In the Starfall Galaxy, where ancient Mana-currents flow through the void and vibrant Cosmic Flora blooms on distant worlds, some beings are born with an intrinsic connection to the very essence of organic life and growth. These are the Ardandes, versatile beings whose flesh is intertwined with elemental organic matter and whose veins pulse with life-giving sap. They are as much elemental essence as they are mortal, embodying the tenacity, flexibility, and succor of the cosmos' living heart.
Ardandes are descendants of powerful Cosmic Flora entities, ancient Mana-infused organic constructs, or even unique forms of Aether-Dragons that embody life and growth. They might have been born under the influence of potent Mana-currents, within localized Rift-zones that paradoxically foster accelerated, strange growth, or from unique Mana-Shimmer Dimensions rich in vibrant organic energy.
Ardandes often share a connection to specific aspects of cosmic organic cycles, such as the vibrant bloom of nascent ecosystems, the ancient and decaying structures seething with new life, or the flowing sap of a colossal void-tree. This is called an ardande lineage. Typically, an ardande has the same lineage as their ardande parent, though some are born with a new or different lineage, or to parents who didn't have one. Sometimes a lineage reflects where an ardande was born, such as Springsoul ardandes born in the vibrant, Mana-rich bio-domes of a newly terraformed world, or Moldersoul ardandes influenced by the slow, regenerative decay within a derelict Kasatha worldship. They can also occur as a reflection of the ardande's ancient cosmic ancestry, like Ambersoul ardandes who descend from beings whose essence solidified into living Mana-crystals.
If you want to play a character who embodies the tenacity, flexibility, and life-giving succor of cosmic organic matter, you should play an ardande.
YOU MIGHT...
Associate your personal identity with cosmic flora, believing the characteristics of plants and organic growth form core aspects of your personality.
Enjoy giving gifts or expressing love for your friends with food, vitalizing Mana, and deep hospitality.
Take pride in your elemental lineage and your connection to the fundamental life cycles of the galaxy.
OTHERS PROBABLY...
Look to you as an authority on plant creatures, Cosmic Flora entities, and organic Mana-signatures.
Take you for granted as an endless well of energy, patience, and support.
Mistake you for a Florin, Ghoran, or another plant-based ancestry, perhaps not even realizing the depth of your elemental connection.
Physical Description
Ardandes vary in appearance just as much as their diverse ancestors and origins do. Green, brown, and ash gray are the most common skin tones, though many also have bodies covered in living moss, bark-like plating, or knotted organic wood. Ardandes are often born with coils of glowing ivy or flowering vines for hair, but just as common are those who grow beards made of crystalline petals or Mana-infused leaves, or hair that rustles like a leaf caught in a perpetual cosmic wind. Most smell like dew on fresh cosmic grass, exotic wildflowers, or a mossy bio-dome floor. Rarely, an ardande is born with amber or bark for nails, leaves or delicate petals freckling their skin, or even rotten, mossy bodies that shed spores and vitalizing resin.
Society
Poorly understood by both themselves and others, ardandes born before the full understanding of cosmic organic Mana have struggled to fully comprehend their own heritage. Due to the fragmented nature of their origins across the vast Starfall Galaxy, there have been too few ardandes in any single region for them to form widespread societies or cultural norms. In most areas where ardandes are found, only a single family might have a deep connection to cosmic organic Mana, and the norms of the organic scions in those areas are simply those of that single ardande family. However, with the increasing exploration of Mana-rich nebulae and the discovery of ancient Cosmic Flora worlds, ardandes are beginning to connect and form new communities.
Beliefs
Many ardandes value community, family, and the interconnectedness of all life. Religious ardandes gravitate to faiths of growth, nature, and cosmic cycles, such as the teachings of a Cosmic Wanderer who embodies life's journey, or the elemental lords of organic Mana. Some venerate the ancient Green Men of forgotten worlds or join druidic orders or other spiritual practices focused on the balance of Mana and organic life. Evil ardandes sometimes look to concepts of destruction, disease, and rot for guidance, interpreting corruption and decay as necessary components of nature's eternal cycle: death that carves the way for renewal, rather than death as a final ending.
Popular Edicts: Flow with the cycles of nature, grow the world I want to live in, nurture life.
Popular Anathema: Betray my family or community, permanently destroy a vibrant ecosystem.
Adventurers
Misunderstood and often unexplained, many ardande children turn to lives of adventure as they search for answers and information about themselves. Backgrounds as artists and artisans are common, as organic crafts and sculpture often help them to feel connected with their ancient ancestors, though many also become scholars and Mana-weavers in their quests to uncover the secrets of the Starfall Galaxy and their place inside it.
Ardande Mechanics
Ardande Heritage
You descend from Cosmic Flora entities or have some other heritage influenced by the elemental organic Mana of the Starfall Galaxy. You might have green, mossy skin, vines that grow from your head instead of hair, or thin appendages that resemble living twigs. You gain the ardande trait, in addition to the traits from your ancestry. You also gain low-light vision, or you gain darkvision if your ancestry already has low-light vision.
You can choose from ardande feats and feats from your ancestry whenever you gain an ancestry feat.
Ardande Lineages
Ardande can select any of the following lineages at 1st level.
Ambersoul (Feat 1)
Ardande, Lineage
Your elemental heritage is reflected in the vital oils and fragrances of cosmic plants, in tree resin that fossilizes into Mana-infused amber, or in the gentle smell of a blossoming bio-dome. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Diplomacy checks when dealing with plant creatures or those who value natural beauty.
Moldersoul (Feat 1)
Ardande, Lineage
Your connection to cosmic organic Mana asserts itself in the form of decay and renewal, like forgotten logs left to rot and the char that remains after a forest fire, cycles of devastation clearing away what was to make room for the next generation of life. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Fortitude saves against disease and poison.
Springsoul (Feat 1)
Ardande, Lineage
Your connection to cosmic organic Mana manifests as fresh blossoms, spring fruits, and the seeds of new life, and you harness this power to spread vitality and abundance. You can cast tanglefoot as a primal innate cantrip at will.
Unbowed, Unbroken (Feat 1)
Ardande, Lineage, Uncommon
Your connection to cosmic organic Mana manifests as resilience—towering void-trees, rough bark, deep roots, and patient determination in the face of cosmic entropy. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Will saves against effects that would make you frightened or confused.
Ardande Ancestry Feats (1st Level)
The following feats are available to ardande characters.
Cosmic Flora Eyes (Feat 1)
Ardande, Low-Light Vision
You can see in the darkness as easily as a creature of pure organic Mana. You gain low-light vision. If your ancestry already has low-light vision, you gain darkvision instead.
Cosmic Flora Lore (Feat 1)
Ardande
You've devoted yourself to researching the secrets of cosmic organic life and the flow of Mana through ecosystems. You become trained in Nature and Cosmic Lore. If you would automatically become trained in one of those skills (from your background or class, for example), you instead become trained in a skill of your choice.
You also gain the Additional Lore general feat for Cosmic Flora Lore.
Organic Weapon Familiarity (Feat 1)
Ardande
You've trained with weapons that mimic the natural defenses or growth patterns of cosmic flora. You are trained with the thorn whip (a simple weapon that deals 1d4 slashing damage, has the reach and finesse traits, and is in the flail group) and the sap-glaive (a martial weapon that deals 1d8 bludgeoning damage, has the reach and two-hand d12 traits, and is in the polearm group). For the purpose of determining your proficiency, these are simple weapons. Whenever you gain a class feature that grants you expert or greater proficiency in certain weapons, you also gain that proficiency in the thorn whip and sap-glaive.
Bio-Dome Harbored (Feat 1)
Ardande
You are accustomed to exploring dense bio-domes and defending yourself against the attacks of aggressive cosmic flora or Mana-infused parasites. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Stealth checks in dense vegetation and a +1 circumstance bonus to AC against Strikes from plant creatures.
Organic Artisan (Feat 1)
Ardande
Denizens of the Mana-Shimmer Dimensions and ancient organic entities take immense pride in the magnificent works of art they can craft from living organic matter, and practicing your own organic craft helps you feel a connection with your cosmic heritage. You become trained in Crafting. If you would automatically become trained in Crafting (from your background or class, for example), you instead become trained in a skill of your choice. You also gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Crafting checks when working with organic materials.
Ardande Ancestry Feats (5th Level)
Organic Weapon Flourish (Feat 5)
Ardande
Prerequisites: Organic Weapon Familiarity
Whenever you critically hit using a thorn whip, sap-glaive, or another organic weapon in which you are trained, you apply the weapon's critical specialization effect.
Cosmic Resolve (Feat 5)
Ardande
Once, ancient organic entities ruled vast ecosystems, and a remnant of that confidence and power is reflected in your strong will. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Will saves against mental effects.
Read the Mana-Roots (Feat 5)
Ardande, Primal, Scrying, Organic
The root systems of cosmic flora are a far-reaching network of Mana-information, and you know how to access them and extract their secrets. You can cast detect magic as a primal innate spell at will, but it only detects Mana-signatures in organic matter or within plant creatures. You can also spend 10 minutes to Commune with Plants as the spell, but only with plants that are part of a connected root or fungal network.
Cosmic Flora Speech (Feat 5)
Ardande
You speak the ancient language of Cosmic Flora entities. Your connection to cosmic organic Mana allows you to communicate with plants and organic constructs in the Starfall Galaxy. This functions as speak with plants at will, but also allows basic communication with sentient organic constructs or Florin at a rudimentary level.
Ardande Ancestry Feats (9th Level)
Vitality Flow (Feat 9)
Ardande, Plant, Primal
Vitality and elemental organic Mana flows out from your body and into the earth or surrounding surfaces, infusing it with a stream of new life. As a 2-action activity, you can touch the ground or an organic surface. For 1 minute, any plant creatures or creatures with the plant trait within 30 feet of you gain fast healing 1. You can use this once per day.
Cosmic Flora Magic (Feat 9)
Ardande
You can wield the primal Mana-magic of a Cosmic Flora entity. You gain entangle and speak with animals as 2nd-rank primal innate spells. You can cast each of these divine innate spells once per day.
Organic Repair (Feat 9)
Arcane, Ardande, Concentrate, Transmutation
You can't grant magical wishes, but some echo of vital Mana lingers within you. As a 2-action activity, you can touch an adjacent organic construct or a creature with the plant trait. That creature regains 3d6 Hit Points. You can use this once per day.
Ardande Ancestry Feats (13th Level)
Organic Weapon Expertise (Feat 13)
Ardande
Prerequisites: Organic Weapon Familiarity
Whenever you gain a class feature that grants you expert or greater proficiency in certain weapons, you also gain that proficiency in thorn whips, sap-glaives, and all organic weapons in which you are trained.
Mana-Slip (Feat 13)
Arcane, Ardande, Concentrate, Conjuration
You shift your body briefly between Mana-dimensions, reducing the damage from your foe's attack. As a reaction when you are the target of a Strike, you can gain resistance 5 to all damage from that Strike. You can use this once per encounter.
Summon Cosmic Flora Entity (Feat 13)
Ardande
Your connection to cosmic organic Mana allows you to summon elemental organic allies. You gain summon plant or fungus as a 5th-rank primal innate spell. You can cast this spell once per day.
Organic Mantle (Feat 13)
Ardande
Your connection to the magic of cosmic organic Mana allows you to call upon the power of plants and void-trees to protect yourself. You gain resistance 5 to piercing and slashing damage from non-magical attacks. This resistance increases to 10 against attacks from plant creatures.
Ardande Ancestry Feats (17th Level)
Organic Ward (Feat 17)
Ardande, Concentrate, Plant, Primal, Organic
With a sweep of your hand, vines and roots burst from the ground or nearby organic surfaces along the edge of your space between you and the attacker, creating a natural lattice of organic matter that grants standard cover. This effect lasts for 1 round. You can use this once per round as a free action when an enemy targets you with a Strike.
Here are a few adventure hooks tailored to appeal to an Ardande player character, leveraging their intrinsic connection to cosmic flora, organic Mana, and the cycles of growth and decay, all within the rich tapestry of the Starfall Galaxy.
Adventure Hooks for Ardande Player Characters
1. The Blighted Bio-Dome of Xylos
Hook: A once-thriving research bio-dome on the distant world of Xylos, renowned for its exotic Cosmic Flora and pioneering Mana-agriculture, has suddenly gone silent. Initial scouting reports indicate a rapid, unnatural decay spreading through the flora, followed by a strange, aggressive proliferation of mutated, parasitic plant-creatures that are draining the bio-dome's Mana-wells. The Florin scientists who managed the dome are desperate, and the Commission is concerned about the potential spread of this blight. They seek the Ardande PC, believing only their innate connection to cosmic organic Mana and understanding of growth/decay cycles can identify the source of the blight – perhaps a rogue Rift-Entity attempting to weaponize organic Mana, or an ancient Vaelen bio-weapon reactivating – and find a way to restore balance to the ecosystem without destroying it entirely.
Ardande Appeal: This hook directly challenges the Ardande's core connection to organic life and Mana. The blight represents a perversion of the natural cycle, compelling them to intervene. Their ability to "read the Mana-roots" or communicate with plants would be invaluable. The opportunity to restore a vibrant ecosystem and understand a new form of organic Mana-corruption would be a powerful motivator.
2. The Living Starship's Lament
Hook: A legendary Kasatha worldship, rumored to be partially grown from colossal Cosmic Flora entities and powered by organic Mana-reactors, has sent out a faint, distress signal from a forgotten sector of the Outer Sphere. The signal isn't technological; it's a deep, resonant lament, a psychic cry of pain that only those attuned to organic Mana can truly perceive. The ship's internal ecosystems are failing, its organic components are calcifying, and its sentient plant-based crew (if any remain) are slowly dying. A Surki explorer, drawn by the unique Mana-signatures of the dying ship, or a Dracosmyr who senses the profound emotional distress of a living vessel, seeks the Ardande PC. They believe the Ardande's ability to heal and communicate with organic structures is crucial to understanding the ship's ailment – perhaps a slow void-decay, a parasitic Void-Entity infestation, or a deep-seated spiritual wound – and bringing the ancient vessel back to life.
Ardande Appeal: This hook appeals to the Ardande's nurturing instincts and their pride in cosmic organic creations. The living starship represents a grand example of integrated organic technology, and its suffering would resonate deeply. The challenge of diagnosing and healing a colossal, complex organic entity would be a unique and fulfilling experience.
3. The Seed of Creation's Forge
Hook: Rumors have surfaced of a newly discovered celestial body deep within a Mana-rich nebula – not a planet, but a colossal, crystalline "seed" pulsing with raw, primordial Mana. This "Seed of Creation's Forge" is said to be capable of spontaneously generating new forms of Cosmic Flora and even rudimentary organic life, but its uncontrolled growth is threatening to consume nearby star systems. The expansion isn't malicious, merely an unbridled, primal urge to create. A Cerebral Nexus who detects an unprecedented surge of emergent biological data, or an Aphorite who is deeply disturbed by the uncontrolled, chaotic growth disrupting cosmic order, seeks the Ardande PC. They believe the Ardande's unique understanding of organic cycles and Mana-flow is essential to either guide the seed's growth into a stable, life-giving force, or to contain its expansion without destroying its incredible potential.
Ardande Appeal: This is a high-stakes, philosophical hook that directly engages the Ardande's connection to the very source of cosmic life. The "Seed" represents pure, untamed creation, and the Ardande would be driven to understand and potentially shepherd this incredible phenomenon. The challenge of imposing a beneficial order on raw, primal growth, or finding a way to coexist with it, would be a compelling and potentially transformative experience.
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