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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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PFS StandardTalos

The geniekin called taloses descend primarily from zuhra genies, metal elementals, and other denizens of the Plane of Metal. Many taloses mold their natural talent for metalwork into careers as tinkerers, miners, or smiths, although just as many leverage the luster of precious metals in a quest for fame and fortune.

Taloses are among the most metropolitan of geniekin, often born in or drawn to cities of various sizes, especially those with advanced metalworking or technology trades. Metal often needs to be worked to find its form and function, which may explain why many taloses seem to enjoy living among people, if not necessarily socializing with them. They often find themselves stumbling into jobs somewhere along the production line of technology, whether it's mining the raw ore from the earth, working it into wires and gears, or constructing the devices themselves. Some taloses resent and reject the expectations that they fill such roles, but many embrace their fascination with tech, often going on to become expert inventors. Taloses are therefore far more likely than other geniekin to make use of clockwork technology in their communities.

Despite having long inhabited Golarion, albeit in small numbers, taloses have only rarely been recognized as geniekin. The largest number of them, and also the largest number whose true nature is known, inhabit Tian Xia. The traditions of metal as an element have lived much longer there. Taloses often find themselves drawn to discussions and study of elemental metal the instant they hear of the concept. Historical records speak of renowned courtiers and diplomats with skin of flawless silver or bronze. In the Ivory Port of Goka, the smiths of the family-owned Dragon's Iron Forge craft their blades and firearms with magnetic techniques handed down from their zuhra sheikha ancestor.

A talos gadgeteer is a clockwork tinkerer. When confronted, their preferred tactic is to lure opponents into traps using their lesser explosive mines before attempting to engage directly.

Recall Knowledge - Humanoid (Society): DC 15
Unspecific Lore: DC 13
Specific Lore: DC 10

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Talos GadgeteerCreature 1

Medium Human Humanoid Talos 
Source Rage of Elements pg. 163
Perception +3
Languages Common, Talican
Skills Acrobatics +6, Crafting +6, Society +6, Thievery +6
Str +1, Dex +3, Con +1, Int +3, Wis +0, Cha +1
Gadgets A talos gadgeteer carries the following temporary gadgets, which have no value if sold and last for 24 hours or until
the next time the gadgeteer makes their daily preparations: lesser ablative armor plating (1), lesser blast boots (1), lesser explosive mine (3).
Items artisan's toolkit, formula book, leather armor, light hammer (3)
AC 17; Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +5
HP 17 (plus 5 temporary HP (from ablative armor plating)); Resistances electricity 1
Reflective Defense [reaction] (light) Frequency once per round; Trigger A creature within 30 feet targets the talos gadgeteer, and they can see the attacker; Requirements The talos is in dim or bright light; Effect The talos gadgeteer reflects light off their metallic skin and into the enemy's eyes; it must succeed at a DC 14 Reflex save or be dazzled until the end of the talos's next turn.
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] fist +8 [+4/+0] (agile, finesse, versatile S), Damage 1d6+1 bludgeoningMelee [one-action] light hammer +6 [+2/-2] (agile), Damage 1d6+1 bludgeoningRanged [one-action] light hammer +8 [+4/+0] (agile, thrown 20 feet), Damage 1d6+1 bludgeoningArcane Innate Spells DC 14; Cantrips (1st) detect metal

Sidebar - Locations Traveling Tinkerers

While there are no known permanent talos settlements in the Universe, there is a small nomadic community known as the Tinkerers' Caravan. Originally founded in Vudra and inspired by similar clans of janns and sulis, the caravan now travels throughout most of the eastern world, offering all taloses who wish to travel with them a sense of community and belonging that they might not find anywhere else.

All Monsters in "Geniekin"

NameLevel
Ardande1
Ifrit1
Oread1
Suli1
Sylph1
Talos1
Undine1

Geniekin

Source Bestiary 2 pg. 200 2.0
Geniekin are mortals whose ancestry has become entangled with that of genies, causing them to exhibit elemental powers drawn from the Elemental Planes. Though the geniekin found here are all of human descent and have example alignments, geniekin and other planar scions can descend from other ancestries and have any alignment.

Planar Scion

Many immortals dwell upon the other planes of the Great Beyond. Some are benevolent and kindly, like angels. Others are cruel and destructive, like demons. And some flt roles outside of morality, like psychopomps. It’s far from unheard of that mortals and immortals alike become entangled romantically, and the children of such engagements carry a supernatural element in their bloodlines for generations to follow. After the first generation, this otherworldly influence usually lies dormant, but now and then, the influence can manifest strongly in descendants many years later. These inheritors of extraplanar legacies are known collectively as planar scions.

Common Terminology

The term geniekin came into common parlance mostly thanks to tales from Casmaron and, in particular, the Padishah Empire of Kelesh. Many of these folk stories, songs, and other common tales include great figures who have genie parentage. The prominence and legacy of these stories, along with the fact that the most common geniekin are those with genie ancestors, have cemented “geniekin” as a common term for any individual who manifests elemental traits. This is true even when genies are not part of a person's lineage, such as individuals descended from elementals or sorcerers with the elemental bloodline. Scholars have pushed to use the more accurate descriptor of “elemental scion,” but the term has yet to permeate the common lexicon.

Elemental Permutations

While other planar scions have lineages that reflect the specific fiends, celestials, or monitors from which their families descend, geniekin lineages are better described as permutations of elemental expression. Elements sometimes manifest in unique and unusual ways within a line of geniekin, regardless of the elemental they descend from. These permutations and their lineages are as follows.

Air: fumesoul (miasma sylph), smokesoul (haze sylph), stormsoul (lightning sylph)

Earth: dustsoul (soil oread), gemsoul (crystal oread), miresoul (mud oread)

Fire: brightsoul (radiant ifrit), cindersoul (ash ifrit), lavasoul (magma ifrit)

Water: brinesoul (saltwater undine), mistsoul (vapor undine), rimesoul (frost undine)

Sidebar - Locations Geniekin on Golarion

While most geniekin planar scions live on their genie parent's ancestral plane, rare fonts of elemental power or genie activity sometimes give rise to geniekin on Golarion. By far, geniekin are most commonly found in Katapesh, as genies are more prevalent there than other regions due to the influence of genie binders.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Geniekin Parentage

Planar scions from the elemental planes are known as geniekin because they are overwhelmingly born from couplings between mortals and genies: ifrits are born of efreeti, oreads of shaitans, sulis of jann, sylphs of djinn, and undines of marids. Despite this distinguished ancestry, geniekin do not display most of their parents' exceptional talents, such as their ability to grant wishes.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Other Planar Scions

Two other planar scions are the entropy-infused ganzi and their polar opposites, the orderly aphorites, scions of chaos and law respectively.