Darkling Template

• Stat Adjustments: +2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom, -4 Charisma
• Alignment: Always Neutral on the Good/Evil axis. Darklings are completely devoid of any guiding moral instinct, and do not act out of either compassion or malice. They may be of any alignment on the Lawful/Chaotic axis.
• Skills:
  • +2 Insight bonus to Sense Motive
  • +10 Insight bonus to Sense Motive, only usable against other Darklings (not cumulative with the above +2 bonus)
  • Bonus to Knowledge (History) equal to ½ their character level, rounded down
  • Knowledge (History) is always a class skill
• Spell-Like Abilities:
  • 3rd Level: Disguise Self (3/day)
  • 7th Level: Undetectable Alignment (3/day)
  • 11th Level: Dimension Door (3/day)
  • 15th Level: True Seing (3/day)
  • 19th Level: Greater Scrying (3/day)
• Eternal Soul: A Darkling cannot be brought back to life by Raise Dead, Reincarnate, Resurrection, True Resurrection, or Limited Wish. A Wish or Miracle spell, or divine intervention can restore a darkling soul back to its body, though doing so kills the body that the soul now occupies; the darkling gets no say in this form of resurrection. Darklings cannot be brought back as undead unless the effect does not re-fuse the soul to the body (as in the case of free willed undead) or as the effect of a Wish or Miracle, or divine intervention (which, again, kills the body that the soul now occupies). Once they reach physical maturity, Darklings do not age physically, and do not suffer the drawbacks from aging, but recieve double the benefit (+2 to Int, Wis and Cha each at Middle Age, Old and Venerable for the base race).
• Races: Darkling souls are most often born into human bodies, though half-elf, half-orc, and halfling darklings are not unheard of. Dwarven and elven darklings are rare in the extreme.
• Memories: Darklings regain memories of their past lives over time, often manifesting as flashes of insight at the beginning of physical maturity, and fully returning well after maturity (Venerable or 20th Level, whichever comes first). It is possible for darklings to regain their full memories earlier, even in childhood, but this is extremely rare, and often drives the young darkling insane. [[Not to mention it would make the character unplayable in all but the most munchkin of games. Ed.]]
• Languages: As the base race, except that Draconic is added to the list of bonus languages.
• Suggested Feats: Alertness, Iron Will, Learned
• Psionics: Darklings are completly unable to develop any type of psionic abilities, and recieve a +2 Inherent bonus against any form of telepathic intrusion, but also recieve a -2 Inherent penalty against any form of clairsentient detection. Any event that grants the darkling psionic potential destroys its darkling nature (and any template benefits not yet acquired, as well as all spell-like abilities, acquired or not).
• Society (The rules of the Game):
  • No ætas* may attack another ætas directly by any means.
  • No ætas may directly attck the kèlahi* of another ætas.
  • No ætas should directly lie to another ætas; it is bad form, and mostly ineffective, except for the chà'tai*.
  • No ætas may attack a cha'tal, directly or indirectly; inconveniencing and teaching are allowed.
  • An ætas is responsible for his/her pawns. One's kelahi are one's choice and actions.
  • One's kèlhai must be marked for others to see. Any kèlah unmarked is simply fodder for the Game.
  • Any ætas found to break these rules shall be put to Trial. To fail the Trial is to bcome chà'tal.
  
  *Translations fom Draconic:
  Ætas (pl. ætai): darkling, "the eternal ones"
  Kèlah (pl. kèlahi): pawn
  Chà'tal (pl. chà'tai): child/youngling; a darkling that has not yet regained his/her full memories