Ryphorian: Stay Frosty
Aug 4, 2019 19:55:09 GMT -6
Post by Traskus on Aug 4, 2019 19:55:09 GMT -6
Ryphorians hail from a frozen planet in the far corner of the Wheel. It’s there that the most powerful of their race have established a firm empire, ruled as a tyranny and unfettered in taking crystal spheres inhabited by colonists who thought they were traveling into untapped territory. Their capital city is placed upon the peak of a volcano, and their head of state is a master psionicist.
They are a warlike race, their technology insufficient to gather enough resources to survive. They have to go out and take other people's stuff. Recently the Ryphorian empire's expansion has slowed as they’ve come in contact with Sigil. With them now in contact with the greater Wheel, their king has decided to chill off on their rapid pace and keep it cool. Now under the sights of greater nations and the Factions, the empire has taken to more subtle warfare to assure the race’s place in the Wheel.
Physical Characteristics
Average Height: 1.3-2m
Average Weight: 60-100kg
Languages: Draconic, Trade
Common Personality Traits: Egotistic, hands-on, proud, speculative, tyrannical
Common Physical Traits: Horns, glass dome head, chitin armor, prehensile reptilian tail
Example Names: Azala, Cold, Freeza, Leon, Sophia
Racial Statistics
Characteristic Bonus: +1 to Charisma or Dexterity
Skill Bonus: +1 to Deceive and Politics
Power: Void Flyer: You don't need to breathe and may move freely in all three dimensions while in a vacuum. You become immune to the ravages of space, such as pressure and radiation. You're comfortable too, regardless of heat or cold.
Size: 4
Racial Feats
Cold-Blooded (Ryphorian)
Literally and figuratively! Gain a +0k1 bonus to resist mind-affecting effects and poisons (including the toxic property).
Ryphorians are known for seeing in the dark, sensing the heat of their prey. You may re-roll one failed perception check per scene and gain the Dark Sight trait
Royal Mutant (Ryphorian, Paragon)
Through your blood runs Frostling royalty, either directly or from some distant ancestor. You have the ability to transform, gaining +1 size and adding 1 dot to each physical characteristic along with full body AP and aura equal to your Excellence (stacks with Homegrown Armor but nothing else). Transforming takes a full action, but you may spend an Action Point to do so as a free action. The transformation lasts (Excellence+Charisma) rounds. Gain one dot in a skill to a maximum of three dots. Gain another such dot each time you increase your Excellence.
Homegrown Armor (Ryphorian, Vespid)
Fridges believe that putting on armor is a waste of time. Why wear armor when you can grow it on? You gain AP 4 that doesn’t stack with worn armor and are always considered to be wearing light armor when wearing none.
Physical Qualities
Ryphorians are an offshoot of the Dragonborn, evolved to exist on a frozen world. They lost their ability to breathe fire to save body heat. The higher altitudes of their planet have such low atmospheric pressure that they evolved to fly.
Ryphorians are mostly around elf height with some individuals being much taller. Their muscle tends to build lean, but they can easily be stronger than their build appears. Skin tends to run all sorts of colors, mostly white and blues, though it’s possible to find purples and even greens. Most Frostlings have glassy growths over their heads and on places of their body. These acts as solar panels of sorts.
Playing a Ryphorian
Ryphorians are enamored with fashion, culture, and art. They seek to expand their empire not just for the resources but to learn more about the Wheel and its cultures, incorporating them into their own. They tend to pick favorite cultures to draw from, rather than mixing or matching. Some don't choose from a single culture and rather adopt for function.
Fridge politics isn't that different from other race's politics. It's a lot of empty promises and half-truths. But there is one notable difference: the politicians and populace have a good grasp on which office does what. They know an official's authority, jurisdiction, and responsibility. "Diplomacy" for a Fridge generally amounts to saying "this doesn't need to get violent." They believe that war is diplomacy by other means. Hard to blame them, they had a hard evolution.
Frostling Heroes
Cooler is Emperor Cold's elder and less-favored son. He serves as a general in the Ryphorian army but rather than expanding the empire proper he seeks to carve out his own segment of space. His most recent campaign nearly killed him, but a mysterious, mechanical life form returned him to full health.
Nizibel was King Chilled's champion, and only he had more authority in the military at that time. She innovated Ryphorian warfare and repelled an overwhelming opponent by employing snipers to assassinate enemy officers before the armies even engaged. The tactic eroded her opponents until Chilled was the only national power on Montaigne.
Antarc is a thief, practicing conjuration in an attempt to master his profession. One day, he cast Porte and a daemon appeared. It offered him a blade of unsurpassed complexity and craftsmanship in exchange for its freedom. It took some negotiating, but Antarc is now that daemon's home.
