The Strix are reclusive avian humanoids devoted to their deep-space territories and their tribes. They defend their precious communities with broad, often Mana-infused, wingspans and razor talons.
Strix value ferocity, vengeance, and unwavering devotion above all else. Their dark, formidable wingspans and long history of taking retribution for their fallen kin have painted them as winged devils in the eyes of neighboring human and alien populations. In contradiction to their misunderstood nature, Strix boast a deeply spiritual, artistic, and compassionate culture that is rarely seen outside of their isolated roosts.
As Strix populations begin to resurge and spread beyond the asteroid fields they call home, their tribes now speckle the deep void, isolated systems, and even some colonized worlds. Soaring through nebulas, dense asteroid forests, and barren planets, Strix are always brought home by the deep connections they share with their kinfolk.
If you want a character who is loyal yet enigmatic, fierce yet artistic, and who yearns to soar above the world (or through the void), you should play a Strix. You Might:
Dedicate and endear yourself to your family, friends, or community with unwavering loyalty.
Harbor an inherited distrust of established, expansionist galactic factions (like the Commission or Asenobi Dynasty).
Keep strangers at arm's length and perhaps exhibit naivete about the complexities of the wider galaxy beyond your homeland.
Others Probably:
Appreciate your dedicated friendship, even if they don't fully grasp the cultural history behind your commitments.
Treat you on occasion like a carrier pigeon or scout drone, asking you to deliver encrypted data or perform similar favors through the void.
Find your appearance frightening due to complete inexperience with Strix, especially your dark wings and piercing eyes.
Physical Description
Strix are avian-influenced humanoids with intimidating talons and feathered, often dark or iridescent, wings sprouting from their backs. With an average height of 6 feet, Strix are taller than most humans but are very light for their size, a physiological adaptation for flight or zero-gravity maneuvering. Strix are considered mature at 14 cycles (years) of age and have an average lifespan of 40 cycles. They have pointed ears and large eyes that are typically black from sclera to pupil, but occasionally appear as a piercing golden or deep void-blue color. Strix lack the ability to move their eyes independently of their head, resulting in distinctive jerky movements as their gaze snaps between targets. Their bodies are usually taut with defined musculature—a result of the strength necessary to flex their wings through varied atmospheres or the vacuum of space.
Society
Strix are rare and reclusive individuals who fiercely cling to their ancestral territories. They live in modest-sized tribes, but some reside in smaller bands of tight-knit individuals. The largest settlements of Strix reside in ancient asteroid fields, but a small number of their ilk have traveled far across the Starfall Galaxy. Strix feel an intense empathy and attachment to their family and other community members. They prioritize the needs of their community over their individual desires, and their bands and tribes benefit from an easy yet expertly organized division of labor. Strix tribes are led by a Rokoa, typically a female tribal leader.
A long history of conflict with nearby expansionist factions (such as the Asenobi Dynasty or aggressive corporate security forces) has bred into most Strix a deep fear and suspicion of these "ground-dwellers"—whom they might call Kotaara (reflavored from human). Strix have struggled to keep hold of their territories and maintain their numbers in the face of constant conflict with these enemies who, in addition to trying to destroy what they believe to be winged devils, vastly outnumber them. Due to their strongly bonded groups, the loss of a single tribe member is devastating.
Outer Sphere (Asteroid Roosts & Hidden Perches): The largest Strix communities reside in ancient, hollowed-out asteroids, camouflaged orbital stations, or atop the tallest, spired peaks of desolate planets in the Outer Sphere. These "roosts" are often inaccessible to ground-bound species, providing natural defenses. They are fiercely territorial, often clashing with corporate prospectors or Grolak Marauder Hordes who intrude upon their domains.
Inner Sphere (Enigmatic Observers & Discreet Guardians): In the dense, hyper-developed ecumenopolises of the Inner Sphere, Strix are rare. Those who venture here often establish discreet roosts in the upper spires of mega-structures or hidden within atmospheric flight corridors. They act as enigmatic observers, sometimes serving as discreet guardians for specific sectors or individuals, their loyalty fiercely devoted if earned.
Frontier (Rift-Soarers & Sentinel Clans): The most daring Strix venture into the uncharted Frontier, drawn by the raw, untamed energies of the Rift. Here, they might serve as "Rift-Soarers," scouting hazardous Mana-storms or unstable planetary atmospheres. They establish sentinel clans around nascent Mana-wells or ancient Rift-sites, protecting these volatile areas from exploitation and ensuring the cosmic balance, often clashing with emerging Rift-Entities or reckless explorers.
Beliefs
Due to their deep respect for the rules of a functioning society (even if insular), Strix are rarely chaotic, but some may be flexible on adopting the rules of outside galactic societies. Strix are typically nonreligious in a traditional sense and instead use stories from an epic known as the Korrsat Akra, or “The Scattered Nest,” to tell them of their origins and give them direction on their current place in the galaxy. They have a deep investment in the lives of their fellows and experience intense grief at their passing.
Unique Strix Traits
Strix are distinguished by their intimidating avian features, powerful wings for flight through various atmospheres or vacuum, and a deep-seated loyalty to their communities. They are fierce, artistic, and deeply enigmatic.
Strix Mechanics
Strix are a Humanoid, Strix ancestry.
Hit Points: 8
Size: Medium
Speed: 25 feet
Attribute Boosts: Dexterity, and one Free Ability Boost.
Languages: Common, Strix (reflavored as Void-Tongue, a language of chirps, screeches, and resonant wing-beats). You gain additional languages equal to your Intelligence modifier (if positive). Choose from Draconic, Jotun (Grolak), Gnome (Vividi), Infernal, and any other languages to which you have access (such as the languages prevalent in your region).
Senses: Low-Light Vision (You can see in dim light as though it were bright light, so you ignore the concealed condition due to dim light.)
Wings: All Strix possess powerful wings adapted for various atmospheric densities and vacuum. While not all Strix focus on honing their flying skills, a strong flap of their wings allows them to travel longer distances when jumping. When Leaping horizontally, you move an additional 5 feet. You don't automatically fail your checks to High Jump or Long Jump if you don't Stride at least 10 feet first. In addition, when you make a Long Jump, you can jump a distance up to 10 feet further than your Athletics check result, though still with the normal maximum of your Speed. Additionally, you take no damage from falling, no matter what distance you fall.
Strix Heritages
At 1st level, choose one of the following Strix heritages, reflecting their adaptations to various cosmic roles and environments.
Nightglider Strix: You are a dedicated nocturnal avian, keeping watch and predating in the most lightless void or deep-space environments. You gain darkvision.
Predator Strix: You come from a line of Strix with exceptionally broad wings and lengthy talons, specialized for hunting or close-quarters combat. You gain a talon melee unarmed attack that deals 1d4 slashing damage. Your talon attack is in the brawling group and has the agile, finesse, and unarmed traits.
Scavenger Strix: Your ancestors originated from a land or sector where resources were scarce and threats were many. You are trained in Survival. You gain the Forager skill feat as a bonus feat. Your thoroughness when gathering supplies provides you a +1 circumstance bonus to Survival checks to Subsist.
Shoreline Strix: You're the descendant of Strix who traveled to the coasts of alien oceans or settled near fluid-rich asteroids. Your feathers are especially water-repellent and sleekly angled for diving, allowing you to catch aquatic prey or navigate liquid environments. You are trained in Athletics, and you gain the Underwater Marauder skill feat as a bonus skill feat.
Songbird Strix: You descend from a talented line of Strix storytellers and artists. From the highest orbital aeries and purest crystalline landscapes where your lungs fill with glorious clean air, you trill, whistle, and croon sweet songs. While natural cosmic sounds make you predisposed to sing, voices make you predisposed to mimicry. You receive a +1 circumstance bonus on Deception checks to Impersonate a mimicked voice, where the sound of the voice is the only factor; if you are a master in Deception, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus instead. You also gain a +1 circumstance bonus on Performance checks to sing; if you are a master in Performance, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus instead.
Strix Ancestry Feats
You can select Strix ancestry feats from the following options.
1st Level Feats
Fledgling Flight (Common, Strix) Feat 1: You can fly through the air or void in short bursts at half your land Speed. You gain a Fly Speed equal to half your land Speed. You can only Fly for a number of rounds equal to your level per day.
Story Crooner (Common, Strix) Feat 1: You're a talented story weaver and use your voice effectively, making your tales captivating. You become trained in Performance. If you are already trained in Performance, you instead become trained in a skill of your choice.
Strix Defender (Common, Strix) Feat 1: Your ancestral feud with hostile galactic factions gives you experience dealing with vicious foes, and your vengeance knows no bounds. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to AC against creatures of the Human or specific hostile ancestry types (chosen at creation, GM's discretion).
Strix Lore (Common, Strix) Feat 1: You're well connected to your tribe and perhaps even Strix communities beyond your own, where you've learned about cosmic territories and techniques of graceful void movement. You gain training in Strix Lore. If you were already trained in Strix Lore, you instead become an expert.
5th Level Feats
Feathered Cloak (Common, Strix) Feat 5: To blend in with the grounded and wingless, you fold your wings just so on your back, creating the illusion of a feathered cloak or a bulky pack. When your wings are folded this way, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Deception checks to Impersonate a non-winged humanoid.
Juvenile Flight (Common, Strix) Feat 5: Prerequisites Fledgling Flight. You unfold your wings for longer travel and can keep them unfolded for 10 minutes at a time. Your daily duration for Fledgling Flight increases to 10 minutes.
Strix Vengeance (Common, Emotion, Mental, Strix) Feat 5: You dedicate yourself to destroying those who harm your kin. When a creature damages one of your allies, you can use a reaction to gain a +1 status bonus to your next attack roll against that creature before the end of your next turn.
Thrown Voice (Common, Strix) Feat 5: You've learned how to throw your voice through the stellar winds or atmospheric currents, tricking others as to your location. You can cast ventriloquism as an innate occult spell once per day, heightened to 2nd rank.
9th Level Feats
Ferocious Gust (Common, Air, Concentrate, Manipulate, Strix) Feat 9: With heavy wing beats, you whip up a furious gust and direct it at your opponents. As a 2-action activity, you can create a 30-foot cone of wind. Creatures in the cone must succeed at a Fortitude save against your class DC or spell DC (whichever is higher) or be pushed 10 feet.
Fully Flighted (Common, Strix) Feat 9: Prerequisites Juvenile Flight. You gain the effects of Juvenile Flight at all times, rather than just once per day for 10 minutes. Your Fly Speed becomes equal to your land Speed, and you can sustain flight indefinitely.
Rokoan Arts (Common, Strix) Feat 9: Ancestral Mana-spirits or sentient data-echoes have begun to bond themselves to you, granting you powers characteristic of a Rokoa (tribal leader). You gain one 3rd-rank innate spell from the occult or divine spell list (GM's discretion for appropriate leadership/protection spells), castable once per day.
Wing Step (Common, Strix) Feat 9: With a sharp flap of your wings, you stay light on your feet as you move, making you elusive in combat. When you Stride, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus to AC until the start of your next turn.
13th Level Feats
Ancestor's Transformation (Common, Strix) Feat 13: You can commune with ancestor spirits or reanimated data-echoes to assume the form of an enormous primeval Strix, a majestic and terrifying manifestation of your lineage. Once per day, as a 3-action activity, you can cast aerial form (reflavored as a powerful avian or winged bio-construct form) as a 5th-rank innate spell.
17th Level Feats
Void Cyclone (Common, Air, Concentrate, Manipulate, Strix) Feat 17: You unleash a furious vortex of wind and Mana, tearing through enemies. As a 3-action activity, you can create a 20-foot radius burst of wind. All creatures in the burst take 8d6 bludgeoning damage (basic Fortitude save) and are pushed 10 feet away from you.
Here are a few adventure hooks designed to appeal to a Strix Player Character, leveraging their unique reclusive nature, fierce loyalty, connection to Mana, and inherent distrust of outsiders within the Starfall Galaxy:
Adventure Hooks for Strix Player Characters
The Silent Roost's Plea:
Hook: A distress signal, barely a whisper carried on the void currents, reaches the Strix PC from a long-lost or rumored "silent roost" – an ancient Strix settlement deep within a dense, uncharted asteroid field in the Outer Sphere. The signal is fragmented, hinting at a slow, creeping Rift-Taint or a subtle, invasive presence that is systematically silencing the roost's inhabitants without a trace of violence. A Shisk archivist, who has cataloged ancient Strix migration patterns, or a Choran eco-engineer, noticing unnatural energy signatures, seeks the PC's unique void-adapted senses and knowledge of Strix lore. The mission: infiltrate the silent roost, uncover the source of the vanishing, and either cleanse the Taint or rescue any remaining kin.
Strix Appeal: This hook directly appeals to the Strix's deep loyalty to their kin and ancestral territories. The PC would be driven by a sense of duty and vengeance (Strix Vengeance) to protect their heritage. Their Nightglider Strix heritage would be invaluable for navigating the dark asteroid field, and Strix Lore would help them understand the roost's history and potential vulnerabilities. Fully Flighted would be a huge asset for traversing the complex environment.
The Sky-Whale's Song of Sorrow:
Hook: A colossal "sky-whale" – a rare, Mana-infused creature native to the upper atmospheres of a gas giant in the Frontier – has begun to sing a mournful, discordant song that disrupts astrogation and causes minor temporal distortions in nearby starships. This creature, revered by some Strix clans as a living manifestation of cosmic currents, is clearly in distress. A Tengu Aether-Flock, drawn by the unique sound, or a Florin botanist, concerned about the Mana-ecosystem, seeks the Strix PC. They believe the PC's innate connection to atmospheric phenomena (Wings trait, Ferocious Gust) and their understanding of Mana-infused life makes them uniquely capable of approaching the sky-whale, diagnosing its ailment (perhaps a parasitic Rift-Entity or a technological siphon), and restoring its harmonious song.
Strix Appeal: This hook plays on the Strix's connection to the void and their artistic/spiritual side. The PC would be motivated to aid a majestic creature and restore cosmic harmony. Songbird Strix heritage would be useful for understanding the whale's song, and Void Cyclone could be a powerful tool if a direct confrontation is needed. The challenge lies in navigating the dangerous atmosphere and understanding a non-humanoid form of distress.
The 'Ground-Dweller' Encroachment:
Hook: An ambitious Mega-Corporation from the Inner Sphere has begun aggressive expansion into a remote system in the Outer Sphere, a system that holds a sacred, unmapped Mana-well revered by a distant Strix tribe (perhaps even the PC's own ancestral clan). The corporation is deploying advanced Automatons and Klaris Legion security forces, slowly but surely establishing outposts and mining operations, oblivious to (or uncaring of) the Strix presence. The Strix PC, feeling the encroachment on their territory and the threat to their kin, is approached by a rogue Ysoki tinkerer, who despises corporate overreach, or a Khashadab scavenger, who sees an opportunity for high-stakes salvage. The mission: sabotage the corporate operations, drive out the "ground-dwellers" without direct, open warfare if possible, and protect the sacred Mana-well.
Strix Appeal: This hook directly engages the Strix's inherited distrust of expansionist factions and their territorial nature. The PC would be driven by fierce loyalty to their community and a desire to preserve their way of life. Feathered Cloak would be useful for discreet infiltration, Strix Defender could aid in skirmishes, and Wing Step would provide excellent mobility in the complex terrain.
The Ancestor's Fragmented Message:
Hook: The Strix PC, perhaps during a period of deep meditation or while soaring through a particularly Mana-rich nebula, receives a fragmented, psychic message from an ancient Strix ancestor (Rokoan Arts, Ancestor's Transformation). The message is a warning, hinting at a hidden Rift-site or a forgotten Vaelen experiment that, if disturbed, could unleash a catastrophic psychic backlash or a new wave of Rift-Storm Cataclysm. The location is cryptic, hidden within a network of ancient Automaton defense systems or guarded by a reclusive Oculon sect. A Mnemosyn scholar, who studies ancient prophecies, or a Scarred individual, who understands the dangers of uncontrolled experiments, seeks the PC's unique insight into their ancestral memories. The mission: decipher the message, locate the site, and secure it before its volatile power can be unleashed.
Strix Appeal: This hook appeals to the Strix's spiritual side and their connection to their lineage. The PC would be motivated to prevent a cosmic disaster and honor their ancestors. Rokoan Arts and Ancestor's Transformation would be key to understanding and potentially interacting with the ancestral message, while their natural flight abilities would be crucial for reaching the remote, dangerous location.
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