Post/Author/DateTime	Post
the_one_true_shea 10-23-06, 04:07 PM	Some more underdark denizens - this time, a race of colonial mammal-insect crossbreeds called the Akharen. They live in deep caverns, and grow various fungi to feed themselves, and to provide themselves with materials. The Akharen http://www.strike9.com/file.aspx?path=/Liay/fullsize/colorthing.jpg An Akhare The Akharen (singular: Akhare) are bizarre hybrids of mammal and insect that live in the deepest reaches of the underdark, in clonies ruled by a King and a Queen. Peaceful by nature, they have been forced into an eternal war by the attacks of the fire elves. Personality: Akharen live in castes, and the personality of an individual Akhare will depend greatly on which caste it belongs to. However, in general, Akharen are friendly, hard-working, stoic, and persevering. Many surface-dwellers who encounter them think of the Akharen as child-like, but this is only due to their asexuality and openness - in fact, Akharen are just as intelligent as, and more responsible than, the average human. Physical descripion: Normal Akharen (Aka-Akharen) are vaguely humanoid in shape, but covered in purple fur, with antennae, compound eyes, a distinctively shaped head, an a tail which splits into three. Warrior-caste Akharen (Vidas-Akharen) have a similar torso to Aka-Akharen, but have four insectile legs, extremely large eyes, and no mouths. They are mute, and unintelligent, except for a few who are 'generals.' The King of a colony looks like a Vidas-Akharen except he is bigger, and has shinier fur, and a mouth. The appearance of the Queen is not known to outsiders, although she is without doubt the power behind every Akharen colony. Relations: Kabūri use Akharen as outlets for their malice, as they are the easiest targets in the underdark. Consequently, Akharen detest fire elves, and kill any they come across. Dark fairies sometimes raid Akharen colonies, making them pests, and any raiders are killed without mercy. Akharen get on tolerably well with the <insert metal-skinned race name here>, and trade with them. When Akharen encounter dwarves, they are suspicious of each other, but will trade. These meeting are not frequent, as dwarves seldom delve deep enough to encounter the Akharen. Alignment: Akharen are typically Lawful Neutral, as they obey the orders of the Queen and her servants without question. They tend more towards good than towards evil, as they like to have a structured society that provides for everyone. Chaotic Akharen are rare, and tend to leave the colonies, unable to cope with the extremely ordered existence there. http://www.strike9.com/file.aspx?path=/Liay/fullsize/little+thing.jpg A baby Aka-Akhare...isn't he cute? Akharen Lands: Akharen live far down in the underdark in colonies of several thousand individuals. Each Akharen is given a task to perform, a job, which he is expected to undertake for his whole life, barring any accidents. They feed on fungi that grow on the waste of the Akharen, and the plants and moulds which feed of the geothermal energy so far down. These fungi are grown into fanciful shapes by the Akharen, and are used to make fabulous textiles, building materials, and even weapons. Sometimes, magical creatures, like golems, are made from the mushrooms in a feat of cultivation unrivalled by any other race. The size and shape of Akharen dwelling varies greatly from colony to colony, although two designs are common: small, hemispherical buildings housing 6-12, or large rectangular dwellings housing 100-200. There is always one vast dwelling in an Akharen colony - the palace. All of these buildings are made out of rock and preserved mushroom. Religion: Akharen are not religious. They believe that day-to-day necessities outweigh any need to ponder the great mysteries of life. A few Akharen venerate their ancestors, while some revere nature, but such behaviour is not common. Language: Many Akharen speak no language, as they can communicate telepathically with each other. However, Aka-Akharen are perfectly capable of speech, and many learn to speak languages. Names: Akharen are not given names at birth, but instead 'designations' such as 'mushroom gatherer 78', but they are not clones, and soon their friends label them with a name. As they are telepathic, this name is not a word, but a 'stream of consciousness', a picture or concept. When dealing with speaking creatures, they call themselves by a word that represents this concept to them. Adventurers: Few Akharen adventure. Those who do are usually those who could not cope with the restrictions in the colonies, or those who were given a task they hated. Akharen adventurers are more likely to be chaotic than usual, but even the most chaotic still require some kind of structure and routine in their lives. Akharen racial traits: Aka-Akharen: +2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma: Aka-Akharen are possessed of profound insight and acute senses, but colonial life does not foster a strong sense of self, nor does innate telepathy encourage the development of interpersonal skills. Medium-size: As medium-size creatures, Aka-Akharen have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size. Aka-Akharen base speed is 30 ft. Darkvision: Aka-Akharen can see in the dark up to 120 ft. Darkvision is black and white, but otherwise functions the same as normal vision. Scent: Akharen have the special ability 'Scent' described in the Monster Manual. Their antennae are probes which function in much the same way as a nose. Prehensile Tail: An Aka-Akhare may use his tail to manipulate objects as though it was a third hand. It cannot support much weight, and can only carry a light load for a creature of the Aka-Akhare's Strength. The Aka-Ahhare may use his tail to carry a third weapon, which must be at least two sizes smaller than the Aka-Akhare. This is treated as a standard off-hand weapon. +4 racial bonus to Climb checks: The prehensile tail can be used a another grip when climbing. Telepathy: An Aka-Akhare can speak telepathically to any other Akharen within 60ft (but to only one at a time). Pheromonal messages: An Aka-Akhare can send any of the following messages to all Akharen within 120 ft as a standard action - danger, run, fire elves near, protect the Queen, come here. These messages can still be detected 12 hours after they were first emitted, but from 5 minutes after the message has stopped being emitted, any Akhare will know that the message is not current. Akharen are not obliged to obey any orders given by the pheromonal messages given by Aka-Akharen. Favoured class: druid. Aka-Akharen have an inherent respect for nature, and this sometimes manifests itself in a following of the druidic path. LA +1: Aka-Akharen are more powerful than standard PC races, and consequently gain experience more slowly. http://www.strike9.com/file.aspx?path=/Liay/fullsize/thing3.jpg An Aka-Akhare guarding his colony. Vidas-Akharen: +4 Strength, +4 Constitution, +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -4 Intelligence, -4 Charisma: Natural warriors, Vidas-Akharen are strong, flexible, and incredibly robust, and have keen senses. However, they are not bred for intelligence, and are hardly personable. Large size: As large creatures, Vidas-Akharen get -1 size penalty to armour class and a -1 size penalty to attacks. They also have a reach of 10 ft. Vidas-Akharen base speed is 40 ft. Darkvision: Vidas-Akharen can see in the dark up to 120 ft. Darkvision is black and white, but otherwise functions the same as normal vision. Scent: Akharen have the special ability 'Scent' described in the Monster Manual. Their antennae are probes which function in much the same way as a nose. +4 natural armour. +4 racial bonus to Search and Spot checks: Vidas-Akharen are often used as guards, and as have the senses to let them excel at this. Endurance: Vidas-Akharen automatically gain the benefit of the endurance feat. Telepathy: A Vidas-Akhare can speak telepathically to any other Akharen within 60ft (but to only one at a time). Pheromonal messages: A Vidas-Akhare can send any of the following messages to all Akharen within 120 ft as a standard action - danger, run, fire elves near, protect the Queen, come here, charge, retreat. These messages can still be detected 12 hours after they were first emitted, but from 5 minutes after the message has stopped being emitted, any Akhare will know that the message is not current. Akharen are not obliged to obey any orders given by the pheromonal messages given by Vidas-Akharen. Favoured class: Fighter. Vidas-Akharen are bred to be fighting machines, and fulfil the role admirably. LA +3: Vidas-Akharen are more powerful than the standard PC races, and as such gain experience more slowly. http://www.strike9.com/file.aspx?path=/Liay/fullsize/thing.jpg An immature Vidas-Akhare - mature ones are more powerfully built. Well, there you go! Hope you like them! All comments welcome! I'm especially concerned about the Aka-Akharen, who appear to be a bit powerful for ECL+1. Any ideas on how to balance them? Many thanks and much respect to WizO_Iyala for the incredible pictures! EDIT: errors corrected, race altered to try and give the Aka-Akharen a more reasonable LA.
the_one_true_shea 10-23-06, 05:25 PM	The Akharen are white/green in my opinion. Probably white. Although green has the druid-y plant tending stuff, that's oftem more with a mystical aspect to it or maintianing wild stuff. White has always had two sides, the soldiers and the farmers. That would seem to fit both the Aka-Akharen and Vidas-Akharen. Makes me wonder if I should start thinking about underdark basic lands :p -- in summariam, Shea