Starborn
Starborn are extraterrestrial entities born with incredible powers. They take on the appearance of whatever sapient race they grow up nearest to and keep that appearance for the majority of their lives, though their true forms are that of silver-, gold-, obsidian-, or pearl-skinned humanoids with glowing eyes, hair, and blood.
CREATURE TRAITS (23 XP)
- Types Medium Organic Humanoid (Starborn)
- Reach 5 feet
- Speed Land 30 feet
ATTRIBUTES (2 XP)
- +2 Cha, +2 Str
LANGUAGES (0 XP)
- Starting Languages: Astral, Common
- Bonus Languages: Any common language.
INNATE ABILITIES (21 XP)
- Greater Primordial Strength (8 XP): Starborn treat atmospheric hazards resulting from high pressure or high gravity as one tier less severe to a minimum of low-gravity. They can even treat normal gravity as low gravity for the purposes of their movement and carrying capacity or otherwise interacting with objects such as carrying capacity. They can suppress or resume this ability as a swift action at will.
- Greater Titanic Strength (6 XP): Starborn are treated as one size larger for combat maneuvers and carrying capacity.
- Magic Weakness (-8 XP): Starborn have a -4 penalty to defenses and saves against magic effects and magic weapons. They cannot learn magic powers and have a -4 penalty to any attack roll, caster level or concentration or other checks made to use magic items. They can still gain and use alchemical and biotic items and powers.
- Darkvision (3 XP): Starborn ignore penalties attack rolls and Perception checks resulting from dim lighting and darkness. They cannot see color in darkness, only shades of grey.
- Starborn Resilience (8 XP): Starborn have Endurance as a bonus feat and resistance to cold and fire and Damage Reduction/magic equal to their level.
- Sun Absorption (4 XP): Starborn don't gain the benefits of sleep unless they spend 8 hours in sunlight every day, though they still suffer normal detriments if they don't sleep. While in yellow sunlight they gain the Monk Unarmed Strike feature as a monk of half their level while above half their maximum hp and fast healing equal to their level while below half their maximum hp. They may gain other benefits and detriments in sunlight from other types of suns.
VARIANTS
Astral Hero (Paladin Archetype): The astral hero functions as a normal paladin except as noted here.
Lose:
- Armor and shield proficiencies
- Channel Energy at 4th level
- Divine Bond at 5th level
- Divine Spells
- Smite
Gain:
- Canny Defense
- Astral Resilience at 4th level
- Flight at 5th level
- Astral Powers
- Heroic Challenge
Canny Defense: You begin play with the Canny Defense feat.
Astral Resilience: At 4th level, you gain the Astral Aestivation and Life Bubble abilities listed below under Starborn Additional Abilities. The tiers of each of these abilities is always one-half your paladin level rather than the tier listed.
Flight: At 5th level, you gain Fly as an innate biotic power that you can only use on yourself. It's tier is always half your paladin level -3 and has the Agile (+1), Extended Duration (+1), and Sonic Flight (+1) upgrades.
Astral Powers: All your magical and supernatural paladin abilities are innate biotic powers rather than divine magical ones. You can only use your Lay on Hands ability on yourself but you can activate it even while unconscious. You gain innate biotic powers rather than divine powers. You select any buff powers that only affects yourself and any evocation powers that deals damage so long as neither the buff or evocation powers have the evil or chaos descriptors. You can also select Bellow, Mimicry, Prestige, Skim, Starflight, and X-Ray Vision.
Heroic Challenge: As a swift action, you can spend 1 mp/level to challenge a foe you communicate with to face you one on one. They take a penalty to all attack rolls against any target other than you equal to half your paladin level (rounded up) and everyone except you and the target gain a competence bonus to saving throws against effects the target creates equal to this same amount. Each time the foe makes an attack that includes any creature other than you or attempts to move away from you a distance greater than your base speed, you gain a +3 competence bonus to damage rolls against them. This damage bonus is doubled on two-handed attacks and is cumulative to a maximum bonus equal to triple your paladin level. These effects last for up to 1 minute, but if you use a challenge again on the same target before its duration ends, you extend the duration rather than active a new one. This is a Curse, Emotion, Linguistic, Stance effect. This effect ends if you die, dismiss it, or fall unconscious.
ADDITIONAL ABILITIES
Starborn begin with their innate traits and can gain additional traits from the following list as feats.
Astral Aestivation (6 XP): You gain Metabolic Molting as a tier 5 innate alchemical power but can only target yourself with it and the duration isn't 7 days, but permanent until certain conditions are met. You set the conditions for when the effect ends but once affected, cannot act until you're freed. You still need to provide the costly material components to use this effect though you require sizeable amounts of sustenance and energy of the listed costs rather than any specific item. Other people who have studied your use of this power can use it upon you while you're helpless or willing by providing the necessary ingredients and ritual casting time. For example, a scientist who studied your physiology with a successful Knowledge check could gather 5,000 gp worth of the appropriate materials to cast this on you if you're helpless or willing for the whole casting time.
Enhance Constitution (3 XP): You gain Bear's Endurance as an innate alchemical power. Unlike the normal power, this can only affect yourself. At 15th level the bonus from this ability increases to +6.
Enhance Dexterity (3 XP): You gain Cat's Grace as an innate alchemical power. Unlike the normal power, this can only affect yourself. At 15th level the bonus from this ability increases to +6.
Enhance Strength (3 XP): You gain Bull's Strength as an innate alchemical power. Unlike the normal power, this can only affect yourself. At 15th level the bonus from this ability increases to +6.
Flight (3 XP): You gain Fly as a tier 3 innate alchemical power. Taking this a second increases it to tier 5 and adds the Agile (+1) upgrade (so tier 6 total) and taking it a third time increases it tier by 1 and adds the Overland Flight and Sonic Flight upgrades (so tier 9 total).
Innate Power (2 XP): You gain one of the following as a 1st-tier innate alchemical powers: burst of speed, burst of strength, cone of cold, flight, scorching ray, x-ray vision. Each additional time you take this you can choose a new power from this list or increase an existing power you already have from this list by 2 tiers, up to its normal maximum (if any).
Life Bubble (3 XP): You gain Life Bubble as an innate alchemical power but can only target yourself with it. If you take this a second time, you are permanently affected by it and dispelling it only suppresses it for 1d4+1 rounds.