Hekatonped (3.5e Race)

Hekatonped
Summary::Hekatonpeds are aliens from another world which have evolved from some manner of centipede, long, chitinous, and disturbing. Only 200 years ago, the hekatonped race was a new, spacefaring species who had just began to learn about the world beyond theirs. It would be their misfortune then that their first contact was with the uberich species. The planet was invaded, and their race enslaved, but due to their intellect and when their effectiveness as assassins were shown, they rose in the ranks of the uberichs... still ultimately minions, but greater than slaves.

Personality
The Hekatonped mindset is a calculating one, with quick abrupt thoughts which, when spoken aloud, often lead to a jarring flow of information. They are terse and often serious (though this is as much to do with genetics as it does with culture and their current grim circumstances), and try to approach things with what is "correct" rather than what is good or evil. The thought of being correct in all things has thus led to a mindset of subservience in the majority of the race. On a whole, the right thing would be not to rock the boat, to continue serving the uberich, and to continue building up their status quo, until enough power falls into their hands or the circumstances change, and what is most correct also changes.

Unfortunately this willingness to go along with evil, for the sake of themselves, leads many to lump the hekatonpeds in with villianous races like the uberich. For a few who have begun to enjoy their work for the alien overlords a bit too much, this may be true.

Physical Description
A hekatonped has the body shape of a centipede, with countless legs which vary from indidivual to individual, but always an odd number of leg pairs, never even. Near their "torso" their two forelegs are actually arms in the form of long, boneless tentacles. At the end is an anemone-like array of feelers which are as, if not more dextrous than normal fingers. Their heads are crowned with six black segmented eyes which have a milky hued mucus eyelid which retains moisture. Their mandibles part to reveal an array of tongues and teeth which grab food and drag it in down the long stomach which courses through the body. Their bodies are covered in chitanous plate, tending towards earthen colors, though a rare mutant with a vibrant green or golden shell has been seen.

Internally, the hekatonped body is a system of redundancy. All main organs exist in the "torso", heart, stomach, lungs (whose breathing is done via pores between body plates), a flat disc like brain with a top and bottom hemisphere, and other vitals. From each segmented section below, small copies of certain organs are present. Ganglions allow parts of the body to react before the main brain is aware, small micro-hearts and lungs continue energizing blood up and down the length of the creature, and the stomach contents are placed into a very long intestinal tract, where the remains are slowly digested over a long time.

Hekatonpeds reproduce via eggs which resemble pearls, encased in a protective sticky mucus which hardens like glue. Such eggs are often placed along the walls to keep them safe. Females and males appear identical, with females being larger in size than males.

Hekatonpeds are exoskeletal and are actually invertebrates. A combination of muscle and hydrostatic pressure keeps them mobile.

Relations
Because of their association with the uberich, hekatonpeds do not enjoy a popular life among other species. Their gruff terseness and seemingly emotionally distant logic does not help dispel the myth. However, essentially two kinds of hekatonpeds exist... those usually found on uberich ships, which have embraced their overlord's rule and seek to work within the system, and those (usually left upon their home planet) who begrudge their masters, and do attempt to undermine them, if they think it to be possible without retribution.

Alignment
Hekatonpeds have a strong lawful trend, and are generally neutral, but some have picked up the mantle of evil due to their association with the uberich.

Lands
The hekatonped home planet, Hecta Gea, is an oxygen rich and very green world with unusually high winds, a thick yellow-green atmosphere, and a bright blue star, Centimani.

Religion
The religion of the hekatonpeds has been stamped out by uberich control, and the gods are slowly being forgotten, but they used to worship a small pantheon of gods which were all part of one giant overdiety, Kundalini, an oroboric centipede who represents the concept of the infinite, the cycle of life, and the vastness of space.

Language
Hekatonpeds speak Common and Hexaton, a harsh clicking language which sounds like "morse code, with a bit of very strange music". Very difficult to speak by non-hekatonpeds, the comparison to music is apt as meaning has as much to do with sounds as it does placement and timing. Hexaton is written like sheet music, in bars of 6 notes with breaks in between.

Names
Names, a means to identify the individual. Many. We have seveal, most in hexaton, harm for humes to understand this, poor ears, bad tempo. Hekatonpeds will find nicknames acceptable, however real names are often as humes have put "clicky". Male names, rikkitikkitavi, hittkikikzikilcth, yetervichioquitk, female, grisitricki, trickikawihizicot, miibiwitikikki. This is not understandable to you, correct? Must confusion will result, do not attempt comprehension.

Racial Traits

 * ,, , : The body is nimble and feelers dexterious, and the mind is sharp as well, but their bodies have withered in space, and the lack of face and terse thought and speaking patterns turns others off.
 * Type::Magical Beast (Xenoblooded): Beyond straight vermin, hekatonpeds are magical beasts from an alien world, and thus are xenoblooded as well.
 * Size::Medium (Long): As medium creatures, hekatonpeds have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
 * Hekatonped base land speed is 30 feet. They also possess a climb speed equal to half their land speed.  A hekatonped can climb anywhere it has a grip, including hanging upside-down from the cieling and is never disoriented from being in an odd direction or position.
 * Hekatopeds have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks. They can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened. They may choose to use their Dexterity modifier instead of their Strength modifier for Climb checks.
 * Hekatonpeds have a +1 bonus to natural armor from their hard carapace.
 * Centipede Body (Ex): Hekatonped bodies are built like centipedes, with most of their body mass in their length, otherwise being quite flat of body. Your dozens of legs grant you the benefit of being quadrupedal, granting you a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed, overran, or tripped, and carrying capacity equal to x1.5 the normal carrying capacity of a creature your size.  Needless to say, you also require barding, rather than normal armor, with the x2 increase in mundane material cost as normal.
 * Constrict (Ex): Hekatonpeds gain the constrict special ability, following the rules in the ability description. They deal 1d8 plus strength damage when constricting their opponent.
 * Flat Body (Ex): Possessed of an unusually flat body for their size, they may count as a creature one size smaller for the purpose of squeezing through spaces.
 * Gorge (Ex): A hekatonped can survive up to 7 days without water, and 2 weeks without food if they have eaten a heavy meal beforehand. They may devour up to three times a typical meal for a human and digest it slowly to last the way.
 * Regenerate Bits (Ex): Unlike most of their body, their hands (the fingers at the tips of their arm tentacles) and individual legs are capable of regrowing if severed, appearing within 3d6 days. The rest of their body does not share this trait.  The loss of a leg is generally inconsequential, as there are so many.  Only by some manner of grievous loss would their movement become hampered.
 * Verminblood (Ex): Hekatonpeds count as vermin when least advantageous, such as when being struck by a Vermin Bane weapon.
 * Hekatonpeds gain a +2 bonus on any two skills of their choice. Select one of your chosen skills which you may use untrained normally, this skill becomes a class skill for you.  The exception to this is Knowledge skills, which you may assign as a class skill, in spite of being trained only.
 * Automatic Languages: Common, Hexaton.
 * Bonus Languages: Draconic, Dwarven, Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Terran, and Undercommon.
 * Favored Class: and ArtificerECS.
 * Level Adjustment: +Level Adjustment::0
 * Effective Character Level: Effective Character Level::1
 * Effective Character Level: Effective Character Level::1