KazarimCorps, Part 4 (Species: Kosha and Noktor)
Kosha
The artificial lifeforms known as the kosha are sapient machines developed by the kaevolians as companions during their thousand-year voyage across the Dark. While the Glow contains all manner of semi-sentient AIs and dimwitted helper robots, the kosha served as true partners in the kaevolian conquest of the stars, and in the struggle for survival after the Awakening.
Most kosha have a vaguely humanoid form, and some are even indistinguishable from kaevolians through visual means of detection. While a kosha’s form depends very much on the original purpose it was created to fulfill, other species of the Glow generally believe that the artificial lifeforms have souls, and can expand beyond their original programming. Newly created kosha have an extremely simple understanding of the world, usually limited to specific knowledge related to their purpose and a broad, two-dimensional understanding of everything else. As they mature, they develop nuanced personalities just like any other life form, though they can tend to be contemplative and methodical in their approach to situations unless their original programming was designed for some esoteric or abstract purpose.
While not immortal, kosha have an extremely long service period, as they can upgrade and replace their components as they become damaged or worn. However, over time, a kosha’s neural core will slowly degrade to the point where replacements no longer function properly. This can take centuries; an individual kosha is just as likely to become filled with ennui and commit suicide, or become rampant and corrupt, as they are to suffer hardware failure after centuries. In practice, few kosha are more than a century old, and most were built after the restoration of a crashed forgeship on Soman fifteen years ago. Like the other lifeforms in the Glow, the Awakening was a traumatic event for the kosha, and the destruction of the kaevolian fleet took most of the original kosha population with it.
Most kosha fall under three main types:
I-Series: The I-series performs scientific research, medical duties, and social interface. They tend to be the most organic-looking of the kosha, often incorporating realistic synthetic skin into their design.
R-Series: These kosha have programming that focuses on space exploration, from stellar navigation and piloting skills to setting up colonies and mining asteroids. These tend to be recognizably kaevolian in appearance, but typically with a more industrial or mechanical appearance.
W-Series: The rarest of the kosha, the W-series consists of combat and infiltration units. The kaevolians built them in great numbers prior to the Awakening, and some of the oldest remaining kosha date to this time. Their frames often are the least organic or humanoid in appearance, with bulky armor modifications and built-in weapons.
Kosha tend to follow the Bodda Am religion, like their kaevolian creators, although a few drift into other paths. Many follow no religion at all. Kosha are frequently envoys, mechanics, operatives, and technomancers.
Ability Adjustments
+2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom. Kosha possess all of the advantages of a computer brain, but often also have difficulty relating to the nuance and inexactness of life.
HIT POINTS
4
SIZE AND TYPE
Kosha are Medium humanoids with the android subtype.
SPEED
Kosha have a Base Speed of 30.
SENSES
Low-light vision, darkvision 60 feet.
CONSTRUCTED
For effects targeting creatures by type, kosha count as both humanoids and constructs (whichever effect is worse). They receive a +2 racial bonus to saving throws against disease, mind-affecting effects, poison, and sleep, unless those effects specifically target constructs. In addition, kosha do not breathe or suffer the normal environmental effects of being in a vacuum. They can eat and drink, although they do not gain sustenance from this, and do not need to do so to survive. Unlike true constructs, they can heal over time, as their bodies incorporate self-repairing nanites that mimic the natural healing of organic beings. (Ex)
UPGRADE SLOT
Kosha have a single armor upgrade slot built into their bodies. Regardless of whether kosha are wearing physical armor, they can use this slot to install any one armor upgrade that could be installed into light armor.
VARIABLE MISSION
Kosha select one of three different body frames at character creation. Each grants a different ability bonus and additional benefits.
I-Series: +2 Charisma. Select one additional class skill.
R-Series: +2 Dexterity. Treat your character level as +1 higher for purposes of determining your Resolve Points.
W-Series: +2 Strength. +1 stamina point per level.
STARTING LANGUAGES
Kaevolian.
Noktor
The noktor were one of the two dominate, native species of Jeruntam before the Awakening of the God-Planet. Adapted to the planet’s high-gravity environment, the noktor are dense and resilient. They tend to be dark skinned, with light hair and eyes, and although they usually weigh considerably more than kaevolians, they tend to be shorter. They have thick, wooly hair all over their body, although most who live on ships have it removed to avoid fouling clean environments with loose strands. Since the Awakening of the God-World, a significant number of noktor have been born with a bluish tone to their skin, possibly a side effect of the radiation or odd magic of the Glow.
Originally a highly spiritual people, many noktor have become resolutely antagonistic to religion, or turning from their traditional deities to apocalypse cults and the kaevolian religious philosophy of Bodda Am. The ancient caste system that once held the noktoran people together has also vanished, with most modern noktor adopting the kaevolian concept of “equal partners, equal progress.” A few more traditional members of this species exist on Soman, where they have tried to recreate the caste system around the worship the Lost Father, supposedly the only Amher deity who didn’t die in the war with the Stone Spider. However, their caste system is much less rigid, and builds in certain fundamental rights even for the lowest castes.
Noktor comprise the greatest number of explorers and relic-seekers who take ships down to the God-World, a dangerous task that involves overcoming mad dragons, giant vermin, toxic fumes, and radiation. To many noktor, these fortune seekers are more than simple treasure hunters; instead, they strive to take back some of what their species has lost since the Awakening. The most common classes for noktor are envoy, mechanic, solarian, and soldier.
ABILITY ADJUSTMENTS
+2 Strength, +2 Wisdom, -2 Dexterity. Even though they no longer live on Jeruntam, the noktor retain some of their heavy-gravity heritage, and centuries of devotional practices have given them more self-awareness than most.
HIT POINTS
5
SIZE AND TYPE
Noktor are Medium humanoids with the noktor subtype.
SPEED
Noktor have a Base Speed of 30 feet.
SENSES
Normal vision.
FIGHTING THE LAST WAR
Noktor receive a +2 racial bonus to Will saves due to the hardships and trauma they have suffered since the Awakening. They also receive a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against aberrations, dragons, and vermin, the dangerous creatures who now inhabit the God-World. (Ex)
HEAVY WORLDER
Noktoran physiology gives them several advantages over other species. They gain a +2 racial bonus to all combat maneuver checks and KAC for the purpose of grappling, bull rush, tripping, and other attempts due to their mass. Noktor also increase their bulk thresholds for determining if they are encumbered or overburdened, to Strength score x2 for encumbered and Strength score x3 for overburdened. When factoring the effects of gravity on the character, noktor ignore high gravity penalties, treat extreme gravity as high gravity for purposes of the penalties involved, and double the bonuses gained from low gravity. (Ex)
RESOLUTE
Noktor gain +1 Resolve Point at 1st level. They gain an additional Resolve Point at 8th and 16th levels.
STARTING LANGUAGES
Kaevolian, Noktoran.