Chiss (5e Race)
Chiss
The chiss were a blue-skinned, near-human sentient species that possessed red eyes and dark blue hair. They hailed from the planet Csilla.
| “ | "They're supposed to be great warriors. Clever, resourceful, proud. Intensely loyal to one another, too." | ” |
| —Eli Vanto, on the Chiss | ||
| “ | "The chiss do not simply accept alien concepts without careful consideration. We certainly do not submit to domination. By anyone." | ” |
| —Mitth'raw'nuruodo | ||
| “ | "You see, the chiss are taught from the earliest days of training that it is not the person holding the position that is important, but rather the position itself. Individuals must allow themselves to be subsumed into the role society expects them to play. If you asked for someone by name, they would on principle not talk to you. If you asked for them by rank, however, they would not hesitate." | ” |
| —Commander Jagged Fel | ||
Appearance
The Chiss were near-humans, meaning their shape, features, and dimensions were greatly similar to those of humans. Their skin, however, was blue, their hair a shimmering blue-black, and their eyes a glowing red. Because of those first two characteristics, they are frequently mistaken for Pantorans, blue-skinned humanoids from Pantora, although Pantorans did not have red eyes. Besides their coloration, Chiss eyes were slightly better than those of humans, their visible spectrum edging a little into the infrared range. Additionally, their hearing was also sharper.
History
According to chiss legend, their homeworld was once a warm and tropical planet. However, the planet was later locked in an ice age with profound glaciation encompassing the terrestrial world. This forced the chiss ancestors to travel along the ice front's leading edge in order to survive at the temperate front as glaciers began spreading across the planet. Though it was believed that the glaciation process occurred over an extended period of time, it was also at an age when the chiss were already technologically advanced which allowed them to overcome these challenges to their survival by way of technological adaptations. This led many to conclude that the early chiss existed on Csilla prior to it succumbing to an ice age. Thus, Csilla nearly became inhospitable by 5000 BBY, and it was only by living underground that this divergent species survived. These events furthered the genetic changes notably seen in their skin tone and eyes. Thus it was believed that by going underground, the race gradually began to diverge from the baseline human species, the glacial mineral content beginning to alter their physiology into its more modern form.
Society
| “ | You do not need to know who acts on behalf of the chiss. We represent everyone. | ” |
| —Unidentified chiss ruling family member. | ||
Their society was highly structured and ordered with the rule of law being enforced by a group of affiliations known as the Ruling Families, also known as the Ruling Circle., that consisted of a number of clans or houses. These were not biological family groupings but instead different branches of their government. Among their ranks included the Csapla, Nuruodo, Inrokini and Sabosen families with some sources stating that they represented bloodlines that predated modern chiss civilization. Every chiss was known to have claimed affiliation to one of the four families which was determined by both tradition as well as place of birth. In reality, the family names were more of a cultural holdover as the bloodlines had grown so co-meddled that any chiss could claim affiliation to any of the ruling families. As families themselves were not in competition, rivalries themselves were rare according to one report by the University of Sanbra as a chiss' allegiance to one family did not normally affect their day-to-day living. In spite of the outward impression of calm and order that the chiss liked to project to outsiders, there were evidently tensions within the Families. This was evident by the fact that there was a tricky balance of power among the families.
Chiss Names
Traditionally, chiss names consisted of a long tripartite structure with three distinct sections. Usually, this followed the convention of the first and last being family names and the middle being the given name. Abbreviated versions of these were known as core names with their usage being a questionable choice. This was because full names were required for formal occasions, strangers and those that were believed to be the speaker's social inferior. However, this policy was capable of being broken if there were good and valid reasons for doing so. Such was the case when dealing with outsiders who had trouble pronouncing chiss full names. The predominance of core names, at least in communication with outsiders, was such that a number of such names were recorded without the full name being known, such as Prakk, Kayree, Lev, Szardra, Voss and Zilvad. Apparently, the core name was typically formed by combining the short central section of the name with the last sound of the preceding section and the opening sound of the following. For example, Mitth'raw'nuruodo was Thrawn, Kres'ten'tarthi was Stent and Brast'alshi'barku was Talshib. The female officers Hess'irolia'nuruodo (Irolia) and Ina'ganet'nuruodo (Ganet) appear to be exceptions to this rule.
Male: Baldarek, Chaf'orm'bintrano(Formbi), Fehlaaur'aitel'loro(Fehlaaur), Jer'Jo Cam'Co, Kthira'shi'ktarloo(Ashik), Kung'urama'nuruodo(Nuru Kungurama), Nuru Kungurama(Thrass), Mitth'raw'nuruodo(Thrawn), Prard'ras'kleoni(Drask), Spiker,
Female: Ar'alani, Sev'eere'nuruodo(Veeren), Sev'rance Tann,
Chiss Traits
Chiss, blue-faced humanoids from deep space
Ability Score Increase. Increase one ability score by 2 and another score by 1.
Age. Chiss can live up to 80+ years
Alignment. Chiss tend to not fall into the evil categories
Size. Chiss vary widely in height and build, from 5 feet to almost 7 feet tall. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Cold to the Touch. You have resistance to cold damage and immunity to being blinded by cold attacks, snow, or blizzards.
Darkvision. You can see up to 60 feet in darkness as if in dim light and 60 feet in dim light as if in bright light.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, Cheuhn, and one other language of your choice. Cheuhn, for those who don't know, is the native language of the chiss people.
Random Height and Weight
| Base Height | Height Modifier* | Base Weight | Weight Modifier** |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5′ 0″ | +1d8 | 100 lb. | × (1d4) lb. |
|
*Height = base height + height modifier | |||
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