Quote Originally Posted by Admiral Squish View Post
Alright, added in Spark Caste.
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The spark caste are intelligent, intuitive hivelings. They are given the responsibility of researching psionic and arcane power, as well as developing new applications for these within the hive. Their unique creative status grants them a degree of individuality somewhat uncommon among the hivelings.

Personality: Spark caste hivelings are usually very intelligent and logical, with reasonable social skills. However, their logical minds have a tendancy to go off the rails, making logical leaps that most races simply don’t have the mental wiring for. They have a tendency to get caught up in their work, becoming more and more manic and excited as the work continues. These fits of creative mania are common among the spark caste, and give them their reputation as flighty and possibly even unstable. Spark castes are deeply interested is psionics and arcane magic, and any large-scale application of these powers is often fascinating to them.

Physical Description: Spark caste hivelings have pale blue chitin all over their bodies. This coloration is extremely visible in the black sands, and along with their frail constitutions, this makes them easy pickings for the harsh land outside the hive. As such, spark castes only rarely, if ever, leave the hive. However, where there bodies are weak, their minds are strong. Spark caste hivelings have larger heads than most hivelings. Spark caste are considered thin, even by the standards of other hivelings. Somewhere between 2’6” and 3’, they would be shorter in not for their large skulls. Spark caste hivelings weigh between 30 and 50 pounds.

Relations: Spark caste hivelings are afforded respect among the other hivelings, though not as much as warriors, and definitely not as much as royals. Even by hiveling standards, however, they tend to stay within their caste, finding that other hivelings are simply less accepting of their eccentric behaviors and similarly, often find it hard to understand the advanced concepts they work on. Spark castes almost never see outsiders, as they almost never leave the hive.

Alignment: Spark caste are usually Lawful Neutral, with chaotic tendencies. The tend towards good more than evil, but neither extreme is particularly common.

Spark Caste Lands: Spark caste dwell deep inside the hive’s main body, usually just a level or two below the warrior castes. This provides them with a degree of protection from invaders, and keeps the secrets of their research well-guarded. Spark caste laboratories are some of the few places within the hive that are kept constantly lit.

Language: Spark caste have to be careful when the speak to one another, favoring whispered communications of rubbing antenna. The reason for this is to ensure their olfactory message-scents don’t interfere with the chemicals they work with.

Adventurers: Spark caste adventurers are usually psions, wizards, or artificers. Only rarely do they actually become adventurers in the proper sense of the word. Those that do are usually those that show signs throughout their lives, those that are curious about the outside world, and eventually go exploring to satiate their curiosity.

[RACE] RACIAL TRAITS
  • +2 Intelligence, -2 Constitution. Spark caste hivelings are intelligent but frail, with weak bodies.
  • Monstrous Humanoid: Hivelings are not subject to spells or effects that affect humanoids only, such as charm person or dominate person.
  • Small: As a Small creature, a hiveling gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but it uses smaller weapons than humans use, and its lifting and carrying limits are three quarters of those of a Medium character.
  • Spark caste base land speed is 20 feet.
  • Chitin: Spark caste hivelings gain a +1 natural armor bonus to AC
  • Scent: Hivelings gain the scent special ability.
  • Compound Eyes: A hiveling’s multifaceted eyes grant it a +2 bonus to spot checks.
  • Naturally Psionic: Spark caste hivelings gain 2 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 levels in a psionic class.
  • Psi-Like Abilities: Mindlink and Energy Ray. A spark caste may use it’s psi-like abilities a number of times per day equal to it’s int modifier. A spark caste’s manifester level for these effects is equal to their HD.
  • Metamorphosis: When a spark caste hiveling consumes royal jelly, he may enter a state of metamorphosis by creating a chrysalis. This chrysalis takes three days to complete. The chrysalis for a spark caste’s metamorphosis is small sized, with 100 HP and hardness 8. It resembles a deep blue orb encased in a meandering, cage-like structure of yellowish resin. Upon completion of the chrysalis, the hiveling must climb inside it, seal it, and remain within it for a week. If the chrysalis is broken during this time, the hiveling inside dies, but may be resurrected as normal. At the end of the week, the hiveling emerges, transformed into a thunder caste. The hiveling loses a level at this time, as though it had been raised from the dead. The level loss cannot be negated by any means, even by wish or miracle.
  • Automatic Languages: Hiveling. Bonus Languages: Common, Draconic, Giant, Reptilian, Undercommon
  • Favored Class: Psion. A multiclass spark caste hiveling’s psion levels don’t count when determining whether he takes an experience penalty for multiclassing.



Would somebody be so kind as to tell me about what they think of the hiveling metamorphosis ability? I'm concerned about how it's being handled.

Are the hivelings thus far balanced for their LA/Lack of LA?
This one is interesting, though it is notable in that it is almost Strictly Superior to the vanilla Grey Elf. The only meaningful advantage the elf has is move speed. It'd make a better Wizard OR Psion than a Grey Elf, though that perhaps is a good thing.