Rules:Shen'ihr

These are the official character rules for Shen'ihr. For the story-based description of them, go here.

Name: Shen'ihr
Class: Minor Race
Tech Bias: Good
Available Power Types: Ki and Psi. Magic has severe social penalties associated with it.
History and Background Page: Shen'ihr

Major Racial Advantages:

Metahuman intelligence: The Shen'ihr brain evolved much earlier and more rapidly than its human counterpart, and this has led to a consistenly high base IQ in the species as a whole. Shen'ihr characters recieve a 30-day discount on all iterations of Enlightenment (not to be reduced below 30 days per level); the die roll for Enlightenment 1 grants success on a 4, 5, or 6, and subsequent iterations increase the roll range by one per level.

Minor Racial Advantages:

The Eightfold Path: This progressive Transformative technique forms one of the pillars of Shen'ihr philosophy; that the physical self is the pinnacle of evolution, and combined with the mind and spirit, can transcend the limits of the physical universe. Shen'ihr chracters may take the Eightfold Path at creation, or they may research it anytime in-character. Non-Shen'ihr characters must learn the technique from someone.

The Mindsea: All Shen'ihr, regardless of power-type, have at least a mortal level psionic potential; this neurological connection has spawned a species-wide group subconscious known in their common tongue as "Aayhan." It allows them to communicate telepathically with others of their race (or other species with relatable brain structures) and feel the presences of other nearby Shen'ihr. It also serves as a distributed repository of their ancestral knowledge. Skilled psions can delve into this telepathic web and search for memories of long-dead Shen'ihr.

Major Racial Disadvantages:

Slow Growth: Shen'ihr live four times as long as humans do, and as such take a greatly extended view of their lives. This affects their rate of power gain; base gain rate is reduced to 2.5% and daily cap to 5%. It also prevents Shen'ihr characters from achieving an Epiphany.

Magical Criminals: Thousands of years in the past, the Shen'ihr were nearly wiped out by a majin cult that had infiltrated their world and taken root in the slave classes. With promises of power and the ability to kill their masters, slaves all over the globe began gathering in secret and practicing dark, demon-worshipping arts. It took a combined effort from several rival Warlords to eradicate the cultist threat; the aftermath resulted in a vicious string of mass slaughters. It is estimated that as much as 20% of the planet's population was put to death in the wake of this disaster.

Because of this bloody, near-genocidal past, Shen'ihr law condemns the practice of magic as the most heinous of crimes. Shen'ihr who forsake their birthright powers and practice the forbidden arts become labeled "vedanai," a word roughly meaning 'tainted one.' Other Shen'ihr do not see a Tainted One as a person, and will not speak or associate with them, often displaying murderous hostility. Characters associated with the Shen'ihr Inquisition will actively seek to kill such Tainted Ones, treating them as if they were Declared Villains.