Logicus, long before it was called by that name, was a world where high magic and high technology existed in equal sophistication. Among its most respected citizens were scientists and wizards, some combining both fields to accomplish feats undreamable by either one alone.
Exactly how the world died is not remembered by those who survived its passing. Those on other planes who know of the world's existence hold the following theories, among others:
- Magic waxed to the point where Horrors from another reality were able to break through the barrier into the world, where they tore it apart.
- A faction championing the supremacy of magic had an arms race with a faction championing the supremacy of technology, tearing the world apart after one faction mistakenly believed the other had launched a doomsday weapon, and retaliated.
- A pantheon of gods called the Lords of Law, who would later become widely known on the world of Ortho, inspired their worshippers to eradicate Chaos. The terrible results of this zeal are viewed as a lesson the Harmonium should learn well.
- Scientist-mages attempted to create an artifact, a black well in the fabric of space and time. Perhaps they intended it to be used as a weapon, as an energy source, or as a portal to other worlds and planes. It grew out of control, and destroyed the world and nearly all life upon it.
Regardless of how it happened, today the world known as Logicus is what is typically known to explorers of the stars and planets of the Prime as an "air world," a bubble of (in this case, breathable) gas with a scattering of chunks of earth floating within it. An artifact of magical technology, the greatest remaining relic of the doomed civilization, holds it all together, using all the magical resources the world has remaining to do so. All forms of arcane and divine magic (including incarnum, true name magic, and so on) beyond first level simply fail now, although psionics still work.
Those who remain on this shattered world have merged with their technology in order to survive. They have surrendered their individual identities to the World Mind, the artifact that holds their planet together. They are humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, trolls, and - strangely - dabus with circuits and nanotube fuel cells woven into their flesh.
How dabus ended up in Logicus - or whether these dabus-like creatures are true dabus at all - is perhaps the world's greatest mystery. Instead of rebuspeak, mathematical formulae appear above their heads. They exist to maintain and repair the World Mind.
All natives of Logicus have the following template, adapted from the d20 Modern SRD:
Sand slaves no longer have names, referring to themselves and one another as "Unit" with a unique number appended. Males are given odd numbers; females are given even numbers.
Template Traits
“Sand slave” is an acquired template that can be added to any corporeal living creature with an Intelligence score of 6 or higher that is susceptible to disease (referred to hereafter as the “base creature”). The creature retains its original type. It uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Challenge Rating: Same as base creature +2.
Speed: The base creature’s speeds increase by +10 feet each.
Special Qualities: A sand slave retains all the special qualities of the base creature and gains the additional special qualities described below.
- Darkvision (Ex): A sand slave has darkvision to a range of 60 feet or the base creature’s darkvision, whichever is better.
- Electricity Resistance 10 (Ex): A sand slave ignores the first 10 points of electricity damage from any single attack. If the base creature already has electricity resistance, use the better value.
- Fast Ability Healing 1 (Ex): A sand slave heals ability damage at the rate of 1 ability score point per damaged ability per round.
- Fast Healing 3 (Ex): A sand slave heals 3 points of damage per round unless it is reduced to –10 or fewer hit points. This ability does not enable the sand slave to regrow or reattach severed body parts. If the base creature already has fast healing, use the better value.
- Fortification (Ex): A sand slave has a 50% chance to ignore the extra damage from a critical hit.
- Fugue (Ex): Once per day as a free action, a sand slave may attempt a Constitution check (DC 20). Success indicates that the sand slave has forced its nannites into hyperproductivity, thereby gaining an extra attack or move action each round for 1d8+2 rounds.
- Hot Running (Ex): Once per day as a free action, a sand slave can make a Constitution check (DC 15) to reverse the effects of fatigue and nonlethal damage. A successful check negates all nonlethal damage the sand slave has sustained and reduces fatigue or exhaustion as if the sand slave had rested for a full day.
- Immunities (Ex): The sand slave is immune to disease and poison. The nannites in its body fight off all diseases, including other nannite infections, and break down all poisons before they can take effect.
- Network Mind (Ex): A sand slave is automatically aware of the position and general emotional status of any other sand slaves within 200 feet. All sand slaves within that range that can see one another are in constant telepathic communication. If one is aware of a particular threat, they all are. If one sand slave in a particular group is not flatfooted, none of them are. No sand slave in such a group is considered flanked unless they all are.
- Self-Destruct (Ex): When reduced to –10 hit points or below, a sand slave’s body immediately turns into a pile of dust. At any time, a sand slave can willfully destroy itself by taking an attack action to make a Constitution check (DC 10). Success indicates that the sand slave self-destructs as above.
- Stasis (Ex): Once per day as a free action, a sand slave can attempt a Constitution check (DC 15). Success dramatically slows the creature’s metabolism for up to 1 hour. During this time, the sand slave does not need to breathe, and it lacks a heartbeat and normal body temperature. If it does not move, it appears dead to casual inspection, though a blood test or successful Treat Injury check (DC 20) reveals that it is still alive. While in stasis, the sand slave does not take damage from prolonged exposure to environmental heat or cold, and the time spent in stasis does not count toward the time limit that the sand slave can go without water or food before taking damage. While in stasis, a sand slave can act normally, except that it cannot use its hot running or fugue abilities, and it does not heal ability or hit point damage.
The sand slave can end the stasis at any time before its duration runs out as a free action.
- Telepathy (Ex): A sand slave can communicate its thoughts and desires to any etoile or sand slave within 200 feet that it can see, regardless of intervening matter such as glass. The target creature “hears” the sand slave’s thoughts in whatever language it can most easily understand. However, it cannot communicate thoughts back to the sand slave unless it also has telepathy.
Allegiances: A sand slave is totally dedicated to the World Mind, but when not acting under any particular orders, it maintains the allegiances that the base creature had. This allegiance hierarchy allows the Logicus Prime to use sand slaves as sleeper agents. Sand slaves follow the orders of the Logicus Prime and give precedence to the last orders they received.
Saves: Same as the base creature, modified by new ability scores.
Ability Scores: A sand slave gains the following ability increases: Str +2, Dex +2.
Skills: A sand slave gains a +4 species bonus on Bluff checks.
Feats: A sand slave gains Improved Damage Threshold as a bonus feat.
Logicus Equipment:
- Lightning pistol: 2d8 damage (electricity); crit 20; range 40 feet; rate of fire semiautomatic (one shot per attack); Magazine 50 per box; size Medium; 3 lb.
- Lightning rifle: 3d8 damage (electricity); crit 20; range 80 feet; rate of fire semiautomatic (one shot per attack); Magazine 50 per box; size Large; 8 lb.
- Lightning sniper rifle: 3d8 damage (electricity); crit 20; range 120 feet; rate of fire semiautomatic (one shot per attack); Magazine 50 per box; size Large; 14 lb.
- Stun baton: damage 1d6 + special; crit 20; type Bludgeoning; size Medium; 1 lb.
The stun baton is a long rod similar to those carried by modern-day police officers, though on one end of the baton a metal cap that emits a pulse of stunning energy when it strikes a target. Any creature hit by a stun baton takes 1d6 points of bludgeoning damage and must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 10 + damage dealt) or be stunned for 1d4 rounds.
In addition, all units are equipped with flight belts that enable them to fly at a speed of 40 ft. (good).
If there's Sand Slaves, does that mean the Etoile (from what I remember of Dark Matter) are involved?