In the last great war that shook Ralsenna, a powerful weapon was detonated, destroying the center of all arcane knowledge in the world. It was only weeks after that the first of the tainted emerged from the blasted ruins. Once human, the tainted are now something entirely different, transformed by the arcane radiation that creeps even now across Ralsenna.

Personality: Tainted ones vary widely in every regard, but most have what other races would consider some form of mental instability, as well as a greatly diminished capacity for empathy. They aren’t usually violent toward others without reason, but they do show a noted disregard for the wellbeing of others. Still, they are quite intelligent, and when they perceive another talented individual they generally view that person as an asset and attempt to engender friendship with that person.

Physical Description: The radiation affects each tainted one differently. Some have sprouted tentacles on their backs or down their arms, some sport bestial features, some are covered in alien eyes, and some are covered in rot or fungus; even this list does not truly do the stunning variety of their kind justice. The only common feature among them is a vaguely humanoid frame, and even that has sometimes been so warped as to be nearly unidentifiable.

Alignment: The transformation changes the tainted one’s sense of right and wrong. They no longer feel much empathy for other living being, and thus tend away from good alignments. They also tend toward chaotic alignments, as they live from moment to moment trying only to survive as best they can.

Religion: Some tainted ones see themselves either as forsaken by the gods, and thus eschew all religion and search for answers to their problems in science and magic. Others see their plight as a result of man’s devotion to science over the gods, and see religion as the only answer. Thus, the tainted encapsulate both extremes, with little middle ground between.

Language: The tainted have no language of their own, but they all speak Common and pick up Undercommon from the many strange creatures that roam the irradiated parts of Akron.

Names: Lone tainted ones rarely take names, and usually only receive a name out of necessity from a companion. If this companion is a member of another common race, they end up with a name typical of that race, while other tainted usually give each other names combining syllables of Undercommon they find pleasing.

Typical Names: Bi’ezel, Jirennezet, Krii-okton, Loxtrotovin, Rarriptix, Zaybrin.

Adventurers: Almost all tainted ones have what the other common races would consider ‘adventurous’ lifestyles. Even those who live in tainted communities have to deal with the many gruesome dangers of the radiation, and the vast majority live their lives wandering from land to land scraping by as mercenaries.

• +2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, –2 Wisdom: A tainted one’s warped body and mind lend it uncommon advantages at the cost of their sanity.
• Medium: Tainted ones are Medium creatures, and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Aberration: Tainted ones are aberrations. As such, they gain darkvision 60 ft.
• Normal Speed: Tainted ones have a base speed of 30 feet.
• Taint Manifestation: Choose two of the following:
  
  • Acidic Blood: Acid flows through the tainted one’s veins. When an adjacent foe deals slashing or piercing damage to the tainted one, that creature takes acid damage equal to the tainted one’s Constitution bonus (minimum 1 point of acid damage).
  • Hypnotic Eyes: The tainted one’s eyes pulse with weird energy that elicits trust. This ability grants a +2 racial bonus on Bluff checks and adds +1 to the DC of any saving throws against spells with the charm descriptor that the tainted one casts.
  • Madness: The tainted one’s mind is even less stable than is normal for his kind. This ability grants a +1 racial bonus to Will saves. In addition, when another creature targets the tainted one with a mind-affecting effect, that creature takes damage equal to the tainted one’s Intelligence bonus (minimum 1 point of damage).
  • Many-Eyed: The tainted one’s body is covered with eyes of varying sizes. This ability grants a +2 racial bonus on Perception skill checks and the tainted one cannot be flanked.
  • Rot Wracked: The tainted one’s body is in a perpetual state of decomposition, and he is healed by both positive and negative energy.
  • Tentacles: A mess of twitching tentacles juts from some part of the tainted one’s body. These tentacles can be used as natural weapons that deal 1d6 bludgeoning damage (1d4 bludgeoning damage for Small characters). In addition, the tainted one also gains a +2 racial bonus on checks made to grapple a foe.
  • Winged: The tainted one has membranous or insectile wings. The tainted one gains a fly speed of 30 feet. However, the tainted one makes an ineffective aerial combatants, suffering a –4 penalty to attack rolls and AC while flying.
• Languages: Tainted ones begin play speaking Common and Undercommon. Tainted ones with high Intelligence scores can choose any of the following: Giant, Ixtachi Trade Language*, and Orc.

*Unlike most races, most tainted ones' aberrant anatomy allows them to speak the Ixtachi tongue, albeit haltingly.