Suiko (3.5e Race)

Work In Progress

Suiko

These "kappa bosses" are humanoids about the size of a human children. Do not be fooled, for their small stature belies their true vicious nature, which is more hot-tempered and renders them extremely dangerous. Their name literally means "water tiger," aptly describing their ferocious tendencies as hunters of aquatic environments. Suiko are commonly characterized as evil creatures that haunt water ways, particularly due to their vampiric diet of blood and even souls of the living.

Personality

Suiko are known to be highly temperamental and easily taken to violence. They are driven hunters and can be very bossy to underlings, even outright cruel. Most suiko speak as if they are the one of most importance, seeing themselves as stronger and more cunning than humans and kappa. Some have likened a little to rakshasa, even as much "rakshasa of the water", due to their somewhat feline appearance and overall attitude of self-importance and viciousness. While suiko are intelligent enough to figure out ways to elude traps and even ensnare others, they do not prefer cerebral activities like puzzles or tactical games like kappa might. Instead, suiko find pleasure in sadistic acts like playing mean pranks or just killing for the sake of increasing the positive perception of their strength. They are a bit arrogant in this way, liking to prove themselves through strength and body count to other suiko in particular.

Physical Description

From the Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, by Toriyama Sekien

The name suiko derives from the name "water tiger." This is because suiko have features that strongly resemble that of an apex predator cat. Their stature is usually about the size of a child, making them unimpressive in height and weight. However, this appearance belies their agility and strength. Their bodies are covered in extremely tough scales, like that of a pangolin. These scales are supposedly even capable of fending off attacks from a sword or spear. These scales part for their feline face, lined with whiskers, and bald head to show. Their ears are fins, and similar fins protrude from their sides and back. Their clawed hands are webbed as well. Strangest of all, they have sharp, hook-like protrusions of hard material on their kneecaps. These strongly resemble claws. When a suiko sits with their legs submerged, it makes their feet look closer to their body than they really are.

Relations

Suiko are generally seen as apex hunters. However, they are also involved in the highly complex social system of kappa and other water yokai descending from the creation of Ryugu, the ocean dragon king. Therefore, they aren't as solitary as lions or tigers might be. Suiko are known to be highly antagonistic towards dwellers of air and land, being preferential towards those of the water domain. At the same time, they often hold themselves to be stronger than others and so will bully even water spirits that they perceive to be weak. Suiko like to use force to seem stronger, which makes them pretty bad friends when they always pick on someone. While there are races that can match them in this regard, it doesn't mean they get along.

In general, suiko are highly aggressive and competitive creatures. They don't get along with many, including their own. Suiko are antagonistic towards each other, always sizing each other up and hoping to prove themselves better than the next. Being servants of Ryugu, however, suiko are grudgingly respectful towards lung, the celestial serpents of Kara Tur. It is a bit strange considering lung tend to be benevolent while suiko are seen as scourges. However, lung can command suiko to embark on good deeds and even have them do the same for all the kappa that they command.

Alignment

The suiko are generally evil creatures, which is unfortunate for just about everyone else. They are strong creatures that have tendencies to play tricks on people at best and outright kill at worst. Their arrogance and temperamental nature adds to their chaotic tendencies. When suiko are the boss of their own group, their subordinates have every reason to be afraid of a bad temper tantrum. Most suiko are chaotic evil creatures. You have some rare instances where suiko under disciplinary action by Ryugu or a higher water god is forced to atone for wrongdoing by committing themselves to do good deeds. These commitments are usually short-lived and suiko will try their very best to use all their guile and still get their licks in.

Lands

Suiko derive their fearsome strength from their absolute dominance of watery terrain. Like kappa, they are known to frequent bodies of water like streams and lakes inland. However, because Suiko are a class higher, they are also found by beaches near open seas and oceans. They are aquatic creatures that can travel unimpeded through water and are known to receive messages from the kingdom of Ryugu through fish and even fire signals. Fiercely territorial even of surrounding waterfronts touching their designated waterway, suiko are known to delineate their grounds with their prints. They also do like to sometimes sit on rocks and survey around themselves. Sometimes, suiko are found to live in inhabitated areas, be it a river that was built over or a seaside town. In such instances, a suiko is a nuisance to others, as it will often make the lives of other inhabitants miserable unless fully recognized as a powerful force to be reckoned with and given offerings. Suffice to say, suiko prefer the lonelier sort of life. Even if they have a gang of kappa under them, they will often go isolate themselves from their gang.

Religion

As stated before, suiko are pretty much loyal only to Ryugu. In terms of religion, suiko are somewhat irreverent. However, they are not unaware of the forces that govern their waterways. In areas where suiko area aware have a different water deity, suiko pay minimal sacrifices to the deities. They usually offer a portion of their killings to the god, but they don't engage in prayer or anything like that. Suiko are, as a result, very unlikely to ever be clerics or paladins. They believe in their own strength and use that to force others to do their bidding.

Language

The preferred language of suiko is Wa, the language of Wa-an. Suiko also are capable of speaking Aquan, the water dialect of Primordial. This is primarily believed to be because Ryugu's domain is adjacent, connected to, or loosely within the boundaries of the Elemental Plane of Water.

Names

Suiko names tend to have some regal tone to it, as they are a bit higher up the hierarchy of water creatures than lowly kappa. Even among suiko, there are bosses among bosses. The greater a suiko, the more elegant their name. Names in Wa that are higher up usually are longer and consist of multiple parts. They have connotations with things of nature and relating to powerful feats.

Male: Madarame no Sukon (low), Asashina Tenrou Hachimaru (mid), Tachimori Seigi no Oshosama Dan (high)

Female: Kyozara no Mae (low), Dantsugu no Kiaiyuku (mid), Arashima Taizen no Naori Ji-hime-sama (high)

Racial Traits

• :
• :
• :
• base land speed is feet:
• :
• :
• Spell-Like Ability: —. Caster level is . The save DC is -based.
• Psi-Like Ability: —. Manifester level is . The save DC is -based.
• Automatic Languages: . Bonus Languages: .
• Favored Class: .
• Level Adjustment:

Vital Statistics

Table: Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
years	+	+	+

Table: Aging Effects

Middle Age1	Old2	Venerable3	Maximum Age
years	years	years	+ years
At middle age, −1 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At old age, −2 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At venerable age, −3 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.

Table: Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	’ ”	+	lb.	× () lb.
Female	’ ”	+	lb.	× () lb.

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