Yrthes (3.5e Race)

Author: Neostar (talk) Date Created: September 2021 Status: Finished Editing: Clarity edits only please

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Yrthes

A semi-aquatic race coming from a lost world, and with exotic habits.

Personality

They have a beehive spirit and great group cohesion. Everything that is accomplished is done for the community. But this does not prevent individuals who wish to function differently, but it excludes them somewhat from the community. The tribal chief is the sole ruler, but remains chief only if he works for the common good. When the Yrthes fish, hunt, fight, it is always with the aim of making the community survive. They each have a personality detached from reality, as if their personal opinions are worth nothing. Very often a Yrthes will have two ways of thinking and two personalities, one communitarian and the other individualistic. The first always surpassing the second. For a person foreign to this concept, it seems very strange and difficult to follow, because one constantly has the impression of communicating with two people.

Physical Description

Unlike most living species, the Yrthes are all hermaphrodites. They do not understand the concept of male and female because they are both at the same time. The Yrthes have a slender anthropomorphic silouette. Their skin has two shades, a smooth and supple blue shade that looks perfect, and a second deep green shade with a rough, honeycomb texture. The bluish skin is covered with a finer dermis made of water and adamantium in mineral form giving a slightly pearly appearance. The second skin (deep green in color) makes up the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet, as well as a wide band that starts from the lower back, goes up along the spine, goes up the neck, and finishes at the top of the head. This part is called the transreactive membrane, and from the head to the lower back it is bordered by thousands of dark blue eyelash-like hairs with a red tip. These thousands of "cilia" form two ridges that filter oxygen from the water, and the green membrane of the back, hands and feet is used for photosynthesis. The Yrthes have four-toed hands and feet. The gap between the fingers has a thin stretch membrane that reacts to water and forms fins on the hands and feet when they enter the water. They are devoid of fur or body hair, except for the two crests on their backs. They have a humanoid face, with a toothed mouth, two slender eyes, two pointed ears, a long but flat nose with grooves on the side for breathing underwater and out of the water. The Yrthes’s eyes have a blue, green, gray, or white tint with all possible nuances. Yrthes have light bones and poorly developed muscles, but sufficient to live and move properly. Being hermaphrodite, they have no sexual attribute, nor breast. Finally, they have a tail ending in a piercing bony point.

Relations

The Yrthes are geographically very isolated from the rest of the world, they are not used to seeing creatures of other races. They have superficial relationships with other races, and often prefer to attach little importance to the diplomatic aspect of a relationship. They often relate the notion of conflict and the notion of alliance together, because in their conception, it seems to be the same thing. Their entire trading system is based on a duality between barter and physical money. And this notion is particularly difficult to understand for the races accustomed to buying and selling everything with gold coins. Metals are of relatively little value for the Yrthes, which can make trading with other races difficult. Speaking a single language, they also have difficulty making themselves understood properly. All these elements form the basis of a race naturally destined to remain isolated from the world.

Alignment

The Yrthes tend to be neutral, and most of them have a true neutral alignment. They rarely have a strictly good or strictly evil alignment. Their appurtenance to a huge community can influence many of them to prefer a lawful alignment. Some members of the community have a chaotic alignment, but in this case is generally a personal involvement.

Lands

The Yrthes are originally from the Netherfall Archipelago. A piece of land in the shape of a crescent and lost in the middle of a gigantic ocean of a purple hue with pearly reflections. In a land called the Edge of the World, part of the ocean tens of miles long flows into a crescent-shaped chasm. A thin strip of land overlooks the chasm, this is where one of the most unusual races in the world exists: the Yrthes.

Religion

They are all descended from Eyrt, a transcendent spirit-being who evolved them from simple aquatic organisms. This spirit-being is their only spiritual certainty. Some Yrthes are sometimes attracted to aquatic gods or pure neutral deities, but this is rare and marginal.

Names

Mar'togh, Yr'berl, Tobr'ylim, Azzer'hel, Vama'rith, Toca'rim, Zad'hoy, Qoy'opoh

Racial Traits

• +2 to any attribute
• Monstrous Humanoid (Aquatic, Water) 
• Medium: As a Medium creature, a has no special bonuses or penalties due to its size.
• base land speed is 30 feet.  
• Darkvision: A yrthes can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and a can function just fine with no light at all. 
• Low-light vision: An Yrthes can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions. 
• Yrthes have a Swim speed of 75 feet. Yrthes have a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. They can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. They can use the run action while swimming, provided they swim in a straight line. 
• Tail (Ex): Yrthes have a slashing/piercing tail which is considered to a secondary natural weapon and deals 1d8 damage. 
• Photosynthesis (Ex): Yrthes can use a system of photosynthesis, they capture light to create nutrients from the elements in their body. One hour of photosynthesis under a bright sun gives him 1/8 of the daily food he needs. It takes two hours under a light cloudy sky, and four hours under a cloudy sky. This photosynthesis also works when they are underwater, but they must remain exposed to sunlight. A depth of more than 40 feet in clear water or 10 feet in cloudy water makes photosynthesis inefficient underwater. 
• Transreactive membrane (Ex): The transreactive membrane of the Yrthes can filters water and absorb micronutrients. When they are underwater, they gain Rapid Healing 5. 
• Luminescent Mane (Su): The Yrthes can make the red tips of their two dorsal ridges glow. The tips emit a red/pinkish glow of low intensity as per the Faerie Glow effect. The glow can be maintained for up to 2 hours per day. 
• Cold resistance 10 and Acid resistance 10 
• +4 racial bonus in survival (for water environment only). 
• Amphibious (Ex): Yrthes are amphibious creatures and they can breathe air and water equally well.
• Automatic Languages: Eyr’than (local language)
• Bonus Languages: Aquan, Aboleth, Kuo-toa, Maenad, Sahuagin
• Favored Class: Any
• Level Adjustment: +1
• Effective Character Level: 2

Vital Statistics

Table: Yrthes Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
15 years	+1d6	+1d8	+1d10

Table: Yrthes Aging Effects

Middle Age1	Old2	Venerable3	Maximum Age
45 years	90 years	180 years	+6d10 years
At middle age, −1 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At old age, −2 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At venerable age, −3 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.

Table: Yrthes Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	6' 0"	+4d3	175 lb.	× (3d3) lb.
Female	6' 0"	+4d3	175 lb.	× (3d3) lb.

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