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View Full Version : [Race/Creature] Neitan -- HELP?



palcosmo
2006-08-17, 03:57 PM
Each neitan is essentially a humanoid shell "piloted" by a miniature version of itself that lives within the shell's skull. This smaller version is called the homunculus (no relation to the spellcaster construct familiar). The shell and homunculus form a single whole; they are incomplete without each other. Together, a collective neitan is essentially eternally young, its homunculus an immortal spirit with the ability to regenerate new shells for itself.

Personality: Neitans are typically cold, seeing the world and its inhabitants as something to be examined and understood. They make and lose friends easily. Nevertheless, they are not unkind, moreso just absent-minded and somewhat oblivious.

Physical Description: Neitans are humanoid cyclopses with hairless, tall, and red-skinned frames. Their faces are two large interlocking pieces of flesh that can open up to reveal the homunculus within. A shell can stand from 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 feet tall, typically weighing from 150 to 220 pounds.

The homunculus is essentially a small duplicate of its shell, though its face is a complete whole. The major difference between shell and its "pilot", besides the great difference in size, is the homunculus' fiery halo: a miniature ring of fire floats immediately above the creature's head, providing it with illumination and revealing its connection to the plane of fire.

Relations: Neitans have relatively good relations with other races. They are sometimes cold in their analyses and mannerisms, but are typically seen as good natured and welcome friends.

Alignment: Neitans are usually lawful neutral, alienating themselves from more dogmatic and constrained worldviews so that they can stand as unbiased judges. It is not uncommon to find good and evil neitans alike, though: these are those who are, respectively, either touched by the ephemeral nature of other races, and those that revel and gloat in their essential immortality.

Neitan Lands: On Takara, the neitans' true homeland is Hell's Heart, a labyrinth of lava tubes running beneath a great volcano. From there they observe and contemplate the world and themselves. Outside of Hell's Heart, there is no single other truly neitan home, though neitans willingly live in other racially-mixed communities.

Religion: Neitans worship Arscona, their patron god and creator. Arscona is neutral and its domains are Fire, Healing, and Knowledge. Its favored weapon is the morningstar.

Language: Neitans speak their own language. It is typified by the speed with which it must be spoken; changes in pace may, in certain cases, alter the meaning of the words. In this way the language can express a great wealth of information in a minimal amount of time.

Adventurers: Neitan adventurers are not completely uncommon, despite the race's seemingly xenophobic tendencies. Most enjoy travel and the opportunities to experience the world first-hand.

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Neitan Racial Traits
+4 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma: Neitans have naturally keen and analytical minds, though it comes at the price of their empathy and ability to interact.

Medium: As Medium creatures, neitans have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.

Neitan base land speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision: Neitans can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and neitans can function just fine with no light at all.

Racial Hit Dice: A neitan begins with two levels of abberation, which provide 2d8 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +1, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +0, Ref +0, and Will +3.

Racial Skills: A neitan's abberation levels give it skill points equal to 5 × (2 + Int modifier, minimum 1). Its class skills are Craft (alchemy), Listen, Spot, and Survival.

Racial Feats: A neitan's abberation levels give it one feat.

Neitans do not sleep.

Ageless (Ex): Neitans are essentially immortal. They do not accumulate bonuses or penalties according to their age, and are treated as being immune to magical aging effects.

Alchemical Intuition (Ex): Neitans always treat Craft (alchemy) as a class skill. Furthermore, they need not belong to a spellcaster class to craft otherwise restricted items (ex. tanglefoot bag, thunderstone, etc.).

Death Throes (Ex): When killed, a neitan's body disintegrates into dust after a number of minutes equal to its Hit Dice. This proccess does not harm the homunculus, but it may leave it more vulnerable and exposed. Furthermore, the neitan's equipment is unharmed.

Homunculus (Ex): The homunculus can choose to leave the shell at any time, as a full-round action. The shell is inert and treated as helpless during this time, and the homunculus can only exist without the shell for a set amount of time (see below, Shell Dependency). Re-entering the shell is also treated as a full-round action.

Regenerative Burst (Ex): Once a day, as a full-round action, a neitan may spontaneously cure itself of an amount of damage equal to its number of Hit Dice. For example, a 4th level neitan sorcerer could heal itself of 6 Hit Points (2 Racial HD + 4 Class HD).

Two-Part Spirit (Ex): Though each neitan is essentially two distinct creatures, it is, for the most part, treated as a standard single being. For instance, the neitan's homunculus cannot be seperately targeted by any attack or spell while it is within a living shell; once the shell is dead, however, it is treated as a seperate entity. Nevertheless, if a homunculus chooses to hide itself and its nature from enemies, choosing to remain in a dead shell body, it would be treated as having total concealment.

A complete neitan and a lone homunculus share uses of spells, feats, and powers: if a seperated homunculus casts a spell, it counts against the whole character's daily use of spells.

If a shell is affected by a spell, be it a positive or negative effect, the homunculus is also affected. (Truly, this is only relevant if the homunculus leaves an affected shell.) Furthermore, if an affected homunculus rebuilds a new shell, its shell is likewise affected. The duration is unchanged.

If a neitan would normally die by exposure to a totally destructive effect, like a Disintegrate spell or a Sphere of Annhiliation, both the shell and homunculus are destroyed.

A Raise Dead spell cast on a neitan shell will function as per normal, as long as the homunculus is still within the shell and said shell has not disintegrated. Raise Dead can also function on a stand-alone homunculus, essentially "resetting" the countdown to its death due to a lack of symbiosis (see Symbiotic Dependency). Furthermore, the reconstructed neitan will still suffer the ill effects of Raise Dead, and loses a level as normal.

If Resurrection is cast only on a neitan shell, without a homunculus inside, the spell has no effect; a Resurrection spell cast on a homunculus, however, will recreate a full and complete neitan. As per the standard usage of Resurrection, the state of the homunculus' body is inconsenquential.

Automatic Languages: Common, Neitan. Bonus Languages: None.

Favored Class: Druid.

Level Adjustment: +2

palcosmo
2006-08-17, 03:58 PM
Homunculus Traits
When outside its shell, the homunculus suffers a -8 to Strength (minimum 1); -4 to all other attributes (minimum 3 to Intelligence, minimum 1 to other attributes): this statistical change may limit a homunculus' access to spells, feats, and even Prestige Classes.

Retains abberation type. Unlike most abberations, however, the homunculus is not automatically proficient with simple weapons.

Retains BAB and Saving Throw bonuses.

No darkvision.

Homonculi need not sleep.

Retains Ageless and Alchemical Intuition racial features.

Fine Size (+8 AC, +8 AB, Grapple -16, Hide +16).

10 feet movement speed.

Total Hit Points equal to the neitan's Hit Dice; treated as having 1/2 the HD as a complete neitan. (For example, a 6 HD neitan's homunculus would have 6 HP and be treated as a 3 HD creature for spell effects and access to feats.) A homunculus does not gain/lose Hit Points based on its Constitution Bonus/Penalty. It may still benefit from feats like Toughness and Improved Toughness, if it still meets any prerequisites.

+8 to Move Silently checks.

Halo (Su): The fiery halo above the homunculus' head illuminates a 30-foot radius and provides shadowy illumination in a 60-foot radius. It can be extinguished or rekindled as a free action.

Reconstruction (Ex): If a neitan's true body has been killed, the homunculus can begin to rebuild itself a new body. The homunculus must enter a deep trance, leaving itself helpless. The new neitan body will rebuild itself around the homunculus, and be wholly functional, in 1 hour plus a number of minutes equal to the neitan's original Hit Points. If the reconstruction process is interrupted before it is completed, the homunculus must begin this process anew.

Regeneration 1 (Ex): If a homunculus loses a limb or body part, the lost portion regrows in 5d6 minutes. The creature can reattach the severed member instantly by holding it to the stump.

Symbiotic Dependency (Ex): A homunculus can only exist outside of a living neitan shell for a number of hours equal to its new number of total Hit Points. If it does not return to a living shell, or at least initiate reconstruction of a new body within that time, it dies instantly (the reconstruction need not be complete by this time, only started). After leaving the shell, the homunculus must spend an equal amount of time within the shell before exiting again. If a homunculus has existed without a shell for an extended amount of time, perhaps saved by a Raise Dead spell, then it must spend a number of hours equal to its own Hit Points in its shell before exiting again.

palcosmo
2006-08-18, 01:41 PM
Brilliant Halo [racial]
The homunculus' halo gifts it with spell-like abilities.
Prerequisites: Neitan, Cha 11
Benefit: The homunculus can use the spells Daze and Flare as spell-like abilities. It can use these spells interchangably, but only a number of times a day equal to its HD (which is 1/2 a neitan's total HD). For example, an 8 HD neitan's 4 HD homunculus could use Flare three times a day, and Daze once. The Caster Level is equal to the homunculus' HD; the save DCs are Charisma-based.
Special: To meet the prerequisites for this feat, a whole neitan must have Cha 15; it therefore will still retain this feat while as a lone homunculus, after the -4 penalty. (If the neitan has the Toughened Homunculus feat, it only needs Cha 13.)

Extra Regenerative Burst [racial]
You are skilled at healing your own wounds.
Prerequisites: Neitan
Benefit: You can use your Regenerative Burst ability twice a day.
Special:You can gain this feat multiple times. Each time you take this feat, you gain an additional daily use of your Regenerative Burst ability.

Independent Homunculus [racial]
Your homunculus can survive separately for an extended amount of time.
Prerequisites: Neitan
Benefit: Double the effective time your homunculus can exist outside its shell before dying (see Symbiotic Dependency). The homunculus can now survive for 2 hours per Hit Point.

Toughened Homunculus [racial]
The neitan homunculus is less weakened by its severed connection to its shell.
Prerequisites: Neitan, Con 13
Benefit: When separated, the homunculus' penalties are lessened: though the -8 to Strength penalty is unchanged, the homunculus instead only suffers -2 to all other attributes.
Normal: A separated homunculus suffers -8 to Strength, and -4 to all other attributes.
Special: To meet the prerequisites for this feat, a whole neitan must have Con 15; it therefore will still retain this feat while as a lone homunculus, after the -2 penalty.

[hr]
I know there's a lot to sift through here -- plenty of dense, convoluted paragraphs -- but I would really appreciate some criticism.

Does this make sense? How could I rephrase things to be more coherent?
Does a 2 HD + 2 LA balance out all of the neitan's abilities?
Any changes you feel I should make?
I'd like to think I've made a pretty distinct, and hopefully interesting, race. Any questions, comments, critiques -- whatever -- would be super-helpful.