Skarn

following soulmelds shaped. All of the benefi ts they provide are included in the statistics above.

Bluesteel Bracers (Su): This rilkan incarnate gains a +2 insight bonus on initiative checks and a +1 insight bonus on weapon damage rolls.

Dissolving Spittle (Su): This rilkan incarnate can spit to a range of 30 feet, dealing 1d6 points of acid damage with a successful ranged touch attack.

Impulse Boots (Su): This rilkan incarnate gains the uncanny dodge ability, as well as a +1 enhancement bonus on Refl ex saves. Because this soulmeld is bound to her feet chakra, she also gains evasion.

Incarnate Weapon (Su): This rilkan incarnate has created a +2 battleaxe with chaotic alignment from incarnum.

Detect Opposition (Sp): This rilkan incarnate can detect law at will, as the spell of the same name (caster level 4th).

Essentia Pool (Su): This rilkan incarnate has an essentia pool of 4, and her essentia capacity is 1 (or 2 for her soulmelds). She normally has 2 points of essentia invested in her incarnate weapon, 1 in her bluesteel bracers, and 1 in her impulse boots. If melee combat is not her best option, she shifts 2 points of essentia from incarnate weapon to dissolving spittle, increasing the damage dealt by that soulmeld to 3d6.

Incarnum Radiance (Su): Once per day, this rilkan incarnate can activate this ability as a free action, gaining a +10-foot sacred bonus to her base land speed for 5 rounds. This adjustment also increases her Jump modifi er by 4.

Racial Aid: Any time this rilkan incarnate succeeds in using the aid another action to assist another rilkan, she adds +3 to her ally’s roll rather than +2.

Racial Knowledge: All Knowledge checks are treated as trained skill checks for this rilkan incarnate, regardless of whether she actually has ranks in the skill. She also gains a +1 competence bonus on all Knowledge checks.

Possessions: +1 chain shirt, +1 heavy steel shield, potion of cure moderate wounds, 17 pp, 19 gp. The sample rilkan incarnate presented here had the following ability scores before racial and level-based adjustments: Str 14, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 8, Wis 15, Cha 12.

RILKAN ENCOUNTERS

The following groups of rilkans can be encountered in a tavern within a rilkan settlement.

EL 1: Two carousing rilkan warriors are deep in their cups. They hurl insults repeatedly at the party, and only an honorable duel will satisfy them.

EL 4: A gang of rilkans (four 1st-level warriors and a 3rdlevel rogue) has been scuffl ing in the street, but the four warriors have now surrounded the taunting rogue. The fi ght isn’t serious since the rilkans have yet to draw their weapons, but the PCs might not realize that fact right away. The rilkans don’t mind if the characters get involved, but if any PC deals lethal damage to any rilkan, all fi ve of them immediately turn on that character and make him the target of their jibes and their swords.

SKARN

Skarns are proud, sophisticated warriors who constantly strive for perfection of form. With a height of about 6 feet and a weight of approximately 210 pounds, a typical skarn is signifi cantly more massive than an average human. Skarns adorn their spines with jewelry, and even in everyday circumstances they keep these natural weapons polished and sharp. The hierarchical skarn society features clearly defi ned social classes. As a race, skarns prefer cities to rural communities. They prize architecture as an art form, and their cities display a wide range of different yet harmonizing styles of construction and engineering. Like their sister race, the rilkans (see page 12), the skarns are descendants of the mysterious mishtai, a long-vanished progenitor race. Despite their shared heritage, the skarns look down on the rilkans for their supposed contribution to the mishtai’s failure to create a perfect race. The skarns treat most other races as inferior, though this viewpoint rarely carries any malice. Skarns speak Common. When they deign to learn other languages, they prefer the tongues of those few races or creatures that they consider close to equals, such as Abyssal, Celestial, Draconic, Elf, and Infernal.

COMBAT

Skarns are adept at fi ghting with their arm spines and use them as much as possible in combat. In addition, skarns who can wield incarnum use their soulmelds to enhance their combat prowess.

Skarn, 1st-Level Warrior Medium Humanoid (Reptilian) Hit Dice: 1d8+1 (5 hp) Initiative: –1 Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares) AC: 15 (–1 Dex, +6 banded mail), touch 9, fl at-footed 15 Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+3 Attack: Masterwork greatsword +3 melee (2d6+5/19–20) or arm spines +3 melee (1d6+2) Full Attack: Masterwork greatsword +3 melee (2d6+5/19–20) or arm spines +3 melee (1d6+2) Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: — Special Qualities: — Saves: Fort +3, Ref –1, Will –1 Abilities: Str 14, Dex 9, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 8 Skills: Climb –2, Intimidate +5, Ride +3 Feats: Power Attack Environment: Any Organization: Solitary, squad (2–5 plus one 3rd-level monk), or company (5–10 plus one 4th-level incarnate) Challenge Rating: 1/2 Treasure: See possessions Alignment: Lawful neutral Advancement: By character class Level Adjustment: +0

This solidly built humanoid assumes a proud stance and holds his head high. Long blue spines, polished and sharp, protrude from his arms.

A skarn warrior is slow to anger, but once battle begins, he fi ghts ferociously until either he or his foe is dead. Though he rarely offers parley, he grants quarter to an honorable opponent who asks for it. A skarn warrior typically uses Power Attack when attacking with his greatsword, taking a –1 penalty on his attack roll to gain a +2 bonus on damage rolls (included in the statistics above).

Possessions: Banded mail, masterwork greatsword, 3 gp. The sample skarn warrior presented here had the following ability scores before racial adjustments: Str 12, Dex 11, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 8.

SAMPLE SKARN MONK

Skarn, 3rd-Level Monk Medium Humanoid (Reptilian) Hit Dice: 3d8+3 (20 hp) Initiative: +1 Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares) AC: 14 (+1 Dex, +2 Wis, +1 bracers of armor +1), touch 13, fl at-footed 13 Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+4 Attack: Arm spines +5 melee (1d8+2) or masterwork shuriken +4 ranged (1d2+2) Full Attack: Arm spines +3/+3 melee (1d8+2) or masterwork shuriken +2/+2 ranged (1d2+2) Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: Flurry of blows, spine strike Special Qualities: Evasion, still mind Saves: Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +5 (+7 against enchantment) Abilities: Str 14, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 15, Cha 8 Skills: Balance +3, Climb +10, Intimidate +4, Jump +14,

Tumble +9 Feats: Defl ect ArrowsB, Improved Unarmed Attack (spines),

Stunning FistB, Weapon Focus (spines) Environment: Any Organization: Solitary, pair, or squad (1 plus 2–5 1st-level warriors) Challenge Rating: 3 Treasure: See possessions Alignment: Lawful neutral Advancement: By character class Level Adjustment: +0

This lithe, wiry humanoid wears a white robe with the sleeves cut short to display the spines along his arms.

A skarn monk includes mind as well as body in his racial goal of perfection of form. He is patient with those who are less perfect than he, but he responds quickly and decisively to threats.

Combat

A skarn monk uses his spines as effectively as another monk would use her fi sts. He endeavors to neutralize foes with his stunning fi st (delivered with a spine attack) as soon as combat opens. If he faces a powerful enemy, he uses Tumble to move in and get out of reach quickly; otherwise, he delivers a fl urry of spine attacks.

Spine Strike (Ex): For the purpose of monk class features, this skarn monk can treat his arm spine attack as if it were an unarmed strike.

Stunning Fist: Stun 1 round; 3/day; Fort DC 12 negates.

Possessions: Bracers of armor +1, 5 masterwork shuriken, potion of cure moderate wounds, potion of blur, 23 pp. The sample skarn monk presented here had the following ability scores before racial adjustments: Str 12, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 15, Cha 8.

SAMPLE SKARN INCARNATE

Skarn, 4th-Level Incarnate Medium Humanoid (Incarnum, Reptilian) Hit Dice: 4d6+12 (33 hp) Initiative: +0 Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares) AC: 19 (+6 +1 breastplate, +3 +1 heavy steel shield), touch 10, fl at-footed 19 Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+4 Attack: +1 longsword +6 melee (1d8+3 plus 2d6 electricity) or arm spines +4 melee (1d6+2) Full Attack: +1 longsword +6 melee (1d8+3 plus 2d6 electricity) or arm spines +4 melee (1d6+2) Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: Incarnum radiance 1/day, soulmelds Special Qualities: Chakra bind, damage reduction 2/chaotic, detect opposition, essentia pool 4, moderate aura of law Saves: Fort +7, Ref +3, Will +6 Abilities: Str 14, Dex 11, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 8

Skills: Climb +0, Intimidate +8, Jump –8, Knowledge (arcana) +5, Spellcraft +5 Feats: Lightning Refl exes, Weapon Focus (longsword) Environment: Any Organization: Solitary, pair, or company (one plus 5–10 1st-level warriors) Challenge Rating: 4 Treasure: See possessions Alignment: Lawful neutral Advancement: By character class Level Adjustment: +0

This human-looking creature regards the world with a set jaw that bespeaks determination. The wicked-looking spines along his arms glimmer in the sunlight.

A paragon of law and discipline, a skarn incarnate embodies his alignment to the fullest. He favors soulmelds that boost his staying power in melee, but he also appreciates the ability to deal signifi cant amounts of damage.

Combat

Once a fi ght breaks out, a skarn incarnate wastes no time in launching himself at a foe. Wielding his incarnum-crafted longsword ferociously, he deals blows that crackle with the power of lightning.

Chakra Bind (Feet): Bound to this skarn incarnate’s hands chakra, the lightning gauntlets soulmeld allows him to deliver the electricity damage as part of a melee attack with a handheld weapon.

Detect Opposition (Sp): This skarn incarnate can use detect chaos at will, as the spell of the same name.

Essentia Pool (Su): This skarn incarnate has an essentia pool of 4, and his essentia capacity is 1 (or 2 for his soulmelds). He typically invests 2 points of essentia in his adamant pauldrons, 1 point in his incarnate weapon, 1 point in his lightning gauntlets, and 1 point in his vitality belt. If he needs to deal extra damage, he shifts 1 point of essentia from his adamant pauldrons to his lightning gauntlets, increasing the electricity damage dealt by that soulmeld by 1d6.

Incarnum Radiance (Su): Once per day, this skarn incarnate can activate this power as a free action, gaining a +1 sacred bonus on his melee attack rolls for 6 rounds.

Soulmelds: This skarn incarnate can shape four soulmelds, drawn from the incarnate list. Each soulmeld has a maximum essentia capacity of 2. He currently has the following soulmelds shaped.

Adamant Pauldrons (Su): This skarn incarnate gains 25% fortifi cation against critical hits and sneak attacks. He also gains damage reduction 2/chaotic.

Incarnate Weapon (Su): This skarn incarnate has created a +1 longsword with a lawful alignment. Lightning Gauntlets (Su): Once per round, this skarn incarnate can deal an extra 2d6 points of electricity damage on melee or melee touch attacks. The lightning gauntlets are bound to his hands chakra.

Vitality Belt (Su): This skarn incarnate gains a +4 morale bonus on Constitution checks and Constitution-based skill checks. He also gains +4 bonus hit points.

Possessions: +1 breastplate, +1 heavy steel shield, potion of cure serious wounds, 31 gp. The sample skarn incarnate presented here had the following ability scores before racial and level-based adjustments: Str 12, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 8.

SKARN ENCOUNTERS

The following groups of skarns can be encountered in nearly any campaign environment. EL 2: Four patrolling skarn warriors mounted on heavy warhorses approach the party on the road. Like other skarns, they prefer not to “lead with their swords.” If not attacked, they attempt to parley fi rst, explaining their presence and inquiring about the party’s intentions. If they deem it necessary, they attack without mercy.

EL 6: As nightfall approaches, the PCs encounter a company of skarns (10 1st-level warriors led by a 4th-level incarnate) that has camped along the road. Sentries accost any PCs who approach and inform them politely that this area is off-limits to them. Though they avoid overtly rude or insulting behavior, their superior tones might well rub chaotic PCs the wrong way, resulting in a fi ght. If attacked, the skarns defend themselves without hesitation.