Kustu (koo-stoo)

he kustu are a species of insectile humanoids who live under the mountains of Western Corsu. They are of the dragonborn, and like most of the dragonborn people, their nation is held under the thrall of the Tyrennhian Imperium.

Physical Description

Kustu stand between two and a half and four feet tall, and often have a hunched posture. Their frames are slight, but their forelimbs are bulkier than their upper limbs, ending in oversized hands and feet. Like other dragonborn, kustu have four digits on their hands and feet. Their skin is a pale green, gold or gray color, and covered with thin chitinous plates which usually appears black or brown, but occasionally show vivid red, blue or yellow coloration.
Kutsu faces feature small external mandibles, slits in the head around where one would expect a nose to be, large compound eyes, supplemented by one or more pairs of smaller supplemental eyes. Kustu have antennae that function in a manner similar to humanoid ears. Kustu do not have body hair, but often have chitin plates concentatrated on the top of the head, on the forelimbs, on the chest and abdomen.
Female kustsu are often larger and bulkier than males, but fewer and thinner chitin plates. Females kustu usually have brighter coloration in their chitin plates, smaller mandables, and their antennae are placed on the forehead. Many female kustu have small transparent wings that tuck easily behind chitin plates on their back, though these wings are usually not strong or powerful enough to lift themselves off the ground. Male kustu are typically smaller than females, and sometimes have two or four smaller supplemental eyes that appear on their forehead.

In Society

Children are born to kustu parents, and all look pretty much the same. Once they hit the age of pupation, they create a cocoon and after one year emerge as their "adult form". Most emerge as ordinary kustu adults, but one in every ten emerges as an exemplar], with a form that has special powers. Exemplar forms and traits very, but functional wings, extra limbs, enlarged bodies and venomous stingers are common exemplar traits.
Ordinary kustu may not have the special abilities of their exemplar kin, but they do have their advantages in society. The first is that ordinary kustu typically live about twice as long as exemplars. Second, the ordinary are typically cleverer than their exemplar kin, and much more adaptable to society and the world around them. Exemplar traits have a way of limiting a kustu's life choices, but an ordinary kustu can be whatever they set their mind to being.

Relations

Kustu have long been dismissed as "mere workers" by other dragonborn. Kustu do not have the proud heroic tradition of the burtosh or the military acumen of the tulosh, or raw strength of the thenanim or the arcane prowess and pride of place of the s'zakrii. It is not an unreasonable assumption, either. Kustu craftsmanship is highly regarded, especially in the areas of sculpture and pottery. But the real strength of the kustu is their ability to adapt to any situation, and would be best suited of any of the dragonborn to create a sustained and self-sufficient society.
Unfortunately for the kustu, they had remained loyal to the dragonborn council, and shared in their people's fate as their lands were conquered by the Tyrennhian Imperium. Under the thrall of the Tyrennhians, most kustu were set to work in imperial mine, risking life and limb to harvest the riches of the mountains of Corsu. In this both ordinary and exemplar kustu are similar.

Alignment and Religion

Kustu are small creatures living in a very large world. Even among their own kind, ordinary kustu will commonly encounter exemplars that are physically superior to them in most ways. This has created a default mindset of deferral among many kustu. They are not weak-willed, but will pragmatically accept the limitations of their circumstances and do the best they can within those confines. They have a strong respect for laws and institutions, and will often see doing things the right way as being more important that doing the right thing. Kustu tend toward lawful alignments, and not strongly towards good or evil. Kustu, like other dragonborn, worship the Dragon Gods who created them.

Adventures

Ordinary kustu who escape the oppression of the Imperium find that they are adrift in a world of people that look nothing like them, and share few of their values. Some may be able to eek out an ordinary existence in such circumstances, especially in more cosmopolitan surroundings; Others find that there is little work "talking beetle." Fortunately, kustu are great at adapting to tough situations. There isn't anything that a properly determine kustu is incapable of.

Naming Traditions

Kustu names, like other dragonborn, are sourced from the Draconic language, and descriptive of one's physical characteristics, their vocation, and a notation of how many generations his line has worked in that occupation. One would never translate their name into the common tongue, as the translation would end up being insultingly non-specific or inaccurate.
Male Names: Rimn'fo Ggarl'di, Kyss'aryl Xir'vrar, Shax'thuur Nr'faar
Female Names: Vr'uth Sal'yyx'ash, Cyz'arak Gaal'thel, Za'tashk Ll'kith

Racial Traits (12 RP)

Standard Racial Traits

• Ability Score Modifiers: Kustu are incredibly varied and adaptable. They gain a +2 racial bonus to two ability scores of their choice.
• Size: Kustu are Small creatures and gain a +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a –1 penalty to their CMB and CMD, and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks.
• Type: Kustu are Humanoids with the dragonborn subtype.
• Base Speed (Slow Speed): Kustu have a base speed of 20 feet.
• Languages: Kustu begin play speaking Common, Medarin and Draconic. Kustu with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Goblin, Orc and any human language. See the Linguistics skill page for more information about these languages.

Defensive Racial Traits

• Chitin: Kustu gain a +1 natural armor bonus to their Armor Class.

Feat and Skill Racial Traits

• Cave Dweller: Kustu gain a +1 bonus on Knowledge (dungeoneering) and Survival checks made underground.
• Skilled: Kustu gain an additional skill rank at 1st level and one additional skill rank whenever they gain a level.

Offensive Racial Traits

• Swarming: Kustu are used to living and fighting communally with other members of their race. Up to two kustu can share the same square at the same time. If two kustu that are occupying the same square attack the same foe, they are considered to be flanking that foe as if they were in two opposite squares.

Senses Racial Traits

• Darkvision: Kustu can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
• Visual Acuity: Kustu's combination of compound and standard eyes give them a wider and sharper sense of sight, granting them a +1 racial bonus to visual based Perception checks. Furthermore, every time a kustu misses a melee attack because of concealment, they can reroll the miss chance percentile roll one time to see if they actually hit.

Other Racial Traits

• Genetic Divergence: The dragonborn, unlike most races, were the creation of mortal beings. As such, their creation was imperfect, and they are born with wildly different traits and abilities. Any small or medium or large sized insectile humanoid or monstrous humanoid who advances by class is considered a kustu. This includes (but is not necessarily limited to) Abeil, Dromite, Formian, Jorogumo, Mothman, Thri-Krene, Trox or Thriae. Such creatures retain all their normal traits and abilities, but their type is changed to humanoid and they gain the dragonborn subtype. Such divergant creatures are considered exemplars.

Weakness Racial Traits

• Compound Eyes: Kustu take a –2 penalty on saving throws against spells of the illusion (pattern) subschool, gaze attacks, effects with the light descriptor.

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Alternate Racial Traits

Favored Class Options

The following favored class options are available to all characters of this race who have the listed favored class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the favored class reward.

Racial Feats

The following feats are available to a Kustu character who meets the prerequisites.