The Ysoki are a vibrant and tenacious species of sentient rodents, renowned throughout the Starfall Galaxy for their incredible ingenuity, lightning-fast reflexes, and an insatiable curiosity that often leads them into (and, crucially, out of) the most intricate of troubles. Small in stature but colossal in spirit, Ysoki possess an unparalleled knack for technology, a love for tinkering, and an uncanny ability to turn seemingly useless scrap into vital survival tools. Their origins are shrouded in various theories, but many believe they ascended from the sprawling underbellies of early Inner Sphere megacities, where their resourcefulness was a key to survival amidst the towering machinery.
Core Identity: Ingenuity, Resourcefulness, and Unbound Curiosity Ysoki are driven by an innate desire to understand how things work and, more importantly, to make them work better. They are natural engineers, scavengers, and problem-solvers, with a keen eye for overlooked details and a boundless capacity for improvisation. Their quick wits and nimble paws allow them to navigate complex mechanical systems, dense urban environments, or the chaotic pathways of the Rift with equal ease. The Yom is seen as a collection of parts and opportunities, while the Dei is the clever application of those resources to create something new or overcome an obstacle. For a Ysoki, every broken machine is a puzzle, every disaster a challenge, and every discarded piece of tech a potential masterpiece. Their constantly twitching noses, keen senses, and prehensile tails (often used as an extra limb for balance or manipulation) are characteristic. They speak with rapid-fire chatter, often accompanied by excited squeaks and chitters. They are fiercely loyal to their friends and kin, fiercely independent, and possess an almost boundless optimism even in the face of daunting challenges. Their ingenuity is often underestimated due to their size, a mistake their enemies rarely get to repeat. Stories of Ysoki in Starfall frequently involve daring heists, ingenious escapes, and their knack for fixing (or breaking) anything mechanical.
YOU MIGHT...
Spend hours tinkering with a new invention or repairing a broken piece of technology.
Seek out forgotten ruins or derelict ships in search of valuable salvage.
Use your quick wits and small size to navigate tight spaces or bypass security.
Form tight bonds with your crew, valuing their skills and loyalty above all else.
OTHERS PROBABLY...
Underestimate your intelligence or combat prowess due to your small size.
Seek your expertise in repairing complex machinery or salvaging rare components.
Are annoyed by your incessant tinkering or your tendency to collect "junk."
Are impressed by your ingenuity and your ability to make something out of nothing.
Physical Description
Ysoki are small, rodent-like humanoids, typically standing between 3 and 4 feet tall, with lithe, agile builds. Their bodies are covered in fine fur that comes in a wide range of colors, from browns and grays to more exotic reds and whites, often with distinct markings. Their most prominent features are their large, expressive ears, which can swivel to pick up subtle sounds, and their twitching noses, highly sensitive to scents and vibrations. Their eyes are bright and intelligent, reflecting their keen observational skills. They possess nimble, five-fingered hands and prehensile tails, which they use with remarkable dexterity for manipulating tools, climbing, or maintaining balance.
Ysoki often wear practical, multi-pocketed jumpsuits or vests, designed to hold an array of tools, spare parts, and salvaged components. They frequently have goggles perched on their heads or around their necks, ready for intricate work. Their movements are quick and darting, reflecting their energetic and curious nature.
Society
Ysoki society is typically highly communal and pragmatic, often forming tight-knit crews or "clans" that specialize in specific trades, often involving technology, scavenging, or information brokering. Their communities, even within larger settlements, often have a distinct, bustling, and somewhat cluttered character.
Inner Sphere (Technician Guilds & Information Networks): In the Inner Sphere, Ysoki are indispensable members of the vast technological and informational infrastructure. They often form specialized technician guilds, working closely with Geodan Industrial Guilds on construction projects or becoming vital, if sometimes illicit, figures in the maintenance of Commission starships and data networks. Their small size allows them to navigate ventilation shafts and forgotten conduits, making them excellent scouts, saboteurs, or information couriers. They are particularly adept at understanding and repurposing older, pre-Cataclysm technology.
Outer Sphere (Resource Scavengers & Rogue Engineers): Many Ysoki thrive in the more chaotic Outer Sphere, where their scavenging skills and engineering prowess are invaluable. They often operate as independent crews, salvaging derelict starships, mining hazardous asteroids, or establishing rogue workshops in hidden enclaves. They might trade with the Free Worlds Union for advanced parts or offer their services to various factions in the Resource Wars, always prioritizing their own independence and the acquisition of fascinating technology.
Frontier (Rift-Tech Tinkers & Anomaly Explorers): The Frontier is a veritable playground for the most adventurous Ysoki. Here, they meticulously explore Rift-Burgs, fascinated by the strange physics and temporal distortions. They are often the first to attempt to salvage or repurpose Rift-Tainted technology, understanding its inherent dangers but also its unique potential. Some Ysoki crews specialize in navigating unpredictable Rift-currents, using their intuition and modified ships to chart pathways others would deem impossible.
Connection to the Rift and Technological Adaptability
The Ysoki have a curious and often opportunistic relationship with the Rift. While they don't possess innate psychic abilities, their highly adaptable minds and their focus on practical solutions make them surprisingly resilient to its more subtle mental effects. They view the Rift-Storm Cataclysm as a galaxy-wide technological failure, an ultimate challenge to their engineering skills, and are driven to understand its mechanics as much as its cosmic impact.
They are known for their ability to modify and stabilize even Rift-Tainted technology, often developing unique, if sometimes unstable, devices that harness the Maelstrom's energies. Their small size and agility make them excellent at navigating the chaotic, shifting landscapes created by Rift-Taint. While they don't necessarily channel Mana directly, their tinkering with advanced, almost magical, devices often blur the line between technology and arcana, viewing the universe's energies as another form of resource to be cleverly utilized.
Beliefs
Ysoki beliefs are centered on the concept of ingenuity, resourcefulness, and the practical application of knowledge. They typically do not adhere to complex theological doctrines, but rather embody a philosophy of self-reliance, cleverness, and the endless potential of technology. They might revere abstract concepts like "The Great Machine" or "The Cosmic Blueprint," seeing the universe as a vast, intricate mechanism waiting to be understood and improved.
They believe that every piece of scrap holds potential, every problem has a clever solution, and that true value is found in what you can make with your own hands and wits. The Rift-Storm Cataclysm was a period of immense opportunity for them, proving their indispensable value as engineers and resourceful survivors.
Popular Edicts: Tinker constantly, salvage everything, find clever solutions, adapt to any situation, value practical skills.
Popular Anathema: Waste resources, rely solely on others, ignore broken technology, give up on a problem, be complacent.
Ysoki Mechanics
Ysoki are a Humanoid, Ysoki ancestry.
Hit Points: 6
Size: Small
Speed: 25 feet
Ability Boosts: Dexterity, Intelligence, and one Free Ability Boost.
Ability Flaw: Strength.
Languages: Common, Ysoki. You can learn additional languages equal to 1 + your Intelligence modifier (if it's positive). Choose from the list of common languages and any other languages to which you have access.
Traits: Humanoid, Ysoki, Low-Light Vision.
Ysoki Heritages
At 1st level, choose one of the following Ysoki heritages.
Cheek Pouch Ysoki: You have particularly capacious cheek pouches. You can store up to 1 cubic foot or 1 Bulk of items in your cheek pouches. Retrieving an item from your pouches is a single action. You can also eat and drink from your pouches as a free action.
Desert Ysoki: Your ancestors adapted to arid environments. You gain fire resistance 1. Environmental heat effects are one step less extreme for you (e.g., incredible heat becomes extreme).
Scrappy Ysoki: You are particularly resilient for your size. You gain 8 Hit Points from your ancestry instead of 6.
Tinker Ysoki: You have an innate knack for understanding and repairing machinery. You are trained in Engineering Lore. If you were already trained in Engineering Lore, you instead become an expert.
Urban Ysoki: You are a product of dense, complex urban environments. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Stealth checks in urban terrain.
Wired Ysoki: Your senses are keenly attuned to electrical and mechanical signals. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Perception checks to locate hidden technological devices or to identify malfunctions in machinery.
Ysoki Ancestry Feats
You can select Ysoki ancestry feats from the following options.
1st Level Feats
Clever Improvisation Feat 1 (Ysoki): You can find a way to use almost anything. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to checks to Craft or Repair items using improvised tools or salvaged components.
Ingenuity Feat 1 (Ysoki): Your quick thinking allows you to adapt to new situations. Once per day, you can re-select one skill in which you are trained, changing it to a different skill for 1 hour.
Maneuvering Scamp Feat 1 (Ysoki): You are adept at moving around larger creatures. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Acrobatics checks to Tumble Through a creature's space.
Ysoki Lore Feat 1 (Ysoki): You are well-versed in the history of scavenging and tinkering within your culture. You gain training in Ysoki Lore. If you were already trained in Ysoki Lore, you instead become an expert.
Scuttle Feat 1 (Ysoki): Your small size and quick movements make you difficult to pin down. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to your AC against reactions that would be triggered by your movement.
5th Level Feats
Advanced Cheek Pouches Feat 5 (Ysoki): Prerequisites Cheek Pouch Ysoki. Your cheek pouches are even more spacious. You can now store up to 2 cubic feet or 2 Bulk of items. Additionally, you can draw or stow an item from your pouches as a free action.
Quick Tinker Feat 5 (Ysoki): You can perform minor repairs or modifications rapidly. You can use the Repair action as a single action instead of two actions.
Rift-Resourceful Feat 5 (Ysoki): Your knack for improvisation helps you in chaotic environments. You gain a +1 status bonus to saves against Rift-Taint and temporal distortion effects.
Scavenger's Luck Feat 5 (Ysoki): You have an uncanny knack for finding useful items. Once per day, when you roll a Recall Knowledge check about a technological item or a piece of salvage, you can reroll the check. You must use the second result.
9th Level Feats
Jury-Rig Feat 9 (Ysoki): You can make temporary repairs to almost anything. You can attempt to Repair an item with a single action. On a success, the item gains the broken condition, but functions for 1 minute.
Nimble Dodge Feat 9 (Ysoki): Your small size and quick movements make you difficult to hit. As a reaction when you are targeted by an attack, you can gain a +2 circumstance bonus to your AC against that attack.
13th Level Feats
Master Tinkerer Feat 13 (Ysoki): Your skill at crafting and repairing is legendary. When you Craft or Repair an item, you reduce the time required by 50%.
Rift-Tech Engineer Feat 13 (Ysoki): You can harness the chaotic energies of the Rift to create unique devices. Once per day, you can spend 1 hour to Craft a temporary Rift-tech device (GM's discretion) that lasts for 1 hour before dissipating.
17th Level Feats
Grand Inventor Feat 17 (Ysoki): Your inventive genius is unparalleled. You can create a new common technological item (GM's discretion) once per week. This item must be of 10th level or lower.
Unpredictable Genius Feat 17 (Ysoki): Your solutions are often unconventional but highly effective. Once per day, when you attempt a skill check, you can roll twice and use the better result. This is a fortune effect.
Here are a few adventure hooks designed to appeal to a Ysoki Player Character, leveraging their unique traits, love for technology, and resourceful nature within the Starfall Galaxy:
Adventure Hooks for Ysoki Player Characters
The Derelict Mana-Conduit:
Hook: A massive, ancient Mana-conduit, part of a forgotten pre-Cataclysm network, has been discovered adrift in a stable pocket of Rift-Space in the Frontier. It's emitting strange energy fluctuations, hinting at a vast, untapped power source or a hidden archive of schematics. However, the conduit is riddled with complex, Rift-Tainted mechanical puzzles and is too unstable or cramped for larger species to navigate safely. A desperate Geodan Industrial Guild (seeking to reactivate it) or a curious Vaelen research team (seeking its Mana secrets) puts out a call for a nimble and ingenious technician.
Ysoki Appeal: This hook is a perfect playground for a Ysoki's tinkering and exploration instincts. The PC would be driven by the allure of ancient technology and the challenge of a complex mechanical puzzle. Their Jury-Rig, Rift-Tech Engineer, and Maneuvering Scamp feats would be invaluable for navigating the dangerous conduit, bypassing its corrupted systems, and salvaging its secrets. The potential for new Rift-tech devices would be a strong motivator.
The Inner Sphere's Glitch in the Machine:
Hook: A critical Commission-controlled ecumenopolis in the Inner Sphere is experiencing a series of baffling technological glitches. Automated transport systems are rerouting erratically, communication networks are suffering intermittent blackouts, and even the city's climate control is malfunctioning. The Commission's own technicians are stumped, suspecting a highly sophisticated, undetectable cyber-attack or a subtle Rift-Taint affecting the city's core infrastructure. They need someone small, fast, and incredibly clever to infiltrate the deepest, most inaccessible maintenance tunnels and pinpoint the source of the chaos.
Ysoki Appeal: This hook allows the Ysoki PC to shine in their natural environment – the underbelly of a megacity. Their Urban Ysoki heritage, Nimble Dodge, and Wired Ysoki feats would make them ideal for navigating tight spaces, avoiding security, and detecting the subtle anomalies. The challenge of fixing a massive, seemingly unfixable problem, and proving their worth to the "larger species" who underestimated them, would be highly appealing.
The Scavenger War for the "Iron Heart":
Hook: A legendary "Iron Heart" – a massive, perfectly preserved pre-Cataclysm starship engine core – has been discovered in a hotly contested asteroid field in the Outer Sphere. Multiple Nomad-Kin scavenger crews and even a small Grolak Marauder Horde are locked in a brutal Resource War over its ownership. The engine is too large to move easily, and its complex, ancient systems require a master tinkerer to even assess its true value or potential. The Ysoki PC's crew (or a desperate allied faction) needs them to outwit, outmaneuver, or even temporarily ally with rivals to secure the "Iron Heart" and unlock its secrets.
Ysoki Appeal: This hook plays into the Ysoki's love for valuable salvage and their resourcefulness in dangerous situations. The PC would use their Scavenger's Luck, Expert Scavenger, and Clever Improvisation to navigate the chaotic battlefield, assess the engine, and devise a plan to extract or activate it. Their ability to make something out of nothing, and their loyalty to their chosen crew, would be put to the ultimate test.
The Automaton's Secret Cache:
Hook: An Android seeking to understand the nature of consciousness, or a curious Vaelen researcher, approaches the Ysoki PC with a strange request. They've discovered an ancient, hidden cache belonging to a pre-Cataclysm Automaton that was part of the Aether-Synapse project. The cache contains highly advanced, but encrypted, data and unique components that could shed light on the Automaton Concordance, or even the true cause of the Cataclysm. The catch: the cache is protected by intricate, self-repairing Automaton defenses and can only be accessed by someone with unparalleled technical skill and a knack for unconventional solutions.
Ysoki Appeal: This hook offers a deep dive into the technological mysteries of the Starfall Galaxy, appealing to the Ysoki's unbound curiosity and their Grand Inventor potential. The PC would be motivated to crack the encryption, bypass the defenses, and uncover the truth, using their Master Tinkerer, Rift-Tech Engineer, and Unpredictable Genius to overcome seemingly impossible technical challenges. The knowledge gained could be galaxy-altering.
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