Treasury Of The Sands

Jon Brazer Enterprises just released their Treasury Of The Sands book to which yours truly contributed embalmer's jar and scepter of the clawed mistress (with some slight changes and editing by publisher).

Adds another publication and a new publisher to the list.

Another preview of Liber Influxus Communis

And another update for the Liber Influxus Communis is available! Download and read!

Fantasy Races: Kai-Tang

Here is a race that I thought of for a long time and had their racial traits written down for some time. Finally, I wrote their description, spurred by a recent discussion. Expect more anthropomorphic animal races in the future.

Kai-tang

Kai-tang are race of philosophically-minded simians living in the settlements lying in depths of jungles and secluded mountain ranges. Despite their bestial appearance, kai-tang are highly intellectual race with great respect for learning and enlightenment showing significant regard to opinions of elders and scholars. Solitary sage is widely revered figure in kai-tang culture, but, unless his research requires isolation, he is expected to teach those who seek his wisdom or acquire unfavorable reputation.

Kai-tang can become terrible opponents when their family or association members are threatened, though, and are capable of single-minded aggression when defending their communities, often fighting until the threat is completely annihilated.

Physical Description: Kai-tang are massive apes with fur in intense orange, red, yellow, green, blue or purple color. Their powerful arms are very long while their legs are rather short and stubby giving them wobbly gait. Their faces resemble orangutans’, gorillas’ or chimpanzees’ but they tend to grow human-like hair, sideburns, mustache and beards.

Society: Kai-tang prefer to live in small groups of three to eight, either extended families or associations of individuals dedicated to shared focus — academics, craft, religion or war. Each time a kai-tang shifts its allegiance between families and associations it takes a new personal name, with full name being a composite of all the personal names held through one’s life. Families and associations are the basic unit in larger kai-tang communities — groups discuss their stance and select eldest member to present it during community assemblies. In times of crisis assemblies defer to the associations whose skills and expertise is the most appropriate to solving the present problem.

Relations: Kai-tang usually avoid mingling with other races keeping to their families and associations. When interacting with other races they prefer to send individuals experienced in dealing with outsiders. Larger communities forced to deal with other races regularly often keep one or more associations dedicated to this task — diplomats, envoys and merchants. Occasionally, a kai-tang can bind with a group of members of other races, treating them as his association.

Alignment And Religion: Kai-tang have a penchant toward philosophy and discussion, often rationalizing their choices, decisions, reactions and experiences. Many kai-tang find belief in greater abstract order reassuring gravitating toward lawful alignment.

Adventurers: Kai-tang distance towards other races and philosophical outlook does not make them seek adventures often. Those who become adventurers are exceptionally dedicated toward their companions, though, for they are their association of choice. With their strength, intelligence and scholarly focus, kai-tang make excellent alchemists, fighters, magi and wizards. Their intellectual approach to enlightenment and clumsy bodies make them poor monks or rogues.

Personal Names: Bor, Dal, Get, Ker, Ruk, Zam.

Full Names: Dur-Saj-Zam-Zam, Get-Tol-Tuk.

Kai-Tang Racial Traits

Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +2 Intelligence, -2 Dexterity. Kai-tang are strong and scholarly creatures but their movement is ungraceful and slow.

Type: Kai-tang are humanoid with simian subtype.

Slow Speed: Kai-tang have base land speed of 20 ft.

Climb: Kai-tang have climb speed of 20 feet and gains +8 racial bonus to Climb checks.

Jungle-born: Kai-tang gain +2 racial bonus to Acrobatics and Perception checks.

Low-light Vision: Kai-tang see twice as far as humans in dim light conditions.

Scholarly: Kai-tang gain +2 racial bonus to single Knowledge skill of their choice.

Slam: Kai-tang have a slam natural attack dealing 1d4 points of bludgeoning damage.

Languages: Common and Kai. Kai-tang with high Intelligence score can select any non-restricted additional languages.

Kai-tang Racial Feat

Kai-tang have access to following feats.

Booming Voice

Kai-tang powerful simian voices can echo at great distance.

Prerequisite: Kai-tang.

Benefit: Kai-tangs can howl and pound on their chest to send simple messages in Kai that can be heard within one mile in jungle, forest or mountains or half that distance in areas with poor acoustics. Kai-tang with this feat increases saving throw DC of any of their sonic and language-dependent abilities by 1.

Kai-tang Racial Archetype

The following archetype was developed by militant kai-tang wizards.

Arcane Hand (Wizard Archetype)

Arcane hand hones his ability to efficiently deliver spells with the range of touch.

Replaces Scribe Scroll, Bonus Feat; Modifies Arcane School.

Weapon Focus: An arcane hand gains Weapon Focus (touch spells) as a bonus feat at 1st level. This feature replaces Scribe Scroll bonus feat.

Extended Reach (Su): At 5th level, an arcane hand increases his reach when delivering spells with a range of touch by 5 feet. The reach increases by additional 5 feet at 10th, 15th and 20th level. This feature replaces wizard’s bonus feats.

Critical Spells: An arcane hand gains Critical Focus and Improved Critical (touch spells) as bonus feats at 8th level. He can learn critical feats using his caster level in place of base attack bonus prerequisite but can use them only for touch spells until his base attack bonus becomes high enough to qualify for those feats. This feature replaces ability granted by the wizard's arcane school at 6th or 8th level.

Favored Class Options:

The following options are available to all kai-tang who have the listed favored class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time the favored class reward is selected.

Alchemist: Adds 1/6 of a new discovery.

Barbarian: Adds +1 to the barbarian’s total number of rage rounds per day.

Bard: Adds +¼ to bardic knowledge bonus.

Cavalier: Adds +⅙ of daily use of the cavalier’s tactician ability.

Cleric: Adds +½ of a daily use of a 1st level domain power that can be used 3+Wis bonus times per day.

Commander: Adds +5 feet to radius of the commander's commanding presence.

Druid: Adds +⅓ to the druid’s natural armor bonus while wild shaped.

Fighter: Adds +½ bonus to attack and damage rolls with racial slam attack.

Inquisitor: Adds +½ to the inquisitor’s total number of discern lies round per day.

Magus: Adds ⅙ of a magus arcana.

Metamorph: Add +1 feet to climb speed. In combat this option has no effect unless the metamorph has selected it five times (or another increment of five).

Monk: Adds +½ to CMB and CMD while grappling.

Oracle: Adds ⅙ of an oracle revelation.

Paladin: Adds +1 feet to radius of the paladin’s auras. In combat this option has no effect unless the paladin has selected it five times (or another increment of five).

Ranger: Adds +1 feet to land and climb speed when moving through favored terrain. In combat this option has no effect unless the ranger has selected it five times (or another increment of five).

Rogue: Adds +½ bonus to Disable Device and Use Magic Device checks.

Sorcerer: Adds +½ of a daily use of a 1st level bloodline power that can be used 3+Cha bonus times per day.

Summoner: Adds +¼ natural bonus to the AC of the summoner's eidolon.

Witch: Adds ½ of a cantrip prepared.

Wizard: Adds ½ of a cantrip prepared.

Alternate Earths: Siberia

Has anyone ever considered alternate Earths where convergence point was keyed to Russian settlement of Siberia? The closest setting I can think of at the moment that would be centered on alternate Siberia is Jacek Dukaj's Ice, but it uses Tunguska Event as the divergence point.

What would the world would like if the Russia did not expand and colonize into Siberia?

Maybe Khanate Of Sibir would resist Russian intrusion, revitalized into efficient state becoming a barrier limiting eastern expansion of Russia? It could force Russia to expand into west and south, pushing it into even more conflicts with Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which could diverge into timelines where Russia prevails, timelines with tenuous balance between those two forces and timelines where Commonwealth wins over Russia. Any of this timelines would involve a domino effect reshaping further history of Europe and in long term history of the world — but those would be more of subjects for alternate histories of Commonwealth.

Another possible path would be less expansive Russia, either growing into stable state not relying on expansion and Siberian resources — would it remain stable or fell into stagnation and degeneration, however?

Back to Siberia for now: how would it develop without Russian settlement? Probably slowly... The primary influx (does this word actually mean what I think it means in this context? yes, it is) of people was Russian colonization, especially with exiles and prisoners. Without them there would be much less cities and no railway present. Khanate Of Sibir could expand and colonize it, but it would probably lack the Russian reserves of people for settling eastern regions. Without Russian claiming the land, Siberia could be colonized from the east by Chinese, Manchurian and possibly later Japanese settlers — either dissidents and exiles escaping chocking grasp of strictly conservative rulers of the East or deliberate colonization of more progressive (and/or expansive governments). Maybe it could lead to revival of often forgotten states and peoples that were subjugated and suppressed by Mongols few hundreds of years earlier?

Two another scenarios based on different history of Siberian settlement:

Russia starts colonization of Siberia providing settlers, both volunteers and forced but at some point of the colonization there is revolution, military or economic that frees Siberia from Russian control creating one or more independent countries — United States Of Siberia?

And the second one involves Władysław Vasa becoming Russian Tsar and Polish king (which in our timeline failed because of his father meddling). With personal union between Russia and Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth there would be distinct possibility of Russian culture being influenced by Commonwealth's religious and cultural tolerance of early XVII century and spread it into east... But it might be more appropriate for Alternate Earths: Vasa Dominions post(s).