Ghoran

Ghorans are an ancient race whose ancestry is steeped in tragedy. Every aspect of ghoran physiology was designed to be perfect; unfortunately, that included “perfect taste”—their flesh-like rinds were so delicious that humans hunted them nearly to extinction. Worse, each was able to produce only one seed, adding to the precariousness of their species. Over hundreds of generations, they evolved from shambling, vine-like creatures into their current humanoid forms, but they still found themselves ostracized by humanity.

Ghorans are roughly the same size as humans, and are nearly as diverse physically, though unlike humans, ghorans can adjust their bodies’ shapes within their frames’ limits. Their “skin” is a complex layer of fibrous vines and rinds with a texture like moss-covered bark, while their faces consist of hundreds of layered petals that flush and flutter at a whim.

Each ghoran has a ghorus seed within its navel. As a full action, a ghoran can expel this seed. If planted in fertile soil and left undisturbed for 1d6 days, the seed grows into a sapling ghoran who physically mirrors the original. If left undisturbed for an additional 2d6 days, the seed grows into an oakling ghoran instead. After a sapling ghoran has been fully grown for 2d20 months, they can choose to grow into an oakling ghoran, a process that takes 1d6 weeks. Every 20 years or so, a ghoran develops a new seed, allowing the race to slowly grow its numbers.

Many ghorans are withdrawn around flesh-and-blood creatures. They often prefer the company of vesk to humans— in fact, a popular conspiracy holds that ghorans fed information about humans to the vesk. Despite these grounds for suspicion, ghoran society emphasizes the importance of community life, friendship, and companionship—all luxuries most ghorans could only dream of when they were few and hunted.

Ability Score Modifiers: All ghorans gain –2 Intelligence and +2 Charisma at character creation. Sapling ghorans are short and slender (+2 Dexterity at character creation). Oakling ghorans are tall and dense (+2 Constitution at character creation).

Alternate Ability Score Modifiers

A species once thought doomed to extinction, ghorans still struggle with a life cycle that often places great stress both on their overall population and on individuals. Ghorans have begun to see varying phenotypes among their kind.

• Willower: Willower ghorans reproduce from a ghorus seed and grow into a tall frame. The first of these ghorans sprouted from the first kinwoods. Willowers are Medium plants and have an ability score adjustment of +2 Intelligence. Source S:NS

Hit Points: 6

Size and Type: Ghorans are plants. Sapling ghorans are Small plants, while oakling ghorans are Medium plants.

Standard Racial Traits

• Delicious (Ex): Ghorans take a –2 penalty to attack rolls and Acrobatics checks to escape a grapple against a creature that uses the grab ability with a bite natural weapon.
• Limited Plant Benefits (Ex): Despite being plant creatures, ghorans don’t gain the standard immunities associated with creatures of the plant type. Instead, they gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against mind-affecting effects, paralysis, poison, polymorph, sleep, and stunning effects, unless the effect specifies that it is effective against plants.
• Past-Life Knowledge: Choose two skills from the following list: Computers, Culture, Engineering, Life Science, Medicine, Mysticism, Physical Science, and Profession (each Profession chosen separately). The ghoran adds the chosen skills to their list of class skills or gains a +2 racial bonus to checks with those skills if they are already class skills.
• Photosynthesis (Ex): Ghorans undergo photosynthesis to gain nutrition instead of eating (although they can eat if they so wish). A ghoran can go without light (either sunlight or UV light, such as from starships) for 3 days, after which they must attempt Constitution checks to avoid starvation.

Alternate Racial Traits

The kinwoods have long shepherded numerous plant species. This includes the ghorans themselves, who exhibit a range of physiological traits.

• Magical Talent: Some ghorans inherit magical aptitude from their ancestors. Ghorans with this trait gain a +2 racial bonus to Mysticism checks, and they can use detect magic and psychokinetic hand at will as spell-like abilities. This replaces past-life knowledge. Source S:NS
• Psychosynthesis: Instead of light, some ghorans’ outer layers are sensitive to thoughts and emotions. Ghorans with this trait gain limited telepathy with a range of 30 feet. Additionally, they can avoid starvation by spending at least 8 total hours a day within 120 feet of a creature that doesn’t have the unliving trait and that has an Intelligence and Wisdom score of at least 10. This replaces photosynthesis. Source S:NS