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Klaven Footsoldier

Klaven Foot Soldier CR 1/2

This imposing humanoid advances with unblinking, milk-white eyes, its claws and wicked bone spurs ready to rend as green, calcified skin covers its body like a hardened exoskeleton.

XP 200
LE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +0

DEFENSE HP 13

EAC 10; KAC 12
Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +0; +2 vs. disease, ingested poison, nauseated, and sickened
Immunities fear
Weaknesses malign influence

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.
Melee tactical battleaxe +6 (1d8+3 S) or bone spur +6 (1d6+3 S)
Ranged spur rifle +3 (1d6 P)

STATISTICS

Str +3, Dex +1, Con +2, Int –1, Wis +0, Cha –1
Skills Athletics +4, Intimidate +9, Stealth +4 (+8 in forest or jungle)
Languages Common, Ultari Special Abilities converted host, energy modulation (1/day), nanite exchange
Gear tactical battleaxe (as longsword), spur rifle (see page 238) with 5 spurs

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Converted Host (Ex)

Klaven transformations leave nothing to allow for restoration of a base creature to its original self. As a result, klaven cannot be killed and returned to life with raise dead or similar effects, though spells such as miracle and wish could be used to do so.

Energy Modulation (Su)

Once per day as a reaction, a klaven foot soldier can treat positive and negative energy effects as if it were an undead creature, taking damage from positive energy and healing damage from negative energy. This effect lasts until the start of the klaven’s next turn.

Malign Influence (Su)

Klaven take a –2 penalty to resist charm and mind-affecting (compulsion) effects from evil creatures. This penalty increases to –6 if the creature also has the jagladine subtype.

Nanite Exchange (Su)

Klaven nanites swarm around each klaven on a microscopic level, providing a continuous awareness of the location and condition of other klaven within 60 feet, as the status spell. Klaven can communicate with one another by passing memories and sensory information through their nanites but must come into physical contact to do so. This exchange of memories requires a full-round action and only consists of perceptions and first-hand experiences. Klaven cannot exchange skills, special abilities, or other individual qualities in this manner.

ECOLOGY

Klaven are an artificially created species, incrementally modified to serve the jagladine— and by extension, the Ultari Hegemony—as foot soldiers and shocktroops. Their jagdaline masters perfected this process to transform natives of conquered worlds into an occupying force. The conversion protocol begins with a creature’s infection, typically by a virus referred to as an assimilation strain, which introduces nanites to remap a victim’s brain patterns and overall psychology, predisposing them towards evil. The second stage requires a fitted mindslave harness, which conditions victims towards complete obedience, reception of telepathic commands, and eventual networking with others of its kind. Those who survive these experiences become candidates for full conversion into klaven, a process which involves submersion into vats of organic mutagens to amplify the victim’s strength, alter the visual spectrum of its eyes, and grow natural claws.

Klaven typically have greenish skin and milkywhite eyes, with smooth hairless skin calcified into a hard, armored exoskeleton overlaying their former physiology.

The final result draws horror-worthy comparisons to an undead monstrosity, but all klaven are still living soldiers. Those familiar with klaven biology realize their appearance often signals an assimilation plague has already run its course, but klaven lack all memory of their former lives, devoid of compassion and slaying others without hesitation. Only officers possess the ability to speak, with all others communicating purely through an exchange of nanites. Their jagdaline masters also have the technological means to tap into their neural network, monitoring the condition of their soldiers while remotely issuing commands. It is believed the Hegemony’s weaponeers occasionally download their soldiers’ memories, analyzing their experiences for further insights into those they encounter.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Alien Bestiary (Starfinder) © 2018, Legendary Games; Lead Designer: Jason Nelson. Authors: Anthony Adam, Kate Baker, John Bennet, Eytan Bernstein, Robert Brookes, Russ Brown, Duan Byrd, Jeff Dahl, Robyn Fields, Joel Flank, Matt Goodall, Robert J. Grady, Jim Groves, Steven T. Helt, Thurston Hillman, Tim Hitchcock, Nick Hite, Daniel Hunt, Mike Kimmel Marshall, Isabelle Lee, Jeff Lee, Lyz Liddell, Jason Nelson, Richard Pett, Tom Phillips, Alistair J. Rigg, Alex Riggs, Wendall Roy, Mike Shel, Neil Spicer, Todd Stewart, Russ Taylor, Rachel Ventura, Mike Welham, George Loki Williams, Scott Young.