Pé Chói

“Peh-Choy”

“But yet what a Pé Chói! Instead of the sleek, dully-gleaming black nudity of the Pé Chói of Do Chaka, this specimen was decked out in an oddly-fitting copy of a human’s kilt, a gorget of Chlén-hide, and—most ludicrous of all—a hat! ...The Pé Chói minced forward on his two powerful rear legs, articulated tail swaying in unconscious imitation of a dandy’s walk. ‘I am Chtik p’Qwe, Scholar Priest of the Fourth Circle.’ ”

- The Man of Gold by M.A.R. Barker, ©1984 DAW Books

The western provinces of Tsolyánu are covered in a vast forest called The Chákas. Under the eaves of this immense woodland a civilisation of once-alien beings exists – that of the Pé Chói. These creatures are the most temperamentally similar to mankind of all its allies, and are found in the empire more than any other non-human species.

The Pé Chói are most comfortable in a thickly forested habitat, but they enjoy human society, join human institutions, and copy human dress and customs. They possess considerable psychic talent and are often found in the temples as scholars. The Pé Chói may seem a little ‘delicate’ in human terms, and they often conceal their own cultural attitudes behind smooth and sophisticated facades, however they are perhaps the most ‘human’ of the nonhuman species.

The most human-like in outlook of all the non-humans. Pé Chói are cultured, graceful and wise. They can make excellent duellists or skirmishers, but their delicate build makes them unsuitable as heavy infantry.

They dislike being immersed in water, as they breath through abdominal spiracles and so can easily drown.

Pé Chói have been living among humans for many thousands of years, and many are fully integrated into human society. They are often referred to as the Listeners.

### Physical Attributes

The Pé Chói are vaguely insectoid in shape and appearance, like a tailed upright ant with the head of a seahorse. Their fan-shaped, backswept ears give them their Tsolyáni nickname – the listeners. Pé Chói are tall, thin, insect-like creatures, with a full height of 1.65 to 2.2 meters for an adult male. They have chitinous exoskeletons, jet-black in males and chalk-white in females, with gray areas around the eyes and ears. Pé Chói of both sexes sometimes change to a neuter stage; when males do this, they shrink a little, and become paler in colour, though formerly female neuters remain superficially identical.

Pé Chói are six-limbed, with a pair of powerful rear legs,  four smaller upper limbs ending in bony three-digited hands with an opposable thumb. They also have A segmented prehensile tails. Their heads are elongated, like their bodies, with big green eyes and fan-like ears.

The head is long and slender, with two large green eyes, a tapering proboscis, and two fan-like ‘ears’ at the rear of the skull. They have excellent hearing and vision, and a simple form of telepathy which can detect the presence of another creature within 2m. The same sense can detect when a member of their species has been slain within 5km, and if they can ascertain who was responsible, they are unforgiving and implacable enemies thereafter. They also possess a double set of lungs, one in the upper torso and another in the lower abdomen.

The Pé Chói have two sexes, plus a ‘neuter’ stage which can be adopted by either sex. males make up about 40 percent, females 35 percent, and the neuters 25 percent of their population.

### Enclaves

Various, most notably Do Chaka.

Languages: There are several variant Pé Chói languages, or at least dialects. There are six Pé Chói Languages (of which three are extinct), Ts-tkt is spoken in northern and eastern Dó Cháka, one spoken in Western Dó Cháka, (and in Mu'ugalavyá) and another by the Sárku worshipping tribes of central Dó Cháka.

Humans often think that Pé Chói have odd accents – either flat and emotionless, or sinister and hissing – alien vocal cords cannot make all the same sounds as a human, but Pé Chói have no difficulty communicating in Tsolyáni.

### Stereotypes

Pé Chói are well-liked by humans, who think of them as clever, subtle, and controlled. Their sophisticated attitude can come across as cold and over-intellectual, though, and some humans who prefer direct action get annoyed with the Pé Chói tendency to avoid physical pursuits. They are not considered to be ambitious politically, though they can make good negotiators, thanks to strong social skills. Pé Chói who have joined human society are seen as very human-like.

The Reality: Since Pé Chói are so well-known to humans, the above stereotypes are reasonably accurate. However, some Pé Chói are certainly physically active, and even coldly violent if serving in a legion. Likewise, a rare few are politically ambitious, with some rising to very high levels in human society, occasionally even befriending the highest nobles of the land.

Though Pé Chói do fit into human society well, there are still truly alien aspects to their psychology, such as their concept of "Ntk-dqékt." This incorporates aspects of paradoxical detachment-and-union, existential nausea, stoicism, bereavement, pain, and other far less comprehensible concepts, and is believed to be a major part of every Pé Chói's life. Some scholars believe the Pé Chói psychic sense is partly to blame, allowing members of this race to sense each other yet only faintly. If it is the last vestige of something that was once a far more powerful interconnectivity, this could account for their sense of loss.

Pé Chói are nonhumans and so can never fully participate in Tsolyáni life. A Pé Chói’s relative status (Lineage and Wealth, in game terms) does not go far in human society. They are far more tolerated than are most nonhumans, nevertheless.

### Clan and Lineage

Pé Chói can be, and often are, fully accepted into clans, even very high-ranking ones.

Names. Chtk-ptk Kk, Chtík p'Qwé, Dsík-Tè- Chí, Hetkw te Kteng, Ntes Ktik, Kto-tip-ssiu, Kt-t-r-Ki, Nchikp'q', Pketk Tqu, Ptcht-tik-ne, Ptekw-Tlun-Tkik, Tikik-dsa-ke, Tik-nekw-ket, Ti-ptche, T'kan Chqitne, Tke'et'kl, Tk-étk-dsà, Ttik-Deqeq, Ttk-mtk-ntp.

Pé Chói Clans of Tsolyánu: Htiq-khu; Northern Do Cháka Nest Group.

### Religion

Originally the Pé Chói worshipped only the Father of Nests, who is closely related to the Gods of Stability. In the last 1300 years, encouraged by a human Tsolyáni Emperor, another god has been worshiped too, the Black Old One, encompassing the Gods of Change. In human society, many Pé Chói adopt human gods, usually Hnálla or Hrü'ǘ, occasionally Thúmis or Ksárul, or perhaps Karakán and Vimúhla for Pé Chói in the legions.

"The Father of Nests" and "The Black Old One" are regarded as Aspects of Hnálla and Thúmis and Hrü'ǘ and Ksárul respectively.  -Barker. The Blue Room Vol10#288.

 Games System Rules

#### Pé Chói Traits

**Ability Score Increase**: Your Intelligence ability score increases by 2.

**Age**. Pé Chói have a shorter lifespan than humans. They are mature by 10 years, considered old just after 40 years, and commonly only live just over 60 years.

**Languages**.  There are six Pé Chói Languages (of which three are extinct), Ts-tkt is spoken in northern and eastern Dó Cháka, one spoken in Western Dó Cháka, (and in Mu'ugalavyá) and another by the Sárku worshipping tribes of central Dó Cháka. You speak one Pé Chói language, and one human language, usually Tsolyáni.

**Size**. You are between 5’4”” and 7’2” tall and weigh between 90 and 220 pounds. Your size is Medium.

**Speed**. A Pé Chói's base speed is 40.

**Extra Arms**: You have two sets of arms which allows you to have multiple weapons at the ready (longsword, shield AND a two-handed sword). You can use a bonus action to make an additional attack with an additional weapon. The weapon’s do not need to be light as per Two-Weapon Fighting.

**Natural Armour**: A Pé Chói’s chitinous exoskeleton is equivalent to Armor Class 13.

**Good Eyesight and Hearing**: Pé Chói start with the the Perception skill.

**Telepathy**: Pé Chói can psychically sense the presence (but not thoughts) of  creatures within a 5 foot radius. It also allows them to sense when another Pé Chói (only) is killed within the past 24 hours out to a five-kilometer radius.

**Environmental Limitation**: Water Phobia: Pé Chói breathe through both their mouths and through spiracles on their abdomen and tail. They can consciously control the spiracles, closing them temporarily, but it is hard to maintain this (requiring Concentration checks, DC 10 each round), as they have an instinctive response to stress that involves opening the spiracles as wide as possible for maximum oxygen. They are unable to learn to swim (though a Pé Chói could potentially float for as long as it could hold its breath), and even shallow water can drown them.

Pé Chói tend to be phobic of water, will be extremely reluctant to enter water. Inevitably this phobia further enhances the panic that causes the spiracles to open.

**Slow Healing**: Pé Chói heal at half the normal rate (rounded down), as it takes longer for their exoskeleton to heal than flesh. If a  Pé Chói is reduced to less than 50% of its starting hit points, it will not heal naturally. Magic or Medicine are required to clean and patch the exoskeleton, to help such an injury.

### D&D 3rd Edition Rules for Tékumel

*Source: http://tekumel.com/downloads/EPT3e.zip*

**Pé Chói**

Of all the nonhuman species, these slender creatures are the most friendly to humankind. They range from five and a half to over six feet tall, have two powerful rear legs, a segmented tail, and two sets of forelimbs, the uppermost of which is used for manipulating tools and weapons and for social purposes, while the central pair of limbs is employed for heavier work. Males have glossy black chitin, females white, the neuters can have either. Their heads are sea horse-like, long and narrow, with as well, but with a greyish tinge. Pé Chói have excellent vision and hearing, and they are psychic as well.

• **Names**: Chtk-ptk Kk, Chtík p'Qwé, Dsík-Tè- Chí, Hetkw te Kteng, Ntes Ktik, Kto-tip-ssiu, Kt-t-r-Ki, Nchikp'q', Pketk Tqu, Ptcht-tik-ne, Tikik-dsa-ke, Tik-nekw-ket, Ti-ptche, T'kan Chqitne, Tke'et'kl, Tk-étk-dsà, Ttik-Deqeq, Ttk-mtk-ntp.

• **Languages**: There are six Pé Chói Languages (of which three are extinct), Ts-tkt is spoken in northern and eastern Dó Cháka, one spoken in Western Dó Cháka, (and in Mu'ugalavyá) and another by the Sarkú worshipping tribes of central Dó Cháka.

• +2 Dexterity, +4 Wisdom

• **Very High Pedhtel**: +4 bonus to any spellcasting attribute to determine maximum spell level castable, bonus spells, and spell DCs.

• A Pe Choi's base speed is 40 feet per round.

• +2 Natural Armor bonus

• **Extra Limbs**. Pe Choi have four arms. A Pe Choi can make up to three extra attacks per round. They start with the Multi-weapon fighting feat.

• +4 racial bonus to listen and spot checks

• **Can detect life at will**. They can sense the death of another Pe Choi within 3 miles.

• Pe Choi have a -3 penalty to save against airborne poisons.

• Pe Choi cannot have any ranks in swim and are incapable of using it untrained (they can float on their backs).

• Pe Choi heal at half the normal rate of other characters even with magical aid. If they are damaged beyond 50% of their hit points they do not heal naturally at all and require magical aid or use of the heal skill (which will allow them to heal at half the normal rate).

• ECL: +1. Pe Choi are treated as one level higher for determining experience needed to advance.

### AD&D 2nd Edition Rules for Tékumel

*Source: http://www.weirdrealm.swifthost.net/tekumel/dl/addept.pdf*

Pe Choi: +1 Dex, -1 Con, base AC 11, 1 HD. Pe Choi get two attacks per round against the same or different foes at a lesser penalty than humans (see below), and they have excellent hearing permitting an 80% chance of detecting secret doors and ambushes. This rises to 90% if the creature is actively searching. They heal wounds at only 75% the human rate, regardless if this is due to spell or rest.