shootingwomprats
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 Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2025 6:44 pm Post subject: Species: Lithos |
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This originally started out as sentence on a Planetary Log I created for use in an adventure I am working on and because I changed part of the structure felt I had the option for players to interact with the indigenous species of the planet. This of course led into my ADHD and here are the results. Please offer up comments and helpful suggestions.
| Quote: | 
Lithans
The ancient custodians of Valthera’s canyons—short, rock‑skinned folk whose very bodies store moisture and whose voices rumble like shifting stone. Organized into fissure‑clan ketraks, they carve terraced homes high on sheer walls, descend into subterranean cistern chambers to harvest aquifer drips, and retrofit abandoned Imperial aqueducts into hidden sanctuaries lit by bioluminescent moss.
Their cliff‑side communes cling to natural alcoves, each flat stone roof doubling as a terrace for drying spore‑crops, while small stream‑side outposts on intermittent canyon streams serve as trading posts for water and fish. They speak Lithari, a low‑pitched tongue that vibrates through chest and throat, and pass all lore by oral stone‑chants and chalk‑etched canyon glyphs that fade when the air dries.
Lithans hid during the Clone Wars and later suffered Galactic Empire raids—many ketraks retreated deeper into secret tunnels rather than interact with the technologically superior First Order. Only the boldest outsiders earn their trust: those who trade fairly for water, honor every promise, and understand that “stone remembers.” Their patience, loyalty, and uncanny twilight vision make them invaluable guides through Valthera’s labyrinthine depths—and dangerous foes to anyone who breaks faith.
Personality: A typical Lithan greets the world with the quiet confidence of stone itself—steady, patient, and unhurried. They value memory above all else: recounting history, preserving oral lore, and honoring debts are sacred duties. You’ll rarely see a Lithan rush; they move deliberately, weighing each action for its long‑term impact.
Although reserved around outsiders, they are deeply loyal to those they trust. A promise—once made—is as binding as carved bedrock, and they will go to great lengths to uphold it. They speak in low, rhythmic tones, choosing words carefully and often punctuating stories with evocative gestures or small stone‑stack demonstrations.
Lithans are highly observant: they notice subtle shifts in wind, the faint drip of water, the echo of footfalls on shale. This makes them excellent guides and sentinels, but also prone to skepticism—strangers must earn their trust with consistent honesty.
Their emotional landscape is shaped by scarcity and resilience. They feel joy in the smallest spring bloom after a drought, and they carry grief for every lost drop of water or vanished neighbor. Anger is rare but formidable—they defend hearth and clan with unwavering resolve.
In social gatherings, a Lithan’s humor is dry and earthy—wry observations about the weather or the oddities of off‑worlders. They prize silence as much as speech; silence, to them, is the canvas on which truth is painted.
Lithans are rock‑hearted yet water‑wise: steadfast, trustworthy, and deeply respectful of life’s most essential elements.
Description: The Lithans stand just over a meter tall, their compact frames built to endure Valthera’s harsh canyons. Their skin—thick and mottled like cooled lava—is a tapestry of slate‑gray and volcanic black, each pore a tiny reservoir for moisture. Wide, crystalline eyes glimmer in dim light, giving them near‑perfect vision in the canyon’s perpetual twilight. When they draw breath, one might note the almost imperceptible hiss of their lungs filtering dust and harvesting vapor from the air.
Along their spines run rows of subtle, ridge‑like scales—their “moisture‑spines”—which flex to collect dew and channel it toward specialized glands. Their sturdy hands end in knobby, adhesive pads, perfect for gripping rough stone and scaling sheer walls without gear.
In repose, a Lithan’s posture is squat and deliberate, as if they carry the weight of the canyon itself. Yet when they move, it’s with a surprising fluidity—each step measured, every climb a testament to limbs honed for vertical terrain. Their voices rumble low in the chest, vibrating deep in the throat, and when they speak in Lithari it sounds more like the echo of shifting stone than any language you’ve heard before.
Homeworld: The planet Valthera.
Language: Lithari, low-pitched, rhythmic, partially vibrated through the throat and chest cavities.
Example Names: Kra’thok (KRAH‑thok), Vrul’dan (VROOL‑dahn), Zhurnak (ZHUHR‑nahk), Mok’thul (MOHK‑thool), Thra’vak (THRAH‑vahk).
Lithos
Homeworld: Valthera
Attribute Dice: 12D
Dexterity: 1D+1/3D
Knowledge: 2D/4D
Mechanical: 1D/2D+2
Perception: 2D/3D+1
Strength: 2D+1/4D
Technical: 1D+2/3D
Special Abilities:
Low-Light Vision: No penalties in darkness or dim light.
Stone-Skin Resilience: +1D to resist environmental damage (heat, abrasion) and Stamina skill checks.
Canyon Climber: +2D to Climbing/Jumping in rocky terrain.
Move: 10/12
Size: 1.2 to 1.4 meters tall |
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Don Diestler
Host, Shooting Womp Rats
The D6 Podcast
http://d6holocron.com/shootingwomprats
@swd6podcast, Twitter |
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shootingwomprats
Rear Admiral
Joined: 11 Sep 2013
Posts: 2768
Location: Online
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| Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2025 1:31 pm Post subject: |
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| garhkal wrote: | | I like the write up, but i think they could also do with a bonus to survival checks.. |
Not a bad suggestion but unsure if that's a special ability or a skill because of environment. I sort of showed their resilience to environment and hard work with the Stamina bonus. I am not arguing that in a character write-up that survival: arid/desert would be reasonable. I am just not sure if a skill modifier is the best way to address it. Though, they are specialized to their environment similarly to tusken raiders and ewoks. Perhaps these changes:
Skill Bonus: Survival: arid/desert and Stamina +1D.
Stone-Skin Resilience: +1D to resist environmental damage (heat, abrasion).
_________________
Don Diestler
Host, Shooting Womp Rats
The D6 Podcast
http://d6holocron.com/shootingwomprats
@swd6podcast, Twitter |
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