Post by Amanojyaku on Aug 9, 2018 1:36:31 GMT -6
Cultures across the Wheel have known legends of human-headed felines, sacred guardians of the tombs of emperors or erudite beasts with a habit of testing the intelligence of their prey. Oddly, the beings now known as Sphinxes have rarely been known to leave their crystal sphere. Some greybeards have theorized that the paradox is due to Sphinxes being the favored thralls of C'tan phaerons during the War in Heaven. Others insist that the enigmatic Sphinxes aren't so reclusive as they seem, merely capricious as the great cats they resemble.
Whatever the case, it's a riddle worthy of the Sphinxes themselves. While they rarely leave the homes where humanoid throwbacks worship them, they see a lot of addlepated visitors coming to them, hoping to get some bit of trivia or another... barmy as it is trying to get a straight answer out of a Sphinx.
Physical Characteristics
Average Height: 2.3-2.7m
Average Weight: 306-418kg
Languages: Trade, C'tan, any one other
Common Personality Traits: Intelligent, enigmatic, coy, patient, contemplative
Common Physical Traits: Leonine body, quadruped, wings, muscular, prominent fangs
Example Names: Almayce, Teleia, Isperia, Cruzius, Alhammaret
Racial Statistics
Characteristic Bonus: +1 to Intelligence or Fellowship
Skill Bonus: +1 to Deceive and any Lore
Power: Liger Build: A sphinx stands on four paws, not two. Increase your Speed by half when moving on the ground, and you can stand up as a free action. Additionally, you have a Claw weapon with the following profile (1k1 R; Melee; Brawling) that can be readied as free action.
Size: 5
Racial Feats
Critical Thinker [Sphinx]
Ask no questions of the wily Sphinx, for she will tell you three answers, all of them true and terrible to hear. Gain a free raise on any tests you make during a Refute or Wordplay action. Gain a second free raise when testing a Lore during a Refute action.
Developed Wings [Sphinx]
Far from merely being useful for intimidating displays or assisting movement, your wings are fully developed and capable of carrying your weight. You gain Flyer, at your normal Speed.
Riddle of the Sphinx [Paragon, Sphinx]
What does a man do standing up, a woman do sitting down, and a dog do on three legs? You can pose a similar verbal conundrum to any berk you can see as a Half Action with an Excellence + Intelligence test against their Mental Defense, causing them to be Stunned for the turn as they wrestle with your riddle. You can pose a riddle once per Scene at level 1, twice per Scene at level 3, and three times per Scene at level 5. (The answer is "shake hands," by the way. Get your head out of the gutter, berk.)
Saber Fangs [Sphinx]
All Sphinxes have well-developed fangs. Yours are more so, fully capable of tearing into most armor. You have a Bite weapon (1k1 R; Melee; Brawling) with Penetration equal to your level.
Physical Qualities
Sphinxes have the bodies of large cats with humanoid heads and great, feathered wings. Sphinx fur occurs naturally in many colors, however... commonly a brindled blue-grey shade, with slightly darker stripes and almost always running to white on the underbelly. Androsphinxes usually have manes of a vastly different shade than the rest of their coat. Sphinx wings seem to be more for display purposes than anything else.
A Sphinx's face might almost be mistaken for a Human's, were it not for the distinctly feline eyes and lips. They have rather prominent fangs, and are very capable of displaying them when roused, able to draw their lips back from their teeth in a way no Human can. Androsphinxes often maintain prominent facial hair, furthering their leonine appearance.
Due to their largely feline bodies, Sphinxes disdain clothing, only donning jewelry or ceremonial wear if anything. Warriors wear barding, easily adapted from armor designed for humanoids, but often rely on their claws or magic instead of weapons designed for berks lucky enough to have thumbs. They are, however, rather vain regarding their coats; tabby, calico, and tortoiseshell patterns are desirable, while a Sphinx with a solid-colored coat (especially white or black) might see it as a canvas for her own designs.
Playing a Sphinx
Sphinxes are felines, with all of the curiosity and caprice that entails. For all of their bulk and agility, despite being the size of creatures Humans call "ligers," Sphinxes prize intellect and rational thought. They collect knowledge, they trade in riddles that set the brain thinking. They care little for libraries, stuffy places where one can only read of things in dusty old books good only for places that certain tasty vermin congregate... no, Sphinxes care not for books or plaques or tablets. Rote memorization is no good. Knowledge is worth little without the thought that leads to it.
Among other races, Sphinxes are insufferable know-it-alls, with an infuriating tendency toward double-talk and speaking in riddles. They will answer questions with questions of their own, undermine an opponent's arguments with queries to make them doubt their own points. Among Sphinxes, however, this is shockingly straightforward. Discussions between Sphinxes are intricate social dances of body language, riddle games, and the occasional paw across the face.
Despite their uncanny resemblance to the great cats of Human history, Sphinx committees seem to be matriarchal in practice, with the added bonus that the males seem to think they're the ones in charge. Androsphinxes laze about like kings, or pace about like guards, while gynosphinxes do all the actual work. Seen in action, the conversations that lead to this appear to be remarkably unsubtle even by Ork standards... control is maintained by the gynosphinxes simply asking leading or challenging questions, eventually leading the androsphinx to believe he decided to perform whatever task was set on his own.
Sphinx Heroes
Zanzar stood as the vanguard of his liege's defense. Pouncing on anyone who dared come near, he could easily tear most apart. However, despite his martial prowess, Zanzar never learned of an assassination plot - that is, until he was accused of the murder of his liege. Having miraculously escaped, he now journeys across the Great Wheel, looking for the true culprits.
Ravel has a question. A question that few others can answer, it seems. Asked as a riddle by a wanderer long ago, Ravel couldn't think of an answer. This lead her to travel across the Wheel, searching for someone or something capable of answering it. And yet, an answer eludes her. Most infuriating of all, the question itself seems quite simple: "What can change the nature of a man?"
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