ETOILE

Species Traits

Device Operation (Ex): At will as an attack action, an etoile can turn on any machine powered by electricity with a touch, even if the device usually requires a key, a passcode, or other security bypass to activate. If the object lacks a power source, it operates for only 1 round after activation. If desired, an etoile can supply continuous power to operate an unpowered device. To do so, it must keep all three pincers in contact with the device, and it can do nothing else except move (assuming it can lift the device). A single etoile generates enough power to continuously operate a desktop computer. Multiple etoile supplying power to the same device increase the available power in direct proportion to their number; that is, doubling the number of etoile doubles the available power, tripling it triples the power, and so on.

Electric Shock (Ex): When an etoile hits with a melee or melee touch attack, it can choose to shock its foe for an additional 1d6 points of electricity damage as a free action.

Electricity Immunity (Ex): Etoile are immune to electricity.

Elemental: An etoile has the traits and immunities common to elementals.

Mechanical Healing (Ex): An etoile cannot heal normally. To regain hit points lost to damage, it must either be repaired like a mechanical device or devour the corpse of one of its own kind.

All the normal rules for healing via the Treat Injury skill can be applied to an etoile, but a Repair check rather than a Treat Injury check is required. Any creature (including an etoile) without a mechanical repair kit takes a penalty on Repair checks, just as a character lacking a first aid kit would when making Treat Injury checks.

Alternatively, an etoile can consume the body of a dead etoile to heal itself. This process requires an available etoile corpse and three full-round actions. As soon as consumption is complete, the etoile regains all lost hit points and heals all ability damage.

Nannite Infection (Ex): Through a process as yet unknown, an etoile naturally produces microscopic machines known as nannites within its body. Once per day as a free action, it can inject these nannites into a foe it has damaged with a pincer. The nannites function as a disease, attacking the host creature's DNA and transforming its structure and psychology over time.

A creature injected with nannites must immediately make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 the etoile's Hit Dice + its Intelligence modifier). On a successful save, the creature's body fights off the infection, destroying the nannites in the process.

On a failed save, the creature immediately takes 1 point of Dexterity damage and 1 point of Wisdom damage. Each day thereafter, the creature must succeed on a new Fortitude save at the same DC or take 1d3 points of Dexterity damage and 1d3 points of Wisdom damage. Two successful saving throws in a row indicate that the creature has fought off the nannite infection, but any damage already taken must heal normally. If an infected creature has an Intelligence score of at least 6 and either its Dexterity or its Wisdom score is reduced to 0 by the disease, it is transformed into a sand slave. Such a creature immediately gains the sand slave template (see the "Sand Slave" entry, below), and all ability damage previously dealt by the disease is healed. Thereafter, the new sand slave is a servant of all etoile and can no longer be cured of the nannite infection.

Nannite infection has no visible symptoms, and many confuse its debilitating effects with drunkenness or drug use. However, microscopic study of an infected creature's blood or high-resolution x-rays can reveal the nannites and the alterations they have created in its body structure (see the "Sand Slave" entry for more information).

A creature other than an etoile using the Treat Injury skill to treat the disease takes a -10 penalty on Treat Injury checks unless it also has at least 5 ranks in both Knowledge (technology) and Knowledge (physical sciences), or 5 ranks in Disable Device.

Etoile are immune to nannite infection.

Telepathy (Ex): Though it cannot produce sounds, an etoile can communicate its thoughts and desires to any creature within 200 feet that it can see, regardless of intervening matter such as glass. The target creature "hears" the etoile's thoughts in whatever language it can most easily understand. However, it cannot communicate thoughts back to the etoile unless it also has telepathy. Etoile do not normally know any languages other than their own thought-speech, so they often rely on their human agents to act as interpreters.

Etoile: CR 2; Tiny elemental (air, earth); HD 3d8+3; hp 16; Mas -; Init +3; Spd fly 40 ft. (perfect); Defense 23, touch 15, flat-footed 20 (+2 size, +3 Dex, +8 natural); BAB +2; Grap -8; Atk +7 melee (1d3-2 plus 1d6 electricity, pincer); Full Atk +7 melee (1d3-2 plus 1d6 electricity, 3 pincers); FS 2 1/2 ft. by 2 1/2 ft.; Reach 5 ft; SQ darkvision 60 ft., device operation, electric shock, electricity immunity, elemental, mechanical healing, nannite infection (DC 16), telepathy; AL etoile, evil; SV Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +2; AP 0; Rep +0; Str 7, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 20, Wis 13, Cha 11.

Skills: Computer Use +13, Craft (electrical) +13, Craft (mechanical) +13, Demolitions +9, Disable Device +13, Knowledge (technology) +11; Repair +13, Treat Injury +7.

Feats: Builder, Cautious, Gearhead, Surgery, Weapon Finesse (pincer).

Advancement: By character class.

Etoile Techie 5: CR 7; Tiny elemental (air, earth); HD 3d8+3 plus 5d6+5; hp 38; Mas -; Init +3; Spd fly 40 ft. (perfect); Defense 26, touch 18, flat-footed 23 (+2 size, +3 Dex, +8 natural, +3 class); BAB +4; Grap -5; Atk +9 melee (1d3-1 plus 1d6 electricity, pincer); Full Atk +9 melee (1d3-1 plus 1d6 electricity, 3 pincers); FS 2 1/2 ft. by 2 1/2 ft.; Reach 5 ft; SQ darkvision 60 ft., device operation, electric shock, electricity immunity, elemental, mechanical healing, nannite infection (DC 19), telepathy; AL etoile, evil; SV Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +3; AP 2; Rep +2; Str 8, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 20, Wis 13, Cha 11.

Skills: Computer Use +18, Craft (electrical) +18, Craft (mechanical) +18, Demolitions +14, Disable Device +18, Knowledge (earth and life sciences) +10, Knowledge (physical sciences) +10, Knowledge (technology) +16, Read/Write English, Read/Write Japanese, Research +13; Repair +18, Treat Injury +7.

Feats: Builder, Cautious, Defensive Martial Arts, Educated (Knowledge [physical sciences], Knowledge [technology]), Gearhead, Surgery, Weapon Finesse (pincer).

Class Features (Techie): Build robot, extreme machine, jury-rig +2, mastercraft.

Possessions: Tiny robot (wheeled, 10 ranks in Disable Device), Diminutive robot (wheeled, 10 ranks in Demolitions).