The Starfall Galaxy is a vast and unpredictable expanse shaped by ancient cosmic forces, emergent technologies, and the volatile energies of the Rift. Within this sprawling tapestry, countless intelligent species carve out their existences, each with unique origins, adaptations, and perspectives forged by their struggle and evolution. Some were once ordinary beings transformed by unimaginable science or primordial Mana; others awakened to sentience through strange cosmic flukes or the intentional designs of long-lost civilizations. From the cybernetically uplifted to the magically reanimated, the ancestries of Starfall embody the galaxy's boundless diversity and its ever-shifting nature.
Each of these ancestries ascended from their respective homeworlds and spread across the galaxy.
Ancestries of the Inner Sphere
Android: Synthetically created humanoids, often embodying peak physical and mental capabilities, grappling with questions of identity and soul.
Automaton: Intelligent constructs housing souls, representing the fragmented legacy of a dying techno-magical empire, powered by Rift-energy.
Echo-Frames: Reanimated skeletal forms emerging from war-torn ruins, embodying fractured legacies and unyielding will, often seeking purpose beyond their reanimation.
Geodan: Earth-attuned humanoids, often with stony features, known for their resilience, stability, and connection to planetary energies.
Human: The highly adaptable and ubiquitous species, found throughout the galaxy, known for their diversity, ambition, and innovation.
Klaris: Luminous beings composed of pure energy or light, embodying clarity, communication, and often, a serene presence.
Lashunta: Telepathic humanoids, known for their elegance, psychic abilities, and strong social structures.
Pahtra: Cat-like humanoids, agile and charming, often found as traders, scouts, or adventurers, valuing freedom and curiosity.
Phereon: Strong and robust humanoids, often with a deep connection to geological forces or heavy industry.
Spark-Kin: Animals granted self-awareness through cybernetic and genetic experimentation, bridging instinct and intellect, often serving as loyal companions or scouts.
Spark-Toy Droids: Small amusement droids that became self-aware through emergent AI or rogue Mana, driven by an inherent desire to aid others, often underestimated.
Tanyon-Unin: The Tanyon-Unin are a species defined by their profound connection to water, their vibrant artistic expression, and their evolving commitment to unity. These aquatic humanoids hail from the deep, geothermal oceans of Tan’kuyu, a watery moon orbiting a gas giant (Rinrunsan) in the Starfall Galaxy. They employ fluid, adaptable fighting styles in combat and navigate both liquid and stellar currents with innate grace.
Vaelen: The Vaelen are graceful and elusive humanoids, intrinsically connected to subtle cosmic energies and hidden dimensions. They were the original creators of the Aether-Synapse, a monumental psychic AI whose catastrophic shattering inadvertently spawned the Automaton Concordance.
Ysoki: Small, resourceful rodent-like humanoids, renowned for their technological aptitude and knack for tinkering.
Ancestries of the Outer Sphere
Canid: Diminutive, bipedal canines, cybernetically and genetically awakened, embodying persistent optimism and diplomatic resilience.
Chassos: Agile and swift humanoids, often with feline features, known for their hunting prowess and keen senses.
Choran: Creatures composed of living coral or crystalline structures, connected to underwater or mineral-rich environments.
Corvax: Intelligent avian humanoids, known for their cunning, resourcefulness, and often, their fascination with lost technologies.
Dracosmyr: -Draconic in appearance and fiercely loyal, Dracosmyrs are deeply empathic beings capable of forming a nearly unbreakable psychic bond with one another, which manifests in telepathic communication and tactical synergy.
Florin: Plant-like humanoids, connected to verdant worlds and embodying growth, resilience, and natural cycles.
Grakken: Brash and powerful humanoids, often with thick hides or powerful builds, known for their combat prowess and straightforward nature.
Grolak: Large, powerful, and often intimidating humanoids, known for their strength and direct approach.
Kasatha: Four-armed humanoids with a rich cultural history, known for their martial arts and philosophical traditions.
Kholo: Resilient and stoic humanoids, often adapted to harsh environments and known for their strong communal bonds.
Leshy: Small, plant-based beings, guardians of nature and embodiments of their environment's vitality.
Maelstrom-Scars: Horrifically transformed beings, products of cruel experiments and ruthless twisting by Rift entities, embodying chaotic mutation and unsettling resilience.
Scaleglitch: Beings whose forms are subtly distorted by the Rift, possessing unpredictable but often powerful abilities tied to chaos.
Shisk: Reptilian humanoids with a deep respect for tradition and a strong sense of community, often skilled in diplomacy and lore.
Skittermander: Six-limbed, furry humanoids, incredibly friendly and enthusiastic, known for their eagerness to help.
Strix: Reclusive avian humanoids devoted to their deep-space territories, defending their communities with broad wingspans and razor talons, fiercely loyal yet enigmatic.
Surki: Insectile and highly metamorphic species emerging from deep planetary crusts or cosmic dust clouds, subsisting on latent Mana and developing unique adaptations.
Serpent-Kin: Ophidian humanoids who carry potent, bio-engineered venom, largely misunderstood but driven by a powerful sense of community and creative pursuit.
Tanuki: Mischievous and adaptable shapeshifters, often associated with luck and illusion, blending into various societies.
Tengu: Avian-featured humanoids known for their sharp intellect, craftsmanship, and often, their knack for gossip and trade.
Tuken: The Tuken are small, resilient humanoids who embody cheerful resourcefulness and a deep connection to the land and its hidden pathways, traveling the galaxy as keen observers and vibrant storytellers.
Umbran: Shadow-attuned humanoids, masters of stealth and illusion, often found in the galaxy's darkest corners or hidden enclaves.
Vesk: Reptilian warrior race, known for their military prowess, honor code, and imposing physical presence.
Ancestries of the Frontier
Aether-Sheaths: Shards of cosmic force in living exoskeletons, acting as crystalline empaths and cosmic sentinels connected to Mana-wells, striving for balance.
Astralkin: Creatures with a strong connection to the Astral Plane, often possessing innate magical abilities and a cosmic perspective.
Astrazoan: In their natural form, an Astrazoan resembles a human-sized starfish with a many-limbed body attached to a bulbous sack used for tissue storage, and a soft, creviced underbelly lined with cilia and bony teeth. Astrazoans rarely show this natural form to other creatures and keep their ancestral origins secret, mostly because even they don’t truly know where they came from. Their malleable bodies hide a peculiar natural shape they rarely show to anyone, but by changing their forms to adapt to new situations, Astrazoans have found as many homes as they have identities among the varied cultures of the Starfall Galaxy.
Barathu: Amorphous, shapeless beings capable of changing their form, often possessing profound telepathic abilities.
Cerebral Nexus: Shaped by countless generations’ pursuit of mental self-perfection, Cerebral Nexuses have immense, highly evolved brains equally suited to advanced mathematics, theoretical physics, and cosmic Mana. Their natural telekinesis propels them through the void as their measured curiosity drives them to discovery and innovation across the Starfall Galaxy.
Kashrishi: Mystical beings with psychic abilities, often connected to ancient cosmic knowledge.
Mnemosyn: Beings who embody memory and knowledge, capable of recalling vast amounts of information and often serving as historians or lorekeepers.
Oculon: Beings characterized by multiple eyes, granting them enhanced perception and often, unique perspectives on reality.
Sarcesian-natural spacefarers who glide through the void of space on butterfly wings of pure cosmic energy and light
Shadar: Small, shadow-woven humanoids with an ancient connection to a corrupted Rift-Plane, bringing artistry and spiritual reclamation to the galaxy.
Shimmerings: Tiny, whimsical, and exuberant creatures from scattered Mana-Shimmer Dimensions, pure expressions of magic and consciousness who explore and play pranks.
Shirren: Insectile humanoids with a collective consciousness and a strong desire for communication and understanding, valuing truth and empathy.
Vividi: Emotionally expressive and vibrant beings, whose appearance often reflects their mood or connection to psychic energies.
Universal Ancestry Feats (Starfall Galaxy Adaptations)
These universal ancestry feats reflect experiences that transcend individual species, often tied to encounters with the Rift, the nature of emergent sentience, or the inherent instability of the Starfall Galaxy.
1st Level Feats
Echoes of a Glitch (Let's Try That Again) (Rare, Reincarnated, Universal Ancestry) Feat 1: You feel a sense of déjà vu when you’ve made a mistake or encountered a familiar temporal anomaly. Once per day, when you fail an attack roll, saving throw, or skill check, you can reroll it and must use the second result. This is a fortune effect.
Cosmic Scavenger (Like a Roach) (Rare, Reincarnated, Universal Ancestry) Feat 1: Living with the bare necessities isn’t terribly hard for someone who has defied death or persisted through cosmic devastation. You can Subsist for yourself and up to four other creatures by spending 1 hour searching for resources, even in harsh environments, reducing the required roll by 5.
Weight of Cosmic Experience (Weight of Experience) (Rare, Reincarnated, Universal Ancestry) Feat 1: The experience you’ve accumulated over multiple lifetimes or through exposure to vast data streams envelops you like a weighted blanket of knowledge. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to all Lore skill checks.
Data from Another Life (Wisdom from Another Life) (Rare, Reincarnated, Universal Ancestry) Feat 1: You absorbed a wide variety of facts and protocols before you died or were reactivated. You become trained in a Lore skill of your choice.
5th Level Feats
Spark-Kin Connection (Animal Soul Siblings) (Rare, Reincarnated, Universal Ancestry) Feat 5: Your eyes have been opened to the spiritual essence suffusing the galaxy, particularly connecting you to sentient fauna. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Diplomacy checks when interacting with creatures with the Beast or Spark-Kin trait.
Empathy Incarnate (Rare, Reincarnated, Universal Ancestry) Feat 5: Reincarnation or persistent consciousness has given you a compassionate perspective and enabled you to relate to almost everyone you speak with, understanding their core emotional drives. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Diplomacy checks to Make an Impression on any creature.
Mana-Influence (Fey Influence) (Rare, Universal Ancestry) Feat 5: Your exposure to powerful Mana-signatures, planar bleeding, or chaotic Rift-energy has given you some innate primal magic. You gain one common cantrip from the primal spell list. You can Cast this Spell as an innate spell at will. A cantrip is heightened to a spell level equal to half your level rounded up.
Cosmic Careerist (I've Had Many Jobs) (Rare, Reincarnated, Universal Ancestry) Feat 5: Finding and excelling at odd jobs is child's play to one who has worked many occupations during many lives or through many system reboots. Once per day, you can choose to become trained in a single skill for 1 hour.
Reincarnated Taunter (Reincarnated Ridiculer) (Rare, Reincarnated, Universal Ancestry) Feat 5: You've practiced the art of taunting an enemy, ensuring they know deactivation or destruction will only make you stronger. You gain the Taunt action.
Taunt [one-action] (auditory, emotion, mental) You make a cutting remark. Attempt an Intimidation check to Demoralize a creature. If you are successful, the creature also takes 1d4 mental damage.
Slumber of the Reborn (Sleep of the Reborn) (Rare, Reincarnated, Universal Ancestry) Feat 5: Philosophers compare the cycle of existence, deactivation, and rebirth to sleeping, dreaming, and waking. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to saving throws against sleep effects and effects that would make you fatigued.
9th Level Feats
Mana Drain (Drain Emotion) (Rare, Enchantment, Mental, Universal Ancestry) Feat 9: Prerequisites Mana-Influence. You touch an adjacent creature and attempt to draw out its excess Mana or emotional energy. As a 2-action activity, you can target an adjacent living creature. They must succeed at a Will save against your Spell DC or become drained 1, and you regain 1d8 Hit Points. You can only use this once per day.
Planar Resonance (Fey Ascension) (Rare, Universal Ancestry) Feat 9: Prerequisites Mana-Influence. The Mana influence on your form and features grows even more powerful and notable, reflecting your connection to planar energies. You gain an additional cantrip from your chosen Mana-Influence tradition, and your innate spells from Mana-Influence are heightened to a spell level equal to your level.
Lingering Data-Echoes (Lingering Echoes) (Rare, Reincarnated, Universal Ancestry) Feat 9: Not everyone is reincarnated, and you feel a strong connection with the spiritual echoes of those who didn't receive the same opportunity as you. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Recall Knowledge checks about historical events or deceased individuals.
Xeno-Flora Connection (Plant Soul Siblings) (Rare, Reincarnated, Universal Ancestry) Feat 9: You're now able to connect with the spirits present in the greenery and bio-engineered flora of the natural world. You gain the ability to communicate with non-sentient plant creatures.
Rapid Reconfiguration (Rapid Retraining) (Rare, Reincarnated, Universal Ancestry) Feat 9: Some feel trapped by their choices and have a tough time reinventing themselves. You can Retrain any feat, skill increase, or spell in half the usual time.
Familiar Faces (You Seem Somewhat Familiar) (Rare, Reincarnated, Universal Ancestry) Feat 9: You fought hundreds of foes in your various past lives or encountered countless archetypes across different existences. When you use a skill for initiative, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to the check.
13th Level Feats
Mana-Siphon (Cannibalize Magic) (Rare, Universal Ancestry) Feat 13: Prerequisites Mana-Influence. The Mana-magic inside of you is a vital part of your body, and you can steal other sources of Mana to replenish yours. Once per day, as a reaction when you are targeted by a spell, you can attempt to counteract the spell. If successful, you regain 1 Focus Point.
Clinging to Consciousness (Clinging to Life) (Rare, Reincarnated, Universal Ancestry) Feat 13: This life still holds much for you, and you aren’t ready to fall back into the Void of Souls just yet. When you are reduced to 0 Hit Points, you can attempt a DC 15 flat check. On a success, you remain at 1 Hit Point instead. You can use this once per day.
Cosmic Detachment (Eldritch Calm) (Rare, Universal Ancestry) Feat 13: Prerequisites Mana-Influence. Your planar heritage has altered your mindset to more resemble the uncanny perspective of cosmic entities. You gain a +2 status bonus to saving throws against emotion effects and mental effects.
Galactic Glamour (Glamour) (Rare, Universal Ancestry) Feat 13: Prerequisites Mana-Influence. You unlock a new level of planar power and can manipulate the perceptions of others using a font of Mana-Shimmer Dimensions magic. You can cast illusory object as a 4th-rank innate spell once per day.
Sense Malevolence (I sense Malevolence) (Rare, Reincarnated, Universal Ancestry) Feat 13: Your time in the Void of Souls has given you deep insight into the machinations of those who refuse to move on or embrace their cosmic fate. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Perception checks to Sense Motive against creatures with the undead or aberration traits.
Multilingual Awakening (Linguistic Revival) (Rare, Reincarnated, Universal Ancestry) Feat 13: You achieved fluency in different languages with each reincarnation or through vast data integration. You can choose one additional language you know (beyond those granted by your ancestry).
Suffering's Resilience (Pain is Temporary) (Rare, Concentrate, Reincarnated, Universal Ancestry) Feat 13: Cosmological philosophers know that suffering is a fleeting sensation that ultimately strengthens the soul and prepares it for a new reincarnation. As a single action, you can gain resistance to all damage equal to your level until the start of your next turn. You can use this once per day.
Geological Connection (Stone Soul Siblings) (Rare, Reincarnated, Universal Ancestry) Feat 13: Prerequisites Xeno-Flora Connection. Your connection with nature’s spirits has progressed to the point where you can even have casual conversations with pebbles and boulders or the sentient echoes within planetary geological formations. You can communicate with inanimate objects made of stone.
Unbreakable Resolve (Rare, Fortune, Reincarnated, Universal Ancestry) Feat 13: The experience of coming back after deactivation or death has granted you a strong sense of resolve. Once per day, when you would gain the dying condition, you can choose not to gain it.
17th Level Feats
Void-Archivist (Boneyard Acquaintance) (Rare, Reincarnated, Universal Ancestry) Feat 17: Before your soul returned to the Material Plane, you interacted with a host of other souls on their way to the Cosmic Archives or the Void of Souls. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Recall Knowledge checks about cosmic history, famous deceased individuals, or planar lore.
Planar Transcendence (Fey Transcendence) (Rare, Universal Ancestry) Feat 17: Prerequisites Mana-Influence. You become a powerful planar creature, gaining strengths tied to the Mana-Shimmer Dimensions but also some of the weaknesses against which all planar fey must contend. You gain resistance 5 to force damage but weakness 5 to a specific energy type (GM's discretion, e.g., divine energy or pure temporal energy). You also gain an additional 5th-rank innate spell from your Mana-Influence tradition, castable once per day.
Indomitable Spirit (Rare, Reincarnated, Universal Ancestry) Feat 17: Your soul has accumulated countless particles of quintessence over myriad deaths and rebirths. You gain fast healing 5.
Release the Mana-Light (Release the Light) (Rare, Light, Reincarnated, Universal Ancestry, Visual) Feat 17: Many people report seeing a bright light before their death. As a 2-action activity, you can unleash a burst of pure Mana-light in a 30-foot emanation. Creatures in the burst take 8d6 positive energy damage and are blinded for 1 round (basic Fortitude save). You can use this once per day.
Cosmic Reckoning (See You in Hell) (Rare, Reincarnated, Universal Ancestry) Feat 17: You aren’t sure if you’ll be reincarnated again, so you might as well take this foe with you. As a reaction, when you are reduced to 0 Hit Points, you can make one Strike against the creature that reduced you to 0 Hit Points. If this Strike reduces the creature to 0 Hit Points, you both die.
Ethereal Shift (This Time, Bring the Body) (Rare, Reincarnated, Universal Ancestry) Feat 17: Since your soul has experienced not only deactivation/death but also rebirth, you can shift your physical body into a localized Ethereal Plane for brief intervals. As a 1-action activity, you can become incorporeal for 1 round. You can use this once per day.
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