Aasimar

Difficulty Rating: 4
Guidelines Used: AD&D 2nd Edition Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix 2

Just like tieflings, aasimar are plane-touched creatures that can’t quite be called human. In their veins flows the blood of both humankind and one of the various plane traveling races or those close to the Primals such as the Aasimon. Aasimar are beautiful creatures, with calm, serene features and an inner radiance that shines from their faces. They’ve got long manes of white-gold hair, and bright, piercing eyes that seem to look right though a person. It’s easy to mistake an aasimar for a human of unnatural purity, a half-elf, or even a Primal. Aasimar tend to be noble, honest, and courageous people, but a one shouldn’t always assume an aasimar means him well; there are a few cross-traders and knights of the post among the aasimar, despite their noble birth. Aasimar are scattered throughout the known and unknown planes and are rarely seen on Imperia considering one of the more chaotic and dangerous spheres in the Primals domain. However a few have decided to come down and take it upon themselves to right the wrongs committed almost daily by dark forces such as the Shadow Knight Empire. They usually dress to fit in with the population around them, so an aasimar living among the elven folk of Nore Quendrin dresses like an elf and assumes many of his hosts’ mannerisms. When an aasimar’s moved to great emotion, his heritage shines through his face like sunlight through clouds. There aren’t many evil creatures who can look an angry aasimar in the eye.
Combat: Aasimar are upright and fair warriors with deep reserves of strength and faith. Unfortunately, their mixed blood makes them somewhat frail. Aasimar possess slightly better strength and seem more wiser than the standard human, yet are not as healthy as compared to the standard human and lacks endurance in a strong fight. This is countered by their heightened awareness, as sneaking up on one is nearly impossible and also with a minor (%10) resistance to magic. All aasimar have infravision to a range of 60 feet and they are naturally as alert as the finest trained warrior and have hearing that rivals that of a cat. Aasimar suffer only half damage from any fire or cold based attacks, and have moderate resistance to mental attacks such as charm, fear, emotion or domination based effects and magics. Aasimar are typically warriors, and as such favor well-made heavy armor such as plate mail, field plate, or banded mail. They’re likely to wear beautifully decorated suits, emblazoned with their coats-of-arms or other such frippery; an aasimar likes to stand tall and proud and doesn’t care who knows it. Because aasimar seem to pick a lot of scraps with powerful evil creatures, they are fond of large weapons that take advantage of their natural strength. An aasimar’ll rarely be seen with an assassin’s weapon like a hand crossbow or poisoned dagger; they like big two-handed swords, halberds, and maces, and mighty long bows. A small division of the Aasimar, around a fourth, lean towards clerical and priestly magics and some even combine such into a hybrid profession of a fighter-cleric. Those that do are normally devout worshippers of the Primals as NO Aasimar is against the Primals. Any that are or fail to properly worship one are considered as vile and corrupt as the Tiefling. A very small portion are Mages, however they don't have a knack for mastering the magical arts and those that enter into this field lose their resistance to magic.

Habitat/Society: As noted above, aasimar prefer to blend in with their neighbors and form no independent societies. They tend to be great travelers and wanderers, since they are welcomed almost anywhere and can usually pass along life without being noticed for what they really are. Some aasimar set themselves up as traders and merchants; they do a good business, since everyone knows they’re trustworthy. In fact, when an aasimar kills someone, he’s or she is likely to get away with it since most people will take his word over anyone else's. Aasimar commonly intermarry with the people around them; in fact, it’s rare to find an aasimar bloodline more than four or five generations old. Unlike tieflings, aasimar are rarely outcasts or orphans. Instead, they usually have the benefit of a respectable upbringing on the side of their mortal parent. On rare occasions, aasimar are born into prime-material worlds where no one knows their true heritage. In these settings, the young aasimar often becomes a great leader or hero.

Ecology: Aasimar’s expertise at fitting in with their settings makes them model citizens. They are upright and honest in their dealings, live clean and moral lives, and aren’t afraid stand up for what’s right. This is all fine in civilized lands such as Damocles, but in more lawless lands such as Roshack or Terangoth it means that aasimar are born troublemakers. They’ve got an uncanny ability to ferret out underhanded schemes and put a stop to them. Aasimar can eat about anything a civilized human can. They have little liking for raw meat, fiery brews, or other such fare. Most aasimar have very discriminating palates and enjoy only the finest viands and wines of mortals. There’s a natural rivalry between tieflings and aasimar. Tieflings heartily resent them because their mixed heritage isn’t perceived as a fault, like the tieflings’ own commonly is. To the tiefling mind, an aasimar is a coddled half-breed who’s had everything handed to him on a silver plate. Aasimar find it difficult not to be suspicious of tieflings in return.
History: Aasimar tend to move "under the radar" so to speak so they have rarely come into mention or even be researched. They are rumored to of first came to Imperia in the days when the planet was first being forged by the Titans, several taking prominent positions in early civilizations to aid in maintaining order such as the Aeris lands and the Kopru Dynasty. However any Aasimar doing it never fully declared who or what they were. Due to this secrecy it's very hard to trace any Aasimar bloodlines, some rumors even persisting that the greatest heroes of the lands such as Baiganx Windfire, Kal Olden and even Sidian Silverhawke have Aasimar blood within them from some ancestor however no proof has ever been found to support such wild claims. Beings that are aware of the origins of the Aasimar, the Primals, are not ones to reveal such secrets anytime soon.
Character Attitude and personality: The Aasimar character on Imperia would not go screaming out what they were, however they would act more like Clark Kent in Metropolis, doing good yet trying to keep a low profile or out of the public eye. The lands of Imperia would seem very wild, dark and dangerous to the Aasimar as it contains threats that, if they ever spread and grow, would bring danger to all of the worlds and planes. Most Aasimar prefer to live in Dantania, preferring the nobility of the lands, the civilized mannerisms of the people, and the peacefulness of the Kingdom's long line of rulers. However a few flock to Damocles, enjoying the luxury of Damocles's magical technological age and the comforts and advancements the land has to offer. The typical Aasimar would not be found in the troublesome lands such as Greyhelm or Axius unless they were there to make a difference and they seem to, for reasons known only to them, avoid Roshack like the plague itself. Known only to them are the true reasons of such avoidance, as a few Aasimar speak (Only to the closest of friends) that the barbaric, dark haired people of Roshack are a dark breed of humans called the Verdane. Aasimar claim the Verdane predate normal humans as being on Imperia, and that these beings are to the humans as the Drow are to the Elf and must be avoided at all costs.
Beholder

Difficulty Rating: 5
Guidelines Used: AD&D 3rd Edition Monstrous Manual

The beholder is the stuff of nightmares. This creature, also called the "sphere of many eyes" or the "eye tyrant" is known among adventurers as a deadly adversary.

A beholder is a 6-foot wide orb dominated by a central eye and a large, toothy maw. Ten smaller eyes on stalks sprout from the top of the orb. Beholders speak their own language and the Common tongue.
Combat: Beholders often attack without provocation. Though not powerful physically, they often plow right into groups of opponents to use as many of their eyes as they can. When closing with an enemy, a beholder tries to cause as much disruption and confusion as possible.

Each of the ten small eyes can produce a magical ray once a minute, even when the beholder is attacking physically or moving at full speed. The creature can easily aim all its eyes upward, but its own body tends to get in the way when it tries to aim the rays in other directions. During it's attack, the creature can aim only three eye rays at targets in any one arc other than up. The remaining eyes must aim at targets in other arcs or not at all or they risk hitting each other with their own attacks. A beholder can easily tilt and pan it's body, rotating about to change which rays it can being to bear in an arc. Each eye's effect resembles a spell cast by a medium strength sorcerer and have a range of around 150 feet. The known rays of the eyes are Charm Person (Used early to try and confuse a group of attackers), Charm Monster (When facing monstrous threats), Sleep (Used to take out a powerful warrior of the group and buy itself time), Flesh to Stone (Used on one a beholder finds interesting, and may want to keep as a decoration after the battle), Disintegrate (Used against what it feels is the greatest threat in a group), Fear (To disrupt a group's plan of attack), Slow (as a backup in case one of it's more powerful attacks fails), Inflict Moderate Wounds (A follow-up attack), Finger of Death (A last resort against dangerous foes) and Telekinesis (To use the environment to it's advantage such as nearby large boulders).

A Beholder is exceptionally alert and circumspect, as their several eyes prevent them from being surprised or flanked. Also it's central eye is capable of continually emitting a 150 foot cone of anti-magic, extending straight ahead from the front eye and spreading outwards in a 45 degree arc. While this is not as strong as Talasium in strength, it is enough to cause difficulty in strong mages, and totally immobilize an apprentice. All magical and supernatural effects within the own are suppressed, including the beholder's own attacks. This ability can be activated or deactivated at will by the beholder, and it normally uses it to move in and bite a foe with it's powerful jaw. A beholder is also naturally buoyant and always flying though not every fast. This also protects it from long drops as it can merely hover it's way down a steep mountain or pit.

Habitat/Society: Beholders are hateful, aggressive and avaricious, attacking or dominating others whenever they can get away with it. They exhibit a xenophobic intolerance, hating all creatures not like themselves. The basic body type comprises a great variety of beholder subspecies. Some are covered with overlapping chitinous plates; some have smooth hides or snakelike eye tentacles; some have crustacean joints. But even a difference as small as hide color or the size of the central eye can make two groups of beholders sworn enemies Every beholder declares its own unique form to be the "true ideal of beholderhood", the others being nothing but ugly copies fit only to be eliminated.

Beholders usually carve out underground lairs for themselves using their disintegrate rays. Beholder architecture emphasizes the vertical, and a lair usually has a number of parallel rubes, with chambers stacked on top of each other. Beholders prefer inaccessible locations that earthbound foes can reach only with difficulty.

Beholders will normally attack immediately, If confronted with a particular party there is a fair chance they will listen to negotiations or any attempts or bribery before raining death upon their foes.
Ecology: The exact reproductive process of the beholder is unknown. The core racial hatred of the beholders may derive from the nature of their reproduction, which seems to produce identical (or nearly so) individuals with only slight margin for variation. Beholders may use parthenogenic reproduction to duplicate themselves, and give birth live (no beholder eggs have been found). Beholders may also, yet rarely, mate with types of beholder-kin. The smaller eyes of the beholder are capable of producing a potion of levitation, and as such can be sold for around 50 silver.
History: A Beholder is a creature mentioned mostly in legends, tales told by old men in Inns, and stories scattered across time. Rumors persist the Beholders currently reside deep in the underground world of Imperia, far below the surface but very little concrete evidence can be found. The Beholders have existed here as long as any know, some rumors even claiming they are responsible for crafting Mt. Doom's own maze of tunnels centuries ago. Still a Beholder is a rare sight indeed, and one to be meet with extreme caution. Beholder's religious views are unknown, but many theorize they are devout followers of Oblivious.
Character Attitude and personality: The Beholder is a powerful creature, and as such is normally used in an NPC capacity and as a monster in a critical and dangerous stage of an adventure. A Beholder character is not encouraged, as the mere sight of it floating into an Inn would spur people to start attacking it immediately. Due to it's power, personality and other factors the Beholder is limited to Ops and Plotmasters.
Bugbear

Difficulty Rating: 2
Guidelines Used: AD&D 3rd Edition Monstrous Manual

The biggest and strongest of the goblinoids, bugbears are even more aggressive than their relatives. They live by hunting any creature weaker than themselves.

Bugbears are large and very muscular, standing 7 feet tall. Their hides vary in color from light yellow to yellow-brown, with thick, coarse hair of brown to brick red. Their eyes resemble those of a savage animal, being greenish-white with red pupils, and they have wedge-shaped ears. A bugbear's mouth is full of long, sharp fangs, and its nose is much like that of a bear, with the same fine sense of smell. This feature earned them their name, though they are not related to bears. Their tough hides and sharp claws also resemble those of bears, but they are far more dexterous. Bugbears are capable of speaking the Goblin and Common languages.
Combat: Bugbears prefer to ambush opponents whenever possible. When hunting, they normally send scouts ahead of the main group who, if they spy prey, return to report and bring up reinforcements. Bugbear attacks are coordinated, and their tactics are sound if not brilliant.

They are very adept at moving silently among the woods, however they can still be detected by an expert woodsman. They are capable of using any type of armor or weapon that a normal human would use. 

Habitat/Society: Bugbears prefer subterranean locations such as caverns and dungeons, dwelling in small tribal units. A single bugbear, usually the biggest and meanest, leads each tribe. A tribe has as many young as it has adults. Children do not join the adults in the hunt, but they will fight to protect themselves or their lairs.

The extremely greedy creatures prize anything shiny, including arms and armor. They never miss an opportunity to increase their hoards through theft, plunder and ambush. On rare occasions they parley with other beings if they believe something can be gained, but they are not skilled negotiators, losing their patience quickly if such encounters run overlong. They are sometimes found commanding goblins and hobgoblins, whom they bully mercilessly.

These creatures survive primarily by hunting, and they eat whatever they can bring down. Any creature is a legitimate source of food, including monsters and even their own smaller kin. When game is scarce, bugbears turn to raiding and ambush to fill their stewpots. Most bugbears are fond of the Primal Krondor, who they see as their patron warrior God.
Ecology: Bugbears have two main goals in life: survival and treasure. They are superb carnivores, winnowing out the weak and careless adventurer, monster and animal. Goblins are always on their toes when bugbears are present, for the weak or stupid quickly end up in the stewpot.
History: The Bugbear is a creature normally found in the wilds, and very rarely are they seen in settlements. Even then it's either frontier towns or such towns that are not overly advanced. For example a Bugbear may be found in some town in Terangoth but not a city in Damocles. Such creatures are well known on Imperia but they are hardly considered civilized. While some large towns may tolerate them, smaller villages and hamlets would consider them dire threats. The Bugbears have no outstanding history in Imperia with the exception of attacks on towns by a few organized bands now and then. 
Character Attitude and personality: The Bugbear is by no means civilized nor intelligent. They are brutish creatures and as such prefer religious areas of chaos, war, trickery and evil. If such a character is used then they would only stick to the slum areas of large cities and towns, rarely would they go walking along the nicer and more bustling parts of town or expose themselves to local authorities.
Celestial

Difficulty Rating: 5
Guidelines Used: Custom

N/A
Combat: N/A

Habitat/Society: N/A
Ecology: N/A
History: N/A
Character Attitude and personality: N/A
Centaur

Difficulty Rating: 4
Guidelines Used: AD&D 3rd Edition Monstrous Manual

Centaurs are woodland beings who shun the company of outsiders. They are deadly archers and even more fearsome in melee. A centaur's appearance is unmistakable; The upper torso, arms, and head are humanoid, while the lower body is that of a large horse. Both human and equine physiques are well muscled. Centaurs are known to speak Sylvan and Elven.
Combat: Although generally mild-tempered, centaurs are always armed. Their favorite melee weapons are massive oaken clubs. When scouting or hunting, they carry shields and mighty composite bows. If armed for war, they also carry heavy lances.

Centaurs usually don't provoke a fight. Their normal response to aggression is swift retreat, perhaps launching a few arrows to discourage pursuit. Against creatures dangerous to their communities, they use much the same tactics, except that about half their number will circle around to lie in ambush or attack the foe from the rear.

Habitat/Society: Among their own kind, centaurs are sociable creatures, but they have been known to become rowdy, boorish, and aggressive when under the influence of alcohol. Lone centaurs are usually males out hunting or scouting. Companies and troops are usually males hunting or scouting in force. Centaur tribes remain near their lairs. At any given time, most of the centaurs in the tribal lair are female; while the males are out hunting and scouting, the females lead and administer over the tribe. A third of a tribe's population is young.

The typical centaur lair is located deep within a forest. It consists of a large hidden glade and pastures, with a good supply of running water. Depending upon the climate, the lair may contain huts or lean-tos to shelter individual families. Hearths for cooking and warmth are in an open area, away from trees.

Centaurs are skilled in horticulture and may cultivate useful plants near their lair. In dangerous, monster infested areas they plant thick barriers of thorn bushes around the lair, dig pits, and set snares.

Centaurs survive through a mixture of hunting, foraging, fishing, agriculture, and trade. Though they shun dealings with humans, centaurs do trade with elves, especially for food and wine. The elves are paid from the group treasure which is the booty of slain monsters. A centaur tribe's territory varies with its size and the nature of the area it inhabits. Centaurs do not object to sharing territory with elves. The attitude of a centaur towards a stranger in its territory varies with the visitor. Humans and dwarves are politely asked to leave, halflings or gnomes are tolerated, and elves are welcomed. Centaurs deal with monsters according to the threat to the welfare and survival of the tribe: If a giant or dragon were to enter the territory, the centaurs would relocate, but they would kill trolls, orcs, and the like. The patron deity of the centaurs is the Primal Lothos as well as religion given to others where it is due.
Ecology: The centaur lives in close harmony with nature and spends its lifetime carefully conserving the natural resources around its lair. The race seems to have an innate knowledge of how to achieve this precious balance. If forced to chop down a tree, a centaur will plant another to replace it. Centaurs never over hunt or over fish an area as a human group might do, but choose their game with care, limiting the amount they eat.
History: Centaurs on Imperia are native to the wild regions, hardly a part of civilization and they flourish in the unclaimed wilds however Damocles expansion has constantly driven them back and back but there are rumors of several tribes found in the Axius region, those in the border region of Axius/Greyhelm are slowly being driven out by guerilla raids by Greyhelm forces.
Character Attitude and personality: A Centaur among large civilizations is indeed rare, yet every century or so there is a report of one seen among people of a city and the most current report was of two centaurs seen in the Tantallon region in the early 700s, yet only one has remained in the city and is reported to be working at an Inn within the Southern District of the city. The last report of a centaur in a populated area was over a hundred years earlier than that. Any such centaur character would be a bard, ranger or druid with strong emphasis on nature and archery. Such a druid is usually the leader of a tribe and their speaker, one who acts as the ambassador for the tribe in all relations. Clerics among the centaurs are rare and they worship the Primal Lothos, normally of the animal, good and plant domains underneath him. Due to the rarity of a centaur, is it's high rating of difficulty (4). The difficulty lies not in the characters personality, but in the rarity of the creature as it would take something extremely traumatic such as banishment from it's tribe or the death of it's tribe to make one head to a human settlement.
Crata

Difficulty Rating: 4
Guidelines Used: Custom

A mystery to everyone, this outer-world creature is seen as both a great mystery and a pest like a roach, rat or ant.

Cratas appear as rather large ants, 2 inches in height and 4 inches in length with a thick red-tinted exoskeleton shell around their body. This shell is not overly strong and is the same strength one would find on a lobster. They have six legs and a set of pinchers along their mouth capable of crushing small crystal and glass. They are also capable of swimming and underwater breathing and many Cratas found swimming about have been confused by several on Imperia as an entirely different breed called "Sea Cratas" While there are two sexes of the Cratas there are not any visible difference between them. Nearly all Cratas look exactly alike.

Cratas only speak within several chittering noises however seem to display a perfect understanding of human common and other frequently used languages. A bite from a Crata however does make one for an hour capable of understanding their language which the Cratas seem just as intelligent as any other humanoid species.  

Combat: In combat a Crata is only effective against creatures smaller than them. They attack by either using their thick shells in ramming tactics or by biting. To a squirrel or rat this is a very lethal tactic as the Crata are rather heavy and have a strong grip but to a much larger creature this is just an annoyance. Crata rarely attack anything large unless they outnumber the beast a hundred to one and even then their morale is shaky at best. A Crata rarely looks for fights as they are most happy living among their own pack in whatever building or cave they have claimed as their own. When having to retreat however a Crata is very fast and nimble. When threatened a Crata declares it's intention to fight and tries to threaten it's opponent by aiming it's rear end at them and waving it in a type of dance. Scholars and Sages are not sure why the Crata would deem this as an effective manner of threatening and scaring away an opponent.

Habitat/Society: Cratas exist as either isolated creatures or in small packs. The packs usually depend on whatever area they find to settle down in and where as in a small Inn you may find around fifty Crata in a cave you may find several hundred as Crata procreate and reproduce rather quickly. Cratas make the best of their natural surroundings as they gnaw among wood to burrow out a small network of tunnels in whatever house they happen to live in and they are very territorial to any they consider outsiders. No governmental or organizational system is set within the Cratas as they don't appoint any leaders or squabble over petty politics. The pack is mostly focused on group food gathering and group defense. A Crata has a life span between 75-100 years however hardly any live that long to see it as Crata are either killed as vermin or hunted by Sharga and other culinary professionals for their spicy meaty innards. Some consider Crata meat a delicacy due to it's rarity, exoticness and that it tastes like ground beef spiced with cumin.

            A Crata is very fit and never bothered with sicknesses and they have been found in every climate with the exception of the very frigid icy plains.

Ecology: Crata eat whatever they can find and digest. Wood, light metals, cloth, meats and fruits are not safe around them and either are stockpiles as they round up small raids and take whatever they can with the efficiency of an ant. However they are very skillful and tactical thieves and sometimes use distractions in their raids to insure they are not caught and most likely killed. The Crata are aided in their endeavors by excellent smelling, hearing and depth perception.
History: The Crata are originally native to the planet of Tantra and came over to Imperia with the Sharga in the year 455 AD following the invasion of the planet Tantra by the Shadow Knight Empire. Before that the Crata were the dominant pest-like life form over the planet of Tantra much like those of Earth would consider the cockroach however where the cockroach has it's ability to withstand several presumably fatal stomps and keep moving the Crata has it's intelligence and group tactics. The Crata have spread out from the Tantallon region and now you can find Cratas in all areas that the Sharga inhabit however a few Cratas have made themselves small caves within Mt. Doom which is just east of Tantallon. Crata infestation is the worst in the Axius region with only minor infestations reported in west Damocles, south Greyhelm and Terangoth. Little is known of the Cratas before this as the Sharga did not deem it necessary to keep any form of records on the creatures. Where the Crata originates from is unknown however in what Sharga records can be found the race has been reported as far back as 20,000 years in Tantra history.
Character Attitude and personality: A Crata is happy go lucky and cares only for the pack and gathering enough food for them. Any creatures larger than them are seen as either a threat or just an obstacle to get around. Cratas would act very similar to rats however within their minds is an intelligence as complex as any humanoid. Crata don't understand or care to understand any religion however they are aware of the existence of Primals. Crata however have no concept of a heaven or hell but do know when they are overwhelmed in a battle and by such an opponent so retreat when able. A Crata encountering another would consider it either an enemy, friend or pack mate however rarely do Crata ever fight amongst each other. They prefer to settle debates and disagreements by playing games or testing each other's skill at thievery. Crata cannot use magic nor do they care to understand or use it and history means very little. Cratas do not tell stories among themselves and their society works as efficiently as an ant colony would with all members having an equal voice. There is no leadership roles among the Crata. A Crata pack would claim the domain of a house or warehouse or Inn and create a small network of tunnels and caves usually with each one finding their own sleeping arrangements for their required 14 hours of sleep. While a Crata never sleeps beside another Crata they are all aware of where the other members of their pack is sleeping at and sometimes use underneath beds or in empty crates as sleeping spots while keeping sleeping space between a Crata separated by at least 10 inches. Rarely is a Crata ever evil as they are more neutral creatures. They also have no concept of "jobs" and don't care how much one of the pack slacks off assuming the entire group is well fed. Play them as you would a very intelligent rat.

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