Koads

Koad [63]




Attribute Modifiers: ST +2 [No Manipulators, -40%) [12]; HT +4 [40]; DX -3 [-60]

Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Basic Move -2 [-10]

Advantages: Controls 1 [25]; DR 2 (Cant wear armor, -40%) [6]; Unaging [15]; Doesn't Eat or Drink [10]; Filter Lungs [5]; IT: Homogenous [40]; Channeling [10]; Plant Empathy [5]; Speak With Plants [15]; 360 Vision [25]; Striker [5]; Telesend (magic, -10%) [27]; Temperature Tolerance (Cold 3; Heat 2) [5]; Energy Reserve 10 (Magic) [30]; Control 1 (Nature) [30]; Payload 2 (Cosmic+50% Extradimensional space) [3]

Disadvantages: Decreased Time Rate [-100]; Color Blind [-10]; No Manipulators [-50]; Sense of Duty (Nature) [-15]

Quirks:
Racial Skills:

Features: Appears as a willow tree; The controls advantage requires Plant Empathy to use for anything more then tapping the ER.

Common Advantages and Disadvantages

Special Rapport (Dryad; other Koads, especially children; and sometimes others as well though they must have Plant Empathy) ; Sessile (but buyback the reduced move disad); Regeneration for ER (though this is rare or often limited by accessibility until they settle down); Social Regard (Venerated) for Elder Koads. Extra levels of control or dedicated controls are also possible.




Culture

Koads are sentient trees that have a limited ability to walk, at least for the early part of their lives. Eventually a Koad finds a nice home and settles down and grows special tap roots trading mobility for a stronger connection to Nature. Treat this as getting Sessile and Regeneration (Regular; FP in ER only) and +5 ER for a net zero points. As they mature this regeneration and ER are often bought up to very high levels. Koads are physically strong and the stats above reflect a young adult, they can grow to SM +5. However they are slow and do not react quickly so rely on the protection of other species, especially Kaya and eventually bond with a Dryad. In return someone in contact with them can tap their ER (using Controls) and a merged Dryad can actually fight using the striker or other abilities. Koads tend to be solitary and do not stay together but spread out. However they can use their abilities to communicate with each other and close allies. They will often be found near a Kaya village however and the kaya tap the koads energy to power their spells but protect and watch over it. Sessile Koads are called Elder Koads.

The kaya will go to great lengths to protect and help a koad and they fall under their sense of duty to nature.







Only an Elder Koad can have children and they need to be bonded to a Dryad to do so as well. The magical pairing provides not just more magical energy but also the powerful Yin energy that helps balance out the mostly Yang/male of the Koad. Although this pairing can create 1 Koad a season it is extremely rare for them to have more then one young Koad around at a time. It takes about 20 years for a young Koad to mature enough physically that it can uproot itself and walk around and during this time it is educated and protected by both parents. Once a Koad can walk it is encouraged to travel and find a new home where it can settle down and nurture its own part of the forest. During this time mages may try to convince the Koad to travel with or settle down near their abodes for the extra power and security. Sadly this does not always work out well for the young Koads but most mages will try to keep the koad from harm, if not just to protect their resources or out of altruism then out of fear of the consequences should it become known.




Koad in Combat

Koad tend to fight using their powerful tree limbs as strikers and can have more then one as well as Extra Attack. However due to their low DX, movement and slow reaction times they are at a disadvantage and prefer to avoid combat. They thus have not developed any special combat training, however a Dryad can take control of these abilities for a faster reaction time.

Koad also learn powers of Nature as well, and many of these can be used in combat.




Traveling

Because koad are so slow they can be difficult traveling companions and thus often travel alone. However they can be carried in a wagon or boat and they can draw upon soil they carry in their special spirit dimension and as long as they have plenty of sunlight they are good to go. Having no grasping hands they fill this space up typically by swallowing but another can put things into it as well which is about as difficult as reaching into someone else's pocket.