Sesheyan

Sesheyans are an alien race from the Star*Drive setting for Alternity. They are winged, 8-eyed, reptilian humanoids, something like a cross between lizardfolk and gargoyles.

D&D Sesheyans

In Dragon Magazine #251, the Sesheyans were converted into a playable race for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons; this was the first of the "AD&D Game Aliens" article series, which attempted to convert Alternity races to AD&D - sadly, only the Fraal and the T'sa would follow in the Sesheyans' footsteps before the series was cancelled.

Sesheyans are a sinister-looking race; thin humanoids with black or brown skin, a pointed muzzle adorned with eight eyes and fanged mouths, a long fan-shaped tail, and bat-like wings. However, despite their sinister appearance, they are actually a very peaceful people, with no malice in them.

The sesheyan race are nocturnal hunter-gatherers with a Stone Age cultural level, native to tropical jungles and rainforests. They live in isolated outposts rarely numbering more than a couple of hundred souls, which express extreme disinterest in interacting with each other; this is why sesheyan culture remains remarkably unchanged, as tribes that do adopt to more advanced technologies don't pass this on to other sesheyan communities.

Despite this, they do share a remarkably common religious belief; a form of animism based on totems and ancestor worship, where ancestor spirits merge with archetypal totemic deities that they are viewed to have embodied in life. This complicated theology is maintained by the Obeahs, a shaman-type class also introduced in this article, which serves as a combination of priest, historian, story-teller and leader.

As a result, sesheyans are extremely superstitious, seeing the hand of the spirits in all things around them. They can seem distant at times, due to their contemplations of the spirits. However, they are not a people inclined to brood; sesheyans are headstrong, with a strong dose of independnet spirit. They think nothing of days or weeks spent alone far from the comforts of home, and wandering is common for hunters and those whose curiosity leads to exploration.

Possible places where sesheyans could exist in TSR D&D settings include the Malaltran Plateau in the Forgotten Realms, the Armedio Jungle in Greyhawk, and Aduria in Birthright.

AD&D Sesheyan PC Stats

Ability Score Minimum/Maximum: Strength 5/16, Dexterity 6/19, Constitution 3/14, Intelligence 3/16, Wisdom 9/15, Charisma 3/16

Ability Score Adjustments: +1 Dexterity, -1 Constitution

Racial Class Limitations: Fighter 14, Ranger 12, Druid 8, Obeah 14, Thief Unlimited, Bard 6

Multiclassing Options: Fighter/Druid, Ranger/Druid, Fighter/Thief

Racial Thieving Skill Adjustments: Pick Pockets +5%, Open Locks -5%, Find/Remove Traps -10%, Move Silently +5%, Hide in Shadows +10%, Detect Noise +5%, Read Languages -10%

Natural Armor Class: 10

Movement Base: 12, Fly 24 (C)

Darkvision

Limited Flight: A sesheyan can only fly without pause for 1 hour, after which they either become exhausted or can con tinue flying by making a Constitution check, at the DM's perogrative. Under the later system, they must make Constitution checks with a cumulative +2 penalty for each subsequent hour spent flying, and after landing they must remain ground-bound for time equal to that spent flying.

Dark-Adjusted Eyes: Sesheyans suffer a penalty to all actions, including attack rolls, when not in darkness equivalent to twilight or darker. They suffer a -2 penalty in Overcast Day, -3 in brighter light, and -4 against blinding effects and spells such as Continual Light.

Limited Weapon Proficiencies: Sesheyans may only begin play with the Spear, Quarterstaff, Whip, Knife, Shortbow, Blowgun and Dart proficiencies.

Limited Nonweapon Proficiencies: Sesheyans cannot begin play with nonweapoin proficiencies that would not be available to a Stone Age jungle tribe society with no talent for arcane magic, such as Agriculture, Mining, Blacksmithing, Forgery or Spellcraft.

Barterers: A sesheyan starts with 5d4GP worth of equipment instead of money, as their tribes practice a barter-based system rather than using currency.

d20 Modern Sesheyan

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They also appeared in the d20 Future splatbook for d20 Modern.