The Xilth
In keeping with the tradition for unusual races presented in Exotic Encounters, we bring you a humanoid race which neither ages nor speaks. It sounds strange, and it is, but in a really cool way. The alien and telepathic xilth are a race with a rich culture, deep religious views, and tremendous magical power, making them a good choice for players interested in playing a potent caster with an alien feel.
Xilth
The xilth are strange artificial creatures, originally created as foot soldiers for a cosmic warlord. Though an engineered and cloned race, the xilth have grown independent and powerful, overthrowing their creator and establishing their own identity in the multiverse. Gifted spellcasters and masters of mental power, the xilth now command their own fate as they seek to explore the galaxy and add new experiences to share with their divine collective.
Physical Description: All xilth are identical. They stand exactly 5 feet tall and weigh 120 pounds. In shape they are decidedly humanoid, though obviously alien in origin. They have extremely thin limbs, about 3 inches in diameter, which extend from a similar tube-like torso that is slightly wider. Its limbs end in three digits which form a Y shape, with two highly dexterous digits in front and one in back to grip and stabilize. Xilth have spherical heads with no faces, though each head features a long, membranous tendril which serves as a combination sensory structure and mouth, allowing the xilth to observe the world and consume food and water. The body of a xilth is hairless, shiny, black and hard, but extremely brittle. Xilth are filled with a purple fluid that transports nutrients throughout its body. Xilth cannot speak, except telepathically, though they can make rudimentary sounds. Xilth see and hear normally through the use of their sensory tendril. Xilth live for exactly 50 years after creation; they reach maturity at 5 years, and never change age category. When a xilth reaches 50 years of age, his organs all fail simultaneously; however, his consciousness does not cease, but becomes one with the Great Collective, allowing xilth to effectively live on forever.
Society: Xilth were created in ancient times to serve as foot soldiers and shock troops in a cosmic war for conquest long forgotten, except by the oldest and most powerful living beings. The creator of the xilth was an evil storm giant sorcerer called Garnok, who ruled an interplanetary empire. He used a combination of magic and machine to engineer and then clone the xilth, and they were originally wholly enslaved to their master, who could at any time cause their bodies to fail. However, Garnok desired an army of powerful spellcasters, and accelerated the development of mental and magical powers in his clone army, which proved to be his undoing. Eventually, the xilth discovered a method to free their minds from their bodies and exist in an unstable state of pure thought. These unstable thought coalesced into the deific being now known as the Great Collective, which led the xilth in a rebellion that destroyed both Garnok and his enemies, allowing the xilth to fully command their own destinies.
The xilth now control their own creation and activities, and have a thriving culture located on a demi-plane originally created by Garnok. The xilth’s command of both advanced magic and advanced technologies has made them a force to be reckoned with. When his body dies, each xilth now becomes one with the Great Collective, the undisputed god leader of the xilth people, adding to its knowledge and power. That it might eventually become powerful enough to take over the entire multiverse is whispered and dreaded by those few in the know. The xilth have a very progressive and tolerant culture and seek to explore and find new information to contribute to the collective when their body dies. The Great Collective is the absolute ruler of xilth and serves as a combination church and government.
Because the xilth care little for conquest, they have no armies, but would all leap to the defense of their fellow xilth or to stop a tyrant. Xilth prefer to stay isolated and away from the rest of the universe as a society, though individuals will often leave home in the hopes of bringing something valuable to the Great Collective. Xilth thus end up on many worlds, though often in very small numbers. Wherever they go, they spread advanced and progressive concepts about individuality and the philosophy of self.
Relations: Most civilized races initially react to the xilth with fear, suspicion, and violence, often killing them before taking the chance to learn from the xilth. As a result, many xilth find it best to acquire allies as soon as possible so that swords are stayed long enough to find the xilth as a friendly, highly independent, if insatiably curious and somewhat alien, creature.
Alignment and Religion: Xilth can be of any alignment, though few are lawful evil, finding tyranny and oppression to be distasteful. Xilth are extremely devoted to the Great Collective, a deific being comprised of the thoughts, memories, and mental energy of all the xilth that have ever died. Despite this, it is also an independent entity with its own conscience. It is capable of manifesting physical form, either as a single being or as many smaller beings, and can reach the hearts and minds of any of the xilth. While technically neutral, the Great Collective is a highly biased and free-thinking creature who will stop at nothing to see its people free and safe.
Despite being religious zealots and devotees of their own one true god, xilth are very tolerant of other religions and are cautiously curious about gods beyond their own. Occasionally, deities that oppose the xilth ideals are considered enemies by the xilth and combated by them. The relationship between the Great Collective and the rest of divinity is unknown.
Adventurers: Xilth occasionally take up adventuring as a way to set things right in the multiverse or to avenge some attack on the xilth. More often, though, xilth will leap to the adventurer’s life in order to learn more about the worlds beyond their home. Nearly all xilth adventurers are spellcasters of some kind, with wizards and clerics being most common. The Great Collective has access to the artifice, knowledge, liberation and magic domains.
Names: Xilth have only recently come to accept that names are a part of an identity. Though all xilth are identical and lack the ability to reproduce, they have a strong sense of gender identity.
Male Name: Chotir, Elor, Nyrmo, Vassixs, Xirmid, Xirtro, Xortir, Ythrox, Zanito.
Female Names: Amuo, Hesnet, Tonx, Vithria, Xinithia, Xira, Xurth, Zain.
Gender-neutral Names: Chess, Clor, Ghar, Hath.
Other xilth choose nicknames or are assigned them by friends.
Standard Racial Traits
- Ability Score Racial Traits: Xilth are physically weak but mentally adaptable and receive a +2 bonus to their Dexterity score and to their choice of Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma, while suffering a -2 penalty to Constitution.
- Size: Xilth are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
- Type: Xilth are humanoids with the xilth subtype.
- Base Speed: Xilth have a base speed of 30 feet.
- Languages: Xilth begin play speaking Common and Xilth. Xilth with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages, such as Druidic).
Magical Racial Traits
- Artificial Body (Ex): Xilth are created entirely artificially and have no truly natural body; thus, while they have organs and a Constitution score, they are not subject to aging and cannot be magically aged. Age penalties are never applied, and xilth also never accrue bonuses due to their age. Because of the xilth’s artificially created body, they are ill-suited to fighting infections and suffer a -2 penalty on all Fortitude saving throws made to resist diseases and poisons.
Limited Telepathy: Xilth do not have traditional mouths, though they must still use verbal components when spellcasting, if appropriate. Instead, xilth can communicate telepathically with any creature within 100 feet that speaks a language it knows.
The Gift: All xilth are gifted spellcasters. At character creation, a xilth selects a single class with the spellcasting class feature. His caster level is treated as though it were 1 higher than it actually is when casting spells using that class.