsider
• Base Speed: 30 ft.
• Darkvision: 60 ft.
• Racial Skills: +2 concentration, +4 disguise. The gloomkin have no trouble detaching themselves from external stimuli, and their grey and featureless faces make them able to assume the appearance of others easily given the right tools.
• Spell-like abilities: A gloomkin can use calm emotion once per day as a 1st-level caster or a caster of his class levels, whichever is higher.
• Special Qualities: Cold and fire resistance 5. A gloomkin gains a +2 bonus on all saving throws against diseases and against all effects that cause emotions, such as crushing despair or mindless rage.
• Wasting touch: the gloomkin's touch carries the emotion draining effect of the waste in it. By touching others, they can drain some of those unfortunate creature's emotions, thoughs and sense of self. The gloomkin has a touch attack dealing 1d4 points of charisma damage, useable once per day, with a will save (DC 12+the gloomkin's charisma modifier) negating the drain and the secondary effect. If the target creature fails it's save, the gloomkin can read it's surface thoughs, as the third-round effect of a detect thoughts spell. They can maintain the detect thoughts effect as long as they touch the victim, to a maximum of ten minutes.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Fiendish. Bonus Languages: Abyssal, infernal, dwarven, giant
• Favored Class: Wizard
• Level Adjustment: +1

Spireling (Outlands-touched)

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The spirelings carry the blood and essence of the outlands, the plane of ultimate neutrality. They are, perhaps, the most common of planetouched, as there are countless permanent human settlements in the outlands, and even more travelers, caravans and adventurers passing through every day. Their personalities tend to be calm and collected, and they tend to think things through thoroughly before making decisions.

Few spirelings look much different from their human parents: their colouration tends slightly towards the bland, perhaps, with light or dark brown hair, grey or brown eyes and tan or greyish skin, with vibrant colours being rare. However, they often have a metallic sheen to their skin, coppery or silvery, and, rarely, metallic hair as well.

Stats:

• Spirelings have no changes to their base stats
• Creature Type: Native Outsider
• Base Speed: 30 ft.
• Neutral At Heart (ex): Spirelings suffer no negative effects from being on a plane with alignment traits, no matter their actual alignment, and they gain a +2 racial bonus on all saving throws against spells with an alignment descriptor.
• Dead Magic Adaption (ex): Spirelings are used to the impeded magic of the outlands and gain a +4 bonus to spellcraft checks to overcome the effects of impeded magic, and their caster level is treated as two higher for purposes of dispel magics.
• Racial Skills: Spirelings gain a +2 racial bonus on all diplomacy checks. They are adapt negotiators, and always willing to listen to both sides of an argument.
• Spell-like abilities: A spireling can use the spire touch spell-like ability once per day at a caster level equal to their class level, or as a first level caster, whichever is higher. Spire touch counts as a second level spell and works like the targeted dispel effect of dispel magic, at touch range.
• Spell Resistance: Spirelings have spell resistance equal to 11+their hit dice.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Rilmani. Bonus languages: any, except secret languages such as druidic.
• Favored Class: Any
• Level Adjustment: +1

Stormborn (Pandemonium-touched)

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The stormborn carry the blood of Pandemonium, the windswept caves of madness. They are as varied in their appearances as all the planetouched are, but they all share one common tendency: madness. Most stormborn are prone to fits of manic behaviour and exaggerated emotions, and often they barely contemplate their decisions. Still, they can be oddly compelling when trying to convince others of their ideas.

The stormborn tend to be thin and lightly built, with long and slender limbs, but apart from that, share few common features. Some have hair that seems to move as in an invisible wind, or a shadow that seems darker than it should be, sometimes flickering as if in the light of a torch. Large or glowing eyes are not uncommon among these planetouched, while others have a skin that is so dark it seems almost black. Many have strange voices, like two people speaking simultaneously, or high-pitched and wheezing.

Stats:

• +2 Dex, +2 Cha, -2 Wis: Agile bodies and an open, outgoing personality are common in the stormborn, but so is a slight detachment from reality.
• Creature Type: Native Outsider
• Base Speed: 30 ft.
• Superior Darkvision: stormborn can see in the darkness up to 60 feet, even in magical darkness.
• Racial Skills: stormborn have an acute sense of hearing, giving them a +2 racial bonus to listen checks. They are also surprisingly good performers, giving them a +2 racial bonus on perform checks while singing or using wind instruments.
• Spell-like abilities: A stormborn can use gust of wind once per day as a 1st-level caster or a caster of his class levels, whichever is higher.
• Special Qualities: Sonic Resistance 5.
• A thousand voices (Su): whenever this is active, the stormborn is surrounded by the effect of a Ghost Sound spell, to a distance up to 30 ft. with a caster level equal to his class level. He can create any sound the spell could normally create, but the sound of a distant, howling wind is always present along it. The effect can be activated or deactivated at will, as a free action.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Abyssal. Bonus Languages: Auran, Dwarven, Giant, Gnome, Terran, and Undercommon
• Favored Class: Bard
• Level Adjustment: +1

Tartarian (Carceri-touched)

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The essence of Carceri, the plane of prisons, never leaves those who escape it entirely. To escape, one has to become stronger than the one who inprisoned him, through combat and betrayal, and this struggle leaves it's mark on those few mortals ever leaving it. The tartarians are the distant offspring of such escapees, born with the energies of imprisonment and mistrust in their hearts, and as such often become outsiders in any society.

In appearance, the tartarians are often very close to normal humans, with only small external changes: those with the blood of gehreleths in them are often enormously obese, no matter what or how much they eat, while others take on small features of the wild predators of the wilderness of Carceri, claws or pronounced canines, bristly black hair or patches of scaly skin. A rare few have eyes like the orbs of carceri: perfect spheres without iris or pupils, glowing faintly red.

Stats:

• +2 Dex, +2 Con, -2 Cha: Tartarians are tough, fast and agile, but also notoriously distrustful of all others, slow to make friends with anyone.
• Creature Type: Native Outsider
• Base Speed: 30 ft.
• Darkvision: 60 ft.
• Racial Skills: +4 Bluff, +2 Survival: many tartarians find it deceptively easy to lie, and prefer self-reliance over teamwork and trade.
• Spell-like abilities: Tarterians can use misdirection once per day as a spell-like ability.
• Special Qualities: Acid and Cold Resistance 5, +2 racial bonus on saves against poison and disease.
• Backstaber (ex): Whenever a tartarian attacks a target in close combat and that target is denied it's dexterity bonus to armor class from a condition other than flanking, the tartarian gains a +2 bonus on his attack roll. When using the aid another action, the tartarian only grants a +1 bonus to allies.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Fiendish. Bonus Languages: Abyssal, Aquan, Auran, Terran, and Undercommon
• Favored Class: Ranger
• Level Adjustment: +1

Twinling (Bytopia-touched)

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The twin paradises of Bytopia are a peaceful place. Farmers and Craftsmen work on Dothion, while hunters and rangers brave the wilderness of Shurrock. The essence of this plane influences it's visitors only slowly, changing them in subtle ways, making them more peaceful and industrious. Many of them become great craftsmen or artists. Personalitywise, they tend to be quiet people, not overly flamboyant and friendly, but thrustworthy and good-natured nonetheless.

Most twinlings appear similar to their parents save for a few differenes: they tend to be small, with broad shoulders, a complexion that seems darker than that of their parents and tanned, rough skin and strong hands. Others appear more similar to Bytopia's many gnomes: nimble, with slender limbs. A Twinling's hair tends towards brown or sandy blonde, with eyes of similarly bland colours: monochromatic grey and brown are common. An odd feature of the twinlings, also featured in their name, is that they indeed tend to be born in pairs, as twins, though not identical ones.

Stats:

• +2 Con, +2 Wis, -2 Int: A live of hard work and craftsmanship forms mind and body of a twinling, but they rarely care much for book-knowledge.
• Creature Type: Native Outsider
• Base Speed: 30 ft.
• Darkvision: 60 ft.
• Special Qualities: Cold Resistance 5, +2 racial bonus on saving throws against weather effects.
• Best at what I do (ex): At character creation, a twinling may choose a single skill. This skill is always a class skill for them, and they receive a +4 racial bonus in that skill.
• Trader's Eye: Once per day, a twinling may study an item for a minute. If he does so without being interrupted, he identifies it, as the spell and automatically knows it's exact value, whether it is magical or not.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Celestial. Bonus Languages: Gnome, Archon, Sylvan, Terran, Undercommon
• Favored Class: Ranger
• Level Adjustment: +1

Wild Twinling:
For Twinlings more influenced by the wild layer of shurrock than the pastoral layer of dothion, replace "Trader's eye" with the following:
Hardened: Wild twinlings are adapt at working under unfavourable conditions. They do not need to make concentration checks to resist the effects of weather when engaging in difficult tasks, such as spellcasting or crafting, even when the weather is caused by a spell. Their bonus against weather effects increases to +4. Finally, they can cast wood shape once per day as a spell-like ability.

Wildling (Beastland-touched)

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The Wilderness of the Beastlands is perhaps the Outer Plane most rapidly changing it's visitors: within hours, animalistic features grow on their bodies, only to vanish soon after leaving this wilderness behind. But some of the changes are more subtle, and long-lasting, influencing even the future children of visitors. And if a pregnant woman were to visit the Beastlands, even for a short time, a Wildling results.

The Wildlings are, in more than one way, simple creatures: they care more about daily survival, or, if they have the bare necessities, the present, than either future or past. Many of them are more familiar and friendly with animals than humanoids, and prefer the wilderness to the city. In their souls, they constantly feel a longing for open skies and deep forests, that never quite subsides.

Wildings always display at least one animalistic feature: ramlike horns, short fur, claws, hooves, tails, fangs, catlike eyes or pointed ears. These characteristics vary between individuals, but appear polished and perfected in every case, more like crafted by a sculptor or painter than by nature.


Stats:

• +2 Dex, +2 Wis, -2 Int: fast and with an instinctive understanding of nature, wildlings never feel quite at home with the more intellectual pursuits.
• Creature Type: Native Outsider
• Base Speed: 30 ft.
• Racial Skills: +2 handle animal, +2 survival. Wildlings are at home in the wilderness, and animals are instinctively more friendly towards them.
• Darkvision: 60 ft.
• Spell-like abilities: Wildlings can use Call of teh Wild once per day as a spell-like ability.
• Special Qualities: +4 racial bonus on saving throws against weather effects.
• Animal Apsect(ex): at character creation, a wildling may choose a single ability from the following list:
  Claws: the wildling gains two claw attacks that deal 1d4 damage each.
  Bite: the wildling gains a bite attack that deals 1d6 damage.
  Minor Scent: the wildling has the scent ability, limited to range of five feet. While not as useful in finding invisible and hidden creatures, it can still be used to identify people by smell and follow tracks.
  Runner's legs: The wildings base land speed increases to 40 ft.
  Camouflage: the wildling may choose one of the following terrain types: rocky, desert, forest, grasslands and gains a +4 bonus to hide checks in such a terrain. When at least half his body is not covered by clothes, he may hide in such terrain even without cover or concealment.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Sylvan. Bonus Languages: Celestial, Eladrin, Guardinal, Elven
• Favored Class: Druid
• Level Adjustment: +1

[DoomedPaladin]

I like it. Though your description is missing the standard LA +1. Being a Native Outsider, with Energy Resistance (even if it IS sonic), and a spell-like ability, and the ability to see through Magical Darkness. It probably needs it.

[Eldan]

Ah, yes. I oriented it on the Tiefling/Aasimar, of course, and the intention was to include an LA+1, msut have forgotten to copy that from my notes.

Also, sonic resistance isn't too bad, I'd say. It probably won't come up much, but it's hard to get.

[Lappy9000]

Ooh, Lappy likey

Pandemonium-touched is an awesome idea. I eagerly await Carceri-touched

Although, I think they just need a tad extra "oomph" to justify that +1 LA.

[Eldan]

Well, suggestions for extra-oomph are welcome. And yes, I was thinking about Carceri-touched, but it's hard to come up with anything...
I need to go and dig out my old boxed sets.

[Eldan]

Well, there's a carceri-touched. But I don't know, it seems a little boring to me... it needs something that makes it a little special.

[SurlySeraph]

The Tartarian is a bit bland, yeah. Um... Craft (shiv) is always a class skill for Tartarians? Maybe give them a penalty on Aid Another checks, but a bonus on something else?

[TheArchmage]

Niiiiice... I really like that Pandemonium-Touched. I have decided to include these guys in my campaign. You get cookies.
P.S. Are you considering Acheron-Touched? I'd like to see that.

[Eldan]

I have a few pages lying around with notes on touched for pretty much all the outer planes, yes. Most of them just need a few ideas for special abilities. I?ll probably add another one this evening, either the Glorian (Ysgard-touched) or Spireling (Outland-touched).

I also added backstabber to the tartarian, based on the Seraphs suggestion.

[Eldan]

Well, I made an Ysgard-touched, though the name is stupid. Suggestions welcome.

[Haven]

hurrah for planescape :)

Although word of warning: if someone plays an "asling" the game will stop so very often as people finally fail to stifle their giggling. Maybe "Ysling"? I unno.

[Eldan]

See? That's the reason why I need people who actually have english as a first language to critisize me. Because I don't notice stuff like that.

[Lappy9000]

See? That's the reason why I need people who actually have english as a first language to critisize me. Because I don't notice stuff like that.

I noticed, but ultimely decided to let someone else say it for me

These look good. I'll give you advanced critique tomorrow.

[Lappy9000]

The Stormborn are really the only bland race that I see. Aslings (you really have to change that name) have accelerated healing, Tartarians have backstaber, Stormborn have...Perform checks and Gust of Wind?

If the Stormborn are focused in Sonic energy, give them Shatter, along with Gust of Wind; neither spell is exactly powerful. Also, Pandemonium is a plane of howling madness, right? Why not make the Stormborn perpetually surrounded by a Ghost Sound spell, altering their voice into a screaming turmoil or a thousand other possibilities?

Not huge power boosts, but it makes them more interesting.

[Eldan]

Yeah, when I started the Stormborn, I really just took a Tiefling and gave it other abilities. A permanent Ghost Sound is a nice idea, I think I'll give them that.

Edit: "A thousand voices" added, I think it actually fits nicely.

[Ashtagon]

How about aetheling for the Ysgard-planetouched?

[Eldan]

Sounds good and has the right germanic/nordic flavour. Thank you.

So, any wishes or suggestions on which planes I should try next?

[Eldan]

I added an Acheron-touched, but I'm really not sure if that one is balanced.

[Haven]

I'm pretty rubbish with balance, but as for your next plane: how about a Bytopia-touched?

[Eldan]

Difficult, but interesting. I'll see what I can come up with.

[SurlySeraph]

Nice. The Acheron-touched is pretty strong - DR 3/Adamantine is nice, especially at low levels - but I don't think it's overpowered, since it only gets one stat bonus.

[Morty]

Great stuff. Planescape rocks and those are really well-made. I'm not too fond of Cha penalties - there are too many races with a Cha penalty forcibly tacked on - but here they seem well-justified. If you're looking for suggestions, I submit a planetouched with essence of Gray Waste.

[Eldan]

Well, I'm planning on doing at least all the other planes, perhaps even some of the others. Heck, I've had a Sigil-touched in store.
Now, the Waste-touched would probably be another race with a charisma penalty... isn't that a little boring by now?

Now, thinking about the plane, it's hard to actually think of any stat-plusses they'd have. I think an ability similar to a limited "Crushing Despair" (slightly reflavoured) would be fitting, and probably also a bonus against all spells that try to induce emotion somehow. But that's not yet enough to make a creature...
The only thing I'm certain off is that their name would involve the word "gloom". I just like it.

[Morty]

Now, the Waste-touched would probably be another race with a charisma penalty... isn't that a little boring by now?

Now, thinking about the plane, it's hard to actually think of any stat-plusses they'd have. I think an ability similar to a limited "Crushing Despair" (slightly reflavoured) would be fitting, and probably also a bonus against all spells that try to induce emotion somehow. But that's not yet enough to make a creature...

The Charisma penalty being boring is a good point... but with only six stats all penalties and bonuses are going to get repetitive sooner or later. As for the goodies, I might give them and Int bonus - their lack of emotion makes them unnervingly focused and calculating. Maybe also a Con bonus, because anything that survives the Gray Waste must be tough. I'm not very well-versed in Planescape, though. I just think that Gray Waste is the best of the Lower Planes. Maybe they could have some sort of ability to drain emotions from others for their benefit.

[Eldan]

The gloomkin. I think that one should be interesting to play.

[Lappy9000]

The gloomkin. I think that one should be interesting to play.

Howzers, they're gonna need another stat penalty, or at least a daily duration on that touch power. With a couple lucky rolls, you can knock Thourk the Half-Orc Barbarian (Charisma 8) out in a round or two.

[Eldan]

I was certain that thing had a 1/day on it. Must have gotten lost somewhere.

Edit: back in, but with the ability to maintain the detect thoughts effect.

[Eldan]

It's been a while, but I made an Elysium-touched after sending some of my players there.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Neat.
So neat, in fact, that I'm posting this partly to make sure this doesn't fall into the Dustbin of Thread Necromancy.

[Eldan]

He, thanks. I should make some for the other planes, I guess, but some of those just leave me a little uninspired.

I tried coming up with a bytopia-touched race, but the only thing that really canme to me were boni on craft checks, and that's just boring.