KARSITES

Karsites are a subrace of humans born at random among the human population.

When the vestige called Karsus yet lived as a powerful wizard, he fathered many children among his slaves and supplicants. Then his failed attempt to steal power from the deity of magic shattered his people's empire and spread them across the world. Thus, over more than a thousand years, his bloodline has tainted nearly every human population, and at times it grows strong enough for a human to give birth to a karsite. When two karsites mate, they breed true.

Karsites appear human overall, but they have two distinguishing traits. First, each has one pale blue eye and one eye of another color common to humans. A karsite also has a shock of white hair on his head. These traits appear infrequently among normal humans, and almost never at the same time. In communities where karsites mate exclusively with one another, other features also become common, such as straight blond or black hair, a sharp widow's peak, and a small nose and mouth.

Karsite infants appear as normal humans, but as they mature, their strange appearances and powers appear. Most karsites gain their birthright by the time they reach puberty, but for some it comes sooner or later. Superstitious humans often view the change in an emerging karsite's appearance as a sign of a blessing or curse, but few suspect that it is both. Karsus's bloodline allows a matured karsite to resist nonmagical blows and to turn spells cast against him into healing magic, but it also prevents him from ever casting any spell. Karsites born among humans might live and die without ever knowing that their unusual appearance comes with wondrous abilities, but others discover their birthright when they attempt to take up the path of a spellcaster, or when violence leaves them less harmed than it should. Communities of karsites often seek out such "foundlings" to indoctrinate into their philosophy, hoping to swell their numbers and advance their evil agenda.

Over the centuries, karsites have discovered one another and founded communities of their own kind. Many of these communities exist within human society, and their members pass off their unusual karsite appearance as a simple family trait. The karsites of these regions hide their abilities, their philosophy, and their agenda while doing their best to seem like normal members of society.

Long ago, the humans of a forgotten nation persecuted the karsites out of fear of their abilities. Countless karsites were hunted down and executed during this period. Brought together by this disaster, some karsites joined forces and fled the area. They found safety in numbers, as well as a strong feeling of camaraderie based on their shared past.

In the process of investigating their history as a group, these karsites discovered the legend of Karsus and the process of binding vestiges. By summoning Karsus and consulting with him, they "discovered" their purpose: to rid humanity of arcane spellcasters and establish the worship of Karsus as the only god. Accomplishing this latter goal would make the karsites the ruling caste of humanity because of their divine bloodline.

Communities of karsites work toward this goal in many ways, such as discrediting the good works of heroic spellcasters, preventing the founding of temples and schools of magic, stealing magic items and ruining their creators, and taking leadership roles in human settlements. However, they carry out all their work in secret. Despite their evil natures, karsites loathe killing other humans, primarily because doing so is robbing them of their future servants, who after all don't know any better now. However, they do relish the opportunity to harm spellcasters of any race.

A karsite advances into melee as quickly as possible. He prefers to engage foes that lack magic weapons, but if attacked with such an item, he focuses his attacks on that individual. A karsite generally saves enemy spellcasters for last in a fight, relying on his spell resistance to fend off their spells and his spell healing ability to keep him on his feet. He might try to capture enemy spellcasters for later torture, but if a particular spellcaster regularly penetrates his spell resistance, he changes tactics and attempts to defeat that enemy as quickly as possible.

Most exceptional karsites are fighters or binders. Some choose to become monks, barbarians, or rogues, and a few discover psionics and follow that path. Almost no karsite becomes a ranger or paladin, however, and none are clerics, druids, sorcerers, or wizards.

KARSITE RACIAL TRAITS

• +2 Constitution, +2 Charisma: Karsites are exceptionally hardy, and their bloodline gives them a commanding presence.

• Human Traits: Karsites possess all the traits of humans, except as noted here.

• Damage Reduction: A karsite has damage reduction 5/magic.

• Spell Resistance: A karsite's spell resistance equals 10 + his class levels.

• Magic Draining Attacks (Su): A karsite's melee attacks can weaken a foe's magic armor, weapon, or shield. If a creature struck in melee by a karsite fails a Will save (DC 10 + Cha modifier), one of the combat-oriented magic items (armor, shield, or weapon) in its possession is suppressed for 1 round. If a karsite knows a particular weapon, armor, or shield in his foe's possession is magical, he can choose to drain that item, provided that he can see it. Otherwise, the item is chosen randomly. Drained items still detect as magical, but the magic appears suppressed. The save DC is Charisma-based.

• Spell Healing (Su): Whenever a karsite's spell resistance prevents a spell from affecting him, he heals 2 points of damage per spell level. Thus, if a 7th-level spell failed to penetrate a karsite's spell resistance, he would heal 14 points of damage.

• Spellcasting Inability: Karsites cannot cast arcane or divine spells, even if they take levels in a class that grants spellcasting ability. They can use spell-like abilities, psionic powers, and magic items normally.

• Proficiencies: Karsites are proficient with light and medium armor, and with martial weapons.

• Favored Class: Binder.

• Level Adjustment: +2.