Who Do You Think You Are; Kasatha

 Source Archives of Nethys- Kasatha, StarfinderWiki- Kasatha

In August, Paizo released their first playtest document for Starfinder 2e. The first taste of what is to come from this exciting game setting is the first few levels of the Soldier class, supported by a few pieces of setting-appropriate equipment and a few monsters at the end to allow playtesters to run encounters against. Nestled in with these new rules elements, developers included notes on approaching this rules update. 

Not content to simply play a few encounter variants, I can’t wait to play campaigns in a science fantasy setting supported by the game design innovations from PF 2e. I will use the context clues from the Field Test document to convert elements into my derivative setting for a west marches campaign.

Kasatha

Humanoid

Kasatha

Originally from a planet orbiting a dying star far beyond the Confederacy, the four-armed kasathas maintain a reputation as a noble and mysterious people. They are famous for their anachronistic warriors, ancient wisdom, and strange traditions.

Kasatha Mechanics

Hit Points 6

Size Medium

Speed 25 feet

Ability Boosts Strength Wisdom, Free

Ability Flaw Intelligence

Languages Common, Kasatha

Additional languages equal to your Intelligence modifier (if it's positive). Choose from any other languages to which you have access (such as the languages prevalent in your region).

Four Arms Kasathas have four arms, which allows them to wield and hold up to four hands’ worth of weapons and equipment. While their multiple arms increase the number of items they can have at the ready, it doesn’t increase the number of actions they can take.

Appearance

Kasathas have gray skin, black eyes, and a smooth face with no proboscis. Each has a long, tall skull that extends behind their neck. Their bodies are lean, but their muscles are stronger than most humanoid races, granting them an often surprising degree of strength.

The average kasatha is 6 to 7 feet tall and weighs 120 to 200 pounds. They typically reach maturity at age 25, and most can live up to 100 to 140 years without magical or technological intervention.

Abilities

Being natives of a rocky desert planet, kasathas can traverse difficult sands, hills, and mountains on foot more quickly than other races. They can easily use all four arms and move with extraordinary natural grace.

Due to their shared experience on the Idari, kasathas of the Confederacy are also well-educated in a broad range of subjects, particularly history.

History

Early history

Kasathas are descended from witchwyrds, a race of planar travellers.

Kasath

Kasathas are native to Kasath, a massive desert world orbiting a distant, dying red giant star. They achieved feats of high technology thousands of years before the races of the Memory system. However, with their sun's demise imminent, their witchwyrd progenitors returned to them after the Gap to tell them of Asa, a world similar enough to their homeworld to be a suitable replacement.

Journey of the Marca

After learning of Asa, kasathas united to build a tremendous worldship called the Marca and set out to settle it. Its slower-than-light crawl toward Asa from their distant homeworld took centuries, during which time Asa's technology advanced to equal, and even surpass, once-superior kasathan technology.

They arrived in the Memory system in 240 AG to invade Asa, but found themselves overmatched. Incapable of conquering Asa's natives, many of the kasathan settlers instead integrated into its society. The rest remained on the Marca, settled into an orbit between Leuthed and the Remnant, and petitioned for and gained membership into the Confederacy as a standalone entity.

Society

Born of a world plagued by devastating disasters, kasathas value cultural stability and treasure their rich and long history. The resulting culture is heavy on complex traditions that often confuse younger races, heavily focused on rituals of dignity and decency, and sometimes even at odds with their survival — for instance, favoring dangerous melee weapons over long-ranged combat.

These traits lead many kasathas down the path of lawful neutrality, though some follow divergent paths during their youth.

The Tempering

When kasathan youths reach maturity, they spend a year melding common traditions with new ones of their creation. This sojourn is called the Tempering, and forces a young kasatha to stretch their limits, leave their comfort zones, and even commit scurrilous acts, all in the name of learning the values of tradition and stability. Since their arrival to the Memory System, some kasathas who begin the Tempering never end it, remaining wanderers and explorers their entire lives.

Star cycles

Kasathas also follow a philosophy of cosmic balance based on star cycles, one of the core beliefs of most solarians. They are the ones who introduced this philosophy to the Foundry Confederacy, and most solarians are kasathas as a result.

In the Foundry Confederacy

Kasathas in the Confederacy live primarily on Asa and the Mara, where many still tend to its agricultural and manufacturing facilities. Most respect lashuntas for their extensive historical knowledge and research, and look at androids and shirrens as young races yearning for their mentorship. Humanity's chaotic and fluid tendencies confuse kasathas, while they view ysoki impulsiveness and shamelessness, and the vesk thirst for conquest, as distateful at best.

Gender

Kasathas have generally binary sexes, but their sexual dimorphism is so slight as to be overlooked compared to many other races.

Names

Kasathan names can extend as long as their familial histories — in other words, they can be quite extensive. While they go by their first names, a full kasathan name can include their parentage, clan, subclan, heritage from a Great Family of Kasath, connections to historical figures, and other relationships stretch back for millennia.

Some examples of kasathan first names are Altronus, Esar, Gorsen, Hadif, Jehir, Kala, Maedar, Metweska, Ninura, Remu, Senesel, Tolar, Umana, Voloteo, and Zye.

You Might...

Seek wisdom in history and find dignity in customs and tradition.

Strive to maintain balance and stability in yourself and your comrades.

Use ranged weapons when necessary but find melee weapons inherently more honorable.

Keep your mouth hidden behind a scarf in public, carefully tucking food under it and using straws to drink.

Others Probably...

Don’t understand your customs and mistake your veneration of the elegant past for primitiveness.

Resent your aloofness and assume you think you’re superior to them.

Fear you want to invade and colonize their home.

Respect your cultural knowledge but find you stodgy and inflexible.

Kasatha Heritages

Curator Kasathan: You have a strong connection to your kasathan ancestors, and you can draw on their wisdom and knowledge.

Homeworld Kasathan: You have traveled far and wide, and you have learned to adapt to any environment.  

Void Kasathan: You have a deep understanding of the stars and the cosmos, and you can use this knowledge to guide you on your journey.

Kasatha Feats

Feat- 

Kasathas in Adventuring

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Kasatha Secrets

• Kasathas are descended from witchwyrds, a race of planar travelers.

• Kasathas have a long and complex history, and their culture is heavily focused on rituals of dignity and decency.

• Kasathas follow a philosophy of cosmic balance based on star cycles, believing that all things are interconnected.

• Kasathas have a strong sense of community and are always willing to help their fellow kasathas.

• Kasathas are also known for their love of learning, and they are always eager to learn new things