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Message: <blockquote data-quote="kronos182" data-source="post: 6905923" data-attributes="member: 6668634">DesmouDesmousare massive, batlike humanoids who live in caverns deep underground. They areomnivorous and usually not dangerous unless attacked. An adult desmou stands 8to 9 feet tall. Its body is covered with reddish-black or reddish-brown fur.The creature has long arms, short legs, and a head like that of a bat. Amembrane of leathery, black skin stretches from each wrist to the correspondingankle. A desmou's hands and feet are long and narrow, with stubby, curvingdigits ending in retractable claws. The fingers and toes, along with the heeland palms, are equipped with a cilia that give the creature a very sure grip.A desmouis bipedal. Normally it walks upright with a rolling gait, but it can also getdown on all fours and gallop along at twice its base speed. The typical desmouwears armour and a harness for carrying tools and weapons, but very littleelse.Theirnative language includes both ultrasonic and subsonic utterances, sonon-desmous cannot speak it. They have deep, rich voices though their speechincludes the occasional sharp squeak or bass rumble when they are using alanguage other than their native tongue.  Type: Giant HumanoidSize: Large. Desmou take a -1 size penaltyto Defense, a -1 size penalty on attack rolls, and a -4 size penalty on Hidechecks. They gain a +4 size bonus on grapple checks. Their lifting and carryingcapacity limits are twice those of a Medium-size creature. Desmoumust use two hands to wield a Huge weapon, and light weapons for them areMedium-size.Desmouoccupy a 5-foot by 5-foot fighting space, and have a reach of 10 feet.Hit Dice: Desmou have 2 Hit Dice as aGiant, gaining 2d8 hit points, base attack bonus of 3/4 HD, good saving throwof Fortitude, 6 + Int modifier + extra HD skill points with Balance, HandleAnimal (Bat), Jump, Listen and Spot as class skills; 1 + 1 per 4 extra HDfeats.AbilityModifiers: +4 Strength, +1 Constitution. Desmou are strong and resilientcreatures.Speed: 20 feet, 40 feet gallop, 30 feetclimb. Desmou have short legs which makes them a bit slower, but can go on allfours and gallop at twice their speed as long as there is nothing in theirhands. Desmou are also excellent climbers.Natural Armour: Desmou has a thick furcovered hide that gives them a +2 natural armour bonus to DefenseArmour and Weapon Restrictions: Desmoucannot wear armour designed for other species. Their armour is larger andspecially designed to accommodate their unique builds, and costs more thansimilar armour sized for a Medium-size character; increase the PDC of Desmouarmour by +3.Claws: A desmou has retractable claws thatcan be used in combat. Extending or retracting the claws is a free action. ADesmou claw attack deals 1d4 damage.Blindsight: Desmou emits high-frequencysounds, inaudible to most other creatures, that bounce off nearby objects andcreatures. This ability enables it to discern objects and creatures within 120feet. The desmou usually does not need to make Spot or Listen checks to noticecreatures within range of its blindsight.Darkvision: Desmou also have excellentvision in the dark, allowing them to see out to 60 ft in complete darkness.Automatic Feat: Desmous automatically gainExotic Weapon Proficiency Notbora.Skill Bonus:  A desmou receives a +4racial bonus on Spot and Listen checks. They also get a +2 racial bonus ongrapple checks. When wearing light armour or none, they gain a +2 bonus onBalance and Jump checks.Screech: Once per day, a desmou canproduce a screech that can literally tear items apart. The creature can chooseone of two effects.Ray: A raydeals 5d6 points of sonic damage to any creature or object it strikes. Thisattack has a range of 30 ft.Spread: Asonic concussion causes every creature (except other desmodus) within a 30-footspread centered on the desmodu to be stunned for 1d4 rouns. A successfulFortitude save (DC 20) negates the effect. System:The Desmou system has 6 planets, two of which has can support life, Desmia theDesmou homeworld, and Desno, which is a colony of Desmia. The other four arethree planets that are heavy in rich metals and precious stones and one gasgiant that is mined for valuable gases.The sun isa dim medium sized yellow star. Many scientists are confused because it is inthe same class as that of Sol, but its much dimmer than other suns of similarsize and temperatures. Planet:DesmiaThehomeworld of the Desmou is a planet called Desmia. It orbits in the outer rangeof the 'habital' orbits to support life, making it a cool planet, which due toit's distance and orbit, spends a lot of time in twilight, which has allowedmany of the species native there to develop exceptional low light or darkvisionsight. Most species also have a thin layer of fat or fur to keep warm. Humanswould find the planet a bit cool, with temperatures ranging on average of 5 to10 degrees C during the day and -20 to -5 degrees C at night. The planethas a large amount of mountain ranges, caves and forests of trees that canreach heights of 2 kilometers high. The planetonly has 3 medium sized oceans and several large lakes and rivers, coveringonly 40% of the surface. However, there are thousands of underground lakes andrivers which connect to the cave homes of the Desmou.Desmia hasthree moons. Two are barren except for the few colonies built into the rock formining purposes, while the third is a dead rock which houses severalmanufacturing facilities and military bases. Relations:When onedeals with the Desmou, one must remember that they are dealing with one clan,or enclave. If something that affects the whole species, a large enclavemeeting would need to be held, with the enclave that was originally contactedacting as representative for the outsider. These massive meetings take a longtime to gather, anywhere from a week to a couple of months as representativesare contacted then travel to a meeting area. Then any decision to be made cantake days to months. Think of it like the U.N. where each member represents anenclave or large family clan. The oldest member present would be designated asa mediator, although they end up being somewhat biased to their own clan orenclave.  Uponentering the Desmou system,  one would be contacted by the Haric enclavewhich controls the largest communications systems and facilities. Most of thepatrol craft and military are controlled by a dozen different enclaves whichshare responsibilities of protecting the entire system, with the largest threebeing the Jurva, Rreev and Toovic.Unless aship entering the system has a contact with a specific enclave or clan, allships are directed to one of the two large trading stations or three largespace ports run by the Yih'k enclave. The Yih'k enclave seems to be the oneenclave that all other clans use as mediators in bartering and setting upcontracts. Outsiders use them when conducting business with different enclavesor clans, as they seem to be the only enclave that understands the differenteconomies of the various species they've encountered and have set up a systemfor converting money, or credits into a more understandable trade system thatother Desmou are familiar with. The Ioaclan are one of the few clans completely dedicated to being mercenaries. Theyuse the Yih'k enclave to negotiate their fees. They specialize innight operations, insertions and extractions, and stealth strikes and reconmissions, but are quite capable in any other capacity, including small armysized attacks of up to 6000 soldiers and mechanized units at a time withoutdraining their resources. They do offer discounts on repeat customers and thosethat offer them trade in new technology and weapons. SocietyDesmouslive in small, independent family groups that gather in loosely organizedcolonies or enclaves to pool resources and create a communal defense. Theyeschew complex social organizations, and individual families live as theyplease. Each family group includes several generations, with the eldestgeneration acting as the ruling body to settle all issues.The oldestand most experienced members in an enclave form a council to settle disputesbetween families and make recommendations about handling external affairs.Desmous of the same age from different families frequently adopt each other assiblings. These adopted siblings are called age-mates, and they always refer toeach other as though they were blood kin. The extended family ties that desmousform in this manner can be both varied and complex, and they usually not clearto anyone except other desmous.Desmodulive in cavern like structures festooned with stalactite and stalagmite likestructures which house living quarters and store rooms. Many are used to houselarge bat like creatures that desmou raise and breed for variouspurposes. A desmousettlement includes noncombatants (mostly children) equal to 20% of thefighting population. The society is egalitarian, so both males and females canbe found filling almost every role.Desmousenjoy a simple lifestyle. They understand the value of weapons and tools, butthey keep neither money nor valuables. They conduct trade through barter, andthe only distinction they recognize as a status symbol is the number of batsand lizards a family owns.Breeding,keeping, and training bats is a favourite activity among the desmou. Theyconsider it a mark of distinction to breed a new and useful type of bat, andthus countless varieties of bats exist within desmou caverns.Desmouartisans produce a wide variety of ingenious and high-quality goods. Alldesmous appreciate good music and items that can produce or enhance sounds.Their own music, however, is mostly inaudible to others because of itsultrasonic and subsonic components.Desmou dopossess advanced technologies, such as space flight, but in a somewhat morelimited scope. Since their society does not make for governments or companies,several enclaves possess varying manufacturing from metal and plastics, toothers that lack such facilities but possess vast food stores. This allows forquite an interesting evolution of the barter system which does not involvemoney at all. Some enclaves have barter contracts where one that has somethingthe other doesn't, the other provides a continuing service that the  otherneeds, and vice versa. DesmouItemsMostdesmou items are larger than other species due to their size. They also don'tproduce many items such as personal armour, and what armour they make isdesigned to fit their unique builds. Desmou haven't developed high frequencyblades in large quantities as the frequencies they operate at irritates desmousand can cause headaches, thus most of their weapons are nonpowered, althoughsome might be enhanced with heat generator or electrical abilities.Desmouaircraft and space ships usually have wings modelled after bat wings, whichgives them excellent low speed maneuverability and gliding, but notparticularly fast. The wings are also designed to retract and fold for betterstorage. Of the few desmou space carriers so far encountered, carry a largeamount of fighters, which are launched from a rack, which allows for a largenumber to be launched a single time. Many space farers refer to desmou carriersas bat caves as the inside of the hanger looks quite similar to a cave withdozens to hundreds of bat-like ships hanging from the ceiling, waiting to takeflight. Frostfire:This sticky, adhesive substance drains away heat when exposed to air ormoisture. A flask of frostfire can be thrown as a grenadelike weapon with arange increment of 10 ft, and a direct hit deals 1d6 points of cold damage. Thetarget can then attempt to scrape off or wash away the frostfire, if desired.If this does not occur, the target takes an additional 1d6 points of colddamage on the round following the direct hit. Removing frostfire by scrapingrequires a successful Reflex save (DC 15).  Alternatively, the substancecan be removed automatically by dousing it with at least one pint of alcoholicor acidic solution, such as wine or vinegar. Either method requires afull-round action. PDC 12 for 5 Notbora:This huge exotic double weapon looks like a big quarterstaff with a crook atone end. A notbora has a hinge in the middle so that it can be folded forstorage. The wielder can unfold the weapon and lock the hinge by pressing ahidden catch (a free action when drawing the notbora). The notbora's straightend is actually a sheath that can be removed to reveal a blade. The hooked endcan be used to make trip attacks. A wielder who is tripped during his or herown trip attempt can drop the notbora to avoid being tripped.Each endof the notbora deals 2d6 points of damage. The hooked end is a blunt weaponthat deals double damage on a critical hit. With the sheath in place, thestraight end functions the same way. With the sheath removed, the straight endis a slashing weapon that deals double damage on a critical hit and threatens acritical hit on an attack roll of 19 or 20. Weight 8lbs PDC16 FrostfireGrenadeAlthough almost all Desmou are taught how to create the frostfire flasks, whichare like molotov cocktails, there exists far more potent grenade versions. Thehand grenade version deals 4d6 points of cold damage to a 15 foot radius,Reflex save DC 15 for half, and deals 2d6 points of cold damage the next round.The target can attempt to scrap or wash off the frostfire, if desired. Removingfrostifre by scraping requires a successful Reflex save (DC 15). Alternatively,the substance can be removed automatically by dousing it with at least one pintof alcoholic or acidic solution, such as wine, beer, or vinegar. Either methodrequires a full-round action. PDC 15 for 5.40mm GrenadeThe 40mm grenade format is more like a mini grenade to the Desmou, and deals3d6 cold damage to a 10 foot radius, Reflex save DC 14 for half. If notremoved, deals 1d6 points the following round. PDC 16 for 5.65mm GrenadeDesmou use 65mm grenades in their grenade launchers, and are identical to the40mm grenades, except they deal 3d6 points of cold damage to a 15 foot radius,Reflex save DC 15 for half damage. If not removed, the next round will suffer2d6 points of cold damage. PDC 17 for 5.Desmou Ballistic WeaponsDesmou have a love of ballistic weapons, and due to their larger stature, theirweapons are larger. Desmou equivalent sized weapons of human ones are one sizecategory larger, deal one extra die of damage. The range is increased by 15feet for most weapons. Increased PDC for a Desmou sized equivalent weapon by+1. Many desmou weapons will also be masterwork, with about 60% of all weaponsbeing at least +1.Desmou also have an interest in making unique and specialized ammunition for theirballistic weapons. About 30% of all specialized ammunition created for use byseveral large government militaries and mercenaries and bounty hunters comefrom Desmou factories.Desmou don't use laser weapons very much, usually only in use of precision workand for snipers. 75% of all desmou lasers are dedicated sniper weapons of atleast +1 masterwork quality, deal +1 die and have 50% more range than those ofother species.Desmou do favour plasma weapons which they've developed moreso over laserweapons. Desmou have developed a variety of plasma weapons including plasmashotguns, cannons, pistols and rifles, many featuring various fire modes.Desmou plasma weapons usually deal +1 die and are one size category larger.They usually also have about 10% increase in ammunition capacity, or feature a'hotshot' mode (variable charge gadget, but weapon does not explode if it isn'tdischarged after being charge, instead it lowers the bonus die over same numberof rounds as it was charged), which increases PDC by +5 (this is only fordesmou weapons and not for other species as they haven't discovered the desmousecret of this far safer method of charging of plasmaweapons).Desmou AircraftMost desmou aircraft and spacecraft, smaller than corvette class, will featurelarge wings, usually modelled after bat wings, that are also variable geometryand can fold for better storage. This gives their aircraft greatermaneuverability, even with their slower speeds than other species ships, with a+1 bonus to maneuverability. In aircraft that can make planetary landings fromspace, usually have the wings fold forward to act as a heat shield foratmospheric re-entry. The design gives desmou fighters a +2 to Intimidatechecks when they first approach a target, which ground attack craft use togreat advantage as the silhouette of their craft creates a large bat-like shapeon the ground as they swoop in with the sun behind them. If a desmou aircraftever has its engines disabled, it is able to glide to the groundsafely.Desmou starships all carry light fighters, even corvettes, which usually haveup to at most 4 fighters, usually on external racks if there isn't much hangerspace. Their starships also carry a mix of ballistic and plasma weapons, withonly a few ships, usually stealth units that mount lasers for long rangedcombat. Sample Desmou WeaponsHi'ruN Plasma Pistol (PL6)Damage: 3d10Critical: 20 x2Damage Type: fireRange Increment: 55 ftRate of Fire: SSize: LargeWeight: 6 lbsAmmo: 60 boxPurchase DC: 25Notes: Hot shot. Variable charge gadget that doesn't explode, instead slowlysteps down the bonus die over same time it was charged.Hi'ruN Plasma Rifle (PL6)Damage: 4d10, varies by grenadeCritical: 20 x2Damage Type: fire, varies by grenadesRange Increment: 95 ft, 75 ft grenadeRate of Fire: S, A / semi grenadeSize: HugeWeight: 18 lbsAmmo: 50 box, 8 internal grenadesPurchase DC: 29Notes: Scatter mode, underbarrel 40mm grenade launcher.Scatter mode: releases several smaller plasma bolts in a cone 50 feet long, 35feet wide, dealing 2d10 points of damage, Reflex save DC 21 for half damage. </blockquote>

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