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ShaRd2000 07-12-07, 01:05 AM

I made this race mostly because I really like Psionics, (wasn't too sure if I should post it here or the psionics board) the bull or bull like figure, and minotaurs respectively. But as I thought up a character, I realized the minotaur as proposed in the MM, had 6 racial hit die plus a +2 LA, which would not do for me. So I hammered this out over the last few days, and used Helm as the creator god referenced, seeing as I play in the realms mostly. You could easily substitute any god of guardianship/protection with helm in this: ------------------------------------------------------------ Veritaur Veritaurs are, above all, guardians of absolute truth. They were created by Helm himself from the powerful minotaur race and infused with psionic power, law, and lucidity. They live to dispel and uproot all falsehoods and illusions, and do so with utmost devotion to their task. They are almost always assigned to protect a "Charge", to which they are used in concert with the rest of the guard, standing vigilant before any serpentine method used to infiltrate. They stay with their Charge for as long as the contract with their creator was agreed upon, usually until death, dismissal or the agreed upon end of the contract. If not guarding a Charge, the Veritaur wanders incessantly, testing itself through various tasks, while aiding the weak or young from any oppressors. They are even encouraged to do so when without a Charge, even unable to take upon themselves the responsibility of protecting one until "Tactical Maturity". (About 7-8 HD) Some of their "function" resembles that of an inevitable of the plane of Mechanus, and indeed, when they are without contract, they sometimes share a task with inevitables themselves. This sort of team usually only involves the Veritaur gathering information or revealing the path for the Inevitable; the rest is left to the inevitable. Although not as physically powerful as their minotaur cousins, they are much more intelligent, and very strategic. Using their natural cunning and battle prowess, they can turn the tide of any invasion into their Charge's abode, and their psionic power can thwart one before it even begins. A Veritaur stands around 7 feet tall, and weighs about 700 pounds, much like their minotaur kin. They speak Common and Celestial, since they share their homes and some opinions with the upper planes and their inhabitants. Contractual Information: If under contractual obligation to a Charge, a Veritaur's creator may revoke the contract if the Charge is mistreating or misusing the Veritaur in question, sending it back to the homeplane of it's creator, Helm, in Everwatch. Being extraplanar when present on the material realm, (Where most of their charges reside) if the Veritaur is subject to a successful dismissal/banishment spell or effect, they are forced back to Helm's home plane. But if they are currently fulfilling a contract to a Charge, they are immediately returned within 10 feet of their Charge after successful completion of the spell or effect. If without a contract, they are returned to their native plane, as the spell defines. If subject to compulsion spells or effects from it's Charge, the Veritaur's contract to that Charge is immediately void, and the Veritaur is free to roam or return to it's homeplane. Abilities: +6 Strength, +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma. The Veritaur are immense in physical power and stature, not unlike their minotaur cousins, but have difficulty relating to people that do not share their extreme sense of duty, honor, and loyalty. This attitude comes off as the Veritaur seeming very cold or ignorant of social awareness. 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. Type: Large Outsider (Extraplanar, Lawful, Psionic) Space/Reach: 10 feet/10 feet A Veritaur's base land speed is 30 feet. Skills: Veritaurs have a +4 racial bonus on Search, Spot, and Listen checks. Natural Weapons: None. The Veritaur has horns, but they are always in a curled formation, akin to a ram, usable only with their Powerful Charge attack. Special Attacks: Powerful Charge. Any weapons that a Veritaur wields, or any natural weapons that it may later gain through powers, spells, or effects, are treated as lawful-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Powerful Charge (Ex): The Veritaur may make a charge attack, bringing it's thick and battering ram-like horns into play. It usually only uses this attack when it feels it will not over extend itself when ended; it would never charge into overwhelming odds without serious provocation, or if the life of it's Charge was at stake. In addition to the normal benefits and hazards of a charge attack, this allows the Veritaur to smash into their opponent, dealing 4d6 + 1 and 1/2 time it's strength bonus points of bludgeoning damage. Psi-Like Abilities: A Veritaur has psi-like abilities depending on it's Hit Dice, as indicated on the table below. The abilities are cumulative; a Veritaur with 4 HD can use Mind Link as well as Detect Hostile Intent. Unless otherwise noted, an ability is usable once per day. Manifester level equals the creature’s HD, and the save DC is Wisdom-based. The Powers listed with the Charge Optional suffix mean that the ability can be used on their Charge as the target, even if the power is self only. IE: They can use their Detect Hostile Intent ability to detect a creature with hostile intent towards their Charge, etc. 1-2| Mind Link 3-4| Detect Hostile Intent (Charge Optional) 5-6| Eradicate Invisibility 7-8| Discern Lies, Psionic 9-10| Steadfast Perception 11-12| Detect Remote Viewing (Charge Optional) 13-14| Mind Probe Special Qualities: Naturally Psionic: Veritaurs gain 1 bonus power point 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. +4 natural armor bonus. Darkvision out to 60 feet. Natural Cunning (Ex): Veritaurs possess an enhanced innate cunning and logical ability. This gives them immunity to maze spells, prevents them from ever becoming lost, and enables them to track enemies. Further, they are never caught flat-footed. Scent (Ex): As the Scent Ability listed in the D&D 3.5 Monster Manual, page 314. Irrefutable Verity (Ex): Veritaurs cannot lie, or obscure their intentions and methods in any possible way. This restricts them from certain classes or class options, such as illusion magic, or the hide and move silently skills to name a few. They can still take cover, or recieve cover from spells or items as long as it is used in the midst of battle, and without the intention of ambush tactics. Even if magically compelled, the controller cannot force anything but the truth of any subject from the Veritaur, nor subject them to any illusion magics that target the Veritaur itself in a beneficial manner. Both simply fail. Illusion magics may still be casted against the Veritaur, (but are subject to it's psi-like abilities) and the forced spoken truth may consist plainly of the Veritaur's experience or personal opinion, but are still "true" to the Veritaur itself, and are usually spoken of, if asked, anyways. Aura of Truth (Su): A Veritaur that reaches 15 HD or more has developed their will so powerfully, that they permanently radiate an Aura of Truth out to 20 feet. Anyone who enters the aura is subject to the effects of the Zone of Truth spell, except that if they succeed on their will save, they cannot be effected by the aura again for 24 hours. This aura can be dispelled, but the Veritaur can create it again as a free action on it's next turn. Bonus Languages: Infernal. The Veritaur are vehemently opposed to the Baatezu, due to their ability and readiness to conceal the truth, in any form, so they usually pick up their language, to better understand how to reveal them. Favored Class: Psychic Warrior. The Veritaur favors a class that makes use of it's natural psionic latency and it's physical strength. Level adjustment: +4 ----------------------------------------------------------------- I ended up with a very lucid bull, with a tendency to protect, regardless of good or evil. I was shooting for a +3 LA, and tried to scale some of the abilities to make that, but I wasn't too sure on the goods being anything but +4. Then again, in comparison to a Half-Fiend, that is +4 LA, the Veritaur has no natural weapons, the ability adjustments aren't as high, not as many spell-like abilities, no wings/fly speed, no immunities, no spell resistance or resistances period, and no damage reduction, so I'm not too sure on the LA. Could be lower, but that's part of why I'm posting it. PEACH me please. :)