Biosum - beings of dimensional energy flux [Archive] - Wizards Community

Biosum - beings of dimensional energy flux [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
copperwood
04-09-07, 10:21 AM Biosum

The original community of biosum arrived in a single night several decades ago. Travellers reported an explosion of blue light that rocked the ground somewhere in a remote corner of the steppes. When curious militia and adventurers investigated they found a huge crater...and the first biosum, milling about in confusion.

It was many years before the biosum forged their own place in the world and learnt the local languages. And it was years more before sages managed to pry from the taciturn biosum a small portion of their history. The biosum claim they come not just from a different plane, but from a different form of reality altogether. The best they can describe it is as an infinite sequence of dimensional layers at an angle to the known planes of existence. It is a place of light and energy rather than gross matter, where the concepts of space and even time have completely different meanings. There they practiced a form of magic that translates roughly as 'technomancy' - a magic does not seem to work in the material plane they now find themselves in.

The biosum say they were - and still are - at war, with a race called the Nihils, creatures of dark energy that wished to draw power by ripping apart their world. It was during the course of a battle with these creatures that the Accident happened. Their technomancers had developed a new machine-weapon. Its purpose defies translation into the common tongue, translating only as 'small-particle-mass-energy-field-compressor'. It was activated in the heat of a savage battle. At first it appeared to work, the tide of battle turned. But then something went wrong. Whether it was sabotage, damage inflicted by the nihils, or a flaw in the design, nobody knows. The biosum in a vast radius around the weapon were - as best they can describe it - translated.

Now, they are stranded. Their technomancers cannot summon their magic. The fate of their homeworld is unknown. They have learned to survive in, what to them, is a strange and utterly bizarre world. Even finding food was an initial challenge, but the biosum found that they could consume plant material and certain minerals which, inside their bodies, are somehow converted into the energy they require to sustain themselves.

The biosum have spread out somewhat from their initial 'translation' site but this is still where the main concentration of them can be found. Most biosum want nothing other than to return to their homeworld. If there's anything left of it. Many biosum turned to adventuring in order to explore the world in an attempt to find any hints as to how this could be accomplished. But this was many decades ago and a new generation of biosum have been born into this world. And despite the teachings of their elders, this new generation do not feel the same sense of loss.

Personality: Biosum tend to be as taciturn as dwarves, if not more so. They act in an aloof manner around other races, keeping their silence and speaking only when necessary. They are dedicated in their pursuits but favour a cool logical approach to resolving any situation rather than an emotional one. This isn't to say that they are not quick to react when required though. A biosum is likely to appear slow and calm until the right moment arrives, at which point they burst into fluid action.

Physical Description: Biosum have lean humanoid bodies of indeterminate gender (though there are males and females). Their features are angular - flat ploygonal planes juxtaposed against each other - such that there are no rounded edges on their bodies, and their smooth pale blue reflective skin shimmers with a faint luminescence. The eyes of a Biosum are like lenses within which hover sharp pinpoints of blue light.

Biosum are composed of planes of dimensional energy. Within their bodies, elemental energy courses along pathways of folded spacetime, pulsing through organs of klein-bottle dimensional vortices.

The dimensional energies of a biosum degrade over time, thus a biosum ages, just like a biological creature. As it does so its skin loses its sheen and the polygonal planes of its body start to lose their alignment, fitting together like a badly made jigsaw puzzle. When a biosum dies its body still retains its general shape for some days, its energies slowly leaking out harmlessly into the environment, until all that is left is a few shards of crystalline substance and sparkling dust.

Relations: Biosum find humans and dwarves too loud and boisterous, but have managed to forge a respectable-enough relationship to allow their community to survive in foreign lands. They have more respect for the quiet patience of elves, but usually fail to understand the elven bond with nature (the biosum tendency to describe nature as an 'interesting network of interrelated biological organisms and energy cycles' has been known to irritate elven sensibilities).

Alignment: Biosum are usually lawful neutral though a rare few may tend towards good or evil. It is the newer generation of biomus, those born into the material plane and with more experience in dealing with the world, that are more likely to stray from this alignment tendency.

Religion: Biosum claim to worship no deity, but show reverance to a being they call the Unified Force. A few biosum of the newer generation have become converted to a few human and elven deities of knowledge and magic. Still, the rare biosum cleric is more likely to gain his power from the worship of principles such as Law, Knowledge, Force and Magic.

Language: Biosum speak their own language of modulated sound, completely incomprehensible to, and unspeakable by, other races without magical assistance. They have now also adopted the Common tongue.

Names: Biosum names are incomprehensible to other races, hence they have adopted a policy of having a birth name and a 'known' name. This secondary name is usually just a human or elven name chosen by the biosum for the purposes of communication.

Racial Traits

+2 Dexterity, -2 Strength, -2 Charisma. Biosum have fast reactions and agile bodies but the strange energy constructs that compose their bodies do not provide as much support as ordinary matter. They also have an aloof, and often cold, attitude when dealing with others.

Elemental type: Biosum have the elemental type. Despite this, their complex bodies still have the equivalent of organs, circulatory systems, and so on, even if these things are composed of strange energies and spacetime fluctuations. This grants the following:

Unlike elementals Biosum are subject to critical hits and flanking, but their bizarre anatomy does grant them a 25% chance to negate a critical hit or sneak attack. This does not stack with the Fortification armour property or similar effects.
Biosum have darkvision 60'
Unlike elementals, Biosum are subject to sleep effects and stunning.
Biosum are immune to poison and paralysis.
Biosum can be raised and resurrected.
Biosum have to eat and sleep, but do not need to breathe.
Biosum age as their energy fields degrade over time (use the same age calculations as for the half-elf).

Force Armour: The energy fields that compose the skin of the Biosum provide a +1 armour bonus. As usual this does not stack with armour bonuses from any other source but, like the mage armour spell, this is a force effect and thus provides protection against attacks from incorporeal creatures. This bonus is lost if you are shapechanged into a creature with a different type.

Force Attack: The same energy fields that compose their bodies allow the unarmed attacks of a Biosum to count as force effects. Thus their unarmed attacks can strike incorporeal creatures without suffering the normal 50% miss chance. This does not provide them with any additional benefits for fighting unarmed (for example, they must still take the Improved Unarmed Attack feat if they wish to avoid attacks of opportunity and deal lethal damage with their unarmed attacks). This ability does not extend to any natural attacks that may be gained as a result of shapechanging, spells, magic items, or class abilities.

Teleportation Instability: The energy/dimensional flux that comprises the biosum body somehow interferes with the magics of teleportation. Whenever a biosum is teleported or plane-shifted (whether willingly or not) it takes 1d6 points of damage per level of the spell or effect. If the spell is one that lasts longer than a single round, the biosum only takes damage on the round that the spell is cast.

Automatic Languages: Biosum, Common. Bonus Languages: Celestial, Draconic, Elven, Gnome, Sylvan.

Favoured class: Monk

Level adjustment: +1

Racial Feats

Improved Force Armour [Biosum]
The energy fields that compose your body are stronger than normal.
Benefit: The armour bonus provided by your force armour improves by 1. This feat may be taken multiple times.

Force Touch [Biosum]
You may expel a small part of your essence to harm others.
Benefit: You may make a melee touch attack that does 1d4+1 points of force damage. You may choose to increase the damage by an additional 1d4+1 points for every two character levels above 1st (2d4+2 at 3rd level, 3d4+3 at 5th level) up to a maximum of 5d4+5 at 10th level. You take damage equal to half the damage dealt (this damage has no type and is not reduced by damage reduction or resistances).
This ability may also be used as part of an unarmed attack, dealing its force damage in addition to your normal unarmed attack damage. In this case it requires a normal attack roll and may still only be performed once per round, regardless of the number of unarmed attacks you may make in a round. You must declare you are using your Force Touch before the attack roll, and if the attack misses you have still used up your attempt for that round.

Force Missile [Biosum]
You have learnt to launch a small part of your essence as a ranged attack.
Prerequisites: Force Touch
Benefit: As Force Touch, except that you may make a ranged touch attack rather than a melee touch attack. This has a maximum range of 30 feet.

Force Resistance [Biosum]
You are resistant to force effects.
Benefit: You gain resistance to force 5. You may gain this feat multiple times. Each time you take this feat your resistance increases by 5.

Force Healing [Biosum]
You can extract energy from damaging force effects.
Prerequisites: Force Resistance
Benefit: Whenever you are subject to force damage you gain hit points equal to the damage resisted. Hit points that exceed your normal maximum are gained as temporary hit points. These temporary hit points do not stack with temporary hit points from any other source (including hit points gained from subsequent force healing) and fade after 1 minute.

Force Negation [Biosum]
You can use the energy fields of your own body to interfere with the energies of other force effects.
Prerequisites: Force Resistance, one other racial feat, character level 11th
Benefit: As a full-round action (which provokes attacks of opportunity) you may attempt to dispel any force effect you touch. This acts as a Dispel Magic with a caster level equal to your character level, except that it may dispel any force spell, even those not normally subject to dispelling such as a Wall of Force. If successful, you take Constitution damage equal to half the spell level of the force effect rounded up. For example, successfully dispelling a Wall of Force deals you 3 points of Constitution damage.

Retain Force Attack [Biosum]
You may retain the use of your Force Attack racial ability even when magically transformed and using natural weapons
Prerequisites: Any two other racial feats
Benefits: Any natural attacks you gain as a result of shapechanging, spells, magic items, or class abilities, remain energized by the forces of your body. Such attacks ignore the 50% miss chance when striking incorporeal creatures.
Soel Griffin
04-09-07, 08:16 PM Another great race for those looking for something decidedly different!
jaw4ever
04-10-07, 07:15 AM :thumbsup: Cool new race.
copperwood
04-12-07, 03:24 PM Three new racial feats :)

Enhance Force Spell [Biosum, Metamagic]
You may use part of your essence to increase the efficacy of your force spells
Prerequisite: Force Touch, any other metamagic feat
Benefit: Whenever you cast a spell with the force descriptor, you may choose to take damage equal to the spell level. If you do so, the spell is cast at an effective caster level one higher than your actual caster level (without taking up a higher level spell slot).

Weapon Force Sheathe [Biosum]
You may extend your essence to form a sheathe around your weapon
Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +8
Benefits: As a swift action you may form a sheathe of pure force, drawn from your own essence, around a single melee weapon you wield. This grants the weaopn the ghost touch special property (allowing you to ignore the 50% miss chance when attacking an incorporeal foe). Doing so is extremely draining on your body, causing you to suffer a -4 penalty on your Constitution for as long as the force sheathe is active. You may end this effect as a swift action (being allowed only 1 swift action a round means you cannot initiate and end this effect in the same round).
Special: A fighter may choose this feat as a special fighter feat.

Weapon Force Damage [Biosum]
The sheathe of force around your weapon sparkles with damaging energy.
Prerequisite: Weapon Force Sheathe
Benefits: Whenever you successfully strike an opponent with a weapon sheathed in your force essence you cause an additional point of force damage.
Special: A fighter may choose this feat as a special fighter feat. You may choose this feat multiple times. Each time you choose it you cause an additional point of force damage whenever you successfully strike an opponent with a weapon sheathed in your force essence.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
copperwood 04-09-07, 10:21 AM	Biosum The original community of biosum arrived in a single night several decades ago. Travellers reported an explosion of blue light that rocked the ground somewhere in a remote corner of the steppes. When curious militia and adventurers investigated they found a huge crater...and the first biosum, milling about in confusion. It was many years before the biosum forged their own place in the world and learnt the local languages. And it was years more before sages managed to pry from the taciturn biosum a small portion of their history. The biosum claim they come not just from a different plane, but from a different form of reality altogether. The best they can describe it is as an infinite sequence of dimensional layers at an angle to the known planes of existence. It is a place of light and energy rather than gross matter, where the concepts of space and even time have completely different meanings. There they practiced a form of magic that translates roughly as 'technomancy' - a magic does not seem to work in the material plane they now find themselves in. The biosum say they were - and still are - at war, with a race called the Nihils, creatures of dark energy that wished to draw power by ripping apart their world. It was during the course of a battle with these creatures that the Accident happened. Their technomancers had developed a new machine-weapon. Its purpose defies translation into the common tongue, translating only as 'small-particle-mass-energy-field-compressor'. It was activated in the heat of a savage battle. At first it appeared to work, the tide of battle turned. But then something went wrong. Whether it was sabotage, damage inflicted by the nihils, or a flaw in the design, nobody knows. The biosum in a vast radius around the weapon were - as best they can describe it - translated. Now, they are stranded. Their technomancers cannot summon their magic. The fate of their homeworld is unknown. They have learned to survive in, what to them, is a strange and utterly bizarre world. Even finding food was an initial challenge, but the biosum found that they could consume plant material and certain minerals which, inside their bodies, are somehow converted into the energy they require to sustain themselves. The biosum have spread out somewhat from their initial 'translation' site but this is still where the main concentration of them can be found. Most biosum want nothing other than to return to their homeworld. If there's anything left of it. Many biosum turned to adventuring in order to explore the world in an attempt to find any hints as to how this could be accomplished. But this was many decades ago and a new generation of biosum have been born into this world. And despite the teachings of their elders, this new generation do not feel the same sense of loss. Personality: Biosum tend to be as taciturn as dwarves, if not more so. They act in an aloof manner around other races, keeping their silence and speaking only when necessary. They are dedicated in their pursuits but favour a cool logical approach to resolving any situation rather than an emotional one. This isn't to say that they are not quick to react when required though. A biosum is likely to appear slow and calm until the right moment arrives, at which point they burst into fluid action. Physical Description: Biosum have lean humanoid bodies of indeterminate gender (though there are males and females). Their features are angular - flat ploygonal planes juxtaposed against each other - such that there are no rounded edges on their bodies, and their smooth pale blue reflective skin shimmers with a faint luminescence. The eyes of a Biosum are like lenses within which hover sharp pinpoints of blue light. Biosum are composed of planes of dimensional energy. Within their bodies, elemental energy courses along pathways of folded spacetime, pulsing through organs of klein-bottle dimensional vortices. The dimensional energies of a biosum degrade over time, thus a biosum ages, just like a biological creature. As it does so its skin loses its sheen and the polygonal planes of its body start to lose their alignment, fitting together like a badly made jigsaw puzzle. When a biosum dies its body still retains its general shape for some days, its energies slowly leaking out harmlessly into the environment, until all that is left is a few shards of crystalline substance and sparkling dust. Relations: Biosum find humans and dwarves too loud and boisterous, but have managed to forge a respectable-enough relationship to allow their community to survive in foreign lands. They have more respect for the quiet patience of elves, but usually fail to understand the elven bond with nature (the biosum tendency to describe nature as an 'interesting network of interrelated biological organisms and energy cycles' has been known to irritate elven sensibilities). Alignment: Biosum are usually lawful neutral though a rare few may tend towards good or evil. It is the newer generation of biomus, those born into the material plane and with more experience in dealing with the world, that are more likely to stray from this alignment tendency. Religion: Biosum claim to worship no deity, but show reverance to a being they call the Unified Force. A few biosum of the newer generation have become converted to a few human and elven deities of knowledge and magic. Still, the rare biosum cleric is more likely to gain his power from the worship of principles such as Law, Knowledge, Force and Magic. Language: Biosum speak their own language of modulated sound, completely incomprehensible to, and unspeakable by, other races without magical assistance. They have now also adopted the Common tongue. Names: Biosum names are incomprehensible to other races, hence they have adopted a policy of having a birth name and a 'known' name. This secondary name is usually just a human or elven name chosen by the biosum for the purposes of communication. Racial Traits +2 Dexterity, -2 Strength, -2 Charisma. Biosum have fast reactions and agile bodies but the strange energy constructs that compose their bodies do not provide as much support as ordinary matter. They also have an aloof, and often cold, attitude when dealing with others. Elemental type: Biosum have the elemental type. Despite this, their complex bodies still have the equivalent of organs, circulatory systems, and so on, even if these things are composed of strange energies and spacetime fluctuations. This grants the following: Unlike elementals Biosum are subject to critical hits and flanking, but their bizarre anatomy does grant them a 25% chance to negate a critical hit or sneak attack. This does not stack with the Fortification armour property or similar effects. Biosum have darkvision 60' Unlike elementals, Biosum are subject to sleep effects and stunning. Biosum are immune to poison and paralysis. Biosum can be raised and resurrected. Biosum have to eat and sleep, but do not need to breathe. Biosum age as their energy fields degrade over time (use the same age calculations as for the half-elf). Force Armour: The energy fields that compose the skin of the Biosum provide a +1 armour bonus. As usual this does not stack with armour bonuses from any other source but, like the mage armour spell, this is a force effect and thus provides protection against attacks from incorporeal creatures. This bonus is lost if you are shapechanged into a creature with a different type. Force Attack: The same energy fields that compose their bodies allow the unarmed attacks of a Biosum to count as force effects. Thus their unarmed attacks can strike incorporeal creatures without suffering the normal 50% miss chance. This does not provide them with any additional benefits for fighting unarmed (for example, they must still take the Improved Unarmed Attack feat if they wish to avoid attacks of opportunity and deal lethal damage with their unarmed attacks). This ability does not extend to any natural attacks that may be gained as a result of shapechanging, spells, magic items, or class abilities. Teleportation Instability: The energy/dimensional flux that comprises the biosum body somehow interferes with the magics of teleportation. Whenever a biosum is teleported or plane-shifted (whether willingly or not) it takes 1d6 points of damage per level of the spell or effect. If the spell is one that lasts longer than a single round, the biosum only takes damage on the round that the spell is cast. Automatic Languages: Biosum, Common. Bonus Languages: Celestial, Draconic, Elven, Gnome, Sylvan. Favoured class: Monk Level adjustment: +1 Racial Feats Improved Force Armour [Biosum] The energy fields that compose your body are stronger than normal. Benefit: The armour bonus provided by your force armour improves by 1. This feat may be taken multiple times. Force Touch [Biosum] You may expel a small part of your essence to harm others. Benefit: You may make a melee touch attack that does 1d4+1 points of force damage. You may choose to increase the damage by an additional 1d4+1 points for every two character levels above 1st (2d4+2 at 3rd level, 3d4+3 at 5th level) up to a maximum of 5d4+5 at 10th level. You take damage equal to half the damage dealt (this damage has no type and is not reduced by damage reduction or resistances). This ability may also be used as part of an unarmed attack, dealing its force damage in addition to your normal unarmed attack damage. In this case it requires a normal attack roll and may still only be performed once per round, regardless of the number of unarmed attacks you may make in a round. You must declare you are using your Force Touch before the attack roll, and if the attack misses you have still used up your attempt for that round. Force Missile [Biosum] You have learnt to launch a small part of your essence as a ranged attack. Prerequisites: Force Touch Benefit: As Force Touch, except that you may make a ranged touch attack rather than a melee touch attack. This has a maximum range of 30 feet. Force Resistance [Biosum] You are resistant to force effects. Benefit: You gain resistance to force 5. You may gain this feat multiple times. Each time you take this feat your resistance increases by 5. Force Healing [Biosum] You can extract energy from damaging force effects. Prerequisites: Force Resistance Benefit: Whenever you are subject to force damage you gain hit points equal to the damage resisted. Hit points that exceed your normal maximum are gained as temporary hit points. These temporary hit points do not stack with temporary hit points from any other source (including hit points gained from subsequent force healing) and fade after 1 minute. Force Negation [Biosum] You can use the energy fields of your own body to interfere with the energies of other force effects. Prerequisites: Force Resistance, one other racial feat, character level 11th Benefit: As a full-round action (which provokes attacks of opportunity) you may attempt to dispel any force effect you touch. This acts as a Dispel Magic with a caster level equal to your character level, except that it may dispel any force spell, even those not normally subject to dispelling such as a Wall of Force. If successful, you take Constitution damage equal to half the spell level of the force effect rounded up. For example, successfully dispelling a Wall of Force deals you 3 points of Constitution damage. Retain Force Attack [Biosum] You may retain the use of your Force Attack racial ability even when magically transformed and using natural weapons Prerequisites: Any two other racial feats Benefits: Any natural attacks you gain as a result of shapechanging, spells, magic items, or class abilities, remain energized by the forces of your body. Such attacks ignore the 50% miss chance when striking incorporeal creatures.
Soel Griffin 04-09-07, 08:16 PM	Another great race for those looking for something decidedly different!
jaw4ever 04-10-07, 07:15 AM	:thumbsup: Cool new race.
copperwood 04-12-07, 03:24 PM	Three new racial feats :) Enhance Force Spell [Biosum, Metamagic] You may use part of your essence to increase the efficacy of your force spells Prerequisite: Force Touch, any other metamagic feat Benefit: Whenever you cast a spell with the force descriptor, you may choose to take damage equal to the spell level. If you do so, the spell is cast at an effective caster level one higher than your actual caster level (without taking up a higher level spell slot). Weapon Force Sheathe [Biosum] You may extend your essence to form a sheathe around your weapon Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +8 Benefits: As a swift action you may form a sheathe of pure force, drawn from your own essence, around a single melee weapon you wield. This grants the weaopn the ghost touch special property (allowing you to ignore the 50% miss chance when attacking an incorporeal foe). Doing so is extremely draining on your body, causing you to suffer a -4 penalty on your Constitution for as long as the force sheathe is active. You may end this effect as a swift action (being allowed only 1 swift action a round means you cannot initiate and end this effect in the same round). Special: A fighter may choose this feat as a special fighter feat. Weapon Force Damage [Biosum] The sheathe of force around your weapon sparkles with damaging energy. Prerequisite: Weapon Force Sheathe Benefits: Whenever you successfully strike an opponent with a weapon sheathed in your force essence you cause an additional point of force damage. Special: A fighter may choose this feat as a special fighter feat. You may choose this feat multiple times. Each time you choose it you cause an additional point of force damage whenever you successfully strike an opponent with a weapon sheathed in your force essence.