Qìtóng

Those born of elemental lineage infused with the power of the Spirit Kings

Racial Traits

Ability Score Modifiers: (+2 to any three different stats) The Qìtóng are a people equal parts blessed and burdened by their heritage - but in their physical form, it swells them with unbridaled power.
Size: Qìtóng are medium sized creatures, and gain no benefit or penalties due to their size.
Type: Qìtóng, in their base form, are humanoid creatures with a subtype appropriate to their heritage. Choosing this heritage, the subtype, and its benefits is detailed in the 'Sixfold Soul' racial trait, below.
Speed: Qìtóng have a base land speed of 30ft.
Vision: Qìtóng have low light vision, allowing them to better in conditions of low-light.
Languages: Qìtóng begin play speaking The Regional Language that reflects their origins(See Languages of Zheng-Kitar), and the elemental language the suits their heritage(Ignan, Aquan, Terran, Auran, Luxan, Tenebran). Qìtóng with high INT may choose any non-secret language as a bonus language due to their varied nature.
Sixfold Soul: Born as children of pure elements, Qìtóng, at character creation, choose from either (Fire, Cold, Earth, Air, Light, Void) as a subtype, and gain the listed benefit and any penalties listed below in place of normal ones granted by the subtype.

• Fire: Gain Immunity to fire, the Jet(120ft) Universal Monster Rule that can move you in a straight line in any direction above or below water, and vulnerability to cold.
• Cold: Gain Immunity to cold, deal 1d6 cold damage that bypasses immunities and resistances to those who attack you with a piercing or slashing weapon, and vulnerability to fire.
• Earth: Gain a burrow speed equal to your base land speed, tremorsense 20ft, and acid resistance 10.
• Air: Gain Electricity and Sonic Resistance 10. At 5HD, gain a fly speed equal to your base land speed.
• Light: You can, as a swift action, turn your eyes into orbs of pure sunlight, casting light as torches from them that count as daylight(turning them off is a free action). You deal one bonus point of healing per die of healing you give to yourself or others. While the eyes are lit, you cannot benefit from darkvision no matter the source.
• Void: You gain the Push and Pull Universal Monster Rules, allowing you to infuse your melee strikes with gravitic power that lets you make a free CMB check when you hit a foe your size or smaller with any melee attack, moving them 10ft directly towards you or away from you. This movement does not provoke AoO. You may use this ability on spells that target a single creature, using a caster level check in place of a CMB check.

Heritage Markings: Whether chunks of their element embedded in their skin, skin markings that swirl about their body like glowing tattoos, or more, all Qìtóng have visible signs of their heritage. These signs give them the elemental manipulation appropriate for their elemental heritage(Light uses Aether). If they would get this basic manipulation talent some other means(Such as levels in Kineticist), they get one free Kineticist utility wild talent instead. Additionally, as a full-round action, a Qìtóng can enter a potent concentration of their element similar to Meld into Stone. They can exit as a full-round action that does not provoke, and can use all their senses as normal when melded in this way.
Elemental Bellows: As a full-round action, a Qìtóng can inhale or disgorge a natural concentration of their element into or out of their body(typically from the mouth) that has equal or greater mass to themselves. Inhaling causes them to swell in size and grow one size category(Up to large), while disgorging causes them to shrink one size(Down to small, no lower). These effects work like Enlarge and Reduce Person, but do not change ability scores and are an extraordinary ability.
Ancestral Skill: Infused with power not their own, Qìtóng gain Knowledge(Planes) as a class skill, and an additional skill as a class skill depending on their subtype(See below). They can put a racial +2 into either skill.

• Fire: Intimidate
• Cold: Escape Artist
• Earth: Sense Motive
• Air: Sleight of Hand
• Light: Diplomacy
• Void: Stealth

Eyes of the Spirit Kings: Qìtóng can project their senses into any natural concentration of their element within 100ft + 100ft/HD sizable enough to sustain it(GM Discretion) as a full-round action and continuing to use Full-Round actions to maintain the connection.
Puppeteering Touch: By making a melee touch attack, a Qìtóng can inject thin strands of their element into a target creature(Even nonliving creatures like constructs or undead) - which gives them a Status effect as per the spell on that creature at all times for as long as the strands remain in them. Additionally, they may activate both Modify Memory, Suggestion, Sleepwalking Suggestion, and Zone of Truth(Target only) on them 1/day each with no save and ignoring immunities. A Qìtóng can only have on target affected in this way at time, plus an additional target at 4HD and every 4HD afterwards.
Blessed Destroyers: Whenever a Qìtóng reduces another creature below 0HP, they die immediately unless they succeed on a save as if they had made a successful coup-de-grace on them. If they fail this save, they are transmuted into an equal amount of elemental matter appropriate for their mass(and of an element depending on the subtype of the Qìtóng), which is automatically stored in available containers on the Qìtóng's person or in bags(if they wish it to be). If the target was above 5HD, a variable portion of their mass is transmuted into the True Elemental version of that element instead, proportional to their strength in life.
Lineage Transformation: As a move action that does not provoke AoO, a Qìtóng can switch their form from their corporeal form(Physical Form) to an Elemental Form(Switching back being a Move Action that does not provoke as well). While in Elemental Form, they gain the Elemental Type and gain all associated immunities, their movement speeds increase by 50%, but lose the ability to make any attack besides two slam attacks appropriate for a creature of their size. They keep their mental stats, but can adopt the physical stats of the elemental whose CR is closest to or at their current HD count if doing so would benefit them. While in this form they gain the "Whirlwind" Universal Monster Rule. At 5HD, they become large sized as a part of this transformation and gain DR 5/-. At 9HD, they become huge and gain DR 10/-.
One with the Cosmic Consciousness: Born and gifted with an innate connection to the esoteric realm where the Spirit Kings slumbering consciousness dwells, the Qìtóng can draw on this connection to pull out fantastical power in themselves. Firstly, they need no mount for overland travel - when traveling long-distance overland movement, they and their party take half damage from hustling(min 1) and their movement speeds are counted as one step higher for overland travel(15ft -> 20ft -> 30ft -> 40ft -> etc). Additionally, whenever they sleep or are unconscious, they are spirited away to this wonderful, ancient place - and can activate one of the below effects, at their choice. They are immune to all magical sleep effects and do not age while they sleep.

• They can disjoint their souls from their body, and wander from the point they fell unconcious or went to sleep as per the spell Ethereal Jaunt for 1hr for every 5HD they possess. They may return to continue sleeping or awaken early at their will - or are forcibly drawn back if awoken by an external force.
• They journey to the elemental plane of their heritage similar to the mechanics of the spell Astral Projection, staying there for their normal sleeping time or until otherwise forcibly awoken. They can bring items and materials between these planes when falling asleep or awakening.
• They may bask in the energies of the Spirit Kings' slumbering consciousnesses, and regain all HP damage they have suffered. Additionally, they may ask one question of the Spirit Kings as per Commune. This effect only works when they voluntarily sleep, not when falling unconscious.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Qìtóng anatomy is a strange thing, but mostly humanoid - they bear clear and visible marks of their planar heritage on their bodies, be it glowing tattoos, hair made up of their element, or any other number of characteristics which serve as obvious hints of their elemental lineage.
Outside of these characteristics their bodies are relatively standard for humanoids, though their blood takes on the characteristics of their element(Glowing, Resembling Water, Boiling or high temps, etc) - but otherwise they have the standard two arms and two legs and one head configuration that is standard for the likes of races similar to Humans.
A theorized oddity to their biology, though never confirmed, is the presence of a unique and abnormal organ commonly referred to as the Elden Bellows - an organ theorized to be responsible for allowing the Qìtóng to breathe in and store concentrations of their element, and which is largely responsible for their odd elemental biological and racial abilities. However, as no Qìtóng has ever been dissected or studied, it is but a theory.

Genetics and Reproduction

For the most part, Qìtóng reproduce normally through sexual reproduction - they have the same flexibility in this regard as Humans, though they also carry some inherent dangers in doing so, as depending on their element of their choice coupling with a non-Qìtóng can be harmful or sometimes even lethal, if concentrations of that element come out during the act. Otherwise, female Qìtóng carry the children to term in the same time as Humans, carry their children to term in 7-11 months, with 9 months being the average.

Growth Rate & Stages

Once born, Qìtóng reach physical adulthood and stop growing around age 20, but are sometimes considered adults long before they reach this physical maturity, sometimes as young as 15 or 16. They typically do not show signs of their heritage until late childhood or early teenage years, though exceptions have been known to exist(and be harmful to the mother if present during birth) - because of this, it is common for them to be mislabeled as Humans until these signs manifest. Qìtóng reach middle age around age 45, become old around age 80, and become venerable around age 90 and die some years afterwards.

Ecology and Habitats

Qìtóng can survive in most any habitat similar to Humans, but prefer environments with concentrations of their element they trace their lineage back to.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Qìtóng eat as the likes of other humanoids do, and can consume both meat and plant matter - though they can also consume the element of their heritage, though it provides them with little actual sustenance.

Biological Cycle

As they age, Qìtóng find their humanoid parts getting more and more replaced by the element of their heritage, until they "die" as their humanoid parts are completely subsumed by their elemental sides and they become a being of pure elemental matter - one part elemental, one part living being, and something wholly unique. These 'ascended' or 'dead' Qìtóng are known as Yuangshén, or "Elemental Spirits" - and typically leave the Material Plane behind for their elemental plane, though some do stick around with vague memories of their life trying to piece it back together.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Qìtóng have no set social structure - but they tend to venerate or at least pay homage to the Spirit King of their element in their everyday lives, and are likely to at least befriend or hang around other Qìtóng of the same element should they meet. They are perhaps the only beings who pay homage direct to a Spirit King on Zheng-Kitar, making them an oddity in the Zheng-Kitaran Faith.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Qìtóng, due to their immense power, are not commonly hunted, but do produce valuable materials if hunted - they are often rich in elemental matter embedded in their skin, and sometimes even True Elements.

Facial characteristics

Qìtóng faces are where they differ from humanoids quite wildly - some have faces entirely covered or made of their element, others have eyes that are completely replaced with small balls of elemental matter, others have smooth faces with elemental shadows where their eyes and mouth should be, while others still have "masks" of their element that cover their face.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Qìtóng can be found almost anywhere - they are born from dalliances between elementals or elemental beings and mortals, and have no specific place of origin.

Average Intelligence

Qìtóng are at the least human-average intelligence, though many are quite a great deal smarter.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Qìtóng have eyes adapted to low-light and can see much further in low-light conditions compared to other creatures, but can also project their senses out of their bodies into concentrations of their element within a certain distance - the mechanics of how this functions are unknown.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Qìtóng names tend to be strange, and usually are consistent of two parts - a name, and a title. Their name tends to reflect the element they come from and tend to be unisex, while the title is taken from their very essence - each Qìtóng is gifted with a title by the Spirit Kings from the moment they are born, etched onto their soul of souls as an addition to their true name. This 'title' typically is an adaptation of this gift, which is not always a title in the strict sense, and frequently manifests as a quality that they might grow up to represent - meaning a Qìtóng inscribed with the quality "Brave" might take the title "The Brave" or "The Gallant". While it is not unheard of for Qìtóng to take surnames, that is entirely up to their own discretion and is thus not listed here.
First Names: Tropos, Aera, Mortos, Lutum, Cyclonis, Terros, Volara, Glacia, Arcanos
Titles: The Brave, The Inexhaustible, The Stubborn, The Acrobatic, The Thickheaded, The Beautiful

Alternate Racial Trait List:
Qìtóng Alternate Racial Traits

Racial Feat List:
Qìtóng Racial Feats

Pronunciation

(CHEE-TONG)

Lifespan

90 Years(Including the time spent not aging while sleeping)

Conservation Status

The Qìtóng are not endangered, they are simply rare - dalliances between elementals or elemental beings like genies and mortals are not overly common.

Average Height

Qìtóng have an extreme height variance, and tend to be anywhere from 5-9 feet (1.5 - 2.7m) tall, growing as big as double that or as small as half that.

Average Weight

Varies wildly - some are born with almost no body mass despite their appearance, while others are supernaturally dense.

Average Physique

Qìtóng tend to be quite physically impressive, though they can vary just as much as Humans in this regard. They can be tall and chiseled, short and fat, or anywhere in between.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Qìtóng skin can vary wildly in coloration, but tends to be human-ish - ranging from pale white to dark obsidian, with glowing lines that resemble tribal tattoos tracing across their skin that glow with a color that hint to their parental element.

Children of the Spirit Kings

The Qìtóng are a race unique to the land of Zheng-Kitar, and are widely considered the true form of the elemental races as they are known outside of it, such as the Sylph, Ifrit, and others. This is their true, singular form - beings born of the elements and given the blessing of the Spirit Kings themselves. Their forms swell with all the elemental power that their lesser kin across the world once might have had, had they not been born in the lands of the damnable Yema, and this power makes them extremely feared and respected on Zheng-Kitar. As beings with perhaps the only tangible link to the esoteric realm where the Spirit Kings dream during their aeons of slumber, the Qìtóng are seen as living proof of Zheng-Kitaran faith, and that the Spirit Kings yet watch over their children and the land they treasure so dearly.
They are also the only beings who can visit the realm of the Spirit Kings, when they dream - souls detaching from their bodies to float through the undefinable, cosmic ether where the minds of the most powerful beings in reality dwell in silence, dreaming as only Gods Can, powerful enough to affect the waking world. This realm has been known to allow the Qìtóng to heal themselves or travel to other planes while they sleep - and when they die, their bodies are subsumed at last and given new form by this very realm as they shed their mortal forms and take on a form of pure elemental matter, becoming a wholly new entity with destiny unknown and little knowledge of their previous life. They have been known to occasionally recieve missions, visions, dreams, or vague omens from the Spirit Kings though this very connections as well - leading many to believe they act as agents of the Spirit King's will, as the Elemental Lords serve as their eyes, ears, and limbs - though the truth remains unknown.