This is a race adapted from the game StarCraft. StarCraft is copyrighted by Blizzard.
Protoss
Spoiler
http://ewancient.lysator.liu.se/pic/...ef2protoss.jpg
Pictured: Dark Templar (Front), High Templar (Back). Picture drawn by Devon Cady-Lee on Elfwood.
Arriving on the world through a mysterious means relatively recently, Protoss are a striking new race that stands out amongst the humans, elves, dwarves, and other humanoids of the world. Their general want to keep to themselves has kept them a mystery.
Personality: Protoss, in general, are secretive an aloof. They view the other races of the world as beneath them in power, skill, and knowledge. Because of this, they value intelligence and zealotry above all. This does not mean that Protoss are outright rude. At least, not intentionally; they may overlook other races as insignificant, but they won't object to working with them.
Physical Description: Protoss are about three meters tall and have two luminous eyes, digitigrade legs, four digits on each of their hands (of which two are opposable), toes, broad chests and shoulders, and narrow waists with slim midsections. Their skin is smooth and becomes rough and cracked with age. Extending back from the crown of the head, Protoss have a bony crest. Otherwise the head of a Protoss may be subtly different varying on which tribe they are descended from. Their eyes are typically blue, yellow, orange or red, with the latter two colors more common (but not exclusive) for Dark Templar. Additionally, Protoss do not have any visible mouths, noses, or ears. Though it is unknown how their senses of hearing or chemoreception operate, they are widely believed to possess such sensitivities. Protoss reach adulthood at around 250 years, and live to be much longer (some have been reported to live over a millenia.
Relations: Protoss get along famously with no race, believing all to be beneath them. However, they grudgingly put up with dwarves, who they can see as fellow warriors. Elves and Half-Orcs sit at the bottom of the barrel for Protoss, one for flightiness despite their long life and the other for their apparent stupidity. Other races populate a neutral ground, only being noticed when they do something to stand out to one extreme or the other.
Alignment: In general, the ordered structure of the High Protoss society causes a heavy tendency towards the lawful alignment. In contrast, the Dark Protoss break from this strict system and favor neutral or chaotic alignments.
Protoss Lands: Nobody knows where the Protoss hail from, although their peculiar appearance and mindset causes many to debate over alternate planes. However, the fact of the matter is that the Protoss are likely to have come from another planet on the material plane, having crashed any ship they may have travelled in.
Religion: United under the teachings of Khas after several generations of warfare, the Protoss began to adhere to Khas's teachings of the "Khala", or Path to Ascension. When Protoss warriors die in battle it is believed that they have reached the "Khala's End." These teachings hold to a strict caste system that unites the entire race, putting individual achievement low on the scale of priority. Dark Protoss split from this philosophy, embracing the value of the individual. They respect this belief and hold to other parts of its tenant, but would argue heavily with any High Protoss they encountered.
Language: Due to the telepathic nature of the Protoss, few, if any, have heard the Protoss language, Khalani. Many terran scholars debate that the Protoss normally speak in a "thought-language" that possesses neither words nor true structure.
Names: Protoss names may be based in their language, or it may be taken from some other culture as a temporary name while interactions are necessary. Each Protoss belongs to a tribe, although they may or may not choose to be referred to by this name.
Male Names: Aldaris, Artanis, Fenix, Tassadar, Zeratul.
Female Names: Raszagal, Selendis.
Clan Names: Akilae, Ara, Auriga, Furinax, Sargas, Shelak, Venatir, Velari.
Adventurers: Despite their aloof nature, Protoss hunger for knowledge and often travel worlds where they are in search of it. Alternately, they may also be looking for a way to return to their home if they have been stranded.
High Protoss
Large Humanoid (Psionic)
- +4 Str, +2 Con, +2 Wis, -2 Cha. High Protoss are strong and hardy and wise, but may come across as self-righteous to outsiders.
- Large Size: -1 penalty to Armor Class, -1 penalty on attack rolls, -4 penalty on Hide checks, +4 bonus on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits double those of Medium characters.
- High Protoss base land speed is 30 feet.
- Naturally Psionic: High Protoss gain 4 bonus power points at 1st level. This benefit does not grant them the ability to manifest powers unless they gain that ability through another source, such as a level in a psionic class.
- Naturally Telepathic (Psi): High Protoss are naturally telepathic, and can thus following abilities. At Will: Detect Psionics, manifested as the power, manifester level equal to class level. Additionally, they speak mind-to-mind to characters. Protoss are unable to speak to creatures who have their minds blocked off entirely, but are able to understand to some rudimentary extent any language of thought.
- Augmented Movement (Psi): So well versed are the protoss in their psionic powers, that they often use psionic energy to boost their own movement. By expending a single power point, a High Protoss can augment his movement in one of two ways: it may increase its movement speed by 15 ft or it may ignore impediments due to rough terrain by floating a short distance above the ground. Both of these effects last for a number of rounds equal to half the High Protoss's class level, rounded down (min 1).
- Photosynthetic Feeding: High Protoss gain sustenance through solar energy, even energy reflected from other orbiting bodies, such as moons. They consume water, but only in minute amounts, absorbed through their skin. They do not breathe.. They attain the feat Greater Sustenance as a racial ability.
- Martial Training: High Protoss gain the feat Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Psionic Blade) and Weapon Focus (Psionic Blade) automatically. High Protoss are trained from an early age with psionic weapons.
- Automatic Languages: Common, Khalani. Bonus Languages: Any. High Protoss are well-traveled and learn new languages easily.
- Favored Class: Psionic Warrior. A multiclass High Protoss's Psionic Warrior class does not count when determining whether he/she takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing.
- Level Adjustment: +1.
Dark Protoss
Large Humanoid (Psionic)
- +2 Str, +2 Con, +2 Dex, +2 Wis, -2 Cha. Dark Protoss are strong and agile and considered more amiable than their high brethren, but are still secretive and aloof.
- Large Size: -1 penalty to Armor Class, -1 penalty on attack rolls, -4 penalty on Hide checks, +4 bonus on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits double those of Medium characters.
- Dark Protoss base land speed is 30 feet.
- Naturally Psionic: Dark Protoss gain 4 bonus power points at 1st level. This benefit does not grant them the ability to manifest powers unless they gain that ability through another source, such as a level in a psionic class.
- Naturally Telepathic (Psi): Dark Protoss are naturally telepathic, and can thus following abilities. At Will: Detect Psionics, manifested as the power, manifester level equal to class level. Dark Protoss are unable to speak to creatures who have their minds blocked off entirely, but are able to understand to some rudimentary extent any language of thought.
- Aspect of the Void (Psi): Drawing on the emptiness of space, Dark Protoss can vanish from sight and mind. They gain Hide in Plain Sight automatically as a racial abililty, but only while near shadow or darkness or any kind. While taking advantage of this ability, Dark Protoss are almost undetectable by psionic means (Caster level check to sense the Dark Templar with DC 10 + 1/2 class level + Wis modifier).
- Hunted Race: Dark Protoss gain a +4 racial bonus to Hide checks. Due to their outcast and infidel status, Dark Protoss have become adept at hiding despite their size.
- Photosynthetic Feeding: Dark Protossgain sustenance through solar energy, even energy reflected from other orbiting bodies, such as moons. They consume water, but only in minute amounts, absorbed through their skin. They do not breathe. They attain the feat Greater Sustenance as a racial ability.
- Martial Training: Dark Protoss gain the feat Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Psionic Sword) and Weapon Focus (Psionic Sword) automatically. Dark Protoss are trained in the use of this psionic weapon from an early age.
- Automatic Languages: Common, Khalani. Bonus Languages: Any. Dark Protoss are well-traveled and learn new languages easily.
- Favored Class: Lurk. A multiclass Dark Protoss's Lurk class does not count when determining whether he/she takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing.
- Level Adjustment: +1.
New Item: Psionic Blade
This wrist-mounted device allows a psionic user to manifest a blade of pure thought energy at will.
Damage: 2d4
Critical: 19-20/x2
Cost: 150g
Category: Light Exotic Weapon
Special: While the wielder is psionically focused, they may add their manifesting stat to damage. Additionally, they may expend their focus to make all attacks with any psionic blades for that round into touch attacks, without the benefit of adding their manifesting stat to damage.
New Item: Psionic Sword
Similar in design to the Psionic blade, this device allows a psionic user to create a more chaotically restrained blade, increasing its damage while draining more of the psi power that is used to create the blade. Thus, Psionic Swords may not be dual-wielded.
Damage: 2d6
Critical: 19-20/x3
Cost: 250g
Category: Medium Exotic Weapon
Special: While the wielder is psionically focused, they may add their manifesting stat to damage. Additionally, they may expend their focus to make all attacks with any psionic blades for that round into touch attacks, retaining the benefit of adding their manifesting stat to damage for that round.