Calthryn
The Calthryn are a race/class of people who have attained immortality of a sort by giving up their humanity. Since they were once human they tend to still move amongst the cities and peoples of Archian continuing in their goals and quests, but each is responsible to the Elemental Guild at a moments notice, should their services be required. As Elemental Humans they have many powers and abilities that are far removed from the abilities of normal mortals, yet they also have several limitations that their new nature imposes upon them. One distinctive feature about the Calthryn that is apparent even if they can not be seen closely is their walk, which is distinctive and if not actively controlled by the Calthryn, it is a dead give-away as to their true nature. Due to the distinctive appearance of this half-walk/half-gliding form of movement the Calthryn are commonly referred to as Striders in reference to this unique trait. The origins of the Calthryn are closely tied to the creation of the plane of Archian and as such, their existence is also closely tied to the plane. In other worlds, their forms are temporary and fleeting like that of other elementals, but in Archian, something about the magic that permeates the plane allows them to exist here without the will of a mage summoning them to the plane.
The origins of the Calthryn are closely guarded by the Elementalist Guild to prevent the recreation of the Calthryn by any mages who wish to have a unique class of servants. The Calthryn themselves were the result of magical experimentation by a young elementalist in infusing his body with his preferred element to attain immortality in the form of an elemental. Needless to say, he succeeded and since that time his research has enabled the elementalists to create Calthryn from ordinary people and not just mages. The results of this have been closely monitored by the Grand Elementalist and his two colleagues, since the potential for abuse is too great to allow this process to be neglected. The trials and tribulations one must face to become a Calthryn have been established as a very difficult process and very few men and women manage to attain this status, although hundreds seek every year to take the tests to become immortal in a fashion. Individuals are not subject to tests of moral reasoning, instead their determination and abilities are tested to the limits to impose that the Calthryn made are chosen from those who demonstrate the desire, and ability to pursue their goals. As such, variations of Calthryn are known across the plane, whilst neutral remains the predominant alignment of the Calthryn, some good and evil individuals are known to exist.
The appearance and limitations of the Calthryn are unique to the elemental essence, which is infused into their mortal shell. Initially all Calthryn are stable existing within the shell of their former bodies, yet as they progress in knowledge and power in their element they slowly begin to shed away all traces of their humanity by removing the shell to allow them further usage of their abilities as an elemental. This eventually creates a problem when dealing with normal humans for as they progress, their appearance looks more and more elemental in nature and eventually they are no longer able to blend in with normal people without the usage of powerful magic to cloak their forms and distinctive traits.
The abilities of the Calthryn are unique to their existence, but are similar enough from one type of Calthryn to another to allow for some generalization of their abilities. Early on in their existence, the Calthryn are primarily concerned with fighting, due to the lack of abilities in other areas, as such, they progress early on very much like a fighter does in skills, until their own innate talents start to surface. Therefore, as they progress in levels, they quickly change priorities away from simple fighting and concentrate more on the magical part of their existence. Hence, they have a unique THAC0 advancement that shows their rate of progression.
Calthryn THAC0 Advancement:
| Group |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
| Calthryn |
20 |
19 |
19 |
18 |
18 |
17 |
17 |
16 |
16 |
15 |
15 |
14 |
14 |
13 |
13 |
12 |
12 |
11 |
11 |
10 |
The magical abilities of the Calthryn are unique in nature and a great deal of study has gone into discovering the source of their magical natures. The best guesses at this time have concluded that due to the unique elemental composition of Archian and the Calthryn, they are closely tied together. Hence, the elemental magic that was involved in the early creation of the plane, has continued its saturation of the plane to enable modern magical usage. Since the Calthryn are elemental themselves, it is hypothesized that they are able to tap into the unique magical reservoir of energy on the plane that is attuned to their composition. As such, Calthryn of the appropriate type are able to choose 2 spells from any elemental school of magic (School or sphere) that corresponds to their nature. Once chosen, these 2 spells are permanent, since the Calthryn have to attune themselves, uniquely to these abilities. The spells require no material component to cast, but they do however, require a source to power their effects. That source, is a nearby concentration of the appropriate element in a pure state. Examples of appropriate sources are bonfires, large bodies of water, a strong breeze, and unworked stone. Thus in the appropriate settings, the Calthryn are able to cast the spells with minimal concern since their immediate surroundings provide the elemental force to enable the spell's casting. However, in non-appropriate settings, the body of the Calthryn themselves can become a source from which to power the spell. This process is extremely taxing to the Calthryn and such usage will cause the Calthryn to lose the equivalent of 1 point of Constitution per spell temporarily. Immediate changes in hit points and abilities are caused by the temporary loss of the point of CON, however regaining the point requires 8 full hours of undisturbed rest in the appropriate elemental state. Needless to say, most magical usage is performed with a ready source nearby to alleviate any constitution drain. Due to the unique elemental nature of the Calthryn, all Calthryn are subject to imprisonment or enslavement by the Conjure Elemental spell. Magic takes the path of least resistance, and if a Calthryn is nearby the spell forces that Calthryn into servitude for the mage, with the same chance to break free of control, with only one minor deviation. The Calthryn, if it breaks free is not subject to dispelling, unless the Magi uses another spell similar to Dismissal to send the Calthryn back to the elemental planes.
Calthryn Spell Advancement:
**Maximum spell ability
| Level |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
| 1 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| 2 |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| 3 |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| 4 |
2 |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| 5 |
2 |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| 6 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
| 7 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
| 8 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
- |
- |
| 9 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
- |
- |
| 10 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
- |
| 11 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
- |
| 12 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
| 13 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
| 14** |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
Another subject of import with the Calthryn is their ability to heal. They do not regenerate life by simple relaxation and letting their bodies see to it. What they lose, they must actively work at to regain. Towards this end, Calthryn can readily absorb magical energy of the appropriate nature to rejuvenate their bodies. The method of doing this is to actively absorb an elemental spell of the appropriate type. For purposes of determining the rate of healing a 1st level elemental spell restores 1d8 points of life to a Calthryn. Spells of a higher level, give an additional 1d4 points of healing per level. Therefore a 2nd level elemental spell restores 1d8+1d4 (2-12) points of life, while a 3rd level elemental spell restores 1d8+2d4 (3-16) points of healing. When an elemental spell of the appropriate type is directed towards a Calthryn knowingly or unknowingly, the Calthryn has the ability to absorb the spell or a portion of the spell, depending on the area of effect. If successfully absorbed, as indicated by the saving throw being made the Calthryn can willingly use the spell to heal himself, using the above references, however he may also manage to remove a portion of the spell's force to protect nearby comrades or items.. If the saving throw is failed, the Calthryn is unharmed by the spell, but gains no benefit from it, although his personal items may be burnt. An example of this is a Choleric Calthryn who manages to absorb a hastily thrown fireball by a nearby mage. If successful in his save, the Fire Strider can drain 1d8+2d4 points of life from the spell, and reduce the spells overall damage by the amount of life gained from the spell in the area of effect. So if they spell was going to cause 34 damage to all individuals in the area, and the Choleric Calthryn managed to absorb 7 points from it, then the spell only manages to do 27 in the area, effected later by the saving throws of individuals in the area.
At certain levels of ability, the Calthryn are able to cast off their mortal shell, and become more elemental beings. Many of the unique abilities of the Calthryn are tied to the casting away of the majority of the mortal shell, since they then become able to fully use some of the characteristics of their elements. The first ability gained by the casting away part of the shell, is the elemental form, which is first available at 7th level. The Calthryn are still able to physically manipulate objects, yet they can also alter their shape. This enables them to move through or around some objects with a fair degree of ease, while other obstacles present more difficulty now. Additional appendages can not be grown and the Calthryn is still limited to the same attacks he had in life, however, they begin to slowly lean towards their natural methods of attack depending on their elemental composition. Another unique trait available by the casting off of their shell is that their innate powers of movement begin to finally appear. These forms of movement are better detailed in the individual Calthryn types.
The rate of advancement for the Calthryn is slow, by comparison to other types of individuals in the plane of Archian. This is due to their unique talents and skills that develop as they gradually progress in level. Below is a table showing the Level and Hit Point Progression of the Calthryn. Calthryn do get bonuses for High Constitution scores like warriors.
Calthryn Experience Levels:
| Level |
Calthryn |
Hit Dice (d8) |
| 1 |
0 |
1 |
| 2 |
2,500 |
2 |
| 3 |
5,000 |
3 |
| 4 |
10,000 |
4 |
| 5 |
20,000 |
5 |
| 6 |
40,000 |
6 |
| 7 |
70,000 |
7 |
| 8 |
110,000 |
8 |
| 9 |
150,000 |
9 |
| 10 |
300,000 |
9+2 |
| 11 |
600,000 |
9+4 |
| 12 |
900,000 |
9+6 |
| 13 |
1,150,000 |
9+8 |
| 14 |
1,500,000 |
9+10 |
| 15 |
1,750,000 |
9+12 |
| 16 |
2,000,000 |
9+14 |
| 17 |
2,400,000 |
9+16 |
| 18 |
2,800,000 |
9+18 |
| 19 |
3,200,000 |
9+20 |
| 20 |
3,600,000 |
9+22 |
When it comes to their abilities to resist various forces, most Calthryn have little or no additional advantage over various magics. Their magical nature combined with their mortal shell, causes them to be affected by things that wouldn't typically affect an elemental. It is rumored that at higher levels however, the Calthryn are able to completely shrug off the effects of many spells and other attacks.
Calthryn Saving Throws:
| Level |
PPD |
RSW |
PP |
BW |
SP |
| 1-3 |
13 |
15 |
13 |
16 |
13 |
| 4-6 |
12 |
14 |
12 |
15 |
12 |
| 7-9 |
11 |
13 |
11 |
14 |
11 |
| 10-12 |
10 |
12 |
10 |
13 |
10 |
| 13-15 |
9 |
11 |
9 |
12 |
9 |
| 16-17 |
8 |
10 |
8 |
11 |
8 |
| 18-20 |
7 |
9 |
7 |
10 |
7 |
| 21+ |
6 |
8 |
6 |
9 |
6 |