Shi-Nek

Shi-neks are miniscule, timid undead that fear the day and only venture warily into the night. Dwelling in cold, frostbitten mountains, the shi-neks thrive in the eternal twilight of snow, clouds and ice. Formed from the fiery births of wendigo, they cower in the shadows of their cannibalistic progenitors.

Physical Description: Shi-neks are very small; a very real fear for them is being stepped on by larger creatures. Their lack of legs and grace on the ground gives them a sluglike appearance. Every shi-nek wears a mask when it comes into being, formed from ice and giving a resemblance to a face. This mask looks different on every shi-nek. Shi-neks form from the burned-off feet of humanoids that transform into wendigo. They have no biological sex, though they possess a gender identity.

Society: In the arctic mountains, the shi-neks build few cities. The wendigo would only destroy their work, so why build? That said, occasionally a community chances upon a cave large and defensible enough to support a large shi-nek population. For the most part, though, shi-neks live in small, tightly-knit communities. Most villages have their own small customs and social rules. One thing shared by all communities, however, is fear of the wendigo. The elk-headed spirits created the shi-neks, but care not for their creations and consider them to be delicious eating. Thus, any sighting of a wendigo by shi-nek sentries results in panic. Shi-neks are also magically gifted, and shi-nek spellcasters are welcome in all communities. Perhaps their love of group living comes from the fact that no shi-nek is created alone; every shi-nek is part of a pair of twins.

Relations: As discussed, shi-neks fear wendigo. Since they so rarely venture beyond their mountains, their reactions to other races are generally a mixture of caution and curiosity. They fear aasimars almost as much as wendigo, as most aasimars believe all undead to be abominations, making no exception for the timid slug people. Their attitudes toward most generally-good races is the same, though not as extreme.

Alignment and Religion: While undead, shi-neks are not evil creatures by nature, merely scared and weak. Shi-neks are almost always neutral. Those few shi-neks that follow the path of darkness are often insane, driven mad by wendigo but unable to become one by some quirk of magic. The scant few that embrace heroism are often coattail-riders, being rescued from wendigo by larger adventurers. These good shi-neks seek to emulate their new heroes, generally dragging their twin along for the ride. Shi-nek twins always have the same alignment. As far as religion, shi-neks tend to worship deities of knowledge and magic.

Adventurers: It is a rare shi-nek indeed that musters up the courage to leave the doubtful safety of the mountains, but those that do are either chased back home or become forces to be reckoned with. No normal shi-nek willingly becomes a martial combatant, but shi-neks embrace magic and make excellent spellcasters. In addition, shi-neks are fond of animals, and a surprising number take up the mantle of the druid.

Naming Conventions: Shi-nek names are always two syllables. In Common, this is rendered as three letters, a hyphen, then another three-letter syllable. The second half of their name is shared between a pair of twins. Due to the nature of their being, names for twinned pairs will be given in the Names section, formatted as Twin 1/Twin 2.

Names: Jor-Zin/Dex-Zin, Mal-Tek/Ley-Tek, Sim-Kal/Rep-Kal, Zan-Joh/Nuu-Joh, Moh-Lox/Cen-Lox, Zol-Von/Rai-Von

Racial Traits (20 RP)

+2 Int, +2 Wis, +2 Cha, -6 Str (3 RP): Shi-neks are mentally powerful, but immensely weak. As undead, shi-neks have no Constitution score, and use their Charisma to determine values normally based on Constitution (Fortitude saves, bonus hit points, etc).

Tiny (4 RP): Shi-neks are Tiny creatures and gain a +2 size bonus to their AC, Dexterity score, and attack rolls; a -2 size penalty to their Strength scores (this has already been factored into the ability scores), combat maneuver checks and CMD; and a +8 size bonus on Stealth checks. They have no natural reach, do not threaten squares around them and must move into enemy squares to engage in melee combat.

Undead (16 RP): Shi-neks are undead creatures.

Legless speed (-4 RP) Shi-neks have no legs, and a base speed of only 5 feet. However, their lack of legs grants them immunity to tripping.

Fear Response (-3 RP): Unlike most undead, shi-neks are vulnerable to mind-affecting effects and take a -2 penalty on saves against fear effects.

Timid (3 RP): Shi-neks get a +2 racial bonus on Perception checks, and Perception and Stealth are always class skills for shi-neks.

Shi-nek Resistances (2 RP): Shi-neks have resistance 5 against fire and cold damage.

Neutral Necromancy (4 RP): Any undead that shi-neks create through effects such as animate dead or create undead are neutral instead of their normal alignment.

Resurrection Vulnerability (-2 RP): A raise dead or similar spell cast on a shi-nek can destroy it and its twin. Both twins get a Will save to negate; if one succeeds, then neither twin is destroyed.

Twinned Creature: Shi-neks are born with a permanent telepathic bond to one specific member of their race; this second shi-nek is its twin. A shi-nek is constantly aware of how healthy its twin is, and twins can communicate telepathically when they're within one mile of each other. The only way to sever this connection is to destroy one of the twins.

Languages: Shi-neks begin play speaking Common and Aklo. Shi-neks with high Intelligence scores can learn Giant, Dwarven, Draconic, Orc, Abyssal, Infernal and Undercommon.

Alternate Racial Traits

Limited Flight: Some shi-neks are born with a limited form of flight. Shi-neks with this trait do not truly fly, but levitate one foot above the ground, and are treated as having a movement speed of 30 ft. This replaces limbless speed and timid.

Giant's Shoes: When a wendigo transforms a giant, shi-neks are created that are larger than normal. Shi-neks with this trait are Small size instead of Tiny. In addition, they receive different ability score modifiers: +2 Dex, -2 Str, and +2 to any one mental ability score. This replaces the normal size trait, ability score modifiers and neutral necromancy.

Bravado: Some shi-neks are born without their normal cowardice. These shi-neks gain a +2 bonus to Intimidate and Diplomacy, and these become class skills. This trait replaces timid.

Focused Resistance: Sometimes, a pair of shi-neks split their resistances between them on creation. Instead of each having resistance 5 to both fire and cold, one twin possesses resistance 10 to cold, the other resistance 10 to fire. This ability replaces shi-nek resistances.

Racial feats

Unnatural Rebellion

By your own innate goodness, the undead you create rebel against the idea of being exclusively evil.

Prereqs: Shi-nek, neutral necromancy racial trait, Spell Focus (necromancy), character level 15th, good alignment

Benefit: Undead you create with effects such as animate dead and create undead are good in alignment.

Normal: Undead you create are neutral.

Unliving Companion

Your closest companion, other than your twin, has joined you in undeath.

Prereqs: Shi-nek, Cha 13, animal companion, mount or familiar class feature

Benefit: Your companion's type changes to undead. Its appearance can change as appropriate.

Wendigo Watcher

You've observed the dreaded wendigo and know how best to combat them.

Prereqs: Shi-nek, timid racial trait, Perception +7, must have seen a wendigo defeated

Benefit: You gain a +2 morale bonus on saves against curses, immunity to wendigo psychosis and a +2 dodge bonus to AC against attacks by creatures with the cold subtype.

Racial class archetype

Necrocrafter (summoner)

Shi-neks are always born in pairs. Sometimes, even death cannot break this connection. There are those shi-neks who, having lost their twin, can call their twin's soul into an undead shell. These summoners and their rebuilt twins are more closely bonded than most summoners become with their eidolons. Necrocrafters gain the following class features.

Necrocrafted Twin: Instead of an imagination-based outsider, the eidolon of a necrocrafter is the incorporeal spirit of its twin occupying a dead body, crafted from bits and pieces of deceased creatures. The necrocrafted twin is an undead creature, commonly of Small size (though Medium necrocrafted twins do exist). When the necrocrafted eidolon's hit points are reduced to zero, its body collapses and the eidolon returns to its extraplanar home. In order to resummon it, the necrocrafter must collect a mound of flesh of the appropriate size and perform a summoning ritual lasting 10 minutes. A slain undead of the appropriate size can be used for this purpose. Evolutions are assumed to manifest after the twin possesses the body; this includes evolutions that alter the necrocrafted twin's shape or size. In addition, the shi-nek's telepathic bond racial feature applies to the necrocrafted twin.

Starting at 8th level, if the necrocrafted twin is resummoned while the necrocrafter is controlling multiple undead through his animate dead spell-like ability, the other undead are absorbed into its body. For the duration of its summoning period, the necrocrafted twin increases its size category by one step for every four HD of undead absorbed in this manner, to a maximum of Huge. If the necrocrafted twin possesses the Large evolution, this increases to Gargantuan. If the twin is Huge, the maximum size is Colossal. At 12th level, the necrocrafted twin can consume corpses for this effect.

The necrocrafted twin shares the necrocrafter's resurrection vulnerability. If destroyed using a raise dead or similar spell, the necrocrafter is also destroyed.

This otherwise functions like and replaces the standard summoner's eidolon, and also replaces the merge forms and twin eidolon class features.

Undead Creation: A necrocrafter can cast lesser animate dead as a spell-like ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Charisma modifier. He can only create a single undead in this manner. The necrocrafter cannot create another undead until the previous one is destroyed, and he cannot use this spell-like ability while his necrocrafted twin is active. Conversely, the necrocrafted twin can be summoned while this ability is in use; undead created through this ability can be used as a conduit to resummon the necrocrafted twin.

Starting at 8th level, the spell-like ability functions as a standard casting of animate dead, though it still cannot be used while the necrocrafted twin is active.

At 12th level, this ability can function as create undead, with the exception that intelligent undead created cannot be used as conduits for resummoning the necrocrafted twin. Intelligent undead are removed from your control if you summon the necrocrafted twin.

At 16th level, this ability can be used as create greater undead, with the stipulations above.

At 20th level, this ability can be used to create almost any undead creature with HD less than your own. Undead creatures that require specific rituals or circumstances (such as the lich, demilich, graveknight, and ravener) cannot be created in this way. In addition, you can create a pair of shi-neks with one class level (any class) by severing the feet from a single humanoid, without transforming the target into a wendigo. Performing this on an unwilling creature is an evil act, although this ability can be used on willing subjects as well as corpses.

This ability replaces summon monster, life link and life bond.

Spells: The necrocrafter adds lesser animate dead, animate dead, and create undead to his spells known at the appropriate levels, as a cleric or oracle.

Bonus Feat: At 7th level, the necrocrafter gains Unnatural Rebellion as a bonus feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites. This ability replaces transposition.

Sample shi-nek

This miniscule, frostbitten creature hides timidly behind the horns of a much larger yet eerily similar monstrosity.

Jor-zin

Male shi-nek necrocrafter 15

N Tiny undead

|-Defense-|

AC 17 (+2 size, +1 Dex, +4 shield)

hp 161 (15d8+90)

Fort +10, Ref +7, Will +11

Defensive abilities: greater shield ally

Resist cold 5, fire 5

Immune: Undead traits

Weaknesses: fear response, sunlight powerlessness, resurrection vulnerability

|-Offense-|

Speed 10ft

Special attacks: Undead Creation

Summoner spells known (CL 15th)

5th (4/day)—conjure black pudding, ethereal jaunt, greater teleport, true seeing

4th (5/day)—baleful polymorph, overland flight, summon monster V, teleport

3rd (6/day)—animate dead, dimension door, fly, greater magic fang, stoneskin, summon monster IV

2nd (6/day)—lesser animate dead, barkskin, bull's strength, haste, spider climb, summon monster II

1st (7/day)—corrosive touch, enlarge person, feather fall, ray of sickening, reduce person, summon monster I

0 (at will)—acid splash, detect magic, guidance, light, read magic, resistance

|-Statistics-|

Str 4, Dex 14, Con –, Int 15, Wis 16, Cha 20

BAB +11, CMB +6, CMD 18 (can't be tripped)

Feats: Unnatural Rebellion (B), Extra Evolution (x3), Extend Spell, Spell Focus (necromancy), Skeleton Summoner, Improved Initiative, Vigilant Eidolon

Skills (60): Knowledge (planes) +20, Knowledge (religion) +20, Perception +17, Ride +19

Languages: Aklo, Common, Draconic, Undercommon

Dex-Zin (necrocrafted twin)

N Medium undead

Base form: quadruped

|-Defense-|

AC 33 (+4 Dex, +19 natural, -1 size, +1 dodge)

hp 90 (12d8+36)

Fort +13, Ref +12, Will +4 (+8 vs mind effects)

|-Offense-|

Speed 40 ft, fly 40 ft (average)

Melee: Bite +20 (2d8+9), 4 claws +20 (2d8+9)

Special attacks: rend (2d8+13)

Space 10 ft, reach 5 ft

|-Statistics-|

Str 28, Dex 18, Con –, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 14

BAB +12, CMB +15, CMD 27

Feats: Multiattack (B), Toughness, Power Attack, Improved Bull Rush, Awesome Blow, Dodge, Improved Natural Armor

Skills (48, extra class skills Climb, Heal, Intimidate, Fly): Climb +28, Intimidate +17, Perception +15, Swim +25

Evolutions: Claws, Mount, Large, Limbs (arms), Claws, Improved Damage (claws), pounce, immunity (cold), rend, immunity (fire), grab (bite), swallow whole, flight