Lashunta
The Lashunta are a "fantasy space" race from Pathfinder, symbolic of its embracing the more sci-fantasy aspects of early Dungeons & Dragons.
These alien beings hail from Castrovel, which is to Golarion roughly what Venus is to Earth. A hot, moist world of endless swamps and jungles teeming with all manner of alien plants and animals - which is literally what pulp stories tended to describe Venus as before we learned the sad truth.
Intelligent, scholarly and prizing mental perfection, the lashunta are a naturally psionic race, which is made obvious by the pair of dainty, fleshy antennae all lashunta sport on their foreheads. However, like the Kalashtar before them, they never seem to get rules that actually pertain to psionics (though in this case it's because Paizo never even touched psionics and would only do psychic magic with Occult Adventures some years later). This is, in fact, the only way both to recognize lashunta for what they are and to recognize that their two sexes are the same species!
See, although both sexes of lashunta are equally intelligent, this matriarchal species has very strong sexual dimorphism. Male lashunta are squat, barely half the size of their womenfolk, and broad, with wide shoulders and blunt features, and very hairy; they almost invariably grow long beards. Gruff, blunt-spoken and naturally aggressive, they are the picture of the stereotypical dwarf. The female lashunta, in comparison, are tall, slender and lithely built, looking like either an elf or an idealized human woman, depending on who you ask - as Castrovel was the primary home of the elves during their long retreat from Golarion, it may be the difference amounts to the presence of elven blood. Naturally charismatic and commanding, female lashunta employ that to serve as leaders of their society, although both sexes can and do become adventurers and warriors. Indeed, the most famous military unit of the lashunta consists of females riding telepathically-bonded alien dinosaurs called shotalashu.
In other words, the lady lashunta are the sci-fi pin-up girls of old pulp magazine covers, and the male lashunta are the muscular beast-men of the same.
Lashunta society is described as "semi-utopian". War between lashunta is very rare and mostly boils down to honor-feuds, which are settled through ceremonial conflict. Most of their military energies are spent fighting the various killer plants and monstrous beasts that inhabit Castrovel.
PC Stats[edit | edit source]
- Ability Score Modifier: +2 Intelligence
- Sexually Dimorphic: Male Lashunta have +2 Strength and -2 Wisdom, Female Lashunta have +2 Charisma and -2 Constitution
- Medium
- Base speed 30 feet
- Normal vision
- Knowledgeable: Gain a +2 racial bonus to one Knowledge skill
- Lashunta Magic: A Lashunta with Intelligence 11+ can cast Daze and Mage Hand at will and Detect Thoughts 1/day as spell-like abilities with a caster level equal to character level
- Limited Telepathy: A Lashunta can telepathically communicate with a creature within 30 feet, provided they both speak at least one language in common
Alternate Racial Trait - Insidious Telepathy: Replaces Lashunta Magic. +1 to Charisma checks against creatures the lashunta is telepathically communicating with. +1 to Charisma checks made to compel a charmed or dominated creature if the order is given telepathically.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
| The Races of Pathfinder | |
|---|---|
| Player's Handbook: | Dwarf - Elf - Gnome - Half-Elf - Half-Orc - Halfling - Human |
| Advanced Race Guide: |
Aasimar - Catfolk - Changeling - Dhampir - Duergar Drow - Fetchling - Gillman - Goblin - Grippli - Hobgoblin Ifrit - Kitsune - Kobold - Merfolk - Nagaji - Orc - Oread Ratfolk - Samsaran - Strix - Suli - Svirfneblin - Sylph Tengu - Tiefling - Undine - Vanara - Vishkanya - Wayang |
| Bestiaries: | Android - Astomoi - Caligni - Deep One Hybrid - Gathlain Gnoll - Kasatha - Munavri - Naiad - Orang-Pendak Reptoid - Rougarou - Shabti - Trox - Yaddithian |
| Adventure Paths: | Being of Ib - Kuru |
| Inner Sea Races: | Ghoran - Monkey Goblin - Lashunta - Skinwalker Syrinx - Triaxian - Wyrwood - Wyvaran |
| Ultimate Wilderness: | Vine Leshy |
| Blood of the Sea: | Adaro - Cecaelia - Grindylow - Locathah - Sahuagin - Triton |
| Planar Adventures: | Aphorite - Duskwalker - Ganzi |
Starfinder[edit | edit source]
Lashunta are one of the core races of the Starfinder setting, seeing as how they dominate Castrovel. The aforementioned sexual dimorphism has been retconned into resulting from caste-defining rituals performed at puberty, which *used* to be traditionally dictated by sex, but modern lashuntas no longer let gender define them that much. Their utopian society is also marred by an ongoing war with the Formians, which has only recently ended.
PC Stats[edit | edit source]
- Ability Score Modifier: +2 Charisma
- Dimorphic: Korasha lashuntas have +2 Strength and -2 Wisdom, Damaya lashuntas have +2 Intelligence and -2 Constitution
- Medium
- Base speed 30 feet
- Normal vision
- Student: Gain a +2 racial bonus to two skills of their choice.
- Lashunta Magic: Can cast Daze and Mage Hand at will and Detect Thoughts 1/day with caster level equalling character level
- Limited Telepathy: A lashunta can telepathically communicate with a creature within 30 feet, provided they both speak at least one language in common
Flavor aside, the biggest change is that their common bonus is now to Charisma instead of Intelligence. As the only core race with a racial bonus to Cha, lashuntas are clearly being set up for the social roles. Korashas would make good solarians, while damayas would make excellent envoys.
Alternate Racial Traits
- Hunter Legacy: Replaces Ability Score Modifiers - Korashas gain +2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Intelligence; Damayas gain +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma, -2 Strength.
- Mind-Forward: Replaces Ability Score Modifiers - Korashas gain +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma, -2 Constitution; Damayas gain +2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma, -2 Constitution.
- Psychically Resistant: You gain a +2 racial bonus to Will Saves against mind-affecting abilities and can cast Mental Silence as a spell-like ability. Replaces Lashunta Magic and Limited Telepathy
- Rugged: You gain Toughness as a bonus feat. This replaces Student.
