Seppia (3.5e Race)



=Seppias=

Summary::Cuttlefish aliens from a jovian planet. They assume the form of humanoids using artificial bodies.

Personality
The world is amazing!

Curiosity is born into seppia at a young age. They explore their massive, ever-changing world with wide open eyes, and float up to see the endless stars above the clouds. So it was decided, using their knowledge of things arcane, they should make their way among the heavens and explore all they can see. Thus great ships and ring gates were built taking them amongst the stars. They are not malicious and often try to help others, but their unique form prevents them. Thus the Solid Object Land Observer (SOLO) gears were brought into service. For all the solid-planet species know, Seppias are a mechanical humanoid race much like their own. None would suspect within the hollowed spinal cord and brain floats a creature no larger than a cat and brimming with intelligence.

Physical Description
The basic form of the seppia strongly resembles an earth cuttlefish, though adapted to float through a gaseous environment. It is about the size of a cat, with mobile tentacles and W-shaped eyeballs. However, outside of the comforting, crushing pressure of their gas giant homeworld they would explode, and so all seppia are sealed in a pressurized plug that slips into the neck and spines of their mass produced SOLO Gears.

Outwardly the appearance of the SOLO varies wildly. Depending on it's purpose it may look anything from a human, to a warforged, to a nearly inhuman war machine. However all are humanoid in design, having found the frame optimal for these types of planets. On distant planets, SOLOs take on appropriately alien forms to match.

The SOLOs break down into Social Gears used for observing and interacting with natives peacefully, which looks as close to the social norm as possible to avoid alarm, the Utility Gears which resemble Warforged, built for function rather than beauty. Finally, in rare times of conflict the Combat Gear proves to be a formidable warrior and seems more weapon than man. The SOLOs are effectively golems powered by the Seppia's own spirit and arcane force, and thus are able to channel both spellcasting and other abilities, and transmitting thought into movement. Because of the close bond of seppia and SOLO, and the long durations of their land missions, most seppia keep the same SOLO they first gained.

Relations
Seppias are a friendly lot, almost foolishly so, as a bad experience with the uberich soon showed them, causing them to develop their first war machines. Fortunately, the uberich soon had their plate full with other business concerning the loss of their homeworld and the seppia took the opportunity to have the vicious slave-driving psychics forget about them. They avoid hostile races, but always give someone a shot at least once.

Alignment
Due to their seeming racial optimism and curiosity, seppia tend to be good. Their chaotic streaks to explore everything is tempered by a strong morale code of what is right. Thus most are neutral good.

Lands
The seppia live in a massive gas giant named Sepiida around the large white star Ossi (Ossi di Seppia or translated 'Hub of Seppia'). The terrain is completely alien to any terrestrial life. Seppia live in a warm belt in the upper-middle of the planet, floating amongst the vapor clouds as islands of solid matter float on dense liquid clouds below. Sepiida has a very strong and actively visible magic current around it. The planet hums with arcana, and the seppia are attuned to the flow of magic.

Religion
To a seppia each planet is a life form of its own, a god of sorts. Seppia is their main goddess, their home, but they treat each planet with respect.

Language
While Common is required for any seppia outside of Sepiida, the seppia speak a language of rapid color changes of their skin. This language, called Spectrolexeme, is unspeakable by others. But even the Social Gear frame of a SOLO has some sort of color altering transmitter (often in the eyes) to speak his tongue with his fellow invertebrate. This results in strange interactions of seppia "just staring" at each other for minutes as they silently complete a conversation, and giving others the false illusion of telepathy.

Names
Names come in the form of a hue pattern. Of course lacking such, they try to translate it into the Common equivalent, resulting in strange names like "Hello, I am Burgundy-Lime."

Racial Traits

 * ,, : The base traits of the seppia show its intelligence, even if they are a bit too curious for their own good.  Their physical scores are overrode by the presence of the SOLO Gear.  Indeed, depending on which gear they choose they gain new score adjustments.  In all cases, with their golem suits acting as life support they do not effectively have a Constitution score.
 * * Social SOLO: &minus;2 Strength, +2 Charisma
 * * Utility SOLO: +2 Dexterity, &minus;2 Charisma
 * * Combat SOLO: +2 Strength, &minus;2 Dexterity


 * : The organic insides are buried deep under layers of gears and animated stone, metal, and plastics.  The construction is very alien, but still operates under the same basic principles of a golem.  Unlike most xenotherics, they do not possess telepathy.
 * : As Medium creatures, seppia have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
 * Seppia base land speed is 30 feet.
 * Bio-Energy (Ex): As xenotheric creatures a seppia has a pool of bio-energy which it can employ for various purposes. Unlike normal, their bio-energy is based on their Intelligence score.
 * SOLO Gear Body: The body is in effect, the seppia, for to lose the body is to die. Choose a Social, Utility, or Combat body on character creation.  While it is possible to change SOLOs mid-life, this is typically not done.  There is a strong magical bond between Seppia and pilot.  Assuming that another body type is available and they can get to a pressurized zone for transfer, the process costs 100 XP per HD to re-link to a new frame.  Thus is is done very rarely.
 * Accustomed with dealing with temperature threats on terrestrial worlds the SOLOs automatically come packed with the Varia Skin feat, thus starting with resistance to fire and cold 10, and +2 saves against fire and cold.
 * Darkvision: Seppia can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and seppia can function just fine with no light at all.
 * Low-Light Vision.
 * Natural Armor: Being composed of steel and stone, seppia have +3 to their natural armor.
 * Racial Hit Dice: A seppia begins with three levels of construct, which provide 3d10 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +2, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +1, Ref +1, and Will +1.
 * Racial Skills: A seppia’s construct levels have been modified to give it skill points equal to 6 x (4 + Int modifier). Its may select any eight skills as class skills.
 * Racial Feats: A seppia's construct levels give it two feats. Unlike most constructs they are proficient in simple weapons and light armor.
 * Racial Traits: As xenotheric gears, the seppia possess the following traits. No Constitution score, 50% fortification, resistance to fire and cold 10, +2 saves vs fire and cold, immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, and necromancy effects, nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or energy drain.  In addition they gain +20 HP for being a medium construct.  However, unlike most constructs they may be revived as normal, perish at -10 HP like living creatures (although they automatically stabilize when dying), they are not immune to mind-affecting effects having a sapient brain behind their activities, and they are not immune to effects which require a Fortitude save, but do use their Charisma score in place of Constitution for the purposes of Fortitude saves.  They appear to have some sort of slow auto-repair, allowing them to heal through resting, but they remain immune to positive and negative energy and thus require repair spells or suitable craft checks (as Craft Construct) to heal faster.
 * Arcane Blast (Sp): Inherent to the seppia, they can weave magical energy as if it were clay.  They may shoot energy with the SOLO Gears as their medium as a ranged touch attack out to 60 ft as a standard action.  Arcane Blast counts as eldritch blast for feats and pre-requisites.  It deals 1d6 damage plus +2d6 damage every odd HD beyond 3rd, with an additional effect depending on the element chosen.
 * *Fire gains +2 damage per die.
 * *Cold gains +2 damage per die.
 * *Electric gains +4 to hit against targets wearing metal armor or composed of metal.
 * *Acid burns for half damage next round after a successful hit.
 * *Sonic loses -1 damage per die (minimum 1).


 * All seppia regardless of frame get +2 to Knowledge Arcana and Spellcraft checks.
 * Social Gear seppia gain an additional +2 on any two Wisdom or Charisma-based skills.
 * Utility Gear seppia gain an additional +2 on any two Dexterity or Intelligence-based skills.
 * Combat Gear seppia gain an additional +2 on any two Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution-based skills.
 * Automatic Languages: Common, Spectrolexeme.
 * Bonus Languages: Any (other than secret languages such as Druidic).
 * Favored Class: Favored Class::Any
 * Level Adjustment: +Level Adjustment::0
 * Effective Character Level: Effective Character Level::3