Post by Qi'sa al-Quatir on Sept 8, 2013 22:00:54 GMT
"Apply the most bitter colds to the earth, and all you get is cold ground and stone. Apply it to the air, and all you get is frigid winds. But apply it to water... and you get something else entirely..."
Ishjarta
Relatives of the Undine, the Isharta instead of tracing their lineage through water mephits and marids, these Outsiders trace their ancestory through Ice or Salt Mephits and Fey (Nymphs and Dryads) alike. Finding unique affinity for the way water and cold interact, this race adopted frozen lands as their home, and attuned themselves specifically with ice and cold. Their strong ties to both the elements and nature as a whole is reflected even in their appearance; Ishjarta have sharp and angular features like the icy domains they inhabit, and their ties with magical bloodlines make them have an otherworldly look. Their uniqueness is embraced by individual Ishjarta- who see themselves as stewards of their domain- as well as the collective: for their race stands apart from the normal beings of their habitats that they bond as a society to the exclusion of most of the outside world.
Physical Description:
There are few variants among Ishjarta bloodlines. Most have skin tones range from pale white to dull grey like their snowy habitats, though pale blues to match the glacial waters of their homes and even aquatic hues like their Undine cousins are not unheard of. Some bloodlines have thick, slow growing hair that tends to the same colors as their skin tones, however their numbers are eclipsed by the norm: most Ishjarta (particularly any of dryadic or terran decendency) have crystalline growths that rise from their head in short arching patterns. While as rigid as the icy growths appear to be, many Ishjarta take great care and pride to carefully sculpt these growths as they grow in; it is a social art that takes many years to complete, as broken shards take a long time to regrow.
Ishjarta features are extremely angular: their faces almost always have high cheekbones and sloping cheeks, sharp jawlines and brows, and pointed noses. Female Ishjarta are generally slender in build, while males often have more "boxy" frames with sloping shoulders and torsos. They are slightly taller than the average human, which combined with their angular and slim features could leave one to mistakenly assume they were related closely to elves.
Society:
Ishjarta are a very cloistered society, but not unfriendly to outside races. They cordon themselves from most creatures due to the unique heritage, for concerns that their nature would cause fear or unrest among outside peoples. While looking fairly humanoid in stature, years of isolation among their own kind and closely related creatures have rendered them unable to breed with most humanoid races. Their cloistered existance however has led them to form close bonds among one another, and Ishjarta societies often think of themselves in terms of their family or social unit before individual; it is not uncommon for Ishjarta to almost exclusively use the terms "We" rather than "I" or "Me" and "Our" rather than "My."
Ishjarta pride themselves on their hunting prowess, and have culturally developed over generations techniques built on this premise. Many social units are known for holding "pack hunts" each year, which are as equal part bonding with one another socially as they are passing techniques among generations as a rite.
Relations:
Ishjarta have a strong kinship towards the fey, as well as their elemental cousins. While they have been largely isolationist, they have done so for the perceived benefit of other races; outside races are often treated with care and caution so as not to offend, but are still regarded with suspicion. Often times, a Ishjarta's outward kindness is merely a way to bide time and truly analyze others.
Among humanoid races, they get along easiest with Gnomes due to their common ties to the fey, Halflings due to their sense of community, and Elves- on the rarity they encounter them- for their stewardship towards nature and aptitude in hunting.
Alignment and Religion:
While most Ishjarta are neutral, they vary widely on the axis of law and chaos; some have taken their communal obligations and denial of their individual selves as callings toward order, others embrace their unique bloodlines as being as in flux as nature and the elements themselves. These forces of personality exist in a degree within all Ishjarta, and most who can maintain neutrality do so because of a constant struggle between these racial identities, rather than a lack of zeal towards one inclination or another. Organized religion is rare among Ishjarta societies, however their supernatural lineage and strong association with nature itself leads them to be both superstitous and spiritual.
STANDARD RACIAL TRAITS
RACIAL TRAITS
Alternate Racial Traits:
Ishjarta
Relatives of the Undine, the Isharta instead of tracing their lineage through water mephits and marids, these Outsiders trace their ancestory through Ice or Salt Mephits and Fey (Nymphs and Dryads) alike. Finding unique affinity for the way water and cold interact, this race adopted frozen lands as their home, and attuned themselves specifically with ice and cold. Their strong ties to both the elements and nature as a whole is reflected even in their appearance; Ishjarta have sharp and angular features like the icy domains they inhabit, and their ties with magical bloodlines make them have an otherworldly look. Their uniqueness is embraced by individual Ishjarta- who see themselves as stewards of their domain- as well as the collective: for their race stands apart from the normal beings of their habitats that they bond as a society to the exclusion of most of the outside world.
Physical Description:
There are few variants among Ishjarta bloodlines. Most have skin tones range from pale white to dull grey like their snowy habitats, though pale blues to match the glacial waters of their homes and even aquatic hues like their Undine cousins are not unheard of. Some bloodlines have thick, slow growing hair that tends to the same colors as their skin tones, however their numbers are eclipsed by the norm: most Ishjarta (particularly any of dryadic or terran decendency) have crystalline growths that rise from their head in short arching patterns. While as rigid as the icy growths appear to be, many Ishjarta take great care and pride to carefully sculpt these growths as they grow in; it is a social art that takes many years to complete, as broken shards take a long time to regrow.
Ishjarta features are extremely angular: their faces almost always have high cheekbones and sloping cheeks, sharp jawlines and brows, and pointed noses. Female Ishjarta are generally slender in build, while males often have more "boxy" frames with sloping shoulders and torsos. They are slightly taller than the average human, which combined with their angular and slim features could leave one to mistakenly assume they were related closely to elves.
Society:
Ishjarta are a very cloistered society, but not unfriendly to outside races. They cordon themselves from most creatures due to the unique heritage, for concerns that their nature would cause fear or unrest among outside peoples. While looking fairly humanoid in stature, years of isolation among their own kind and closely related creatures have rendered them unable to breed with most humanoid races. Their cloistered existance however has led them to form close bonds among one another, and Ishjarta societies often think of themselves in terms of their family or social unit before individual; it is not uncommon for Ishjarta to almost exclusively use the terms "We" rather than "I" or "Me" and "Our" rather than "My."
Ishjarta pride themselves on their hunting prowess, and have culturally developed over generations techniques built on this premise. Many social units are known for holding "pack hunts" each year, which are as equal part bonding with one another socially as they are passing techniques among generations as a rite.
Relations:
Ishjarta have a strong kinship towards the fey, as well as their elemental cousins. While they have been largely isolationist, they have done so for the perceived benefit of other races; outside races are often treated with care and caution so as not to offend, but are still regarded with suspicion. Often times, a Ishjarta's outward kindness is merely a way to bide time and truly analyze others.
Among humanoid races, they get along easiest with Gnomes due to their common ties to the fey, Halflings due to their sense of community, and Elves- on the rarity they encounter them- for their stewardship towards nature and aptitude in hunting.
Alignment and Religion:
While most Ishjarta are neutral, they vary widely on the axis of law and chaos; some have taken their communal obligations and denial of their individual selves as callings toward order, others embrace their unique bloodlines as being as in flux as nature and the elements themselves. These forces of personality exist in a degree within all Ishjarta, and most who can maintain neutrality do so because of a constant struggle between these racial identities, rather than a lack of zeal towards one inclination or another. Organized religion is rare among Ishjarta societies, however their supernatural lineage and strong association with nature itself leads them to be both superstitous and spiritual.
STANDARD RACIAL TRAITS
- Ability Score Racial Traits: Ishjarta are inquisitive and esoteric, as well as quick and lithe; however they are prone to zeal and often look for more questions to explain a problem than finding a solution itself. They gain +2 Dextrity, +2 Wisdom, and -2 Intelligence
- Type: Ishjarta are outsiders with the native subtype.
- Size: Ishjarta are Medium creatures, and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
- Base Speed: Ishjarta have a base speed of 30 feet.
- Languages: Due to their isolated nature, Ishjarta begin play speaking Aquan. Ishjarta with high intelligence scores can choose from the following languages: Common, Sylvan, Aklo, Terran
RACIAL TRAITS
- Darkvision: As an Outsider, all Ishjarta have 60 ft. darkvision.
- Energy Resistance: Due to their bond with both the elemental planes and icy lands, Ishjarta have cold resistance 5.
- Elemental Assault: Their bond to ice and cold as well as magical lineages have made it so that they can channel the cold through their very blood. Members of this race gain the following supernatural ability: Once per day as a swift action, a member of this race can call on the elemental power lurking in its veins to shroud its arms in the energy type that corresponds to the elemental plane its race has ties to. Unarmed strikes with its elbows or hands (or attacks with weapons held in those hands) deal +1d6 points of damage of the appropriate energy type. This lasts for 1 round per character level. The creature may end the effects of its elemental assault early as a free action.
- Stalker: With generations of hunting techniques passed through their societies, all Ishjarta treat Stealth and Perception as class skills
- Terrain Stride: Having lived in frozen wastelands, fjords, and glacial mountains have conditioned the Ishjarta to ease of travel over this normally unforgiving terrain. All Ishjarta's favored terrain (as a Ranger's favored terrain) is of the Cold terrain. Members of this race can move through natural difficult terrain at their normal speed while within the chosen terrain. Magically altered terrain affects them normally.
- Camoflage: Their coloration, attunement to nature, and affinity for hunting have trained the Ishjarta to hide, both from prey and threats, within their frozen homes. Within Cold terrain (as the Ranger favored terrain), Ishjarta gain +4 to Stealth checks.
- Unnatural: The extrahuman nature of the Ishjarta, along with generations of proving themselves as the dominant hunter of their domain, have become so intwined with their nature that their very presence has an unnerving effect on animals. Members of this race take a –4 penalty on all Charisma-based skill checks to affect creatures of the animal type, and receive a +4 dodge bonus to AC against animals. Animals' starting attitude toward members of this race is one step worse than normal.
Alternate Racial Traits:
- Dreamspeaker: Ishjarta who's family lines bred with the fey for many consecutive generations find themselves pulled away from their ties to the elemental planes but more attuned to their inherant magic. Members of this race gain a +1 bonus to the saving throw DCs of spells of the divination school and spells that produce sleep effects that they cast. In addition, members of this race with a Charisma score of 15 or higher may use dream once per day as a spell-like ability (caster level is equal to the user's character level). Replaces the Energy Resistance and Elemental Assault traits.
- Crystalline Form: Lineages that started with Salt Mephits scarcely deviated from their terran roots. While they do not harbor the same magical ties to the cold, their physiology is hardened compared to other Ishjarta. Members of this race have reflective, crystalline skin that grants them a +2 racial bonus to AC against rays. Once per day, they can deflect a single ray attack targeted at them as if they were using the Deflect Arrows feat. Replaces the Energy Resistance and Elemental Assault traits, additionally, they are considered to be tied to the elemental plane of Earth, rather than Water.
- Bond to the Land: Some bloodlines- particularly those who's fey origins came from Dryads, have taken themselves as protectors of their domains, and eschewed hunting practices in favor of practicing guardianship. Members of this race gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC when in Cold terrain, (as per Ranger's favored terrain). Replaces the Unnatural trait.
- Swarming: Some Ishjarta readily hold sacred the bond their Pack Hunts, favoring to adopt- and teach- techniques for communal hunting in among their social groups, rather than individual hunting skills. Up to two members of this race can share the same square at the same time. If two members of this race that are occupying the same square attack the same foe, they are considered to be flanking that foe as if they were in two opposite squares. Replaces the Camoflage and Terrain Stride traits.
Stat Block (For those into the maths less than lore)
Type: Outsider (3RP)
Size: Medium (0RP)
Speed: Standard (0RP)
Ability: Standard (0RP) [+2Dex, +2 WIS, -2 INT]
Languages: Xenophobic (0RP)
Language options: Aquan; Common, Aklo, Sylvan, Terran,
Energy Resistance (1 RP)
Elemental Assault (1 RP)
Stalker (1 RP)
Terrain Stride (1 RP)
Camouflage (1 RP)
Unnatural (2 RP)
Total: 10RP
Alternate Racial:
Dreamspeaker (2 RP)
Crystalline Form (2 RP)
Bond to the Land (2 RP)
Swarming (2 RP)
Type: Outsider (3RP)
Size: Medium (0RP)
Speed: Standard (0RP)
Ability: Standard (0RP) [+2Dex, +2 WIS, -2 INT]
Languages: Xenophobic (0RP)
Language options: Aquan; Common, Aklo, Sylvan, Terran,
Energy Resistance (1 RP)
Elemental Assault (1 RP)
Stalker (1 RP)
Terrain Stride (1 RP)
Camouflage (1 RP)
Unnatural (2 RP)
Total: 10RP
Alternate Racial:
Dreamspeaker (2 RP)
Crystalline Form (2 RP)
Bond to the Land (2 RP)
Swarming (2 RP)