KhulanSource Alien Archive 4 pg. 60
Khulans are glossy-eyed fey that act as enigmatic custodians of worlds’ molten cores, the resulting geomagnetic fields, and the pyroclastic gases that help insulate worlds so that their surfaces can sustain life. Most often, khulans appear as vaguely humanoid beings with large heads, ephemeral bodies, and limbs that seem to trail away into nothingness. A typical khulan is 7-1/2 feet tall.
These ghostly fey spend most of their time deep belowground, drifting through the mantles and blazingly hot metallic cores of many rocky planets. When they surface, khulans often travel through convective conduits, old lava tubes, or active volcanoes, emerging with minimal fanfare to survey the upper ecosystems’ health. Where they sense disturbances in their planets’ cosmic defenses, khulans silently study the causes and swiftly retaliate against any mortal tampering they deem harmful. Otherwise, the surface’s relative chill displeases the fey, who either retreat deep underground or sap warmth from living creatures in order to sustain a healthy body temperature.
On occasion, a khulan adopts a surface settlement or population under threat, most often one at risk from environmental degradation or unnatural weather. In some cases, this involves shepherding the fey’s charges to safety underground, and in others weaving a shield from the planet’s geomagnetic and atmospheric power to deflect the oncoming threat. Enough of these stories survive to suggest the fey are benign or even benevolent. However, just as many tales describe instances in which khulans’ charges have disappeared forever, owed the fey impossible debts as payment for khulan intervention, or been found as frozen corpses in warm fields, suggesting that the ghostly beings adhere to utterly alien motivations.
Dozens of khulans patrol Akiton’s Hivemarket, a partly subterranean bazaar in the shadow of Mount Ka, an extinct volcano. There the fey attack anyone who engages in theft or attempts to seize control of the site by force, yet they almost never stop legitimate business, no matter how heinous the transaction. Ongoing university studies documenting the khulans’ behavior and anatomy elicit varied reactions from the fey ranging from silent disdain to violent outbursts and to cryptically brief interviews that only trigger more questions.
These Akitonian khulans’ visibility makes them one of the best-studied populations in the galaxy, thus most assume that khulans both are endemic to Akiton and are naturally legless ghost beings. However, Akiton’s molten core has cooled dramatically over the past millions of years, and ancient cave art suggests that the planet’s khulans have grown weaker and more ephemeral as the core’s energy and geomagnetic field dwindle. The art depicts khulans with faint digitigrade legs bearing stout fins for swimming, and rare sightings of khulans on younger planets report similar findings. Popular theories suggest the khulans slowly fade as their homes die, and although Akiton’s khulans are no longer able to protect the dying planet’s core, they strive to at least protect the market and its inhabitants.Aliens in the "Khulan" FamilySource Alien Archive 4 pg. 60Ascendant CR 12 XP 19,200
LN Medium fey (fire, incorporeal)
Init +5; Senses blindsight 60 ft. (vibration), detect radiation, low-light vision; Perception +22
DefenseHP 175
EAC 26; KAC 26
Fort +13; Ref +13; Will +15
Defensive Abilities geomagnetic field, incorporeal;; Immunities fire, radiation
Weaknesses vulnerable to coldOffenseSpeed fly 40 ft. (Su, perfect)
Melee leeching touch +20 (5d6 C; see text) or claw +22 (2d12+12 S)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th)
1/day—explosive blast (DC 20), remove radioactivity (DC 21)
Constant—detect radiationStatisticsSTR +0; DEX +5; CON +4; INT +2; WIS +8; CHA +4
Skills Acrobatics +27 (+35 to fly), Intimidate +27, Physical Science +22, Sense Motive +27, Stealth +22, Survival +22
Languages Akitonian, Common, Ignan, TerranEcologyEnvironment any mountains or underground (Akiton)
Organization solitary, pair, or patrol (3–9)Special AbilitiesGeomagnetic Field (Su) As a move action while on a planet that has at least a thin atmosphere and a mass at least 1/50th that of lost Golarion, a khulan can generate a 10-foot-radius protective field that grants resistance to cold, electricity, and fire damage within the protected area. If the planet’s atmosphere is thin, this resistance value is 10, and the resistance increases to 12 or 15 if the atmosphere is normal or thick, respectively. A khulan’s attacks ignore any energy resistance granted by a khulan’s geomagnetic field ability. The barrier also grants all creatures in its area a +4 circumstance bonus to saves against radiation.
The barrier is an emanation that is centered on and moves with the khulan, and the field persists until the khulan is incapacitated or it dismisses the field; this doesn’t require an action.
Leeching Touch (Su) As a standard action, a khulan can strike with their incorporeal limbs, making an attack that targets EAC. On a hit against a living creature, this attack deals 5d6 cold damage, and the khulan regains a number of Hit Points equal to half the damage dealt.
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