Eclipse – The Ikam

   Here we have another race for the Twilight Isles setting – the Ikam. This is mostly concerned with their actual build, the cultural and background information can be found HERE.

   The Ikam do not discuss their origins very much – although it is believed that a few of the Deza may still preserve records from before the founding of Ishorin. If so, they successfully hid that information from the first High Queen, and have apparently passed down that tradition of concealment.

   Still, they are believed to be native to some other world, and the few bits of legend preserved in their rituals and tales speak of passing through, or fleeing from, some great darkness in ships that sailed between worlds – ships that were broken down and turned into the cores of the first Deza on Ars’yam Taht’leil. They are traditionally enemies of the undead, seeing such things as one of the greatest threats to their Deza.

   Not surprisingly – especially so given their adaptable nature and the fierce selective pressures to which they subject themselves – the Ikam have changed since their arrival. They have adapted to the powerful magic of the Twilight Seas, and inherently channel it into enhancing themselves just as the Shadow Elves do – and suffer the same penalties. While they can safely use Charms and Talismans, which channel their own natural magic, and a limited number of Relics, which amplify it, their use of other external magical devices is quite limited.

   Unlike the Shadow Elves, the Ikam also naturally accumulate large quantities of raw Mana – and start doing so at a very early age. Ikam children are usually quite a handful; their spontaneous magic will have a base casting level of at least two (equal to their minimum hit dice) and they can produce effects of at least level one at a very young age – with plenty of random side effects. Unfortunately, this also means that the casualty rate for Ikam children is quite high, and that they don’t get much of a childhood. More of them live if they are introduced to training and discipline very early on.

   Ikam Racial Modifiers:

• 8d6 Mana with Unskilled Magic, plus one extra form of Natural Magic (Sovath gain Resilience, Vedan gain Spell Enhancement, and Kodan gain Reality Editing), Rite of Chi, and +4 Bonus Uses for Rite of Chi. Corrupted/Oathbound. The power of the Ikam leaks into their blood and words. They are bound by their oaths, and may become accursed if they violate such a bond (although, on rare occasions, their power channels itself through an oath and helps them fulfill it). Their blood and flesh can be used for many magical purposes. Their tales are mesmerizing, and can evoke their topics – or at least illusions thereof – quite accidently. They find it difficult to lie (-10 penalty) without the magical distortions giving them away. These problems fade a little (although they never go away) as their excessive Mana converts itself to Power (-1 Mana for +3 Power), a process which occurs naturally as they age or focus on their psychic development. While the process is irreversible, their basic mana level will never drop below one-quarter of what they started with. (44 CP).
• Attribute Shift: +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution (6 CP).
• Occult Sense/Low-Light Vision (6 CP).
• Use of Charms and Talismans: Shaping, Corrupted and Specialized for increased (level one and weak level two) effects/can only produce the effects for which the user has the appropriate foci ready, can only support a limited number (seven and three) of minor charms and more notable talismans at one time, charms and talismans are modestly expensive (and thus are limited by wealth and lifestyle) and take some time to attune for use (6 CP).
• Use of Relics: Double Enthusiast, Specialized in Relics for Increased Effect (may use 4 CP worth of relics, 6 CP)
• Inherent Magic: Innate Enchantment/All abilities unlimited use-activated, caster level one, personal-only (x.7 cost) where applicable. 12,000 GP base value (13 CP).
  • Enhance Attribute/+2 Dexterity (1400 GP)
  • Enhance Attribute/+2 Wisdom (1400 GP)
  • Enhance Attribute/+2 Strength (1400 GP)
  • Immortal Vigor I (+2d6 – effectively 12 due to at-will use, +2x Con Mod HP, 1400 GP).
  • Warding Rune (1 + Caster Level/3, +4 max, resistance bonus on saves, 1400 GP)
  • Skill Mastery/+3 to Wisdom-linked skills (1400 GP)
  • Skill Mastery/+3 to a group of skills (1400 GP). Sovath get Dexterity-linked skills, Vedan get Intelligence linked skills, and Kodan get Charisma linked skills.
  • Bestial Form/Thanks to their natural Mana, the Ikam are born with some features drawn from the dominant predators in the local environment – usually minor natural adaptions – and somewhat animalistic forms (in the Twilight Isles they get scales, improved claws, and better fangs). This is a lesser variation on Alter Self, providing +2 Natural Armor, d6 Claws/Fangs, and an animalistic appearance (or more of one than they’d have anyway) (1400 GP).
  • Detect Magic (1000 GP).
    • Immunity/Stacking limits when combining innate enchantment effects with external effects (Common, Minor, Trivial – only covers L1 effects, 2 CP).
    • Immunity/Dispelling and Antimagic (Common, Major, Epic, Specialized and Corrupted/only protects innate enchantments that provide personal augmentations, 9 CP).
    • Immunity/the normal XP cost of Innate Enchantments (Uncommon, Minor, Trivial [only covers first level effects at caster level one], Specialized/only to cover initial racial abilities, 1 CP).

   That comes out to a total of 93 CP – normally approaching the limit for a +2 ECL race or +3 ECL template. Fortunately – or unfortunately – for them, however, the Ikam racial package is both Specialized and Corrupted:

• Like the Shadow Elves, the Ikam can only use Relics who’s cost can be covered by the points available from their Enthusiast allotment and can only tolerate (Con) “points” worth of regular magic items – and the “point” cost of any given item is up to the game master (as a rule, low-level single-charge items are little trouble, spell storing items are only moderately troublesome, and permanently active personal enhancement items are very troublesome). Annoyingly enough, this limit also affects temporary external spells – although their short-term nature means that the limit is increased by the user’s (Con Mod).
• They are invariably focused on their Deza. If (almost unthinkably) an Ikam is thrown out of their Deza (being placed on remote service, or even being assigned to serve outsiders in exchange for some benefit for the Deza is acceptable) they will become unable to gain experience. Most such exiles commit suicide by relentlessly attacking whatever they perceive as a threat to their old home, having to make a DC 15 will save each month to avoid doing so. It is possible to join another Deza, or to gain re-admission to their old one – but this is very difficult to arrange.
• Their loyalties are always personal, to a small group at best. They are incapable of large-scale political organization.
• Wealth, magical devices, or supplies beyond their immediate needs will – of course – be given to the Deza.
• As a minor note, they suffer a -5 penalty to Swim checks due to their greater average density and invariably pick up at least 12 CP worth of Witchcraft at first level – always taking The Adamant Will. Sovath will almost always have Healing and Hyloka as well, but the abilities of the other castes are more varied.

   That brings the total cost down to 31 CP – right at the limit for a +0 ECL race.

   Ikam may be assigned to a group for various reasons – investigating a threat to the Deza, as a part of some negotiation or exchange, or even sent out to explore or to look for a place to found a new Deza. It’s even possible to play a Vedan or Kodan – although they’ll have to take Leadership to account for the Sovath bodyguard who will certainly be trailing along. They are, however, always subject to recall – and to the needs of the Deza. Still, their immense fund of personal mana offers them a considerable advantage; the Vedan use it for magic, the Sovath use it to power the Occult Powers of their martial arts (which, thanks to their high dexterities and skill bonuses they often start out knowing), and the Kodan are capable of crafting things with impossible speed and skill.