User:Temia Eszteri/Teru

Not unlike those aligned to the various planes, the teru are mortals with the blood of the strange and otherworldly creatures known as the genom. While they look human for the most part, they are universally born with white hair, and grow horns and a scaled tail in various shapes and size across their twelve clans. These traits tend to lead to their association with dragonkind, coupled with the supernatural origin of their powers, even if the connection to them is tangential at best.

Once hailing from the Syestine region of Ar Ciel before its destruction, the teru are a deeply spiritual and empathic people, communing with nature and the planetary wills to live in harmony with them. However, now scattered across the planet and the very stars in their flight, they adapted to life where they could; many still practice their philosophy of honouring and respecting the land that gives them life, even if that means communing with new wills where they settled while still venerating their original patron Shelanoir. On Ar Ciel, where there remains no more natural land to speak of except under the not-to-be-understated Sea of Death, the majority of the Teru live at the center of the First Tower of Ar Tonelico, solemnly guarding the upper reaches of the tower--and with it, the combined efforts of them and El Elemia--from being misused again like in times before. In Metafalss, the few teru remaining use their empathy to operate the ubiquitous Dive Machines in that region, though many citizens bear half-teru blood and potential to carry on in their place. Meanwhile, on the Tower of Harvestasha, the Ayatane Wars led to the almost complete erasure of the aristocratic youke teru families that governed Clustania from the shadows.

To be a teru adventurer is not unusual; tradition dictates a quest on their coming of age to find and commune with a familiar to join them, and a number of teru still hold onto that curiosity of the greater world or find difficulty accepting the ways of their home, leading them to venture beyond their community. However, they are still few in number and vast distances between, so barring deep-seated animosity or tragedy, even these adventurous teru find their way back home to settle with time. Still, there remain exceptions, and with those exceptions do the half-teru usually come to exist.

Racial Traits

Standard Racial Traits

• Ability Scores: Teru are resilient and in tune with the world around them. They gain +2 Constitution and +2 Wisdom. [2 RP]
• Type: Teru are outsiders with the native and genom subtypes. [3 RP]
• Size: Teru are medium creatures and thus have no bonuses or penalties due to their size. [0 RP]
• Base Speed: Teru have a base speed of 30 feet. [0 RP]
• Languages: Teru begin play speaking Common and Teru. Teru with high intelligence scores can choose from the following languages: Carmena Foreluna, Draconic, Emotional Song Pact, Elven, and Sylvan. [0 RP]

Defense Racial Traits

• Harmonic Resilience (Ex): Teru have a +2 racial bonus to saving throws against sonic or language-dependent effects. [2 RP]

Skill Racial Traits

• Survivalist: Teru gain a +2 racial bonus to survival checks. [2 RP]

Magical Racial Traits

• Teru Magic (Sp): Teru with a wisdom score of 11 or higher can use comprehend languages and speak with animals each once per day as a spell-like ability (caster level equal to the teru's character level). [2 RP]

Senses Racial Traits

• Draconic Vision: Unlike most outsiders, teru have the sensory perception befitting a dragon. They gain Darkvision out to 60 feet and Low-Light Vision. [1 RP]

Alternative Racial Traits

The following alternate racial traits may be selected in place of one or more of the standard racial traits above. Consult your GM before selecting any of these new options.

• Dragon's Teeth: Some teru bear a strangely draconic connection and have an especially powerful bite. They gain a bite attack that deals 1d4 damage. This racial trait replaces Teru Magic.
• Song Magic: While rare, some teru have a powerful affinity for song magic, being able to craft it exceptionally well. Teru bards treat their Charisma score as 2 points higher for Bardic Performance and all bard class abilities. Teru spellcasters cast spells with the sonic or language-dependent descriptors at +1 caster level. This replaces Teru Magic and Survivalist.

Favoured Class Options

• Cleric: Select one domain power granted at 1st level that is normally usable a number of times per day equal to 3 + the cleric's Wisdom modifier. The cleric adds +½ to the number of uses per day of that domain power.
• Druid: Select one cleric domain power at 1st level that is normally usable a number of times per day equal to 3 + the druid's Wisdom modifier. The druid adds +½ to the number of uses per day of that domain power. For teru druids whose nature bond gives them an animal companion, add +1 skill rank to the animal companion. If the teru ever replaces her animal companion, the new companion gains these bonus skill ranks.
• Ranger: Gain +1/6 of a ranger combat style feat.
• Shaman: Add one spell from the bard spell list that isn’t on the shaman spell list to the list of spells the shaman knows. This spell must be at least 1 level below the highest spell level the shaman can cast.
• Sorcerer: Add +1/2 of a point to damage for sonic spells or spell-like abilities.
• Witch: Add 1 skill rank to the witch's familiar. If the teru ever replaces the familiar, the new familiar gains these bonus skill ranks.

Teru Clans

While rare, teru may not have a clear connection to a clan, especially if they were born apart from their normal community. This leads them to connect more with nature and the spiritual world rather than hone their powers. More often, however, a teru will align with a clan and show more specialised abilities. Depending on the clan they belong to, their ability score modifiers, skill modifier and spell-like ability are modified.

Clan Name	Middle name	Recommended Familiar	Ability Modifiers	Skill Modifier	Alternate Spell-Like Ability
Munoph	Pel	—	+2 Dex, +2 Cha	Bluff	augury 1/day
Plune	Nene	Brownie	+2 Dex, +2 Con	Acrobatics	expeditious retreat or floating disk 1/day
Nino	Ray	Owl	+2 Wis, +2 Cha	Sense Motive	commune 1/week
Zeppen	Plue	Cat	+2 Str, +2 Dex	Stealth	alter self 1/day
Jemina	Ross	Falcon	+2 Dex, +2 Int	Perception	dimension door 1/week
Sarra	Ma	Lyrakien	+2 Con, +2 Cha	Intimidate	burning hands or magic missile 1/day
Ougus	Zak	Special1	+2 Con, +2 Int	Heal	read weather 3/day
Alca	De	Pseudodragon	+2 Int, +2 Wis	Spellcraft	limited wish single-use at 13th level2
Oca	Lu	Sprite	+2 Int, +2 Cha	Diplomacy	charm person or summon monster I 1/day
Noraph	Sora	Koropokkuru (not implemented)	+2 Str, +2 Cha	Sleight of Hand	message 3/day
Deenel	Vee	Leshie	+2 Str, +2 Wis	Knowledge (nature)	enlarge person or entangle 1/day
Purarura	Low	Special3	+2 Dex, +2 Wis	Use Magic Device	reincarnate single-use at 7th level2
1Any familiar with the figment familiar archetype. 2The teru gains the spell-like ability at the appropriate character level. No focus or material components are required, but the ability can't be regained after use except by use of a miracle or wish. 3Any familiar with the decoy familiar archetype.

Teru Feats

Improved Teru Magic

Your powers show greater promise.

Prerequisites: Teru, spell-like ability racial trait

Benefit: You can use your limited-use spell-like ability more often. If it's 3/day, you can use it at will. If it's 2/day, you can use it 3/day. If it's 1/day, you can use it 2/day. If it's 1/week, you can use it 1/day. If it's single-use, you can use it 1/year once you are of sufficient level to gain access to it.

Special: You can take this feat twice, unless your spell-like ability is already usable at will or 1/year.

Other Creatures

Half-Teru

Unlike other outsider races, the blood of the teru does not manifest suddenly—they breed true with other members of their race as well as with those outside of it. Descendants with weak teru blood end up being merely half-teru, which share their parental traits much like the offspring of humans and elves.

Half-teru function as half-elves with the following changes:

• Type: Half-teru are humanoid creatures with the human and genom subtypes. This alters the half-elf's type.
• Languages: Half-teru begin play speaking Common and Teru. This alters the half-elf's starting languages.
• Harmonic Resilience: Half-teru gain the teru racial trait in place of Elven Immunities.
• Blended View: Half-teru gain the half-elven alternative racial trait in place of Multitalented.
• Teru Blood: Half-teru count as both humans and teru for any effect related to race. This replaces Elf Blood.

In a world more widely varied than Ar Ciel, half-teru may spawn from relationships with other humanoids, much like the variety of humanoids that arise as aasimar or tieflings. These half-teru use their non-teru parentage in place of human for their creature subtype and Teru Blood racial trait, and have their size modifier adjusted to small where appropriate, but they otherwise remain the same.

Subtype: Genom

The genom cover a wide range of species, distinguished by their triple-helixed DNA and ability to bond with other creatures to grant them powerful magic. While most have access to Genometrics, there remain some exceptions (such as most teru and half-breeds thereof).