Avantians

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Avantians are the descendants of the Humans of Cirkosa, what was once the sole outpost of land-dwellers in the Archiveran ocean. When Kharbydis sunk the isle for daring to abet travelers through her domain, the goddess Avenine saved its people by transforming them into the water-breathing Avantians. Now, the Avantian kingdom fights an ever-shifting war against the Sailor's Bane and her minions in the name of their goddess. Avantians on the whole are an insular, dogmatic people, who typically care little for the surface world or its plights. However, like all free-willed creatures, there are some who deviate from the mean.
====Physical Description====
Most Avantians are, in most situations, physically indistinguishable from Humans at a glance. They maintain Cirkosan ethnic features, such as curly, typically darker-colored hair and olive complexion; but the most consistent feature that allows the educated to catch them is their distinct eyes, which are always some shade of sea-like blue-green. An Avantian is much more easily identified if their chest is exposed, as a pair of prominent gills are over their lungs, which allow them to breathe water as though it were air. When submerged in water, all Avantians undergo a physical transformation. At base, their hands and feet rapidly grow webbing, allowing them to swim better. Some Avantians also grow patches of fish-like scales, have their skin and/or hair turn blue, or even change their entire lower body into a finned tail.
* Random Height 2d10 in. + 4 ft. 10 in. for males (5 ft. - 6 ft. 6 in.); 4 ft. 5 in. for females (4 ft. 7 in. - 6 ft. 1 in.)
* Random Weight 2d10x5 lbs + 120 lbs. for males (130 - 220 lbs.); 85 lbs. for females (95-185 lbs.)
===Racial Traits===
* Ability Scores +2 Wis, -2 Dex, and +2 to one non-Wisdom ability score of your choice.
* Type Avantians are Humanoids with the Aquatic and Human subtypes.
* Size Avantians are Medium creatures and thus have no bonuses or penalties to their size.
* Base Speed Avantians have a base speed of 30 ft.
* Physiology Avantians must eat, drink, sleep, and breathe.
*Culture Most Avantians come from Avantian culture, however, rare individuals whose families left Avantia can be found wherever Humans are.
*Lifespan Avantians become adults at 16, and have average lifespans.
====Defense Racial Traits====
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:Avantians are native to the sunlight oceanic zone, meaning they ignore water pressure damage at depths from 0 to 600 ft.
====Feat and Skill Racial Traits====
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:Avantians gain Pass for Human as a bonus feat. This feat only applies while their Aquatic Transformation isn't active.
====Magic Racial Traits====
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:Avantians with the Water domain calculate the effects of their Water domain powers as if they were one Cleric level higher, and cast Water domain spells at +1 caster level.
====Movement Racial Traits====
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:As a move action, an Avantian may activate or deactivate their Aquatic Transformation, gaining physical features that grant them a swim speed of 30 ft. While this is a supernatural ability, an Avantian can still swim at half their speed while under an effect that hampers supernatural effects.
====Senses Racial Traits====
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:Avantians have low-light vision.
====Other Racial Trait====
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:Avantians can breathe air as well as water.
===Alternate Racial Traits===
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:Some Avantians' hair and/or skin turns blue while their Aquatic Transformation is active. This allows them to blend in with the water's environments, granting them a +5 racial bonus to Stealth checks, and gives them concealment against ranged attacks on any round in which they move at least 10 ft. This trait replaces Avenine's Blessing and alters Aquatic Transformation.
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:Some Avantians grow patches of glistening, fish-like scales across their body while their Aquatic Transformation is active, increasing their natural armor bonus by +1. This trait replaces Avenine's Blessing and alters Aquatic Transformation.
=== Mortal Heritage ===
:A creature with Avantian mortal heritage gains the Aquatic and Human subtypes, and the Amphibious and Aquatic Transformation racial traits.
===Racial Archetypes, Feats, and Traits===
====Racial Feats====
*Deep Adaptation
*High Avantian
==Other Information==
====Adventurers====
Adventuring is a rare profession among Avantians. In their culture, adventuring is seen as a frivolous distraction from the great crusade against Kharbydis, and any help they receive from—or are forced to ask from adventurers is welcomed through gritted teeth. Still, some simply do not fit into the rigid Avantian model for life, and seek a more free lifestyle either among their people, or more commonly, joining surfacer adventuring parties that sail the seas.
====Avantians and Other Races====
Cirkosa sank Ages ago, and the insular, isolationist policies of Avantian kingdom mean that most surface-dwellers are not even aware that Avantia exists. As such, an Avantian who is exposed may be mistaken for some aquatic monster in disguise, or for a particularly Human-looking Aquan. Still, among the educated there is typically little prejudice against Avantians, as they either serve the kingdom and thus have no stake in the matters of surfacers, or they are independent and thus must be judged as individuals.
Avantians can reproduce with Humans, and have roughly equal chances of producing a Human or Avantian child between two pureblooded parents. 
====Avantians and the Imperium====
Avantians are seen as a curiosity by the Imperium. Their near-ubiquitous devotion to Avenine means they are, on average, strange heathens who might prove useful. Avantians who have turned away from their racial faith are as welcome as any other potential convert might be, and there exists a small sect of Aveninian Universalists who also serve the Allfather called the Order of Red Waters. These esoteric folks have the tolerated but non-canonical belief that Avenine is actually the Hadean Saint of the Sea.
====Avantians and the Freemen====
Avantians who have abandoned their homeland tend to gravitate towards Free lands, as they typically left their home to escape a rigid theocracy whose mirror they would find in the Imperium. Avantians make their way into Freemen sailing crews, Marauder sea pirates, and sometimes serve as aquatic laborers or mercenaries in the coastal Company metropolises; all places where their racial affinity for water is quite welcome.
==== Ethnicities ====
Avantians are mostly ethnically Cirkosan, giving them a light olive complexion and curly, typically dark-colored hair. Other Human ethnicities can be found amongst pureblooded Avantians due to Cirkosa's past as a port city, primarily Arcadian, Ossirian, and Niedisch. Avantians who have recently interbred with modern Humans can have any ethnicity you might find.
==== Notable Avantians ====
* Leonus XXIII, the current King of Avantia.
Category:Races
Category:Humanoid Races
Category:Aquatic Creatures
Category:Human Creatures
Category:Mortal Heritage Races