Guraad, eb-Khammaad, el-Madaar, eb-Sokaar, el-Tokhan.
Adventurers: Most sendasti adventurers leave their clans and often the very deserts where they grew up. Youngsters must set out on their own on a Wandering quest to prove their worth to themselves and their tribe. They must fend for themselves for six months to a year, provid- ing for their basic needs, defending themselves from hostile creatures and people, and gaining character and perseverance through the rigors of survival. Some choose to wander the desert far from any known clan territory. Others explore more civilized parts, making allies, delving into caverns, and exposing themselves to foreign cultures. Sendasti on Wandering must follow two restrictions: They cannot accept aid from others unless adequate pay- ment is rendered, and they cannot speak in defense of themselves or their actions.
Those sendasti adventurers who aren’t under- taking their Wandering pursue personal desires to see more of their world and prove they can survive in different environments. They take great pleasure in experiencing the variety of dwellings, clothing, and foods beyond their homeland—though never to an excess that would disgrace their frugal heritage. Sendasti view their ability to flourish in new environ- ments as a challenge that helps establish their worth as survivors. In other lands bountiful in life’s necessities, such survival often includes working well with strangers, striving for com- mon goals, and sacrificing one’s comfort and self for the good of the whole. Although they seem sometimes awkward among outsiders, they make up for it by their faithful devotion and dedication to proving themselves.
Sendasti Racial Traits
• +2 Constitution, –2 Charisma: The desert cli- mate toughens the sendasti against many physical threats, molding their bodies to bet- ter adapt to arid conditions; however, it also socially isolates them, giving others cause to view them with suspicion.
• Medium-size: As Medium-size creatures, sendasti have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Sendasti base speed is 30 feet.
• Low-light Vision: Sendasti vision extends twice as far as humans in dimly illuminated conditions where vision would normally be obscured, including starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and sandstorms.
• Sendasti are proficient with either the fal- chion or scimitar. Sendasti prefer these blades over all others, often possessing fine- ly crafted weapons passed down from one generation to the next.
• +2 racial bonus to saving throws against poi- son, disease, charm person, and illusion spells. Desert life hardens sendasti against the hazards of their environment.
• +2 racial bonus on Handle Animal, Intuit Direction, Listen, Spot, and Wilderness Lore checks. Sendasti maintain a keen awareness of their surroundings and know how to manipulate it to their advantage.
• Fasting: Sendasti can function unimpaired without water for up to two days plus a num- ber of hours equal to their Constitution score before they must make Constitution checks against subdual damage and fatigue. Sendasti can survive without food for five days in growing discomfort before they must make Constitution checks against subdual damage and fatigue.
• Automatic Languages: Common and Sendasti. Bonus Languages: Dwarven, Elven, Gnome, Goblin, Orc. Sendasti are also familiar with the languages of various desert- dwelling species.
• Favored Class: Rogue. A multiclass sendasti’s rogue class does not count when determining whether he suffers an XP penal- ty for multiclassing. Surviving in hostile con- ditions requires a variety of skills, including the ability to adapt quickly by employing cunning and resourcefulness. Although sendasti society discourages thievery, trick- ery, and deceit among its own, aspects of these talents are essential to desert survival.
Sendasti Windmaster
The windmaster is the ultimate sendasti desert survivalist. He combines knowledge of and adaptability to his environment with a warrior’s abilities. Windmasters some-
times become leaders of their tribes, unite dis- parate clans to face great threats, and even wander alone serving as diplomats and media- tors. They live by the motto that all they do should ensure the survival of their people, whether a tribe, a foreign nation, or their circle of friends. Sendasti turn to windmasters to guide them in times of uncertainty, to negotiate peace between warring clans or outsiders, and to dole out personal wisdom to better smooth relations among members of a tribe.
A sendasti does not become a windmaster with- out first enduring a personal test of strength and willpower, often one associated with the sur- vival of his clan or friends. The legendary scout Khammaad became a windmaster only after leading the war-band that defeated the blue dragon Harkhaleem who had ravaged his clan’s territory for generations. Just as the sendasti require juveniles to reach adulthood through the Wandering, they also believe that for ordi- nary people to become leaders, they must grow in strength through conflict.
Barbarians, fighters, paladins, and rangers are natural leaders and become windmasters to gain the social prestige it brings among the sendasti and other desert dwellers. Their back- ground as warriors makes them ideal for help- ing their people weather the more violent chal- lenges that appear from the desert. Bards, cler-
ics, monks, rogues, sorcerers, and wizards become windmasters, though they place less emphasis on strength in combat and focus more on using diplomacy and magic to bring their clan together to work as one to survive. NPC windmasters most often serve as tribal leaders. In times of regional crisis, some rise to the head of the ranks to lead rag-tag sendasti armies. Others undertake solitary quests for items their clan desperately needs – though they often enlist the aid of others. A few shun their own society, wandering the wastelands as mysterious figures who emerge from the desert in time to offer aid and advice, then quickly vanish back into the sands.
Hit Dice: d10.
Requirements
To qualify to become a windmaster, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Race: Sendasti.
Base Attack Bonus: +6.
Feats: Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (falchion or scimitar).
Wilderness Lore: 7 ranks. Intuit Direction: 5 ranks.
Class Skills
The windmaster’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Animal Empathy (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Intuit Direction (Wis), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language (Int), Spot (Wis), and Wilderness Lore (Wis).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the sendasti windmaster prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency:
Windmasters are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with light and medi- um armor, and with shields.
Speak with Animals: Windmasters can speak with animals as the spell of the same
SENDASTI
SENDASTI
name when communicating with various crea- tures accustomed to life in deserts (including baboons, camels, cheetahs, dogs, hawks, hors- es, lions, and vipers). They may do this a num- ber of times per day equal to their class levels in windmaster; they also use their level for pur- poses of determining the duration of their con- versation (1 minute per level). (See the speak with animals spell description, PHB 254, for more details.)
Find Water: Starting at 3rd level windmasters gain the uncanny ability to find water in even the most barren environment: from desert plants, in depressions in the ground, beneath cool rocks, in sandy caves. The windmaster must make a Wilderness Lore check (DC 15) and an Intuit Direction check (DC 15). He may attempt to find water no more than three times a day. If successful, he discovers a hidden water source that yields sufficient liquid for a number of people equal to his class levels in windmaster to remain alive for one day. Wind Blades: Upon reaching 5th level, wind- masters become skilled in the wind blade maneuver for melee combat. By swinging two blades at once in one of several intricate pat- terns, the windmaster essentially creates a blade barrier with a 10-foot radius. Anyone try- ing to pass through this field of slashing blades takes 1d6 points of damage per class level of the windmaster. The windmaster is not affected by this damage, though he is vulnerable to attack. Anyone within the area of effect when the windmaster starts the wind blades attack may make a Reflex save (DC 10 + the wind- master’s class levels) to avoid the blades. Wind blades offer one-quarter cover (+2 AC) for any-
one behind the windmaster (including the windmaster himself). The character may use this ability once per day for a number of min- utes equal to his class levels in windmaster. Sendasti value the wind blades maneuver as a means of holding off an enemy to buy more time for others to act.
Voice of the Desert: Beginning at 7th level, windmasters can manipulate their voices to produce enchanting and suggestive sounds that influence others. They may choose to employ this ability like any of the following spells: ani- mal friendship, animal trance, calm emotions, or hypnotism. Windmasters can use their voice of the desert a number of times per day equal to half their class levels rounded down. These spell-like abilities are cast as a sorcerer with a number of levels equal to the caster’s class lev- els in windmaster.
Fasting Trance: At 9th level windmasters gain mystical abilities associated with the altered mental state incurred by prolonged fasting. To reach this trance, a windmaster must fast long enough to start taking subdual damage and become fatigued. Once he reaches this state, the windmaster can emulate the effects of one of the following spells: discern location, dream, legend lore, or sending. Windmasters can only use their fasting trance powers once per week, and must fully recover from the fast- ing effects before making another attempt.