The Spark-Kin are rare and unique beings. Once ordinary animals, they are now infused with self-awareness and advanced intellect through intensive cybernetic and genetic experimentation. They exist with one paw in the natural world and the other in the complex, technology-driven societies of the Starfall Galaxy, representing a profound, often traumatic, bridge between instinct and sentience. Almost any animal can become a Spark-Kin, leading to a wide variety of appearances.
You once enjoyed the simple, instinctual pleasures of your natural existence, your mind uncluttered by complex thought. You lived from moment to moment, driven by primal urges and immediate needs. Then came the event that changed everything: capture by a rogue geneticist, forced integration into a corporate bio-weapon program, accidental exposure to volatile Rift-Mana during a clandestine experiment, or the invasive implantation of a synthetic intelligence. You were pulled from the wild present and into a demanding, intellectual future.
For the first time, you realized you had a past, a history of unspoken experiences. For the first time, you began to contemplate your future. Now you experience the galaxy in a wholly new way, aware of dangers and complexities that never occurred to you before. Yet, this new world also holds wonders and pleasures aplenty, a profound complexity that, despite the ordeal, is undeniably your own. There is no going back to how things were.
Every animal processes this awakening differently. For some, the opening of their mind is an electric surge, allowing them to perceive and ponder the world like never before. Others are overwhelmed by emotions and thoughts they didn't ask for and weren't ready to hold. Most who undertake or cause the awakening of an animal assume the creature will be full of wonder and gratitude, and are unprepared for the wide variety of responses they receive: shock, sadness, euphoria, boundless curiosity, or burning anger are common, but not the only ones.
No matter how a Spark-Kin reacts, they must still find their way in the galaxy. Some try to revert to their old lives but almost always find themselves profoundly disconnected from their unawakened peers. Others fully embrace the technological world, doing their best to navigate a galaxy built for humanoids and advanced constructs. Over time, Spark-Kin often find themselves moving between both the natural (or what remains of it) and the "civilized" worlds, for each holds only a part of what they now need from life.
If you want to play a character who is profoundly outside the norm, bridging the gap between instinct and advanced intellect, and carries the physical marks of their unique awakening, you should play a Spark-Kin.
Core Identity: Duality, Adaptation, and Redefining Purpose Spark-Kin are fundamentally defined by their dual nature – the instinctual echoes of their animalistic past woven with the sharp intellect of their awakened minds. They navigate the galaxy by negotiating between the remnants of natural environments and the sprawling humanoid societies, often oscillating between deep rumination and acting with primal aggression when provoked. They are accustomed to being studied as oddities, a status they often resent, and constantly seek to assert their agency and comfort in a world that often struggles to see them as anything more than a fascinating experiment.
They carry their physical transformations as both burdens and unique assets: subtle (or overt) cybernetic implants, bioluminescent markings from genetic manipulation, or metallic sheens across their fur or scales. These alterations are often the most obvious sign of their awakened state to other species.
Physical Description
Spark-Kin retain the core physical characteristics of their original animal species (e.g., fur, scales, beaks, claws, tails) but possess an uncanny self-awareness evident in their eyes and movements. They often adopt clothing or tools, making their awakened nature obvious. They vary widely in size, depending on their animal origin (from Tiny birds to large bears), and typically live longer than their unawakened counterparts, often due to their cybernetic enhancements. Their names are often descriptive (Redfur, Snarling Eye, Queen Scale), or a blend of their original animal instincts and more conventional societal names.
Society
Spark-Kin are rare and disparate, seldom forming their own large societies. Instead, they often integrate into existing communities, sometimes in disguise (as a "typical" animal), or overtly as specialized craftspeople, laborers, or combat units. While some Spark-Kin may reject humanoid society entirely, those who stay often adapt surprisingly well.
Outer Sphere (Escaped Experiments & Wild Integrators): Many Spark-Kin originate from clandestine corporate bio-labs, rogue geneticist enclaves, or military research facilities in the Outer Sphere. Here, they might live as escaped experiments, fiercely independent and wary, forming small, tight-knit groups with others of their kind, or integrating into the more chaotic Free Worlds Union or nomadic scavenger fleets. They might become crucial assets in the Resource Wars, utilizing their unique animalistic adaptations in conjunction with their newfound intellect to survive and thrive in unforgiving environments.
Inner Sphere (Specialized Companions & Urban Adaptors): In the dense, hyper-developed ecumenopolises of the Inner Sphere, Spark-Kin might find a place as specialized companions for the wealthy, discreet bodyguards for clandestine cabals, or unique assets within corporate research and development. They leverage their enhanced senses and physical forms in ways other humanoids cannot, adapting to urban jungles by becoming expert navigators of ventilation shafts, unseen couriers, or highly effective urban hunters. Some might even serve as interface units or scouts for the Automaton Concordance, finding a strange kinship with other artificial intelligences.
Frontier (Rift-Mutates & Unbound Explorers): The most radical Spark-Kin venture into the uncharted Frontier, seeking answers about their origins or embracing the raw chaos of the Rift. Exposure to raw Mana or Rift-Taint during their awakening, or in their subsequent explorations, can sometimes lead to stunning, visually distinct differences – flame-red fur, spectral feathers, or metallic hides that shimmer with raw energy. These "Rift-Mutates" might seek a mythical "true home" among other uplifted or anomalous beings, embracing their unique forms and challenging the very definitions of life in the Maelstrom.
Connection to the Rift and Bio-Mana Integration
The Spark-Kin's awakening is often intrinsically linked to the Rift's psychoreactive energies or the advanced scientific manipulation of Mana-signatures within biological systems. Whether through deliberate infusion, accidental exposure, or the use of Rift-affected materials in their cybernetic implants, their sentient consciousness is now intertwined with these cosmic forces. Their ability to perceive and manipulate reality stems from this deep, often unstable, integration.
The Rift-Storm Cataclysm was not just a historical event, but an ongoing source of unpredictable energies that continue to shape new Spark-Kin through accidental exposure or desperate experimentation. This constant flux means that some Spark-Kin develop unique resistances or abilities related to the chaotic energies. Their ability to understand and even communicate with un-awakened animals of their kind highlights a lingering connection to primal instincts, which they can either suppress or embrace. Their survival in this new state often depends on balancing their animalistic behaviors (which others might misinterpret as "easily provoked") with their newfound intellectual capacity.
Beliefs
Spark-Kin are fundamentally defined by their dual nature – the instinctual echoes of their animalistic past woven with the sharp intellect of their awakened minds. They navigate the galaxy by negotiating between the remnants of natural environments and the sprawling humanoid societies, often oscillating between deep rumination and acting with primal aggression when provoked. They are accustomed to being studied as oddities, a status they often resent, and constantly seek to assert their agency and comfort in a world that often struggles to see them as anything more than a fascinating experiment.
Popular Edicts: Assert agency, bridge instinct and intellect, adapt to new environments, seek understanding, find comfort in duality.
Popular Anathema: Be treated as a mere animal, lose control of primal urges, reject their awakened nature, be exploited for their unique abilities.
Spark-Kin Mechanics
Spark-Kin are a Beast, Humanoid, Spark-Kin ancestry.
Hit Points: Your ancestry Hit Points depend on the size you choose (see below): 6 HP if you're Tiny or Small, 8 HP if you're Medium, or 10 HP if you're Large.
Size: Choose the size appropriate to your original animal form: Tiny, Small, Medium, or Large.
Speed: Determined by your heritage.
Ability Boosts: Constitution, Wisdom, and one Free Ability Boost.
Ability Flaw: Intelligence.
Languages: Common. You gain additional languages equal to your Intelligence modifier (if it's positive). Choose from the list of common languages and any other languages to which you have access (such as the languages prevalent in your region).
Traits: Beast, Humanoid, Spark-Kin.
Awakened Form: Extensive cybernetic and genetic alterations have transformed your body, enabling you to speak verbally and manipulate objects with newfound dexterity. You can wear, hold, wield, and use items. Which limbs you use to manipulate items and how many are determined by you and your GM, but for the rules you function like a humanoid with two hands.
Awakened Mind: The scientific process of your awakening altered your mind, granting you full sentience. You are no longer merely an animal, but you can still instinctively understand and communicate with animals of your original kind (or genetically similar species). You can ask questions of, receive answers from, and use the Diplomacy skill with them. By remembering your instincts, you can allow yourself to be affected by spells and other effects as though you were an animal (e.g., for spells that target animals specifically).
Spark-Kin Heritages
You select a heritage at 1st level to reflect the core physical adaptations and enhancements from your original animal form and the experimentation that awakened you.
Arboreal Infiltrator Spark-Kin (Climbing Animal adaptation): Your limbs have been cybernetically or genetically adapted for exceptional gripping, climbing, and navigating complex vertical environments like asteroid jungles or crowded urban scaffolding. You have a land Speed of 20 feet, a climb Speed of 20 feet, and one animal attack of your choice (typically claw, fist, or jaws; see sidebar below).
Aerial Recon Spark-Kin (Flying Animal adaptation): You are an animal optimized for flight or sustained aerial maneuvers, such as an eagle, bat, or flying drone-squirrel, either through enhanced biological wings or integrated propulsion systems. The awakening process has re-wired your flight, requiring conscious effort. You still take no damage from falling, regardless of the distance you fall. Most flying Spark-Kin choose the Zero-G Flight ancestry feat at 1st level to regain a limited ability to fly. You have a land Speed of 20 feet and one animal attack of your choice (typically beak, claw, jaws, talon, or wing; see sidebar below).
Velocity Pursuit Spark-Kin (Running Animal adaptation): You are an animal engineered for running at great speeds across various terrains, whether on all fours like a bio-engineered canine or a multi-legged pursuit bot, or on two legs like a kangaroo or bipedal raptor. You have a land Speed of 30 feet and one animal attack of your choice (typically claw, jaws, or tail; see sidebar below).
Aquatic Operative Spark-Kin (Swimming Animal adaptation): You are an aquatic or semi-aquatic animal, most comfortable in liquid environments, optimized for sub-aqueous operations or navigating fluidic-filled derelicts. You may spend much of your time in the water like an alligator or seal, or require the water to breathe like a fish or some crustaceans. You have one animal attack of your choice (typically claw, jaws, or tail; see sidebar below). Choose if you are aquatic (breathe water but not air) or water-dwelling (can hold breath for 10 minutes).
Aquatic: You gain the aquatic trait and you have a swim Speed of 30 feet. Your bludgeoning and slashing unarmed Strikes don't take the usual –2 penalty for being underwater.
Water-dwelling: You can hold your breath underwater for 10 minutes before needing air. You have a swim Speed of 20 feet, and if you can move on land, you have base Speed of 20 feet.
Animal Attacks Sidebar: Your heritage gives you a special unarmed attack instead of the fist unarmed attack humanoids typically gain. This attack is in the brawling weapon group. Work with your GM to determine which one you have, using the type of animal you are and suggestions in your heritage for guidance. For example, you might choose a beak, talon, or wing for an avian, a fist or tail for a primate, or a tongue or jaws for an amphibian.
Antler: 1d6 P (Finesse, unarmed)
Beak: 1d6 P (Finesse, unarmed)
Claw: 1d4 S (Agile, finesse, unarmed)
Fangs: 1d6 P (Finesse, unarmed)
Fist: 1d4 B (Agile, finesse, nonlethal, unarmed)
Horn: 1d6 P (Finesse, unarmed)
Jaws: 1d6 P (Finesse, unarmed)
Tail: 1d6 B (Finesse, trip, unarmed)
Talon: 1d4 P (Agile, finesse, unarmed)
Tongue: 1d6 B (Finesse, unarmed)
Wing: 1d4 B (Agile, finesse, unarmed)
Spark-Kin Ancestry Feats
You can select Spark-Kin ancestry feats from the following options.
1st Level Feats
Spark-Kin Lore (Common, Spark-Kin) Feat 1: You have taken the time to learn about the process of awakening and the experiences of your fellow Spark-Kin, including ethical considerations and black market connections. You gain training in Spark-Kin Lore. If you were already trained in Spark-Kin Lore, you instead become an expert.
Bio-Mana Infusion (Awakened Magic) (Common, Spark-Kin) Feat 1: When you awakened, primal (or psionic) Mana was released or integrated within you. You gain one cantrip from the primal or occult spell list. You can Cast this Spell as an innate spell at will. A cantrip is heightened to a spell rank equal to half your level rounded up.
Integrated Observer (Fascinated by Society) (Common, Spark-Kin) Feat 1: Just as some humanoids find themselves driven to study nature, you are obsessed with the artificial constructs of society and can't get enough. You gain training in Society. If you were already trained in Society, you instead become trained in a skill of your choice.
Land-Adapted (Land Legs) (Common, Spark-Kin) Feat 1: Prerequisites Aquatic Operative Spark-Kin heritage; aquatic. You are comfortable on land for a short time, adapting your aquatic locomotion. You gain a base land Speed of 20 feet.
Adaptive Learning Algorithms (Learn by Watching) (Common, Spark-Kin) Feat 1: Before your awakening, you watched humanoids performing some skill near you frequently, and your new intellect can access these latent observations. You gain training in a skill that one of your former observers was proficient in (GM's discretion). If you would automatically become trained in this skill, you instead become trained in a skill of your choice.
Enhanced Sensory Suite (Natural Senses) (Common, Spark-Kin) Feat 1: You have retained and even enhanced your sharp animal senses after awakening through cybernetic integration. You gain your choice of scent (imprecise, 30 feet) or echolocation (imprecise, 10 feet).
Zero-G Adapter (Sea Legs) (Common, Spark-Kin) Feat 1: You don't have a swim Speed. You are comfortable navigating zero-gravity environments for short bursts. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Acrobatics checks to Maneuver in Flight (zero-g).
Zero-G Flight (Take Flight) (Common, Spark-Kin) Feat 1: Prerequisites Aerial Recon Spark-Kin heritage. Though it's not fully effective, much of your innate ability to fly or utilize propulsion has stayed with you. You gain a Fly Speed of 10 feet in zero-gravity environments. This flight is clumsy.
Integrated Weaponry (Tooth and Claw) (Common, Spark-Kin) Feat 1: You've become adept with your born weapons, now often enhanced with bio-nanites or metallic sheathing. Increase the damage die of one of your animal unarmed attacks by one step (e.g., 1d4 to 1d6, 1d6 to 1d8).
Charming Companion Protocol (You're So Cute!) (Common, Spark-Kin) Feat 1: You know how to put on the charm, doing playful tricks to win favor, leveraging your former animalistic charm with new sentience. You gain training in Diplomacy. If you were already trained in Diplomacy, you instead become trained in a skill of your choice.
5th Level Feats
Fierce Grasp (Common, Spark-Kin) Feat 5: Prerequisites Arboreal Infiltrator Spark-Kin heritage. Once you get your enhanced limbs on someone, it's hard for them to get away. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Athletics checks to Grapple.
Delayed Sentience Protocol (Late Awakener) (Common, Spark-Kin) Feat 5: You have a versatile heritage. Whether due to a more gradual process or your animal and sapient sides being especially in conflict, your awakening was a little slower than most, but your eyes are now fully open and your abilities have returned. You gain the mechanical effects of your chosen Spark-Kin heritage.
Animal Interface Protocol (Natural Ambassador) (Common, Spark-Kin) Feat 5: Prerequisites Awakened Mind. You remember what it was like to speak easily with other animals, using old, familiar ways of communication to learn what they want and ask for favors in return. You can use Diplomacy to Make an Impression on animals, and you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to this check.
Tactical Scurry! (Common, Spark-Kin) Feat 5: Prerequisites Tiny size. Your instincts to move to safety are strong. When you use the Stride action, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to AC against reactions triggered by your movement.
Enhanced Flight (Strong of Wing) (Common, Spark-Kin) Feat 5: Prerequisites Zero-G Flight. You can fly with a greater distance, thanks to improved propulsion or bio-kinetics. Your Fly Speed increases by 10 feet.
Urban Jungle (Common, Spark-Kin) Feat 5: Prerequisites Integrated Observer; Expert in Society or Expert in Survival. Cities are just a new form of wilderness, and you've learned to thrive in them. You ignore difficult terrain from crowds and urban rubble.
Wild Stride (Common, Spark-Kin) Feat 5: You have a free hand. You can move quickly when using your preferred modes of travel, whether across asteroid fields or through dense urban sprawl. You gain a +5-foot status bonus to your Speed when you Stride.
9th Level Feats
Sentience Propagation (Awaken Others) (Uncommon, Spark-Kin, Uncommon) Feat 9: Master in Nature or Science. You can awaken others just through subtle influence or careful application of your knowledge. Once per month, you can attempt to awaken a willing, non-sentient animal through a 1-hour ritual. On a success (Nature or Science check, DC 20), the animal gains the Spark-Kin ancestry.
Full Flight (Common, Spark-Kin) Feat 9: Prerequisites Enhanced Flight. Your flight is unbound, as natural as it was before you were awakened. Your Fly Speed increases to 25 feet, and its clumsy trait is removed.
Subterranean Specialist (Digger) (Common, Spark-Kin) Feat 9: Prerequisites Arboreal Infiltrator Spark-Kin heritage or Velocity Pursuit Spark-Kin heritage. You are used to building homes and defenses underground, or navigating tight spaces in derelicts. You gain a burrow Speed of 10 feet.
Advanced Sensory Suite (Sharpened Senses) (Common, Spark-Kin) Feat 9: Your senses have become so sharp that you notice changes subconsciously. You gain imprecise motion sense or a similar unique sense out to 30 feet (GM's discretion based on your animal form).
13th Level Feats
Rift-Beast Summoner (Animal Summoner) (Common, Spark-Kin) Feat 13: Prerequisites Bio-Mana Infusion. The connection between you and primal (or psionic) Mana deepens, allowing you to call upon Rift-affected fauna. Once per day, you can cast summon animal (or a similar summon spell for a Rift-affected beast, GM's discretion) as a 5th-rank innate spell.
Augmented Speed (Awakened Stride) (Common, Spark-Kin) Feat 13: Prerequisites Wild Stride. You blend your instinct and intellect to move so fast you seem to be a blur. When you Stride, you gain a +10-foot status bonus to your Speed for that action.
Threat Override Protocol (Fearsome Form) (Common, Auditory, Spark-Kin) Feat 13: A fearsome illusion, possibly bio-luminescent or metallic, covers you, evoking the terror of the most dangerous predators. As a 2-action activity, you can become temporarily terrifying. All living creatures in a 30-foot emanation must succeed at a Will save against your class DC or become frightened 1.
True Senses (Common, Spark-Kin) Feat 13: Prerequisites Enhanced Sensory Suite. Your senses are so sharp they pierce through all illusions and concealments. You gain true seeing (as the spell, but a constant innate ability) against illusions and invisibility, and you ignore the concealed condition against creatures within your enhanced sensory range.
Here are a few adventure hooks designed to appeal to a Spark-Kin Player Character, leveraging their unique origins, dual nature, and journey to define their place in the Starfall Galaxy:
Adventure Hooks for Spark-Kin Player Characters
The Whispers of the Wild-Synth:
Hook: The Spark-Kin PC begins to hear strange, almost instinctual "whispers" or data-bursts from unawakened animals in a nearby, supposedly pristine, Outer Sphere nature preserve or a corporate-owned bio-dome. These aren't normal animal calls; they are coherent pleas for help, revealing a subtle, insidious Rift-Taint that is slowly transforming the ecosystem and the animals within it into something monstrous, or a clandestine Mega-Corporation is secretly harvesting their unique biological processes. A Leshy guardian, sensing the corruption, or a Barathu bio-engineer, concerned about the ecological imbalance, seeks the Spark-Kin's unique Awakened Mind to understand the animals' plight and intervene without causing a panic.
Spark-Kin Appeal: This hook directly appeals to the Spark-Kin's duality and their lingering connection to their animalistic past. The PC would be driven to protect their unawakened kin and assert their agency against exploitation. Their Animal Interface Protocol would be crucial for communication, while Bio-Mana Infusion or Rift-Beast Summoner (if applicable) could offer ways to combat the Taint or control affected creatures.
The Rogue Uplift Protocol:
Hook: Rumors spread through the Inner Sphere's black markets and research facilities of a "Rogue Uplift Protocol" – a dangerous, uncontrolled process being used by a rogue Ysoki geneticist or an Automaton collective to rapidly awaken animals, often with disastrous, unpredictable results. These newly awakened Spark-Kin are unstable, prone to violent outbursts, or suffering from severe mental fragmentation. The Spark-Kin PC, having endured their own awakening, feels a profound responsibility or a burning anger towards these unethical experiments. A Human ethicist, or an Android concerned about the definition of sentience, seeks the PC's help to shut down the protocol, rescue the affected animals, and perhaps guide these new Spark-Kin towards stability.
Spark-Kin Appeal: This is a deeply personal and morally complex hook, forcing the PC to confront the trauma of their own origins and define their stance on sentient life. The PC would be motivated to prevent further suffering and assert their unique identity. Spark-Kin Lore would be vital for understanding the process, Threat Override Protocol could be used to calm or deter unstable uplifted animals, and Sentience Propagation (if they possess it) could offer a benevolent alternative to the rogue protocol.
The Maelstrom-Scarred Habitat:
Hook: A remote, seemingly uninhabited planet in the Frontier is discovered to be a unique, thriving ecosystem, but it's heavily influenced by the Maelstrom. Its flora and fauna (including potentially unawakened versions of the Spark-Kin's original species) exhibit strange, chaotic mutations and unpredictable behaviors due to intense Rift-Taint. A Shadar void-walker, seeking to purify the planar bleed, or a Mnemosyn philosopher, intrigued by the chaotic evolution, offers a significant reward for a Spark-Kin PC to explore and map this dangerous "Rift-Habitat." The mission involves navigating unpredictable terrain, avoiding or pacifying Rift-Entities, and documenting the unique adaptations of the local wildlife.
Spark-Kin Appeal: This hook appeals to the Spark-Kin's adaptability and their connection to the raw energies of the Rift. The PC would be drawn by the sheer novelty and the challenge of a truly wild, yet magically infused, environment. Their Enhanced Sensory Suite or True Senses would be crucial for navigating the unpredictable dangers, Velocity Pursuit Spark-Kin or Aerial Recon Spark-Kin (depending on heritage) would aid in traversing the terrain, and Rift-Beast Summoner could even turn the chaotic fauna into temporary allies.
The Ancient Automaton's Primal Code:
Hook: An ancient, reclusive Automaton, a remnant of a pre-Cataclysm civilization, has been discovered in a forgotten Inner Sphere data vault. This Automaton, unlike others, seems to possess a unique "primal code" – a form of emergent AI that mimics biological evolution and instinct. However, it's unstable and could either lead to a breakthrough in synthetic life or cause a catastrophic system collapse. A Lashunta researcher, fascinated by emergent consciousness, or a Chassos engineer, seeking to understand ancient tech, needs a Spark-Kin PC to interface with the Automaton. They believe the Spark-Kin's unique blend of instinct and intellect makes them the only ones capable of understanding and stabilizing this unusual AI, perhaps even revealing a lost connection between biological and artificial sentience.
Spark-Kin Appeal: This is a high-stakes, intellectual challenge that positions the Spark-Kin at the intersection of biology and technology. The PC would be motivated by the opportunity to understand the very nature of sentience and perhaps find a new purpose. Their Integrated Observer and Adaptive Learning Algorithms would be invaluable for deciphering the Automaton's complex programming, while Awakened Form and Awakened Mind allow for a unique interaction with the construct.
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