Chapter 2: Races
[sblock=Shouserran]
SHOUSERRAN
The shouserran are a race of beings that hail from the prime material plane of Mentara. They have seeded themselves on other planes as a means of perpetuating their survival as a race. They are a peaceful lot and have many thinkers and philosophers in their society. They can be agitated, like any other being, but their wrath comes from both mind and body; they wed the concept of physical strength and mental strength to an art and they excel at it.
Their society is a matriarchal one, and it is the females that are dominant gender. The shouserran are an insular race and don’t care much for the goings on of or welfare of other races. Men know their place, and those that feel the drive for betterment often leave their homeland in search of opportunities to find what they are best at.
Personality: Shouserran, despite their large and often intimidating stature, are usually calm creatures. They are not without emotion, but they have learned to reflect inward before acting on their feelings. Shouserran do not fit in well with members of other races, as their social graces have atrophied to the point that they do not care about what others think of them. The shouserran females are almost all militant and know the meaning of pride and honor. They expect to be given respect they command from the men of their society. Shouserran know the meaning and value of currency in civilized lands, but do not require nor need it when within their own enclaves.
Physical Description: Shouserran on the whole are a large muscular bunch. The females are known to be taller than the males. It is easy to tell the difference between the shouserran men from the women as they have silver pupils, which reflect ambient light.
Although they are exceptionally tall, with an average height of close to 14 feet for the women and 13 feet for the men, they are very humanlike in appearance. Women usually have a lighter color of hair than the men; sometimes even bright silver or a radiant white color.
Relations: The shouserran are an interwoven people, and regard one another as family. Though individuals families can be quite large (including aunt, uncles and cousins), each family usually respects the core authority, which is the mother.
Shouserran govern their lands as they would ‘govern’ their family. Everyone has the potential to do great things and the government does not favor one party of people more than another, each individual must be cared for and nurtured. The government is responsible for making sure everyone has a roof over their head and food in their belly. Monetary needs have been abolished and everyone has all the basic necessities to live on their own.
Outside of the basic needs, each individual needs to contribute to shouserran society in some way, however what they pursue need to either provide benefit for the whole or the individual. As such, entertainment is pursued and not charged for, as long as it is wholesome entertainment.
Alignment: Shouserran society observes a structure that allows everyone to excel what they are best at so long as it is non-disruptive on the whole; therefore most shouserran are neutral good or lawful good. The shouserran women that make up the governmental hierarchy are often lawful neutral. Shouserran that rebel against their kind most often turn out to be lawful evil.
Shouserran Lands: Shouserran do have their lands, and it is so far away from everything else that they are usually not bothered by other races and thus they eke out an existence that is almost invisible among the civilized races. Shouserran prefer lands that are close to a body water and isn’t an area of land that is too arid.
Each shouserran city is an independent entity, and there is no hierarchy outside of it; being more like a city-state, the prominent females banding together to form a central command and militant regime hat takes care of the rest of their kind.
Religion: The shouserran are more a spiritual race than a pious race. Each individual shouserran is free to express their spirituality as they wish, so long as it is non-disruptive to the rest of the city. Most shouserran accept the possibility of a higher power, but most give thanks the earth itself for providing the basics of what is needed in order to sustain themselves and their family.
Due to this mentality, those that do accept a deity as their patron choose one that encompasses all aspects of the world or are nature deities.
Language: Shouserran speak shouserran. Their language has two forms; its standard written form and a pictographical version that dates backs over two millennia old. All shouserran know how to read and write their own language, but to understand and properly read the pictographical version, intense study is required under the tutelage of a scholar that understands it. In order to fully understand it, a character must expend one skill point.
Names: Shouserran are given a birth name by their mother that is inspired by the things that mother holds dear her heart. When they become young adults (the equivalent of human teenage years) each shouserran is allowed to choose their own proper name. The name must be one that is inspired by the events and things that has shaped their personality and mental drive. The chosen name becomes their first name and their birth name becomes their middle name. Their surname is that of their mothers.
Adventures: There are a great of shouserran adventurers that are outcasts, rebels or even criminals. The rest of their kind adventure to unlock physical and mental abilities that lies untapped.
SHOUSERRAN RACIAL TRAITS
- +4 Str, -4 Dex, +2 Wis, -2 Cha: Shouserran are large and powerful, yet often ungainly. They are slow at assimilating new ideas and customs.
- Racial Hit Dice: A Shouserran begins with one level of monstrous humanoid, which provide D4 + 6 hit points, a base attack bonus of +1 and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +0, Ref +2 and Will +2
- Racial Skills: A Shouserran’s monstrous humanoid level gives it skill points equal to 4 x (2 + Int modifier, minimum 1). Their class skills are Psicraft and Knowledge (Psionics).
- Racial Feats: A Shouserran’s monstrous humanoid level gives it two feats.
- Large: As Large creatures, Shouserran suffer a -1 penalty to Armor Class, a -1 size bonus to attack rolls and a -4 penalty on Hide checks. They gain a +4 bonus on Grapple checks. However, they are able to use weapons larger than those medium size creatures can use, and their lifting and carrying limits are double that of medium creatures.
- Shouserran base land speed is 40 feet
- Naturally Psionic: Shouserran 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 levels in a psionic class.
- Psi-life: Throughout the Shouserran’s youth, their mind draw in power and small fragments from the world around it. When the Shouserran reaches adulthood, their mind expends this energy and creates Psicrystal. The Shouserran is treated as if having one virtual level in the psion class for determining her psicrystal’s special abilities. If the Shouserran progresses in any psionic class, her virtual psion levels stack with her psionic class levels in determining her psicrystal’s special abilities.
- Psi-like Abilities: As a Shouserran advances in level, she gains psi-like abilities as indicated on the table below. The benefits are cumulative. Manifester level equals ½ hit dice (minimum 1st). The save DCs are Charisma based.
- Favored Class: Psychic Warrior
- Level Adjustment: +1
Code:
[b]Level Psi-Like Abilities[/b]
1st 4/day – far hand
6th 2/day – concussion blast
11th 1/day – telekinetic force
[sblock=Age, Aging Effects, Height & Weight]
Code:
[b]Random Starting Age
Bard Cleric
Barbarian Fighter Druid
Rogue Paladin Monk
Adulthood Sorcerer Ranger Wizard[/b]
35 +5D4 +7D4 +10D4
[b]Aging Effects
Middle Age Old Venerable Max Age[/b]
90 135 180 +6D20
[b]Random Height & Weight
Base Height Base Weight
Height Modifier Weight Modifier[/b]
Female 11' 6" 8D6 320 x (2D10) lbs.
Male 11' 6" 6D6 270 x (2d8) lbs.
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