| RamblinRaven |
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Mv_9Mr_dAtuqEUHVhUhpamvvIr0oI30m8U2hbWj 4hiY/edit?usp=sharing - google doc version, better readability with formatting.
While Psychopomps do not interact with mortals as much as other outsiders, they still encounter them in their work of escorting lost souls to Pharasma’s judgement. Their interactions with mortals often occur in this work, and usually amount to no more. However, it rarely leads to something more. Whether it be a pact, the creation of a Duskwalker, or relations of a physical nature, it can lead to the creation of a Graveling.
Gravelings result from those who interact with psychopomps, and rarely manifest as a descendent of a child raised by a Duskwalker. Like Tieflings and Aasimars, this can skip many generations or none at all, and their reception is often varied. Some will raise them normally, while others will discard the baby thinking it is cursed or an ill omen. Adult Gravelings are most often met with fear, though they are close enough to human in appearance that they don’t often provoke violence with their presence.
Society: Gravelings have no particular society of their own due to their rarity. They typically integrate into their home society and reflect its conventions and values in their travels.
Physical Description: Gravelings are tall and lanky, and are often described as bony or gaunt. Despite their apparent lack of muscles, they suffer no loss of strength. Their gangly limbs, however, impede their movement. They range in skin tone according to their parentage, though they are always paler. Their most unsettling feature is the thin skin and muscle of their faces, which frames their skulls in unsettling detail.
Alignment and Religion: While their personalities vary greatly, Gravelings are almost exclusively some variety of neutral. Their psychopomp heritage gives them enough restraint that they habitually avoid extreme alignments (cg, le, lg, ce) and sometimes even mistrust such people. This heritage also inclines them strongly toward hatred of undead. Pharasma and Anubis are the most commonly worshipped gods among Gravelings, though those who choose not to follow these impulses have greatly varied faiths.
Adventurers: Graveling adventurers most often are undead hunters. Many resort to adventuring due to a sense of never belonging, to the point where they are almost expected to adventure at least once in their lives. Rare as they are, they can be found in most any culture or faith.
Names: Gravelings most often have the given names of their birth culture. Some adopt titles based on deeds, and others take names rooted in a type of psychopomp, usually their ancestor.
Male examples: Noso, Muth, Memet, Esobo
Female examples: Catrina/Cat, Vida, Shoka, Olethra, Morgan,
Racial Traits:
Outsider (native): Gravelings are outsiders with the native subtype. +3RP (includes dv60)
Darkvision: Gravelings can see in the dark up to 60 feet. (-RP)
Medium: Gravelings are size Medium and gain no bonuses or penalties from size. (+0)
Normal Speed: Gravelings have a base speed of 30.
Ability Score Mods: Gravelings are sturdy and patient, but their lankiness makes them clumsy. +2 Con, Wis. -2 Dex (0rp)
Languages: Gravelings begin play speaking common. Gravelings with high intelligence can choose to learn languages from Abyssal, Celestial, Infernal, Necril, Draconic, and Human dialects. (0rp)
Lifetouched: Gravelings gain a small measure of control over mortality from their Psychopomp heritage. Gravelings have Stabilize as a spell like ability usable once per day. (1rp)
Deathtouched: Gravelings inherit a proclivity toward both knowledge of undeath and the treatment of mortal wounds. They have a+1 racial bonus on Knowledge: Religion checks and Heal checks. (2rp)
Undeath Hatred: Gravelings inherent Psychomp’s distaste for those who avoid judgement, particularly undead, along with the desire to bring them to judgement. While they have no inherent obligation to worship or care for Pharasma, they know how to strike undead effectively.
Gravelings gain a +1 racial bonus to attacks against undead creatures and a +1 racial bonus to caster level checks for the purpose of overcoming the spell resistance of an undead creature (2rp)
Deathless Spirit: Perhaps the greatest boon Gravelings receive heritage is their great resilience against death itself. They are often sent to the frontlines of a fight against undead due to their vexing resistance.
Gravelings gain resistance 5 against negative energy damage. They do not lose hitpoints when they gain a negative level, and they gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against death effects, energy drain, negative energy, and spells or spell-like abilities of the necromancy school. (3rp)
Psychopomp’s Touch: Once per day, a Graveling may make a touch attack against an undead creature. If it succeeds, the undead must make a will save of a DC 10+½ the Gravelings level + the Graveling’s Charisma or be affected as if by the Turn Undead feat. If the Graveling has levels in a spellcasting class, they may use that class’s spellcasting ability in place of their Charisma modifier. (2rp)
Adult age: 40
Maximum age: 600
Height:
Male: 5’7+5d4 (6’-7’3)
Female: 5’5+5d4 (5’10-7’1)
Weight:
Male: 120lb + 2d8x10 (140-280)
Female: 110lb + 2d8x10 (130-270)
Alternate Racial Traits
Undeath warden: On occasion a graveling may be more inclined to seek undead than spare the living, and develop the ability to detect them. They gain Detect Undead as a spell-like ability usable once per day. Replaces Lifetouched.
Intrigued by undeath: Some gravelings reject their heritage, and become obsessed with the thing that so often invokes strong reactions in them and their ancestors. These gravelings find that their inherited abilities can be realigned for the purpose of undeath.
Intrigued gravelings gain +1 caster level for the purpose of creating, summoning, or controlling undead. Replaces Undeath Hatred, SLA (3rp, net change 0rp)
Martial Focus: Some gravelings spend a great deal of time training to strike hard, whether it be against undead or their own personal crusade. Curiously, with increased strength, these gravelings find themselves less resilient than others.
Ability score mods +2 Str -2 Dex +2 Wis. Replaces ability score mods.
Phantasmal Form: On occasion, a graveling finds their relation to be undeath to be peculiarly close to it, and are able to assume an incorporeal form for a limited time. These gravelings tend to be inclined toward travel and feel a weaker distaste for undead.
Once per day, the Graveling may become incorporeal for a maximum number of rounds equal to ⅓ their total character level rounded down (minimum one). These rounds must be consecutive or they are lost. This does not affect the Graveling's armor class. It allows them to pass through narrow spaces but not solid objects, and makes them resistant to damage from nonmagical weapons, granting them damage reduction equal to ½ their level (minimum one) against such attacks, and half that against magical weapons that do not have the ghost touch property. They do not gain any attacks in this form, and cannot make attacks against non-incorporeal targets or cast spells that require spell components. This also grants them a fly speed of 10ft, but those that fail to leave tight spaces are shunted into the nearest empty space, taking 1d6 damage per round spent incorporeal. Replaces Pyschopomp’s Touch. (2rp)
Investigative: Depending on their psychopomp ancestor, a graveling might be better suited for sussing out secrets than sussing out undead. These gravelings are alert and intuitive, and gain a +1 racial bonus on Perception and Sense Motive checks. Replaces Deathtouched
Alternate FCBs
Bard: +½ to Bardic Knowledge bonus.
Barbarian: +Add 1/5 to the armor bonus granted by hide armor or bone armor the barbarian wears (maximum +3).
Cleric: +¼ to the caster level when casting spells or using abilities from the Repose domain or one of its subdomains.
Druid: The druid’s animal companion gains ¼ point of DR/cold iron (maximum DR 5/cold iron). If the druid replaces her companion, the new companion gains this DR.
Fighter: +⅓ to Bravery bonus against Undead.
Inquisitor: +1 to Knowledge: Religion checks to identify undead.
Kineticist: +1/5 of a Wild Talent. This must be spent on a Void wild talent that you qualify for.
Oracle: Add +1/2 to the oracle's level for the purpose of determining the effects of the oracle's curse ability.
Rogue: +⅓ to Perception checks and saves against haunts.
Sorcerer: +¼ to the DC of Necromancy spells.
Witch: Add one spell from the Cleric spell list to the witch’s familiar. This spell must be at least one level below the highest spell level the witch can cast. If the familiar is ever replaced, the new familiar knows these bonus spells.
Vigilante: +½ to disguise checks when disguising as a creature with the humanoid type.