Shakalta

The light level increases by one step within 10 feet of a shakalta. If the shakalta’s body is mostly covered, such as by opaque armor, this light diminishes to a 5-foot radius. Complete covering can douse the light.

Two souls bond to form an adult shakalta. Each soul has its own awareness, identity, and personality, but each can communicate with the other and access the other’s thoughts and memories. When these souls bond, they create one shared permanent physical body out of coherent energy. Each day, after the shakalta rests to regain daily-use abilities, one soul takes active control of the body, which might change slightly in appearance to match the active personality. The other soul is still present but becomes mostly inactive, able to communicate only with the active soul. The inactive soul is also beyond the reach of other outside communication and mind-affecting effects. If a shakalta dies, both souls leave the shared body, but the bonded pair counts as one soul for raise dead and similar life-restoring effects.

Once per day, as a reaction when a shakalta fails a saving throw against a mind-affecting effect, the active soul can divert the effect to the inactive soul. The active soul is unaffected by the effect, but for the duration of that effect, the shakalta has the off-target condition and takes a –2 penalty to skill checks. While a mind-affecting effect is diverted to the inactive soul, spells can be cast to end the effect as if the whole shakalta were affected by it. If the souls switch active states while either is affected by a mind-affecting effect, the shakalta gains a new saving throw against those effects.

Shakaltas have limited telepathy with a range of 30 feet. However, they are receptive to other shakaltas’ telepathy, extending the range at which they can communicate with each other in this way to 90 feet.

Shakaltas gain sustenance from the light of stars, and they don’t need water, although they can eat and drink if they wish. A shakalta can go without such light, which starship and space station lights can duplicate, for 1 day plus a number of hours equal to their Constitution score, after which they must attempt Constitution checks as if going without water.