Post/Author/DateTime	Post
the_one_true_shea 10-23-06, 04:10 PM	The Kabūri, or fire elves. Yes, I know evil elves who live underground have been done to death, but I hope I managed to put an original spin on them. What do you think? Kabūri (aka Fire Elves, kinda like Orange Drow) Kabūri are rotten to the core. Violent, malicious, backstabbing, and out to claim whatever they want, and destroy everything else. They are a blight upon the world. Personality: The Kabūri are generally fickle, and cruel. They love to torture, maim, and destroy; their enemies, their allies, even their families are valid targets for their malice. They value one thing only: power, and the ability to impose their power on others. Everything else is a means to that end. Physical Description: Kabūri stand about 5 ft tall, are slender, and have shiny black skin, reminiscent of asphalt. As they age, their skin loses its sheen, and looks grey and powdery. Instead of wrinkling, their skin cracks, like the surface of a charred log. When they die, they crumble into a pile of ashes, and when injured, sparks fly from their wounds. Their eyes glow red like dying embers, and they emit small amounts of smoke from their mouths when they breathe out. Their hair is always black, and both sexes wear their hair long, although women tend to wear it loose, while men tie it back. Relations: Kabūri regard all other races as food. They like nothing better than to smother a screaming body in flames until it chars, and stops whimpering, before ripping it to shreds, and devouring it ravenously. Consequently, no one, from the noble to the nasty, from the benevolent to the barbaric, from the law-abiding to the lawless, will ever willingly treat with them. Other Underdark races either hate them, or are terrified of them. Many are both. Alignment: The fire elves live up to the fickle, destructive nature of their patron element, and are generally chaotic evil. They revel in spreading chaos and destruction to all they come across. A large minority are neutral evil, and are amongst the most despicable humanoids in existence. A tiny number want more order to enable their race to truly spread their destruction to all, and are lawful evil, but these are a tiny minority. Neutral Kabūri are rare almost to the point of non-existence, and are usually just as unpleasant as their evil counterparts to other races. While there may have good Kabūri in the past (who emulated fire as a cleanser, or a renewer), they certainly do not exist now. Kabūri Lands: Kabūri live underground, in the large underground caverns known as the underdark. They always make their home in caves which have some kind of magma feature - a magma pool, or a cavern that’s slowly being filled by lava. They revel in its heat. They build their houses out of an asphalt-like substance, but their houses are little more than huts. They grow no food, and this is because Kabūri can feed on intense heat, although they choose not to if there are living creatures to burn. They also need no water, and actually find it distasteful to drink. Religion: Kabūri worship fire as the destroyer. They want to emulate its chaotic, almost whimsical spread of destruction. All Kabūri clerics worship Fire the Destroyer, and have to choose the Fire domain, and one of Chaos, Evil, Destruction, and War. Language: Kabūri speak their own language, which they call Kabūri. It contains lots of harsh, throaty sounds, combined with a fair few flowing sounds. It sounds little like the other Elven languages, but it shares the same grammar and structure. Elves don’t like this being pointed out, as they would rather not be associated with the vile creatures. Names: Kabūri typically name themselves, as few take more than token care of their offspring - why should they, they think, when they don’t need to feed them? They might play with their baby occasionally, but otherwise they stick the baby in a lava pool and leave it there until it reaches puberty, which takes a matter of 5-7 years. At this point, the young fire elf is educated by its parents, or by anyone else who notices its maturity. The first lesson is not to ever cross the person who taught it, and it’s often a very painful lesson. After being taught, the Kabūri gives itself a name, and becomes a ‘productive’ member of fire elven society. Sample Names: Akhala, Alakhi, Anarhal, Enikhil, Ekirh, Irokh, Ilukhun, Khare , Khilokh, Khinorh, Orokh, Ororh, Rhonikh, Urhon. Adventurers: Kabūri ‘adventurers’, such as they are, are vile, sadistic murderers. Occasionally, they come to the surface, and work in groups to cause as much destruction as they can before they are forced to retreat. These sojourns, although rare, usually cost hundreds of lives. Kabūri outcasts sometimes come to the surface to work as assassins, a job which they enjoy far too much. Kabūri racial stats: +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, +2 Intelligence, -2 Constitution, -2 Wisdom: Kabūri are slight, and this makes them agile, yet frail. They have fearsome intellects and are impressive in person, but their innate chaos makes them weak-willed and fickle. Fire Subtype: Kabūri are immune to fire damage, and take double damage from cold damage on a failed save. Lava and magma deal fire damage to Kabūri. Medium size: As medium-size creatures, Kabūri have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size. Kabūri base speed is 40 feet. Darkvision: Kabūri can see in the feet up to 120 feet. Darkvision is black and white, but otherwise functions as normal vision. Kabūri may cast Burning Hands twice per day as a sorcerer of his character level. Sheath of Flame (Su): All weapons wielded by a Kabūri are coated in fire, and are treated as having the Flaming weapon quality (they deal 1d6 fire damage in addition to that normally dealt by that weapon). This ability applies to unarmed attacks. Spirit of Flame: When casting fire spells, a Kabūri’s caster level is treated as being 1 higher, and the DC of the spell is raised by 1. +2 to Search, Spot, Listen, Hide, and Move Silently checks: The Kabūri have naturally heightened senses, and see that which others do not. Over the years, they have developed methods of being able to hide from the advanced senses of their own race, making them accomplished sneaks too. Feed from Fire (Ex): Kabūri can gain nutrition from heat. For every minute they spend in an environment above 100 degrees Centigrade, they receive nutrition equal to that of one meal. This cannot make them obese - they never receive more food than they need from this ability. However long they spend in an environment above 100 degrees C, they will start to get hungry again in 24 hours Never Thirst: Kabūri never need to drink. Less sleep: Kabūri need to sleep for only 4 hours a night. Immunity to magic sleep spells and effects +2 racial bonus to all saving throws: Kabūri are inherently lucky, much to the disgust of those who have tried to combat them. Favoured Class: Sorcerer. A multiclass Kabūri’s Sorcerer class does not count when determining whether he suffers an XP penalty. Kabūri are born with magic in their souls, as would be expected for a race that is an elemental manifestation of nature, however horrifying a one. LA +2: Kabūri are more powerful than standard PC races, and consequently gain levels more slowly.
the_one_true_shea 10-23-06, 05:06 PM	About the Heart of the Universe one, it's not the actual thing, so Fire as a divine being doesn't exist. Unless they worship one into being, but I think you're going with just worshiping the element of fire, but not personifying it. Because if they do, no matter what you do, eventually a divine fire being will rise. I know the Heart of the Universe doesn't actually exist, but I was saying that they were users of fire magic, and didn't worship any particular gods. They aren't personifying the element. I'm not sure whether worship is the right word; they just want to emulate fire's destructive nature, and they respect it, but they don't pray to it, or anything like that. They see fire as a role-model, sort-of. -- exe summarium, shea