Shiryo are the uncommon children of Tenshi, martyred Weiwu warriors, and mortal men and women. This creates a semi-living anchor to the world in the form of a shiryo child, whose soul acts as a conduit for the Tenshi to continue it's work. Not all shiryo appreciate this bond, and not all tenshi create this bond with the best intentions.
The
most prominent feature about the shiryo is their complete lack of
facial coloring. They have a hairless, solid white face that doesn't
differentiate, causing shiryo to paint intricate designs on their
lips, eyebrows and sockets, while wearing various wigs to seem less
disturbing. They often have androgynous features and don't seem to
understand (or at least care) about gender roles, instead focusing
more on their ancestral identity.
SHIRYO STATS
+2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom, -2 Constitution Shiryo draw on the collective knowledge of their ancestors, but their soul partially exists in the afterlife.
Medium: Shiryo are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Shiryo have a base speed of 30ft.
Darkvision: Shiryo can see in the dark up to 60ft.
Ancestral Guidance: Once per day, shiryo can roll twice when making a Knowledge or Spellcraft check and take the better roll.
Deathless Spirit: Shiryo gain resistance 5 against negative energy damage. They do not lose hit points when they gain a negative level, and they gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against death effects, energy drain, negative energy, and spells or spell-like abilities of the necromancy school.
Sorei Spellboon: Shiryo can can add spells from another spellcasting class to the spell list of their current spellcasting class. Shiryo add a number of spells equal to 1 + their spellcasting class’s key ability score bonus (Wisdom for clerics, and so on). The spells must be the same type (arcane or divine) as the spellcasting class you’re adding them to. For example, you could add divine power to your druid class spell list, but not to your wizard class spell list because divine power is a divine spell. These spells do not have to be spells you can cast as a 1st-level character. The number of spells granted by this ability is set at 1st level. Changes to your ability score do not change the number of spells gained.
Languages: Shiryo begin play speaking Common and Yangshi.
Kyosha Variant
Where Shiryo are born from spellcasters, Kyosha are born from a union with a martyred warrior. Their connection to the afterlife is less volatile than the Shiryo, which trade vitality for spell power. Instead, the Kyosha represent the physical sacrifice of the Tenshi, the undying vows undertaken before transcendence.
Kyosha lose Sorei Spellboon and instead gain the following:
Kyosha stats: +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, -2 Intelligence Kyosha draw upon their ancestors for guidance and strength, but their ancestors lack the magical connections of other Tenshi-spawn
Sangreal: Once per day, a Kyosha can cause themselves to bleed from their eyes, their blood becoming suffused with positive energy. They take 1d6 points of bleed damage and gain the dazzled condition when they activate this ability. The kyosha may choose add up to their character level to the bleed damage. Any creature that takes a full-round action to sup the blood of the bleeding kyosha heals a number of hit points equal to twice as many as the kyosha lost that round due to the bleed effect. The subject must be willing or helpless to sup her blood (which means the kyosha must take a full round action to administer it), which provokes attacks of opportunity. Only one creature can be healed in this way per round. The kyosha can lick their own wounds in this way to regain half as many hit points as they lost that round. This lasts for one round per character level. The bleeding effect can be stopped by either a free action by the kyosha or via magical healing.
Veneration of Steel: At first level, a kyosha chooses one specific simple, martial, or exotic weapon to be his venerated weapon. When a Kyosha wields this venerated weapon, they receive a +2 sacred or profane (depending on their alignment) bonus on attack rolls. In addition, they receive a +2 bonus of the same type to AC versus that specific weapon. A kyosha may choose unarmed strike for this ability.
Table: Shiryo Random Starting Ages and Aging
Adulthood
Simple
Moderate
Complex
30 years
+6d6
+9d6
+12d6
Middle Age
Old
Venerable
Maximum Age
150 years
275 years
400 years
N/A*
*Shiryo do not die from old age, but still suffer age penalties
Table: Shiryo Random Height and Weight
Gender
Base Height
Height modifier
Base weight
Weight Multiplier
Male
5'0”
2d8
110lbs
X 5lbs
Female
4'10”
2d8
80lbs
X 5lbs
