Alba (Al-ba)
Small, jelly-like humanoids that are said to have been formed when an ancient primordial ooze died. Upon its death, it was believed to have split apart into the first Albas.
Basic Information
Biological Traits
An albas body is made of up an acidic jelly, which is slowly corrosive meaning prolonged contact with an alba is detrimental to most races.
Genetics and Reproduction
Albas do not reproduce sexually, instead undergoing a mitosis when it reaches a certain age and mass (generally around 40 years and 4 feet in height), splitting into two "newborn" albas. Newborn albas retain vague feeling of things their parent enjoyed or feared, such as a favored food, the fondness of a friend, or a fear of a particular beasts, but such feelings often become lost or distorted through multiple mitosis's.
Growth Rate & Stages
A *newborn* alba stands around two feet tall, and slowly grows by absorbing nutrients through the ground and its food.
Ecology and Habitats
Alba's avoid water, as it damages the compositions of the jelly-bodies and dilutes their acid. They can be found near acidic pools and in large, dry caverns.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Albas feed by inserting creatures and objects into their bodies and slowly dissolving them, usually preferring small mammals as prey, but will consume just about anything. Taste is a way to experience the world uniquely for them, and may alba will often ingest non-edible materials for periods of time to savor their *unique* taste. Rarely, a malnourished alba who believes that they will not live to their mitosis will actively seek out other alba, who will then *cannibalize* it by engulfing it into itself. This is viewed as an act of mercy, allowing the absorbed alba to carry on spiritually through fusion.
Biological Cycle
Albas avoid the cold, and thus often become inactive or even frozen in the winter. Many hide from the winter months near sulfuric caves or vents.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Albas are mostly solitary creatures, separating from their spawn mate at *birth*. Most simply trying to achieve its mitosis as quickly as possible, compelled by an ancient need to multiply. When moving into populated areas, albas will often group together as they find it much easier to communicate with each other.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Albas are often studied or utilized by alchemists, and thus can often be found working (either willingly or not) in alchemy labs or shops. Many thieves guilds value the albas blindsight for its ability to easily find hidden objects and traps, and thus many are utilized in secret organizations.
Facial characteristics
Albas lack faces, lacking the ability to speak, but can still *hear* vibrations in the air, allowing them to understand other creatures. This method of hearing is not perfect, and an alba often misunderstands verbal statements.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Average Intelligence
Lacking brains (and most other organs), most albas lack the ability for critical thinking, They also struggle to express themselves and communicate due to a both a lack of facial features and a mouth.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Albas lack both eyes and ears, and instead "see" the world through sensing the vibrations in the air and ground. While a young albas range of blindsight is limited to around 15 feet, they learn to expand their senses much farther as they age.
Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms
Many albas form attachments to other ooze creatures, often going out of their way to feed them or utilizing them as protectors or cleaners of their lairs.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Most albas lack names, referring to themselves as “this one” or simply Alba. Those that do take on names often take some variation of Alba, often rearranging the letters or adding parts.
Major Organizations
A guild in the the city of Nenu-Lan known as the Alba Legion is made up entirely of Alba.
Beauty Ideals
Due to a lack of features and their inability to see details such as color, albas have no concept of traditional beauty. They do value things of size, seeing as the larger an alba is the closer to mitosis they are.
Gender Ideals
Albas lack genders entirely, and many struggle to even understand the concept of gender.
Courtship Ideals
Due to a lack of gender and an asexual life cylce, albas lack courtships, and often don't even understand the reproduction cycles of other races.
Relationship Ideals
Albas struggle to make connections with non-alba creatures due to their limited communication skills, but are quick to trust those that make the effort to bond with them. They often also become aids to the disabled of other races, aiding them with their increased perception.
Average Technological Level
Due to their lack of intellect and their only major desire to reach their mitosis, the alba lack much of even basic technologies. Some alba become frustrated with the way they perceive the world, wishing to become able to see all the things their blindness denies them, and often will turn to technology or magic to try to gain the sights of other races.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Albas cannot speak, and thus must communicate through sign language, utilizing a gesture based sign language known as Alban Sign Language. Alba can sometimes be found with the ability to understand Aklo, Common, Sylvan, or Undercommon, and often work to pick up the sign version of Common.
Common Etiquette Rules
An albas lack of cultural understanding means that they often don't even understand when they are being insulted, but they often have a hard time understanding the need for etiquette among other races. Due to other races avoiding their harmful bodies, many albas think it is proper not to make physical contact with others.
Common Dress Code
Due to a lack of sexual organs, their bodies often slowly corroding clothing, and the albas inability to appreciate the finer aspect of cosmetics, most alba wear nothing at all. When they do wear clothes, they often wear acid resistant leathers or water resistant gear, such as ponchos, to keep away dreaded water.
Common Taboos
An alba turning away from the idea of achieving mitosis and attempting to live beyond is time is such a betrayal of their ideals that many alba would refuse to believe it. They view the idea of immortality in general as a unholy act that denies the world of its natural order and stifles ones energy forever.
Historical Figures
One of the members of the Nenu-Lan guild was an alba Earthshaker named Abla.
Common Myths and Legends
A vast majority of alba worship an ancient, deceased deity known as Albanor, who is believed to be the first ooze. They believe that it achieved a massive mitosis instead of truly dying, and that the reason they can still access its power since it lives on through them.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
An Alba's blindsight and lack of communication methods makes it difficult to relate to other races, and their acidic body makes physical contact with others painful, and thus have poor relations with others. Many view them as sad creatures, or not even fully sapient and thus little better than an animal. This often leads to an alba being exploited for its abilities. Albas fear aquatic races, as their proximity to water can be deadly to them. Alchemists find albas fascinating, so an alba is more likely to be approached by a race that often produces alchemists, such as the Nezumi, Stinglings, or Zercs.
Racial Table - Alba: Hit Dice: D8; Class Skills: Climb, Knowledge (Dungeoneering), Linguistics, Perception; Skill Ranks Per Level: 2 + Intelligence modifier; Weapon Proficiency: Simple; Armor Proficiency: None
| Level | BAB | Fort | Reflex | Will | Abilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | Acid Body, Blindsight 15 feet, Cold Vulnerability, Sticky |
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +0 | +0 | Blindsight 30 feet |
| 3rd | +2 | +1 | +1 | +1 | Blindsight 45 feet |
| 4th | +3 | +1 | +1 | +1 | Blindsight 60 feet, +2 Constitution |
| 5th | +4 | +1 | +1 | +1 | Blindsight 75 feet, Burning Acid |
Random Starting Ages
| Adulthood | Intuitive1 | Self-Taught2 | Trained4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 years | +1d4 years (9 - 12) | +2d4 years (10 - 16) | +1d10 years (9 - 18) |
Random Height and Weight
| Base Height | Height Modifier | Base Weight | Weight Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 ft. | +3d4 in. (2 ft. 3 in - 3 ft.) | 30 lbs. | +(3d4 lbs.) (33 - 42 lbs.) |
Alba Aging Table
| Middle Age (-1 to Str, Dex, and Con, +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha) | Old (-2 to Str, Dex, and Con, +2 to Int, Wis, and Cha) | Venerable (-3 to Str, Dex, and Con, +3 to Int, Wis, and Cha) | Maximum Age (GM secretly decides maximum age) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 years | 24 years | 36 years | 36 + 1d12 years (37 - 48 years) |
Random Alba Homelands
| % Rolled | Homeland | Trait Gained |
|---|---|---|
| 01-60 | Acid Pools | Elemental Apprentice |
| 61-70 | City or Metropolis | Vagabond Child |
| 71-80 | Sewers | Garbage Picker |
| 81-90 | Subterranean | Dungeon Dweller |
| 91-00 | Unusual Homeland | (Roll on Unusual Homeland table) |
Random Alba Families (Albas' don't have families in the traditional sense)
| % Rolled | Parental Status |
|---|---|
| 01-60 | Self-Raised |
| 61-00 | Raised by other races (Roll on adopted families table) |
| % Rolled | # of Siblings |
|---|---|
| 01-90 | 1 Sibling (twins) |
| 91-00 | 2 Siblings (triplets) |
Lifespan
37 - 48 years
Average Height
2 ft. 3 in . - 3 ft.
Average Weight
33 - 42 lbs
Average Physique
An albas ooze body makes them incredibly difficult to permanently injure, and thus they gain a fortitude not found in most races.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Albas come in various colors, ranging from light green, to yellow, or even grey.
Geographic Distribution
Alba
Type
Ooze
Ability Score Modifier
+2 Constitution, -4 Intelligence, -2 Charisma: An alba’s physiology makes them difficult to injure, but their minds are underdeveloped.
Size
small
Speed
Albas have a base speed of 20 feet.
Language
An alba starts play knowing only Alban Sign Language. Albas with a high intelligence score can pick from the following languages: Aklo, Common, Sylvan, Undercommon. The Alban language is extremely difficult to learn and mostly nonverbal, so it should be considered a secret language for other races. Albas lack the vocal cords and cannot speak other languages verbally, but can sign in any languages they know, gaining Gesture Expertise as a bonus trait.
- Materil: Albas are tied to both the Earth and Water Materil, and can become Earthbreakers or Watershifters.
- Acid Body: Albas are composed of an acid-like jelly, granting them immunity to acid damage. Additionally, any creature coming into physical contact with an Alba takes 1 point of acid damage each round, and an Alba deals 1 point of acid damage on any unarmed attacks it makes. This damage increases by 1 for every 4 hit dice beyond the 1st an alba possesses. If submerged in acid or a similar substance, an Alba gains fast healing 1 for as long as it remains in the acid. An alba ages 1 year for each round it remains in an acid substance, as its body pulls the acid in and enlarges itself.
- Blindsight (Ex): Albas lack traditional sensory organs, they instead “see” the world through feeling the vibrations in the ground and air. An alba’s Blindsight functions within 15 feet per racial level of it and grants the following: Negates displacement, blur, and invisibility effects, as well as sight-based concealment from the albas attacks; Grants the alba immunity to blinding and gaze attacks; Makes the alba unable to distinguish color or visual contrast and renders the alba unable to read; Blindsight functions underwater but not in a vacuum.
- Cold Vulnerability: An alba's body reacts negatively to wetness and cold. Alba’s have a vulnerability to cold damage, and they take 1 point of Constitution damage anytime they come into contact with any non-acidic liquid. An alba immersed in liquid takes 1 point of Constitution damage and de-ages one year each round it remains immersed.
- Ooze Traits: Alba’s are humanoid oozes. This grants them immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph effects, and stunning. An albas lack of vital organs means it is immune to critical hits and precision damage, and cannot be flanked. Unlike most Oozes, albas lack the mindless trait. Albas need to eat and breath, although they do not need to sleep unless they wish to gain the benefits of sleeping (such as regaining hit points or spell slots).
- Sticky: The sticky body of an alba makes it difficult to let go of if touched. An alba gains a +4 racial bonus on combat maneuver checks to grapple and to maintain a grapple, however this also means it is difficult for them to escape grapples. When trying to escape an enemy grapple, they instead receive a -4 racial penalty to either their CMB roll or Escape Artist check. This also grants them a +2 racial bonus to Climb checks. These bonuses increase by 1 for every four hit dice beyond the 1st the alba possesses.
- Burning Acid: At 5th racial level, any acid the alba generates is incredibly deadly. An alba doubles any acid damage it deals to creatures without acid immunity or resistances. Instead of dealing double damage, an alba ignores half the resistances of a creature with acid resistance and instead treats a creature with acid immunity as having acid resistance 10.
Alternate Racial Traits
- Blighted: Some albas arose from the corrupted areas controlled by blight oozes. Such alba choose a favored terrain from the rangers favored terrain list. While in their favored terrain, they double the range of their blindsight, and gain a +2 racial bonus to Initiative and Knowledge (Geography). Leaving these terrains instills terrible anxiety in these alba. At the start of each day that the alba remains in a terrain that isn't a favored terrain, the alba must make a Will save (DC 10 + Hit Dice) or be shaken until it renters a favored terrain. This trait replaces the Sticky trait and alters the blindsight trait.
- Flowing (Ex): Some alba's are more liquid than solid. By spending a standard action and by taking a point of Dexterity damage, these alba can gain the compression ability for 1 round, allowing them to squeeze through extremely small areas, such as a crack under a door. Due to their more fragile liquid bodies, an alba with this trait takes 1.5x damage from slashing attacks. This trait replaces the Sticky trait.
- Ooze Empathy: Some albas are able to connect and control oozes. They can communicate with ooze creatures as if using a druids wild empathy, and they get a +4 racial bonus to that check. Wild oozes will never attack these alba unprovoked (although this protection does not apply to any companions the alba might have). An alba with this trait has difficulty communicating with non-ooze creatures. They take a -2 penalty on all Charisma-based skills when interacting with a non-ooze creature. This trait replaces the Sticky trait.
- Rubbery: Some albas bodies are less sticky and more bouncy. These alba gain a +2 racial bonus on Acrobatics checks to jump; this bonus increases by 1 for every two hit dice beyond the 1st the alba possesses. Whenever they would take bludgeoning damage, they take 1 less point of damage for each hit dice they possess. However, they take more damage from falling, as the impact radiates through their body with more force. Whenever they take falling damage, they increase that damage by 50% and always land prone. This trait replaces the Sticky trait.
- Translucent (Ex): Some albas are translucent, and are very difficult to detect when standing still. An alba with this trait gains a +4 racial bonus on Stealth checks, and as long as they haven't taken any other actions for two rounds, they can make a Stealth check to hide in plain sight, even while being observed. This ability increases the albas difficulty at communicating; the alba must roll twice and take the lower result on all Charisma based skill checks. This trait replaces the Sticky trait.
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