Rhinastal (3.5e Race)

Author: the bluez in the dungeon (talk) Date Created: 01/06/2022 Status: Complete Editing: Clarity edits only please

Rate this article Your rating for this article: Favor Like Neutral Dislike Oppose Submit | Cancel Discuss this article

Rhinastal

A race of powerfully built rhino-like humanoids, with innate psionic powers and crystal horns.

Rhinastals are always battle-ready.

Personality

Rhinastals are culturally influenced to be stoic and able to exert mental fortitude like no others. That doesn't mean that they won't express feelings, on the contrary they are very emotional, often bursting in fit of rage, pride and competition, but also empathy and awe at the sight of beauty in all form. They tend to their bodies as much as to their minds, believing their natural physical prowess and mental capabilities to be traits to be honed as much as possible. They have an impulsive desire for excelling over others, both in battle and physical sports and in spiritual advacement. Their softer side strive to enjoy arts, especially music and dance, and mysticism.

A rhinastal, focusing before a battle.

Physical Description

They are humanoid rhinofolks, with a tint of purple or violet in their skin, sometimes even more than that, and rarely with a pink complexion. This is true for their heads, back, arms and legs, though their color becomes paler towards the chest, underarms, palms and soles of feet. They are muscular and tall, though less than an half-giant, more similar to orcs and half-orcs in height. They have pachyderm-like feet and hands with four, broad fingers. They have some hair, usually light colored, but more present on their head and chin, which they style in dreads or as mohawks, usually colored or decorated. Males sometimes style their beard, while others shave it clean. Their most recognizable feature is their multicolored crystal horn, which protudes just above their nose. They are very proud of this horn and treat it with great care.

Relations

Though they have small and secluded communities in high mountains, rocky deserts and similar places, they are very sociable and often go out to search for neighbouring communities to establish peaceful relationships when possibile. They may be seen as rowdy from more composed creatures or too serious from the jolly ones, but are generally appreciated by everyone, if they go beyond their physical appearance.

Alignment

Usually chaotic, with a tendency for good, but this is the result of their individualistic and competitive nature. Despite this they are very organized and cooperative, so many neutral and lawful rhynastals exist. Evil ones are rarer but not unheard of.

Lands

They live in arid and hard to inhabit places, both to exercise and hone their capabilities and not to come in contact with hostile populations. They live trading knowledge, physical strength, precious materials for food and drinks, almost limiting themselves to basic farming, while concentrating more on farm animals to serve as food. Many though choose to become vegetarian and so they often cultivate small gardens for themselves. They build house in rocks and cliffsides, sometimes out in the open. Their cities and villages are architecturally-friendly towards communitarian life (and so very appreciated by adventurers) with a lot of training places and spiritual palaces, but reserved homes and rooms are found all through the settlement, to allow quiet and private times to their inhabitants.

Rhinastals strive to balance their mental and physical superiority.

Religion

They don't have any racial deity, nor usually worship higher powers, unless impersonal. They usually prefer to concentrate on their inner self for spirituality, though they are not adverse to religion and some of themr revere (but not worship) gods of strength or mind. Exceptions are possible.

Language

Despite not being one they speak Giant among themselves (more precisely the Rhinastal dialect, but speakers of Giant may understand and communicate just fine), though they learn languages of neighbouring communities or Common to communicate. Individual rhinastal may whish to learn languages of the Outer Planes, such as abyssal, celestial and infernal tongue, or draconic sometimes.

Names

They have a juvenile name that is given from parents to their offspring, then they gain a community name when they reach maturity, which is often a sort of title or nickname, and a personal name that they choose for themselves and that is the name their are known by outside their community and race. They don't have a specific naming convention and each individual may choose whatever language or format they like, so that rhinastals have names in Dwarven, Giant, Elven, Draconic, Celestial, Infernal and so on.

A rhinastal psionically focused, manifesting crystals on its skin.

Racial Traits

• +2 Strength, +2 Charisma, -2 Dexterity, -2 Wisdom: Strong and very outgoing, they often take rushed decisions and are limited in movement by their broad bodies.
• Humanoid (Anthro, Psionic): Rhinastals are rhino humanoids with psionic powers. 
• Medium: As a Medium creature, a rhinastal has no special bonuses or penalties due to its size.
• Rhinastal base land speed is 30 feet.  
• Crystal Horn (Ex): Their horn can work as psycristal if the rhinastal gains the ability to have one. If they are psionically focused they also gain +1 to their natural armor bonus, as a crystal sheen covers their bodies. At 5HD their horn counts as being made of deep crystal, but they can activate its effects even investing just 1 power point into it. 
• Horn Strike: Their crystal horns are horn strikes, with statistics presented below. 
• Psisoma Regimen: Rhinastals have a special training regimen that exploits their own crystal horns and body to enhance mental faculties. This feature gives them the Physical Manifestation feat for free. They also gain a +2 racial bonus to Concentration checks as a result. 
• Naturally Psionic: Rhinastals gain 1 bonus power points at 1st level. This benefit does not grant them the ability to manifest powers unless they gain that ability through another source, such as levels in a psionic class. As their psionic abilities are tied to their horns, they lose this feature if they lose their horn, regaining it when they regain the horn. 
• Psi-like Abilities (Ps): 1/day—crystal strike, though they channel it through their horns. Their manifester level is equal to their Hit Dice. They can expend hit points to activate the area of effect of the power, as described.
• Automatic Languages: Giant
• Bonus Languages: Abyssal, Anarch, Axial, Celestial, Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Infernal
• Favored Class: Psychic Combatant or Wrathmind
• Level Adjustment: +0
• Effective Character Level: 1

Crystal Horn

Two-Handed Melee

Cost:	— gp
Damage (Small):	1d6
Damage (Medium)1:	1d8
Critical:	20/×2
Weight2:	— lbs
Type3:	Bludgeoning, Piercing
HP4:	10
Hardness:	5

1. See Damage Increases by Size to calculate the damage for a weapon larger than Medium or smaller than Small.
2. Weight figures are for Medium weapons. A Small weapon weighs half as much, and a Large weapon weighs twice as much.
3. When two types are given, the weapon is both types if the entry specifies "and", either type (player's choice at time of attack) if the entry specifies "or", or each end of the double weapon is a different type if the entry specifies "/".
4. The hp value given is for Medium armor, weapons, and shields. Divide by 2 for each size category of the item smaller than Medium, or multiply it by 2 for each size category larger than Medium.

The charging horn of a rhinastal can be quite intimidating.

Pathfinder Options

Remove the -2 to Dexterity for Pathfinder games.

Alternate Racial Traits

• Psychometabolism Training: Some rhynastals try to enhance their knowledge of psychometabolism with a wider scope, rather than focusing on their crystal horns. They gain a +1 to the DC of psychometabolism powers they manifest and a racial +2 to Knowledge (psionic) Psicraft checks related to the Psychometabolism discipline. This racial trait replaces the Psisoma Regimen trait.

Simple Racial Traits

These are racial traits for use with the simplified races rules.

• Humanoid (Anthro, Psionic)
• Medium
• Base land speed of 30 feet.
• Combat Ability - Crystal Horn: Gain a feral strike with your horn, with the statistics presented above. You can replicate the crystal strike power as a psi-like ability once per day, though you channel it through you horn, using the above presented statistics. Manifester level is equal to your Hit Dice. You can expend hit points to activate the area of attack of the power, as described. This feature qualifies you for the Physical Manifestation feat (these powers are added to your known powers act as normal, consuming hit points instead of power points).
• Passive Ability - Powerful Build: You are considered one size larger for all effects and abilities when it would be advantageous to you.
• Utility Ability - Psionic Training: You gain 1 bonus power points at 1st level. This benefit does not grant you the ability to manifest powers unless you gain that ability through another source, such as levels in a psionic class. As your psionic abilities are tied to your horn, you lose this feature if you lose your horn, regaining it when you regain the horn. You gain a bonus equal to your HD to Concentration checks made to gain psionic focus.

---

Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Races

the bluez in the dungeon's Homebrew (775 Articles)

the bluez in the dungeonv