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The Protoss are a race in Blizzard Entertainment's real-time strategy computer game, StarCraft. In the plot, the Protoss are an advanced race, relying on psychic powers called Psi and powerful cybernetic technology. They are the primary opponents of the Zerg. The Protoss are also religious, for example their basic military unit the Zealot follows a strict code known as the Khala.
'Protos' in Greek means 'first'. This name is supposedly given because the Protoss were the first Xel'Naga creation.
History
The Protoss are actually a result of genetic experiments made by the ancient Xel'Naga on the creatures of the planet Aiur around 250,000 BCE.
Initially the Xel'Naga were worshipped as gods but as the young Protoss became more personally aware, they started to seek individuality, and concentrated proudly on personal achievements rather than the common good. Their egos grew above the ancient communal relationship and Tribes sought isolation from others. They started to frown upon the Xel'Naga who tried to participate in their affairs and bring them back to their older communal link.
Dissapointed, the Xel'Naga left Aiur but the suspicious Protoss responded with an attack that destroyed many Xel'Naga worldships. Then the Protoss Tribes turned against each other, beginning thus the Aeon of Strife, the most devastating civil wars in recorded galactic history.
A Protoss named Khas found the Crystals of Khaydar that the Xel'Naga had left behind on Aiur and channeled their primal energy. He sensed the primordial bonds of the Protoss and wrote the theory of Path of Ascension so that the Protoss might evolve again into a unified communal society. This ended the Aeon of Strife.
The theory known as the Khala brought on the Second Age for the Protoss. The Tribal society evolved into three Castes: Judicators (led by the Conclave), the Khalai and the Templar. The Protoss started to follow the Dae'uhl aka Stewardship of the planets once claimed by the Xel'Naga. They started supervising and protecting the lesser life forms but not interfering.
However some Rogue Tribes did not want to follow the Khala. Adun and his templar refused to exterminate them and they were expelled from Aiur with an ancient Xel'Naga ship. These outcasts were known as the Dark Templar.
Years later, after the contact with Terrans and the Zerg, and the devastation of Aiur, the Protoss moved to Shakuras where they found the Dark Templar and joined them.
Physiology
Protoss are about 3 meters tall and have two glowing eyes, digitigrade legs, semi-permeable skin covered in scales, four fingers on their hands (of which two are thumbs) and toes, broad across chest and shoulders, and very narrow waist, with slim midsections. Extending back from the crown of the head, Protoss have a bony crest. Beneath it, emerging from the back of the head, are the nerve cords, allowing them to access their racial psionic gestalt. This gestalt is the basis of the Khala. The Dark Templar cut their nerve cords short to demonstrate their opposition to the Khala.
Protoss don't have noses (breathe through a pair of narrow vents located under the chin) or mouths since they don't eat (through a natural ability of their cells to draw upon ambient psionic energy) and communicate telepathically. Protoss can speak vocally too with the throat. They absorb vitamins and minerals through the skin. They soak in water, but when it isn't available, they apply a paste to their skin.
Protoss have both male and female genders and reproduce sexually. Their reproductive organs are very much analogous to Terrans, with the exception that male reproductive anatomy is internal. Females give birth after a gestation of 12 months.
Protoss are extremely resistant to fatigue and illness and are vulnerable only in extreme conditions. Wounds, fatigue, and poor sanitation combined only, can result in illness.
Although a Protoss's overall life-span is long, Protoss still physically mature in about the same amount of time as humans. While Protoss under 200 rarely have much social standing or rank, they are still physically adults.
Protoss are warm-blooded, and have a body temperature a few degrees lower than humans. Their blood is blue, with a slight iridescence. After several minutes outside the body, it gradually evaporates, flaring with pale blue light and vanishing.
As in humans, coloration is considered a sign of ethnicity, with each Protoss tribe having a specific color or typical pattern of markings associated with it. The only exception is the Ara tribe.
Gameplay attributes
- High cost per unit produced
- High unit power
- High supply consumption per unit
- Very powerful spells (the Psi Storm is often referred to as the "most powerful damaging spell in the game.")
- Only race with "shields". All Protoss units (including buildings) have shields; when damaged, shields regenerate over time, even faster than Zerg units heal. Shields, however, always take full damage (see Damage types.) Shields are instantly drained by the Terran Science Vessel's EMP spell. Shields on all units except buildings can be regenerated almost instantly by the Protoss Shield Battery structure. However they are unable to heal damage sustained when their shields have been depleted.
- Protoss structures, like their units, can not be repaired of damage sustained while the shields were down.
- Fastest building method, moderate building location restrictions
Units
Land Units
- Probe - builder unit
- Zealot - primary attack unit. The Zealot is a melee attacker, and is much stronger than the primary attack units of the Zerg and Terran. Can be upgraded for faster movement speed, increased damage and better armor and shields. However, unlike the Terran Marines, it cannot attack air units.
- Dragoon - ranged attack ground unit that deals medium explosive damage. The dragoon can be upgraded for longer range, higher damage and stronger armor and shields.
- Reaver - siege unit. It is both the slowest siege unit and the most powerful. Unlike most other units, it does not have unlimited ammo. Instead, you must order it to build "Scarabs" at 15 units of Minerals each. It has an initial capacity of 5 which can be upgraded to 10. Each shot uses up one Scarab. Note that the Scarabs move along the ground toward their targets; while they will circumnavigate obstacles if possible, they need a relatively clear path. This and its slow speed are the Reaver's main weaknesses. However, the high damage, splash effect and Normal Damage types make it very powerful against groups of weak units such as Zerglings or Marines, and the long range can be used to take out defensive structures with impunity, although it lacks the range of the Siege Tank. The Reaver can be upgraded for higher Scarab capacity, higher Scarab damage, better armor and better shields.
- High Templar - primary spellcaster. High Templar cannot attack and are rather slow and weak. However, their spells make them powerful support units:
- Hallucination - Creates two copies of a target unit. Enemies cannot distinguish hallucinations from real units directly. However, hallucinations do no damage when they attack, cannot use special abilities, and take double damage. Hallucinations disappear if they are "killed" or once the spell wears out. This can be used for decoys or for intimidation. Hallucinations also immediately disappear when certain spells (target specific or area effect) hit them for some sort of effect or damage, even when the units are at full health. Very useful for getting rid of half of those forty battlecruisers.
- Psi Storm - possibly the most powerful spell in the game. Psi Storm covers an area with crackling electricity. Any units in the area, both friendly and enemy, take damage for each second that they stay in the field. This is extremelly effective against slow-moving units like the Reaver or Siege Tank or against large groups of small units like Zerglings. Psi storm does not stack.
- Archon Meld - only available when two or more High Templar are selected at one time. The Templar merge in pairs to create Archons. This does not consume any mana; however, the merging takes some time during which the Templar are vulnerable. The meld is irreversable, so the high templar and their abilities are irretrievably lost.
- Hallucination and Psi Storm must be researched at the Templar Archives. The High Templar can be upgraded for better armor and shields and higher mana capacity.
- Archon - Archons are created when two High Templar merge. They have a powerful ranged attack that deals splash damage, and can take a strong beating with 350 shield points. However, they only have 10 hit points, so an EMP will bring them to near-death. Archons are immune to Irradiate, and are almost unaffected by Plague (it lowers their HP to 1 without damaging their shields.) They can be upgraded for higher damage and stronger armor and shields. Archons are great melee units.
Brood War-only Land Units
- Dark Templar - stealth unit with permanent cloaking ability (no cloaking spell or magic points required), opponent requires units with detector ability (e.g. Terran Science Vessel) to see it. It has powerful attack but relatively low hit points. A brilliant harassment unit.
- Dark Archon - spellcaster, no non-spell attack, formed from two Dark Templar. Its abilities include mind control which allows you to take control of an enemy unit at cost of shields as well as energy. This can even be used to take control of another race's worker unit, allowing you to build that race's tech tree. Of course, this is expensive and not always cost-effective. The other two abilities are feedback and maelstrom. Maelstrom freezes all biological units in the radius of attack. Feedback is used to kill other energy using units by draining half their energy and then using it as a physical assualt to damage or kill the target unit (this may even be used on Battlecruisers because they use energy to power the Yamato Cannon).
Air Units
- Shuttle - flying transport unit. The shuttle's speed can be upgraded at a Robotics Support Bay, making it the fastest transport unit in game after speed upgrade.
- Scout - Heavy fighter craft; most powerful of the basic ships. Speed and sight range upgrade at Fleet Beacon.
- Arbiter - spellcaster; all nearby units except other Arbiters become cloaked. Can cast stasis field that freezes all units for a set amount of time. No health or magic points can be lost or gained during stasis. No other spells can affect units, including the undoing of the stasis field. Can also cast recall, which transports a player's units to the vicinity of the arbiter almost instantaneously. Can recall locked down units. Cannot recall units in stasis. Spell and magic point upgrades at Arbiter Tribunal.
- Carrier - heavy air unit. The carrier attacks by launching Interceptors, each of which are built at a cost of 25 minerals. Carriers start the game able to hold four interceptors, but an upgrade at the Fleet Beacon increases the capacity to eight. The Interceptors give the Carrier the longest range of any Protoss unit, comparable with the Terran Siege Tank and the Zerg Guardian. Carriers are most vulnerable to the Zerg Scourge.
- Observer - flying scouting unit. Observers are permanently cloaked and thus visible only to other detectors. Observers have no attacks or spells, and have few hit points. The speed and sight range of Observers can be upgraded at the Observatory.
Brood War-only Air Units
- Corsair - spellcaster and light fighter with a rapid-fire low damage splash attack against air only. The Corsair can cast "Disruption Web" which prevents all land units (friendly and otherwise) and defensive buildings within the web from firing or operating. Units and buildings in the Disruption Web can be targeted for attacks and spells. The disruption field cannot be undone until the spell wears out. Corsair upgrades to spells and magic points are available at the Fleet Beacon.
Buildings
Basic buildings
- Nexus
- Assimilator
- Pylon
- Gateway
- Forge
- Shield Battery
- Cybernetics Core
- Photon Cannon
Advanced Buildings
- Robotics Facility
- Stargate
- Citadel of Adun
- Robotics Support Bay
- Fleet Beacon
- Templar Archives
- Observatory
- Arbiter Tribunal
Note: All buildings must be built in the vicinity of a Pylon except for the Nexus, Assimilator and other Pylons. All buildings that do not have an completed pylon required for operation will cease all operations, including upgrades, unit training, magic point restoration, and attack.
Strategies
(Fill in later)
Heroes and Other Notable Protoss
- Aldaris
- Artanis
- Fenix
- Raszagal
- Taldarin
- Tassadar
- Zeratul
Protoss Religion
Religious Principles
- Khala ("Path of Ascension")
- Dae'Uhl ("Great Stewardship")
Religious Figures In Protoss Society
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