Description: The Sha'Laiein are an aborigine people that have adapted to life in one of the most inhospitable enviroments imaginable; a wildspace asteroid field. Sages speculate that long ago, a human spelljamming ship crashed in the region and the survivers were forced to adapt. Mages and priests probably contributed to the first few generations surviving in the field of asteroids. After that, the Sha'Laiein discovered the use of various native fungi that can duplicate the effect of Air Spoors (Tome of Magic, page 132). Over time, the Sha'Laiein became more and more adapted to their harsh home, creating small villages on an asteroid or constantly moving about in small nomadic family groups. It is rare to find a group of Sha'Laiein numbering more than 20 in one area, since the food, water, and air supplies cannot handle that many. The Sha'Laiein also learned to hunt asteroid fishers and use the filiment cable to create a strong, but light lines. They use these lines or ropes with bone harpoons to attach to an asteroid and pull themselves to their next destination. Their arrows also end in small loops incase they need to attach a line to one. Even their bone daggers have a hole in it somewhere to that it can be used as a piton in an emergency. Their method of travel among the chaotic tumble of asteroids is both strange and unfathomable to outsiders, even seasoned spelljammers.
Role: Sha'Laiein are humans who may be fighters, rangers, thieves, druids (or a similar druidic- like priesthood). Mage Sha'Laiein exist, but they never leave their tribes and are thus never player characters. Sha'Laiein are a slender people (often mistaken for elves or half- elves at a distance) and must have dexterity and constitution scores of at least 15. Sha'Laiein never willingly wear shoes or any kind of foot covering since they use their toes to help manipulate the filament harpoon lines. Secondary Skills: Hunting
Weapon Proficiencies: Harpoon (regardless of class), dagger, short bow, spear, javalin.
Non-Weapon Proficiencies: Bonus: Rope Use, Zero-Gravity Combat; Recommended: Herbalism, Animal Lore, Set Snares, Endurance, Hunting, Bowyer/Fletcher, Jumping, Direction Sense, Leatherworking, Weaving.
Equipment: All Sha'Laiein, regardless of class learn to use a slender bone harpoon that is attached to asteroid fisher filament (treat as 100' silk rope) to maneuver among the closer asteroids. They also know how to find and harvest air spoors if they have the Herbalism NWP. These people use only primative types of armor: hide, leather, padded, scale, shield, splint, studded leather. The scale, splint and shields are created from the carapus of creatures native to the asteroid belt. Their native tools are never made from metals.
Special Benifits: Even after a Sha'Laiein has run out of air spoors, their lungs have retained enought of the "essence" of the spoors from the years of exposure to allow the Sha'Laiein to breath and survive on recycled air for 2d10 days (much like the Aparusa kit) in their personal air envelop. Sha'Laiein are also accustomed to living in constant shifting gravity planes and are never disoriented when they shift or move (such as two ships passing close together). This only applies when gravity planes generated by objects of size A or less. In their native asteroid field, the Sha'Laiein know how to find and harvest a local fungi that acts as Air Spoors (page 132, Tome of Magic). They must make a successful proficiency check to do so, otherwise a day of searching must pass before another suitable patch of fungus can be find.
Special Hindrances: Sha'Laiein are so accustomed to life in the asteroid belt that they suffer greatly when out of their native environment. When on (or in) any object that is size B or larger (such as on a planet or moon), they suffer a -2 penalty to armor class, saving throw, to hit rolls, and all non-weapon proficiency checks. Sha'Laiein also have an aversion to the use of fire. They consider it a tremendous waist of air supply and are always uncomfortable around an open flame. Adventuring PC Sha'Laiein may eventually learn to use fire, but will never use it without a strong reason. Sha'Laiein never cook their food. Also, due the many strange customs of the Sha'Laiein, they recieve a -2 penalty to all reaction rolls vs most human/humanoid/demi-human "civilized" cultures.
Wealth Option: Player Character Sha'Laiein start with no money (gold pieces) at all, but possess only the equipment their people are know for. After Harpoon and 100 feet of filiment line, one set of armor (see equipment), a dagger and a dozon air spoors. As the campaign progresses, they may learn the concept of trade and currency.
