Skaldaks (10 RP)

Worshipers of the Chaos have existed for as long as mortals have had free will. Some cults, such as the skaldaks, practice self transmutation to display the raw power of their faith.

Whatever it was before is entirely removed when a skaldak awakens into its true form, allowing it to begin its life anew, choosing different paths and living as it always wanted.

Physical Description: A skaldak awakens to its head being taken over by a singular, powerful eye. As it’s body bloats to accommodate the socket, it’s hair becomes snakelike, growing eyes of its own. When the transformation is complete, the skaldak dawns a specially crafted armor to protect its new body. The armor doesn’t hinder the skaldak in any way, and can be replaced as the race sees fit.

Society: Skaldak society is secretive and wholly devoted to their indoctrination. They live as the Chaos dictates, with villages built in confusing patterns or lacking in any real organization. Traveling through an area controlled by skaldaks is usually as difficult as traveling through any normal area of a size larger.

Relations: Skaldaks see other races as still in their infancy, having not yet come into their true forms. When a member of another race begins asking more about skaldaks and their ways, a skaldak will talk excitedly of the glory and freedom of being one of its kind, hoping to sway the one asking toward becoming a skaldak as well. They are never pushy, however, seeing those who decline the transformation as simply not being ready for it.

Alignment and Religion: Skaldaks usually retain the alignment they had before awakening into their true form. All skaldaks are devoted to their faith in the Chaos, but some find room for other religions, using them to get close to fellow worshipers and ideally converting them as well.

Adventurers: Skaldaks adventure to build a better understanding of chaos and why it isn’t as bad as some may believe. They are staunch and reliable friends to their companions, even when those allies have not yet seen the truth for themselves.

Male Names: Jiarg, Ialthdrolk, Ocs, Retucsh

Female Names: Ahsh, Ertyrsaehsh, Khimdilk, Silk

Random Starting Ages
Adulthood Intuitive1 Self-Taught2 Trained3
15 years +1d4 years
(16 – 19 years)
+1d6 years
(16 – 21 years)
+2d6 years
(17 – 27 years)

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

Random Height and Weight
Gender Base Height Height Modifier Base Weight Weight Modifier
Male 4 ft. 10 in. +2d10 in. 120 lbs. +(2d10×5 lbs.)
Female 4 ft. 5 in. +2d10 in. 85 lbs. +(2d10×5 lbs.)

Standard Racial Traits

Skaldaks usually have the following racial traits.

  • Ability Score Modifiers: (Advanced) Skaldaks are exceptionally perceptive and physically adaptable, but quickly forget what it’s like to be an individual. They gain +2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, +4 Wisdom, -2 Charisma.
  • Type: Skaldaks count as aberrations and humanoids for any effect related to race.
  • Size: Skaldaks are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
  • Base Speed: (Slow and Steady) Skaldaks have a base speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.
  • Languages: Skaldak begin play speaking Common. Those with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages, such as Druidic).

Senses Racial Traits

  • Darkvision: Skaldaks can see perfectly in the dark up to 60 feet.
  • All-Around Vision: Skaldaks gain a +4 racial bonus to Perception checks and are immune to flanking.

Racial Subtypes

From failed rituals to alternative goals, there exist several different types of skaldaks.

Adherent: Adherents are skaldaks whose rituals failed, either because of interruption or a perceived unworthiness in the subject. Some take this loss as a lesson and work hard to help their kind find the right way. Others lose faith, live in self-proclaimed exile, or go on pilgrimage to learn what went wrong. These skaldaks get +2 Strength, +2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma; +1 natural armor, and spell resistance equal to 6 + their character level.

This alters the skaldak’s normal ability scores.

Medusan: Some skaldaks are raised in the traditions of the medusas. During their ritual, they are given greater beauty and a keen intellect, but they lack the strength of their cousins. These skaldaks gain +2 Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma, +4 Dexterity, and -2 Strength. They are humanoids with the skaldak subtype. They gain poison use and a +2 racial bonus to Perception and Survival checks. Perception is always a class skill for medusan skaldaks. Starting at 5th level, a medusan with a Charisma score of 13 or higher can cast slow once per day as a spell-like ability. Its caster level is its character level and it uses Charisma for the save DC.

This alters the skaldak’s ability scores and replaces aberrant and all-around vision.

Favored Class Options

The following options are available to all skaldak characters who have the listed favored class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the favored class reward. In addition, an skaldak can pick any elf or halfling favored class bonus.

  • Any Class: Add a +1/2 bonus on Knowledge (planes) checks.
  • Cleric: Add +1/2 to the cleric’s channeled energy total when healing creatures of the aberration or outsider types.
  • Invoker: Add 1 sight-related spell to the invoker’s spells known. Its spell level is the highest at which it could be learned by another class.
  • Inquisitor: Add +1/2 bonus on Intimidate, Knowledge, and Sense Motive checks made against aberrations.
  • Magus: Add one of the following to the magus’ list of arcane pool weapon special abilities: conductive, corrosive, corrosive burst, cruel, heartseeker, impact, menacing, mighty cleaving, nullifying, vicious. Once selected, it cannot be changed.
  • Ranger: Add a +1/2 bonus on Perception checks to avoid being surprised.
  • Rogue: Add +1/4 to the rogue’s attack bonus when flanking.
  • Sorcerer: Add 1 sight-related spell to the sorcerer’s spells known. Its spell level is the highest at which it could be learned by another class.
  • Wizard: Add 1 sight-related spell to the wizard’s spellbook. Its spell level is the highest at which it could be learned by another class.

Racial Archetype

The following racial archetype is available to skaldaks:

Skaldak Armor Training (Armor Training Option)

A skaldak who takes levels in fighter or another class which grants the armor training class feature gains a +6 armor bonus when wearing no other armor and treats its specially created armor as medium armor. This bonus goes away if the skaldak would lose its manufactured armor bonus (such as when using wild shape), and the skaldak can enchant its armor as if it were a breastplate. The skaldak can use a feat or bonus feat to increase this bonus to +9, at which point its armor counts as heavy armor and incurs a -2 armor check penalty.

A skaldak who also has levels in a class that restricts armor (such as monk) must decide at the beginning of each day whether to apply its armor bonus or not. It can use a feat or bonus feat to gain the ability to change this decision once per day.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

The Book of Many Things, © 2018,Samurai Sheepdog; author Kevin Glusing.

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