Synthopan (Sin-tho-pan)
Humans who have infused their skin with a strange nanite symbiote, synthopans are the definition of adaptability. Sometimes just called Synths, they are able to alter their body chemistry to offer various protections. Bonding with their symbiote from a young age, a synth views its symbiote as a close sibling and partner, and are able to understand each other on the most personal of levels.
Basic Information
Biological Traits
A synthopan is bonded to the nanites that make up the top layer of its skin, known as its symbiote. This symbiote provides the synth with numerous benefits, including protection against elemental damage, fighting of diseases and poisons, guarding the synths mind against invasive magic, increasing the synths reflexes, hardening its skin against attacks, and even repairing grievous wounds. Some synths even alter their symbiotes capabilities for different and unique abilities, such as the ability to reshape their arms into deadly weapons.
Genetics and Reproduction
Synthopans are born essentially normal humans, although their skin and genetics have been altered at slightly at the molecular level to be more adaptive to nanites.
Growth Rate & Stages
The first three years of a synthopans life are relatively normal, but when they reach four years old, they must undergo the Bonding, the processes of binding nanites to their skin to form their symbiote. This involves dropping them into a large nanite-filled liquid vat, were the nanites break down the top layers of the child's flesh and organs and rebuild them with nanite particles. This process is incredibly painful, and some don't survive the Bonding. These children generally spend the next six or so years learning to control and live with their symbiotes.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Synthopans often need to eat slightly more than a normal human to compensate for the extra energy its symbiote uses. A symbiote also takes a small portion of energy that it consumes and "stores" it, allowing for the synth to go for extended periods of time without eating, drinking, or sleeping if absolutely needed.
Biological Cycle
A synthopans symbiote allows it to resist the effects of the elements, and thus synths can continue to operate even in harsh winters or scorching summers with little to no problems.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Many synthopans are part of large, wealthy, interconnected families. These families run large scale economic operations in the city of Nenu-Lan, such as banking guilds or law firms. A synth youth is expected to join the family business, and the latter years of a synths childhood are spend rigorously training in preparation to enter the workforce.
Facial characteristics
Many synths have strangely colored eyes, as they can cause their eye color to change in mere moments, and often use their eye color as a way to express themselves.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Nearly all synthopans live in the technologically advanced city of Nenu-Lan, as only there do the nanites that the synths use are found. Synths that live elsewhere are usually outcast from their families, or are undercover agents from the city working to destabilize potential threats to its existance.
Average Intelligence
Like normal humans, synthopans are quite varied in their intelligence levels and mental focus. Synths in general often receive a much better education than the average human, as most synths are born into powerful and influential families in the city of Nenu-Lan who can afford such things, and will often be educated on the power of technology.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
A synthopans symbiote shares its senses, and sometimes might notice small details that allow the synthopan a faster reaction time, but synths otherwise have no special senses.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Synthopans share the same naming conventions as normal humans.
Major Organizations
The largest synthopan organization is known as the Synth Syndicate, which is a guild made up of the largest and most influential synth families. The syndicate runs its part of the city like a giant mafia ring, extorting its lower members with a strict hierarchy.
Gender Ideals
While gender ideals vary from family to family, many synthopans have no particular qualm about gender, with females and males gaining the same treatment.
Courtship Ideals
Synthopan courtships are as varied as humans, with individual families prioritizing different things and individual synths often trying many different ways to entice a partner.
Relationship Ideals
A synthopans closets relationship is with its symbiote, who communicates with its host through feelings. This relationship is often familial in nature, with many viewing their symbiote as a little sibling. Such relationships can sometimes take toxic turns however, as some synths resent the symbiote for the pain it causes them and some symbiotes gaining a jealous-like possessiveness over their host.
Average Technological Level
Being born and raised in the technologically advanced city of Nenu-Lan has granted the synthopans access to higher technology, with many utilizing guns or even nanite weaponry to rend their foes apart from the inside out.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Common Etiquette Rules
Synthopans often place heavy emphasis on hierarchy, and thus are schooled in etiquette and the proper way to act in front of families in a more powerful position then their own.
Common Dress Code
Many synthopans try to appear professional, wearing suits and other fancy clothing, while higher up synth nobles often spend heavily on luxurious party attire. A synths symbiote is considered a private part of their body, and thus they try to cover up the portions of their bodies wear their symbiote is most actives, which is usually the torso or forearms.
Common Taboos
Not joining their families business in some form is usually cause for disownment for most synthopans. While not strictly forbidden, many synths avoid arts that involve music and loud noises, as their symbiotes are disrupted by large bursts of sound, and thus a synth is unlikely to ever take up a profession as a musician.
History
Sythopans are the descendants of the first humans who traveled to the crashed spaceship that would eventually become known as the Angra-Nenu. These humans found their way into the medical bays of the ship, and found machines that utilize nanites to repair grievous injuries. The nanites struggled to work with human tissue at first, but with the discovery of the nanite vat-pools, the humans were able to fully integrate their children with the nanites and create the symbiotes.
Historical Figures
The most powerful synth familiar is the Adar family.
One of the members of the Nenu-Lan guild The Court of Misfits was Hans Keller, a synthopan medic.
Common Myths and Legends
Like the other technological races of Nenu-Lan, most synths eschew religion for a focus on technology and science, but some can still be found worshipping deities from the human pantheon. Many synths join or have fallen into the hive mind of The Collective One, viewing its collective as then next step of the Bonding process.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
The synths have the most integrated of relationships with the other Nenu-Lan races, having embassies in the territories of each of them. Like normal humans, a synths varied personality means that any particular faction may have a good relationship with another race while having a terrible one with another. As with many of the Nenu-lan races, they have poor relationships with the other races of the world. Regular humans in particular find synths terrifying, often hearing (usually) exaggerated stories of technological mutilation and child abuse.
Racial Table - Synthopan: Hit Dice: D8; Class Skills: Appraise, Craft, Diplomacy, Knowledge (Engineering), Profession; Skill Ranks Per Level: 2 + Intelligence modifier; Weapon Proficiency: Simple, plus technological weapons; Armor Proficiency: Light, plus technological armor
| Level | BAB | Fort | Reflex | Will | Abilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +2 | +0 | Adaptable Resistances, Dual Minded, Sonic Weakness |
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +3 | +0 | Healthy Body, Natural Armor |
| 3rd | +2 | +1 | +3 | +1 | Nanite Immunity, Quick Reflexs |
| 4th | +3 | +1 | +4 | +1 | Natural Armor Increase, +1 to any two ability scores |
| 5th | +3 | +1 | +4 | +1 | Fast Healing |
Random Starting Ages
| Adulthood | Intuitive1 | Self-Taught2 | Trained3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 years | +1d4 years (14 - 17) | +1d6 years (14 - 19) | +1d8 years (14 - 21) |
Random Height and Weight
| Gender | Base Height | Height Modifier | Base Weight | Weight Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 4 ft. 5 in. | +2d10 in. (4 ft. 7 in. - 6 ft. 1 in.) | 95 lbs. | +(2d10x5 lbs.) (105 - 195 lbs.) |
| Female | 4 ft. | +2d10 in. (4 ft. 2 in. - 5 ft. 8 in.) | 60 lbs. | +(2d1o x5 lbs.) (70 - 160 lbs.) |
Synthopan 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 years | 50 years | 65 years | 65 + 1d10 years (66 - 75 years) |
Random Synthopan Homelands
| % Rolled | Homeland | Trait Gained |
|---|---|---|
| 01-90 | Technological City or Area | Technical Archeologist |
| 91-97 | Human Homeland | (Roll on Human Homeland table) |
| 98-00 | Unusual Homeland | (Roll on Unusual Homeland table) |
Random Synthopan Families
| % Rolled | Parental Status |
|---|---|
| 01-50 | Both of your parents are alive |
| 51-70 | Only Father is alive |
| 71-90 | Only Mother is alive |
| 91-00 | Both of your parents are dead |
| % Rolled | # of Siblings |
|---|---|
| 01-40 | 1 Sibling |
| 41-70 | 1 Sibling and one pure human half-sibling |
| 71-90 | 1d4 Siblings |
| 91-00 | No siblings |
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Lifespan
66 - 75 years
Average Height
4 ft. 2 in. - 6 ft. 1 in.
Average Weight
70 - 195 lbs.
Average Physique
Like normal humans, synthopans have a wild variety of physique and physical characteristics, although their symbiote often works to keep the synth in good shape regardless of its other action.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Many synthopans have white or grey hair, as the Bonding process often bleaches the color out of their natural hair. A synthopans skin has a metallic sheen and texture, with robotic-like lines running across it. The lines often shift and crack as a synth utilizes is symbiotes abilities, and rearranges the synths cellular structur.
Related Ethnicities
Synthopan
Type
Humanoid (Human, Half-Construct)
Ability Score Modifier
Synthopans gain a +2 to any one ability score to represent their varied nature.
Size
medium
Speed
Synthopans have a base speed of 30 feet.
Language
Synthopans start play speaking Common (Maran). A Synthopan with a high Intelligence score can pick from any languages they want (except secret languages).
- Materil: A Synthopan can be tied to any of the Materils, although they tend towards Eathbreaker, Shadowbringer, or Watershifter.
- Half-Construct: Synthopans are humanoids with the Human and Half-construct subtypes. Unlike other half-constructs, Synthopans still need to eat, breath, and sleep, however they can go for around a month without doing any of those activities if needed. Half-constructs gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against disease, mind-affecting effects, poison, and effects that cause either exhaustion or fatigue.
- Adaptable Resistances (Ex): As a full-round action, a Synthopan can align it's symbiote to become stronger against a certain element, gaining resistance 5 to either acid, cold, electricity, or fire. Each resistance only absorbs 5 points of damage per hit dice the Synthopan possess before ceasing to function for 24 hours.
- Dual Minded: A Synthopans symbiote helps its mind push off harmful effects, granting it a +2 racial bonus on Will saves. This bonus increases by 1 for every four hit dice beyond the 1st the synthopan beyond the first.
- Sonic Weakness: A Synthopans symbiote is disrupted by intense sound waves. A Synthopan has vulnerability to sonic damage. A Synthopan that takes sonic damage has its Adaptable Resistance ability negated and can't utilize any abilities based on it's symbiote for a number of minutes equal to the amount of sonic damage taken.
- Healthy Body: Starting at 2nd racial level, a synthopans symbiote grants it a +2 racial bonus on Fortitude saving throws. This bonus increases by one for every five hit dice beyond the 2nd the synthopan possesses.
- Natural Armor: Starting at 2nd racial level, a Synthopan gains a +1 natural armor bonus to its AC. This bonus increases by one at 4th level.
- Nanite Immunity: Starting at 3rd racial level, a synthopan gains immunity to any harmful nanite effects, and a +4 racial bonus on saves against the effects of technological items.
- Quick Reflexes: Starting at 3rd racial level, a synthopan gains a +2 racial bonus on Reflex saving throws. This bonus increases by 1 for every five hit dice beyond the 3rd the synthopan possesses.
- Fast Healing (Ex): Starting at 5th racial level, a synthopans symbiote actively repairs bodily harm, granting it fast healing 1.
Alternate Racial Trait
- Adaptable Weaponry (Ex): Some synthopans can alter their symbiote to form their limbs into weaponry. As a full-round action, the synthopan can shape one of its arms into a natural weapon that deals 1d6 points of either bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage. The weaponry counts as a light weapon for the purposes of feats, and the synthopan cannot utilize that arm for its normal purposes while transformed. A limb can only remain transformed for 5 rounds per day per hit dice the Synthopan possesses. This trait replaces the Adaptable Resistance trait.
- Cyber-Attuned: Many synthopans like to augment their bodies with cybernetics, and have built up a resistance to the rigorous installation process. A synthopan with this trait treats both their Intelligence and Constitution score as an amount higher equal to their racial level for the purposes of installing new cybertech, decreases the DC to install cybertech in themselves by 2, and decreases the amount of Constitution damage taken by an installation by 1. This trait replaces the Dual Minded trait.
- Swift Sync: Some synthopans can shift their symbiote much faster at the cost of its effectiveness. These synthopans can change the attunement of their symbiote as a standard action, but the symbiote now only grants them resistance to the element equal to their racial level. This trait alters the synthopans Adaptable Resistance trait.
- Versatile: Some synthopans have experienced a varied lifestyle, gaining a bonus feat that they meet the prerequisites for a 1st racial level. This trait replaces the Dual Minded trait.
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