A Race In Their Own Right
The Aladrissi are actually men and women descended from the same two sets of parents, an interconnected clan that came to Faerun from a distant and alien world and has now proceeded to overrun it. Fortunately for the populace of Faerun, most Aladrissi tend toward good alignments and acts of heroism, though there are the few family exceptions.
All Aladrissi can claim the parentage of two of four men: Cross and Yuka Jishou-Aladriss, or Lethe and Sky SummerStorm-Solasti. The Aladrissi have the unique trait of possessing the technology and magic that allows men to conceive and bear children, and seven out of ten Aladrissi are produced from unions such as these. Aladrissi have heavy same-sex tendencies, and nine out of ten are homosexual. This, of course, is considered sodomy in most of Faerun and for this reason, even though all four clan founders have proven themselves to be noble heroes time and time again, in some countries, it is forbidden to speak their names, lest their perversions spread.
The three main clans of Aladrissi are as follows: Aladriss, SummerStorm, and O�Connaillain.
Aladriss
The Aladriss family is descended from Cross Aladriss, a skilled swordsman and former-mercenary. He fled to Faerun from an unnamed realm, through an unstable portal that eventually destroyed itself, cutting the two realms off from each other permanently. It is still unknown exactly what he was running from, but almost the moment he set foot upon Toril�s surface, he began making a name for himself as an adventurer willing to work for the good of the realms rather than the sake of his own pocketbook. He and Lethe SummerStorm met early in their careers and became fast, close friends, eventually claiming brotherhood with each other and thus tying the SummerStorms and the Aladrissi together with bonds of pseudo-blood. Eventually, he was joined by another refugee from his original world, Yuka Jishou. After a noteworthy career as heroes, he and Yuka settled down, were married, and started what would eventually become a world-spanning family in the valley of Stonesbreach, just south of the Spine of the World.
Yuka Jishou possessed an extraordinary trait: a piece of The Weave, the substance and form of magic, was tied to his soul. He passed this trait, and all the benefits of it, down to most of his children.
Cross Aladriss, on the other hand, was utterly human up until the elemental vampire, Irilisan, decided to turn him into something like himself. Now a vampire, Cross watches over his descendents and is an active participant in their lives. An elemental vampire�s slide into evil is a slow one, and since Cross has yet to see a century of life, so far he shows no ill effects of his undead nature.
Aladriss Template
Type: changes to �Outsider�, no change in size.
Hit Dice: as class member, +1d8
Speed: 30ft
AC: No armor modifier
Attacks: As base creature
Damage: As base creature
Special Attacks: Aladrissi have a piece of the Weave grafted into their souls. They are connected to the life energy of the very universe. This tends to make them hyper-energetic. They can get by on less food and sleep than normal human beings. If an Aladrissi is in a situation where great emotional or physical pain is put upon them (a good friend dying, perhaps, being dropped to 0hp by a hated opponent, or torture) there is a chance that they will lose control, intentionally or unintentionally, of the power contained within them and release it on unsuspecting tormentors. The DM determines a situation where such loss of control would be appropriate and whether the attributing factors are sufficient to trigger an Aladriss Rage, unless the player voluntarily enters the Rage.. It happens with EXTREME infrequency, as most Aladrissi are taught to control this piece of themselves since birth, for the safety of everyone around them. Should a situation arise in which the DM decides that it would be appropriate to Rage, the Aladrissi may take one of two paths. First, a will save (DC 20) is required to stop the Rage, unless it is entered intentionally. If the Rage is entered intentionally, a will save DC 15 is needed to control the Rage. Once that is done, a wizard, bard, sorcerer, or Cleric will unleash a burst of magical energy that does a number of damage dice equal to the character�s hit dice to every foe (because the burst is a manifestation of the Aladriss�s soul, friends and neutral parties are not harmed) within half a mile. A reflex save is allowed for those on the edge of this periphery, for half damage. This energy is equivalent to pure magic, and thus is subject to spell resistance.
Once the Aladriss mage has let loose the explosion, they are automatically dropped to zero hp with subdual damage and fall unconscious. After two weeks in a coma, the player may make a fortitude save (DC 25) to awaken. Every day thereafter, the DC of the save decreases by two to a minimum of ten, at which point the character simply wakes up on their own.
If the Aladriss performing the Rage is a Fighter, Barbarian, Druid, Ranger, Rogue, or Paladin, he or she becomes a literal juggernaut of carnage, slaughtering every foe (friends and neutral parties are safe) within sight until their rage exhausts itself. The Rage lasts for as many turns as the character has hit dice, at which point they are reduced to 0hp from subdual damage and fall unconscious. After two weeks in a coma, the player may make a Fortitude save (DC 25) to awaken. Every day thereafter, the DC of the save decreases by two to a minimum of ten, at which point the character simply wakes up on their own. When a combat-oriented Aladriss is in rage, they receive a bonus of +8 to strength, +8 to constitution, and +4 moral bonus on Will saves, but suffers a -2 penalty to AC. The increase in Constitution increases the Aladriss�s hit points by 2hp per level, but these extra hit points disappear once the rage is ended. If the character is a Barbarian, these bonuses stack with the bonuses of the Barbarian Rage. Like a Barbarian, no Aladriss may use skills that require thought or concentration while raging.
To voluntarily end the Rage before it would normally end, the character must make a will save (DC 20). If the Rage was controlled from the start, the DC is 18. The character will still collapse in unconsciousness and will sleep for as many days as they spent rounds in the Rage. After those days have expired, the character will awaken, no save required.
Special Qualities:
Aladrissi are literally bursting with energy, and their natural magic aids the spell casting process of others. Any Heal spell cast on an Aladriss returns an extra die of hit points. In this way, an Aladriss who can cast Healing spells or an Aladriss working with someone who is casting healing spells may lend them some of this energy - for every hit point restored to the injured party, the Aladriss in question takes one hit point in subdual damage. An Aladriss who can cast combative spells can also funnel their energy into such spells. For every extra point of damage done by the spell, the character suffers one hit point of subdual damage.
Aladrissi heal two extra hit points for each night spent resting. An Aladriss need only rest for six hours, rather than the usual eight.
Aladrissi are also very long-lived, thanks to the constantly renewing energy within them. They can live up to three centuries and they accumulate age penalties as an elf (see Player�s Handbook, pg 93).
Aladrissi are able to sleep very little and are quick learners. Every Aladriss gets one extra feat at character creation, to be chosen from the bonus feat list of his class (if he or she has a class bonus feat list).
Saves: As base creature
Abilities: same as base creature
Skills: as base creature
Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground
Organization: Solitary, family (2-6), extended family gathering (in the hundreds)
Treasure: normal
Alignment: Usually good
Advancement: level adjustment +2
Favored Class: Aladrissi tend to multi-class as Fighter/Sorcerers, but they have no favored class.
SummerStorm
All SummerStorms are descended from Sky Solasti and Lethe SummerStorm. Sky was a native resident of Faerun, a bard and something of a fop. Lethe is a Tanar�ri, a Defiler, one of the beautiful demons that hails from the flooded level of the Abyss where Umberlee sleeps. Though Abyssal in nature, thanks to the efforts of Sky and Lethe�s closest friend and sword brother, Cross Aladriss, Lethe ceased to be wicked and became a hero, albeit a reluctant, spiteful hero. Defilers are unique among the Tanar�ri in that they are not the souls of evil-doers festered into demonic form. The Defilers were created by Umberlee in an attempt to bring beauty to wickedness, and to make seductive demons of the water to match the Succubi and Incubi of the air. However, she was not pleased with the results and most of her creations were destroyed by other Tanar�ri. In a momentous battle between the Defilers and the self-proclaimed rulers of the Pit, the Balors, the Defiler known as Lethiel, Lord of the Summer Storm, was caught in a magical rend in the fabric of the planes created by a human pawn of the Balors. The human died just after casting his spell, and Lethe was sucked through the rift, winding up on Faerun and washing ashore only to be found by a pirate crew and taken to Luskan, where he first met Sky Solasti, his future husband. Lethe was a total amnesiac at first, and thus had forgotten the torments of the Abyss, and so was able to start his life as a human. Eventually his memory returned to him, but by that time he was happy with his life and had no desire to claim his Tanar�ri status. He had two children, and his firstborn son turned out to be the incarnation of all the wickedness Lethe still possessed inside him, though the second born daughter was as sweet-tempered as her father Sky. Every SummerStorm uses the following template.
SummerStorm Template
Type: Changes to �Outsider:
Size: Medium
Speed: 30ft, swim speed 40ft (only when in demon form)
AC: Natural Armor improved by +1 (only when in demon form)
Attacks: A SummerStorm gains a bite attack in addition to the base creature�s attacks, if it did not have one already.
Damage: Bite (1d8)
Special Attacks: As base creature. A SummerStorm with an intelligence of 8 or higher possesses the following spell-like abilities, using their level as the caster level, as specified in the table below. Unless otherwise indicated, the ability is useable once per day.
Level Abilities
1-2 Darkness 3/day
3-4 Desecrate
5-6 Control Water
7-8 Fog Cloud 3/day
9-10 Control Weather
11-12 Blasphemy
13-14 Unholy Aura 3/day, Unhallow
15-16 Horrid Wilting
17-18 Summon Monster IX (Huge Fiendish Dire Shark)
19-20 Destruction
Special Qualities: All the special qualities of the base creature, plus Darkvision 60ft. SummerStorms are immune to poison and have Acid, Cold, Electricity, and Sonic resistance of 10. They possess damage reduction 5/magic or fire if they have five or less hit dice, and 10/magic or fire if they have more than five hit dice. A SummerStorm�s bite attack counts as a magic weapon for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction.
A SummerStorm also has a demon hidden deep inside of him or her. They can call this demon forth at will, at which point they Polymorph as the spell. A SummerStorm can manifest only one or certain attributes of their demon form without manifesting others provided they succeed on a Wisdom check, DC 15. Their skin becomes gray, tough, and abrasive like sharkskin, giving them a +1 natural armor bonus. They grow three rows of serrated, razor-sharp teeth that do 1d8+Str modifier damage. They develop gills on their ribs and throats, allowing them to breath under water for one hour, plus a number of hours equal to their constitution modifier. Their hands and feet become webbed, giving them a swim speed of 40ft.
This transformation lasts as long as the character wishes it to.
Abilities: same as base creature, with the following adjustments: Str+2, Dex+6, Con+2, Int+2, Cha+4
Skills: A SummerStorm gains skill points as an Outsider, at the rate of 8+Int modifier multiplied by their hit dice + 3.
Alignment: SummerStorms descended from Dylanae are usually evil. SummerStorms descended from Calliope are usually good.
Level Adjustment: +4
Climate/Terrain: any land or aquatic
Organization: single, family (2-4), extended family gathering (in the hundreds)
Treasure: Double standard
Advancement: Same as base creature
Favored class: Bard
O�Connaillain
The O�Connaillains are an out breeding of the Aladriss clan, formed when Kieran Jishou-Aladriss, son of Cross and Yuka Jishou-Aladriss, found a mate in a man by the name of Dwyn O�Connaillain, son of Jay O�Connaillain, better known throughout the realms as Farfarello, and Sabbath Williams, a powerful Rasheman Witch. Dwyn�s father was a unique individual, possessing certain abilities beyond those of a normal human, though by all accounts he was one. Farfarello (a lycanthrope hunter, psychopath, and serial murderer) did not have the capability to feel pain. He was utterly insane, a bloodthirsty madman with a virulent hatred of most deities, and it has been postulated that his insanity caused the connections between his mind and body to alter. He did not perceive pain signals and thus could keep fighting until unconscious or dead without penalty. He passed this ability, along with his mad bloodlust, on to his son. However, Dwyn also inherited the magickal abilities of his mother and her own particular brand of insanity, a cheerful sort of psychosis that did very well to temper his father�s murderous streak. Kieran, who�s close connection with The Weave fractured his mind as well, making him a bit of a sociopath and a masochist, found a soul mate in Dwyn. The two had two children, the beginnings of the O�Connaillain branch of Aladrissi.
All O�Connaillains are born with fractured minds, their insanity passed down to them as a sort of disease from their forefathers. Choose one psychological condition, such as Sadism, Psychosis, Bi-Polar Disorder, Borderline Disorder, or Disassociative Personality Disorder (also known as Multiple Personality Disorder), etc. during character creation. Your character can never get rid of this disorder - it is written into their genes in the form of an inherited virus.
Due to a botched Polymorph spell, Kieran O�Connaillain possessed certain cat-like features. Seven out of ten O�Connaillains have such features, though they are optional to be chosen during character creation. You may choose any and all of the following features: darkvision 60ft, feline ears, a feline tail, fangs, and claws.
O�Connaillain Template
Type: changes to �Outsider�
Speed: 30ft
AC: as base creature
Attacks: An O�Connaillain may choose to gain bite and claw attacks in addition to the base creature�s attacks.
Damage: Bite (1d6 +Str), 2 Claws (1d4+Str)
Special Attacks: Just like the Aladrissi, O�Connaillains have a piece of the Weave grafted into their souls. They are connected to the life energy of the very universe. This tends to make them hyper-energetic. They can get by on less food and sleep than normal human beings. If an O�Connaillain is in a situation where great emotional or physical pain is put upon them (a good friend dying, perhaps, being dropped to 0hp by a hated opponent, or torture) there is a chance that they will lose control, intentionally or unintentionally, of the power contained within them and release it on unsuspecting tormentors. The DM determines a situation where such loss of control would be appropriate and whether the attributing factors are sufficient to trigger a Rage, unless the player voluntarily enters the Rage. This happens a great deal more often than an Aladriss Rage, since the nature of an O�Connaillain�s insanity makes it much easier to fall into a Rage and much more difficult to control it. Should a situation arise in which the DM decides that it would be appropriate to Rage, the O�Connaillain may take one of two paths. First, a will save (DC 25) is required to stop the Rage, unless it is entered intentionally. If the Rage is entered intentionally, a will save DC 20 is needed to control the Rage. Once that is done, a wizard, bard, sorcerer, or Cleric will unleash a burst of magical energy that does a number of damage dice equal to the character�s hit dice to every foe and neutral party (because the burst is a manifestation of the Aladriss�s soul, friends and family are not harmed, but O�Connaillains have a difficult time caring about anyone outside their group of treasured kin and thus will cheerfully murder any nearby bystanders) within half a mile. A reflex save is allowed for those on the edge of this periphery, for half damage. This energy is equivalent to pure magic, and thus is subject to spell resistance.
Once the O�Connaillain mage has let loose the explosion, they are automatically dropped to zero hp with subdual damage and fall unconscious. After two weeks in a coma, the player may make a fortitude save (DC 20) to awaken. Every day thereafter, the DC of the save decreases by two to a minimum of ten, at which point the character simply wakes up on their own.
If the character performing the Rage is a Fighter, Barbarian, Druid, Ranger, Rogue, or Paladin, he or she becomes a literal juggernaut of carnage, slaughtering every foe and neutral party (friends are safe) within sight until their rage exhausts itself. The Rage lasts for as many turns as the character has hit dice, at which point they are reduced to 0hp from subdual damage and fall unconscious. After two weeks in a coma, the player may make a Fortitude save (DC 20) to awaken. Every day thereafter, the DC of the save decreases by two to a minimum of ten, at which point the character simply wakes up on their own. When a combat-oriented O�Connaillain is in rage, they receive a bonus of +8 to strength, +8 to constitution, and +4 moral bonus on Will saves, but suffers a -2 penalty to AC. The increase in Constitution increases the character�s hit points by 2hp per level, but these extra hit points disappear once the rage is ended. If the character is a Barbarian, these bonuses stack with the bonuses from a Barbarian Rage. Like a Barbarian, no O�Connaillain may use skills that require thought or concentration while raging.
To voluntarily end the Rage before it would normally end, the character must make a will save (DC 25). If the Rage was controlled from the start, the DC is 20. The character will still collapse in unconsciousness and will sleep for as many days as they spent rounds in the Rage. After those days have expired, the character will awaken, no save required.
Special Qualities: O�Connaillains are literally bursting with energy, and their natural magic aids the spell casting process of others. Any Heal spell cast on an O�Connaillain returns an extra die of hit points. However, there is also a 50% chance that, due to the uncontrolled nature of an O�Connaillain�s energy, the healing spell will backfire and do as many hit points in damage to the caster as it healed. In this way, an O�Connaillain who can cast Healing spells or a character working with someone who is casting healing spells may lend them some of this energy - for every hit point restored to the injured party, the O�Connaillain in question takes one hit point in subdual damage. There is a 25% chance that such an energy lending will overload, doing an equal amount of subdual damage to both the healer and the patient as it heals normal hit points. An O�Connaillain who can cast combative spells can also funnel their energy into such spells. For every extra point of damage done by the spell, the character suffers one hit point of subdual damage.
O�Connaillains heal quickly. In addition to hit points regained from six hours of rest, an O�Connaillain regains 1d8 hit points for every six hours spent resting.
O�Connaillains are also very long-lived, thanks to the constantly renewing energy within them. They can live up to three centuries and they accumulate age penalties as an elf (see Player�s Handbook, pg 93).
O�Connaillains are able to sleep very little and are quick learners. Every O�Connaillain gets one extra feat at character creation, to be chosen from the bonus feat list of his class (if he or she has a class bonus feat list).
An O�Connaillain does not feel pain. Any DM penalties on characters due to the pain of an attack, rather than the damage itself (such as losing an action or being knocked back) are nullified. Particularly deep and deadly wounds may register as a dull ache, but other than that, their pain receptors simply do not function.
Any O�Connaillain is insane, and thus receives a +2 inherent bonus against fear and enchantment effects.
At character creation, the player has the option of selecting any and all of the following feline features: catlike eyes (darkvision 60ft, +2 competence bonus on Spot and Search checks), feline ears (+4 competence bonus on listen checks), a feline tail (+ 2 competence bonus on balance checks), fangs (bite attack, 1d4+Str), and claws (1d6+Str). Their natural weapons do not count as magical weapons for the purpose of bypassing spell resistance.
Saves: As base creature
Abilities: As base creature
Skills: As base creature
Feats: One extra feat at character creation
Climate/Terrain: Any land or underground
Organization: Single, Family (2-4), Extended Family Gathering (in the hundreds)
Challenge Rating: +3
Alignment: Usually neutral
Treasure: Standard
Advancement: As base creature
Favored Class: Witch (DMG pg 26), or Fighter
Thanks uber-muchly to Gabs for figuring all this out to begin with. I LOVE YOU GABS! YOU ARE MY SAVIOUR!
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