Vek

Distant cousins of the cyclops, veks are a rare race living sequestered in the remotest parts of the jungle. Like their cousins, veks possess one central eye and powers of the mind, but they lack the physical stature and strength of their cousins. Instead, veks are smaller, nimbler, and possess some physical characteristics similar to arachnids, such as a toughened epidermis. While cyclops have historically enjoyed subduing and dominating other societies, veks have preferred an isolationist lifestyle, more than happy to be left alone in their corner of the jungle.

Physical Description

Veks are one-eyed, spindly-limbed, lithe creatures. All veks have grayish skin tones and white hair, regardless of their age. Virtually invisible, are millions of minuscule, translucent hairs on the palms of their hands and feet that aid a vek’s grip in climbing trees and other surfaces.

Society

Veks have a matriarchal society in which the eldest female of the tribe dictates the protocols for communal living and adjudicates any disputes. Nets and webs are employed by the females in their hunting expeditions, while the males create net and pit traps around the dens to secure the safety of the young. Since veks are not physically imposing, they hunt in small packs and take advantage of ambush traps, swarming the enemy with overwhelming numbers, and their paralytic natural poison. Veks are meat and insect eaters, resorting to plant diets only in times of scarcity.

Alignment and Religion

Veks are usually neutrally aligned. They believe that balance in all things leads to appreciation; if someone has known sadness and destruction, they can better appreciate happiness and beauty. Veks appreciate the orderliness of the seasons and the cycles of the day, as well as the unpredictability of the storm. Both law and chaos are aspects of nature, and veks are creatures of nature, thus they strive to preserve balance between the two in their daily lives. The spiritual proclivities of veks run the gambit from monotheistic to polytheistic, naturalistic, or atheistic. Among those that worship deities, gods of the hunt are favored slightly more often than other gods, as are gods of nature and verdant spaces.

Relations

Veks are on good terms with elves, as both races share a respect for their natural environment and wish to see it remain untouched by urban encroachment. They also get along surprisingly well with ghorans, probably because the ghorans appreciate the veks” predilection for a carnivorous diet. Veks admire races that rely on agility and inventive thinking over those that have only their physical prowess upon which to rely, making them less than impressed with orcs and hobgoblins.

Adventurers

Veks are intrigued by original flavors and enjoy indulging in unfamiliar culinary creations as often as possible (providing the dish is not polluted with vegetable matter), which is an incentive for them to take up the life of an adventurer for a time. In times of scarcity, veks will leave their communities to seek out alternative food sources as well. Veks are responsible for the introduction of several non-native animal species into the jungle biome, but are always careful to cull the newly introduced fauna so that it does not displace other native animal life. A vek’s reliance on agility and honed hunting skills make them good candidates to become hunters, rangers, rogues, and ninjas. Those that take up the path of a druid favor the jungle domain as their nature bond or choose a spider as their companion.

Male Names: Akoni, Azazie, Kaipo, Kalani, Kaleo, Kapuni, Koi, Lilo, Mai, Silkarni.

Female Names: Abisha, Ailani, Keara, Lalia, Maikia, Mawi, Moia, Olavia, Sarettia.

Table: Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	3 ft. 11 in.	+1d6 in. (5 ft. 6 in. – 6 ft. 1 in.)	90 lbs.	+(1d4x5 lbs.) (95 lbs. – 110 lbs.)
Female	4 ft. 4 in.	+2d4 in. (4 ft. 6 in. – 5 ft.)	100 lbs.	+(1d4x5 lbs.) (105 lbs. – 120 lbs.)

Table: Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Intuitive1	Self-Taught2	Trained3
20 years	+1d6 years	+2d6 years	+3d6 years

¹ This category includes barbarians, oracles, rogues, and sorcerers.
² This category includes bards, cavaliers, fighters, gunslingers, paladins, rangers, summoners, and witches.
³ This category includes alchemists, clerics, druids, inquisitors, magi, monks, and wizards.

Standard Racial Traits (13 RP)

• Ability Score Modifiers: Veks rely on their quick wits and maneuverability to get them out of scrapes rather than brute strength. They gain +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -2 Strength (0 RP).
• Type (0 RP): Veks are humanoids with the vek subtype.
• Size (0 RP): Veks are medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Speed (0 RP): Veks have a base speed of 30 feet.
• Chitinous Skin (2 RP): Veks gain a +1 natural armor bonus to their Armor Class.
• Senses (2 RP): Veks can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
• Languages (0 RP): Veks begin play speaking Common. Veks with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Elven, Giant, Gnoll, Goblin, Orc, Terran, and Sylvan.
• Resistant (2 RP): Veks gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against mind-affecting effects and poison.
• Psychic Sensitivity (2 RP): Veks gain the feat Psychic Sensitivity.
• Foresighted (2 RP): Once per day, veks can cast anticipate thoughts as a spell-like ability, with a caster level equal to the vek’s character level.
• Climb (2 RP): Veks have a climb speed of 20 feet, and gain the +8 racial bonus on Climb checks that a climb speed normally grants. Veks can use their Dexterity modifier in place of their Strength modifier on Climb checks.
• Toxic (1 RP): A vek can envenom a weapon that it wields with its toxic saliva a number of times per day equal to its Constitution modifier (minimum 1/day). Applying venom in this way is a swift action.
• Paralytic Venom: Injury; save Fort DC 10 + 1/2 vek’s level + vek’s Constitution modifier (minimum 0); frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Dex; cure 1 save.

Alternate Racial Traits

The following racial traits may be selected instead of the standard racial traits for vek characters.

• Jungle Predator: Veks can move through natural difficult terrain at their normal speed when in jungle terrain, and once per day, they can cast web bolt as a spell-like ability, with a caster level equal to the vek’s character level. This replaces foresighted.
• Mind Manipulator: Veks can cast either mental block or mind thrust II (chosen at character creation) as a spell-like ability once per day, with a caster level equal to the vek’s character level. This replaces foresighted.
• Natural Born Weaver: Veks gain a +2 bonus on Craft skill checks to weave baskets or items of clothing. This replaces toxic.
• Skitterer: Veks gain a +10 foot racial bonus to their speed when using the charge, run, or withdraw actions. This replaces toxic.
• Spidery Swiftness: Veks gain the feat Agile Maneuvers. This replaces psychic sensitivity.
• Vek Weaponry: Veks are proficient with nets and snag nets. This replaces toxic.

Favored Class Options

The following options are available to veks who have the listed class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time it is selected.

• Alchemist: Add +1/2 to the alchemist’s bomb damage.
• Cleric: Add +1/3 to the base 10 DC of an undead’s saving throw against the cleric’s channel energy ability.
• Druid: Add +1/3 to the druid’s natural armor bonus when using wild shape.
• Fighter: Add +1 to the fighter’s CMD when resisting a trip or grapple attempt.
• Hunter: Gain +1/4 of a teamwork feat.
• Medium: When gaining a taboo, the medium can use spirit surge without incurring influence an additional 1/4 time per day.
• Mesmerist: Increase the mesmerist’s bonus damage from painful stare by 1/2 point.
• Ninja: Add +1 bonus on the ninja’s sneak attack damage rolls during the surprise round or before the target has acted in combat.
• Occultist: Deal an additional 1/2 point of damage with focus powers.
• Oracle: Add +1/2 bonus on Survival skill checks.
• Psychic: Increase the total number of points in the psychic’s phrenic pool by 1/3 point.
• Ranger: Select a favored enemy and gain a 1/4 bonus on Bluff, Perception, Sense Motive, and Survival skill checks against that enemy.
• Rogue: Add +1/3 on critical hit confirmation rolls made when using sneak attack (maximum bonus of +5). This bonus does not stack with Critical Focus.
• Shaman: Add one spell from the cleric spell list that isn’t on the shaman spell list to the list of spells the shaman knows. This spell must be at least 1 level below the highest spell level the shaman can cast.
• Shifter: Add a +1/2 bonus on Climb skill checks.
• Slayer: Add +1/4 dodge bonus to AC against the slayer’s studied target.
• Sorcerer: Select a spell from the divination school. Gain +1/2 round increase to the duration of that spell (maximum +5 rounds for any given spell selected).
• Witch: Add +1/4 to the witch’s caster level when determining the effects of the spells granted by the witch’s patron.

Ancestral Anthologies Vol. I: Nature Unleashed © 2020, Beyond the Horizon; Author: Beth Jones