K’aan details
Bloodline Traits
- Vitals Adjusted: Gain +1 to either Cognition or Presence.
- Popular Classes: Ranger, Primant, Mage.
- Languages: K’aan, Ceiban, Trade.
Serpentine Nature
- K’aan can communicate simple ideas with serpents and other reptiles and gain Advantage on Beastcraft checks involving them.
- K’aan gain Advantage on Acrobatics checks made to escape grapples or restraints.
- A K’aan can pass through any opening large enough for their head, provided their equipment also fits.
Venomous Blood
Once per round, when Affliction (Poison) harm would cause a K’aan to suffer Wounds, they ignore 1 Wound from that harm.
Once per Rest, a K’aan may spend at least 1 AD to release a Venom Spray into a Small directional area no more than 4 metres in front of them.
- Story Mode: The spray affects up to the two nearest creatures close in front of the K’aan.
- Cinematic Mode: The spray affects up to the two nearest creatures in a small part of the K’aan’s current Zone.
- Tactical Mode: The spray covers up to 4 contiguous Spaces in front of the K’aan, extending no more than 2 Spaces away.
Read the diagram as text
Your K’aan sprays a Small directional area no more than 4 metres in front of them. The selection differs between Mode groups.
- In Story or Cinematic Mode, find the creatures inside the Small area ahead. Choose up to the two nearest; allies count too. In Cinematic Mode, keep this area within your current Zone.
- In this example, the nearer ally and the next-nearest enemy are selected. You cannot skip the ally to choose both farther enemies.
- In Tactical Mode, cover up to four contiguous Spaces forming one area in front of you, extending no more than two Spaces away.
- The Tactical examples show one Space then three, an area shifted left, and an area shifted right. They are examples, not fixed templates; smaller areas are allowed.
- Resolve the trait’s check. Selection alone does not guarantee the effect.
Result: The nearer ally counts among the two nearest creatures in Story and Cinematic Modes. Tactical Mode uses the stated Space area.
- Venom Spray is available once per Rest and costs at least one Action Die.
- Make one Alchemy or Survival check, whichever Skill has the higher level, with Advantage. Boost normally. Compare that same result with the higher of each affected creature’s Athletics or Survival Readiness Scores.
- On success against a creature, its first two Skill Checks before the end of its next turn have Disadvantage. Poison-immune creatures are unaffected.
Make one Alchemy or Survival Skill Check, using whichever Skill has the higher level. You have Advantage on that check. Boost it normally. Compare the same result against the higher of each affected creature’s Athletics or Survival Readiness Scores.
On a success against a creature, the first two Skill Checks it makes before the end of its next turn are made with Disadvantage. Creatures immune to poison are unaffected. Allies within the spray count when determining the two nearest creatures.
Physical Characteristics
- Height: Males commonly stand 165–200 cm; females commonly stand 155–190 cm.
- Weight: Males commonly weigh 60–110 kg; females commonly weigh 50–95 kg.
- Maturity and Lifespan: K’aan reach physical maturity around 16 years and typically live 80–100 years.
- Eye Colour: Most commonly yellow, amber, or emerald green, with slit pupils.
- Hair and Cranial Features: K’aan do not grow human-like hair. Their scalps are ridged, and some have flexible, dreadlock-like tendrils extending from the back of the head.
- Unique Traits: K’aan are covered in scales commonly coloured green, brown, ochre, or dark gold. Some bear contrasting serpentine patterns, and gold paste is a favoured adornment.
History and Current Status
- After the Sundering, the K'aan emerged from the venomous Serpent Plains, adapting to the chaotic, shifting environment. Touched by K'awiil's magic, they built their society on manipulating natural and mystical forces, especially poisons and serpent magic.
- Ruled by shaman-priests, their priest-kings took key roles in the Mayan fragment's power struggles, advising or challenging human rulers.
- The K'aan thrive today in the Serpent Plains, feared for their mastery over poisons and ability to control land and weather through rituals tied to Chac's storms.
- While many remain isolated and wary, some K'aan venture beyond their lands as envoys or warlords, expanding their power in Shatterholme.
Personality Traits
- Cunning and Patient: The K'aan are known for their patience and calculated approach to conflict. They prefer to strike when the time is right, waiting for the perfect moment to gain the upper hand.
- Proud and Aloof: Their connection to serpentine spirits and mastery over venom has instilled a sense of superiority. They view themselves as the chosen of the jungle, and often see other mortals as weak.
- Mysterious and Secretive: K'aan are secretive by nature, often concealing their true intentions behind layers of intrigue. They rarely reveal their full plans.
Cultural Traits
- Values: The K'aan value power, wisdom, and survival, drawn to nature’s cycles, particularly the balance of life and death, reflected in their use of poisons.
- Social Dynamics: The K'aan society is hierarchical, ruled by priest-kings and shamanic leaders who claim divine right through their connection to serpentine spirits. Loyalty is paramount, but power struggles are frequent, as leaders constantly vie for dominance.
- Traditions: Venom rites are central to K'aan culture, involving poisonous snake handling, toxin crafting, and communing with serpentine spirits. Festivals celebrate Chac's monsoons, which are both feared and revered.
- Religion and Beliefs: K'aan venerate K'awiil and Chac, twin forces shaping their destiny. K'awiil’s chaos brings power and danger, while Chac’s storms are revered as life-giving yet destructive. Serpentine spirits, avatars of these gods, are central to their rituals.
Relationships With Neighbours
- Ceibans: Wary allies with shared reverence; both respect the natural cycle, participating in joint rituals while maintaining caution.
- Acacians: Rivalrous and distrustful; conflicting ideologies over necromancy create tension, though direct conflict is avoided.
- Ahwatan: Cooperative guardians of the land; shared values foster a supportive alliance to protect their territories.
- Necrokin: Hostile distrust; the Necrokin’s undead nature disrupts the balance K'aan uphold, leading to frequent clashes.
- Boaban: Cooperative but competitive; both value natural resources, maintaining practical exchanges while occasionally clashing over territory.
Step 2 of 2
Choose your K’aan Origin
Your Bloodline establishes what you inherited. Your Origin establishes the life you lived before adventure. Compare these three, then open one for its complete starting package.
01Serpent Plains WandererRaised in the Serpent Plains, I learned to survive among serpents and deliver their venom with precisely thrown blades.
- Description: “Raised in the Serpent Plains, I learned to survive among serpents and deliver their venom with precisely thrown blades.”
- Narrative Prompt: “What lesson did the serpents teach me about survival?”
- Starting Skills (Level 1 each):
- Beastcraft: Commanding serpentine creatures.
- Ranged: Delivering venom with thrown blades at a distance.
- Survival: Knowledge of plants and creatures.
- Starting Equipment:
- Venom Kit: Enables safe extraction and preparation of mundane venom using Alchemy; it grants no bonus by itself.
- Jungle Cloak: In matching jungle terrain, the wearer may attempt Stealth while stationary even without full cover.
- Bone Dagger: A weapon using the Dagger profile.
- Starting Resources:
- Venom Vials (3 uses):
- Coat: Expend one use to coat one weapon or up to three pieces of ammunition.
- Trigger: The next hit with the coated weapon or ammunition that causes at least 1 Wound triggers the venom’s roll. The coating expires when the current Scene ends, unless that Scene ends because combat starts. In that case, it expires when the Combat Scene ends.
- Venom roll: Roll two Narateer dice for the venom and add their dots. The venom takes effect only if this total exceeds the target’s Athletics Readiness Score. A tie or lower total has no effect. These are the venom’s own dice: no creature spends AD or MD, and the roll cannot be Boosted.
- Effect: If the venom takes effect, the target’s next Acrobatics, Athletics, Melee, or Ranged Skill Check before the end of its next turn has Disadvantage.
- Limit: A creature can suffer this effect only once per scene.
- Example: A venom total of 2 beats a Readiness Score of 1, so the venom takes effect. A total of 1 ties that score and has no effect.
- Minor Currency: 6 Dritch.
- Venom Vials (3 uses):
Read the diagram as text
This example coats one weapon with a Venom Vial. Its target has Athletics Readiness 1.
- Spend one Venom Vial use to coat the weapon.
- The next hit with that weapon which causes at least one Wound before the end of the scene triggers the venom roll.
- Roll two separate Narateer dice for the venom and add their dots. No creature spends Action Dice or Magic Dice, the roll cannot be Boosted, and the target makes no resistance roll.
- Here the two Hits give a venom total of 2 dots. The target’s Athletics Readiness is 1. The venom total is higher, so it takes effect. A tie or lower total has no effect.
- The target’s next Acrobatics, Athletics, Melee or Ranged Skill Check before the end of its next turn has Disadvantage. If none occurs, the penalty expires unused.
Result: The venom rolls its own two dice. If it takes effect, the target has Disadvantage on its next Acrobatics, Athletics, Melee or Ranged check before the end of its next turn.
- The delivery deadline is the end of the scene. The penalty deadline is the end of the target’s next turn.
- A creature can suffer this venom effect only once per scene.
- This is a one-weapon example. One Venom Vial use can instead coat up to three pieces of ammunition.
- Role-Playing Traits: Highly observant, calculated in actions, sees allies as essential but fleeting.
02Ritualistic Venom CrafterI trained in the sacred art of crafting and administering potent poisons for ritualistic purposes.
- Background: “I trained in the sacred art of crafting and administering potent poisons for ritualistic purposes.”
- Narrative Prompt: “What poison recipe or ceremony do I value most?”
- Starting Skills (Level 1 each):
- Alchemy: Creates poisons, antidotes, and venom preparations.
- Beastcraft: Skilled with venomous creatures.
- Finesse: Administering venoms and handling precise ritual doses.
- Starting Equipment:
- Venom Kit: Enables safe extraction and preparation of mundane venom using Alchemy; it grants no bonus by itself.
- Ritual Garb: Recognised crafter’s clothing; it is not armour.
- Small Serpent: A trained noncombatant companion. It follows simple commands and can carry a tiny item or inspect a narrow space, but it cannot attack, Boost, provide cover, or grant combat bonuses.
- Starting Resources:
- Poisonous Herbs (2 batches): With ten minutes, a Venom Kit, and a successful Alchemy check at Challenging DR 1, turn one batch into one Venom Vial with the standard effect described under Serpent Plains Wanderer. A failed check consumes the batch.
- Minimal Currency: 6 Dritch.
- Role-Playing Traits: Reveres tradition, focused on ritual precision, takes pride in venom-crafting lineage.
03Jungle GuardianAs protector of the serpent shrines, I know the hidden paths and threats in the Serpent Plains.
- Background: “As protector of the serpent shrines, I know the hidden paths and threats in the Serpent Plains.”
- Narrative Prompt: “What part of the jungle are you sworn to protect, and why?”
- Starting Skills (Level 1 each):
- Melee: Skilled in close-range combat.
- Observation: Detecting hidden paths and threats around serpent shrines.
- Survival: Knowledge of flora and fauna.
- Starting Equipment:
- Guardian Staff: A snake-adorned weapon using the Quarterstaff profile.
- Protective Wraps: Durable ceremonial clothing; they provide no Soak and are not armour.
- Herb Pouch (2 uses): Expend one use either during a Rest to make a Medicine check to aid Wound recovery, or before a check to resist or treat mundane poison. You have Advantage on the chosen check.
- Starting Resources:
- Shrine Relics: Spiritual artefacts worth 4 Dritch to an appropriate believer or collector.
- Minor Currency: 6 Dritch.
- Role-Playing Traits: Protective of the jungle, distrustful of outsiders, sees life and death as a natural cycle.