Unfortunately, I think that's where they're going wrong. Actually a Fey'ri shouldn't really be "balanced". The fey'ri should be very rare, and I feel, more along the lines of a noble drow. They're not a race that should be permitted for play in 99.99% of games as a PC. If you really want to play one, you need to think long and hard about it. I would permit it, but only if the player understood that they were going to be on the "slow" advancement track, if everyone else is on the Medium. I think this race is best for unique games or mostly as an NPC. Fey'ri make great "behind the scenes" villains.
In the end, I decided to post my own version of the Fey'ri, complete with a little back story, favored class options, and maybe some pretty pictures if I can find any. As with anytime I put up these posts, it's not meant to infringe on copyrights, etc. Also, I'm taking a pretty darn cool race and adding some flavor that wasn't there before. I hope no one minds.
Fey'ri
When the elves retreated to Sovyrian, there were those elves that lingered behind. Some retreated below the surface, others retreated deeper into the woods, and some turned to other sources of refuge. Among those that stayed, there were three noble houses of powerful summoners, enchanters, and other arcanists that decided to find methods of holding their own against the tide of savagery and barbarians that surrounded them. These three houses, whose original names have been lost, turned to external sources to gain in strength and power.
It is a generally accepted fact that the three houses turned to infernal powers in their desperation. While this is not false, it's not entirely true. The reality is, they just weren't that picky. If one were to trace the blood of a modern fey'ri they would, most certainly , find demonic and devilish ancestry, but they would also uncover efreet, draconic, fey, and any number of other planar entities thrown in for good measure. All of this interbreeding made for a number of powerful bloodlines, and, as such, sorcerers are exceedingly common among the fey'ri. It also caused rampant internal conflicts among the struggling houses. When the dust settled, their numbers had diminished considerably. In order to survive they began a tradition of secrecy that has followed to this day.
The fey'ri, as they became known, are naturals at disguise, deception, and manipulation. They have can be found almost anywhere, hiding among the population, serving as viziers, information merchants, and even librarians. They love to live in cities, the busier the better, and the dominant race is not often a concern when choosing a place to live. Fey'ri can be found among humans, elves, and even among the drow. Rarely will you find more than a small family of fey'ri in any given location. Nonetheless, the fey'ri work to keep each other very informed. Some even go adventuring in hopes of finding new lands, lost lore, and any knowledge that will help the fey'ri survive.
Though naturally able to assume a number of shapes to blend in, a fey'ri normally has a favored "face" that they prefer to present to the outside world. Most often, as an act of personal preference and a deep seated desire to reconnect with one's ancestors, this "face" is that of an elf. One may believe that this would limit most fey'ri from accessing some of their inborn talents, but a clever fey'ri often has a good explanation ready to account for their sudden sprouting of wings and the like. (A personal favorite is to try to pass off to the unknowing that the wings are due to belonging to a lost group of winged elves or the gift of a sorcerous bloodline.) The act of showing another being one's true face is a sign of deep respect and trust, something that does not come easily to such a secretive race. Should a fey'ri decided to show her true face to another, it is done in secret, away from others. This one on one approach, by tradition, is performed even if they are showing their true face to a group of close friends and confidants.
Physical Description: While a fey'ri can appear as almost any humanoid, they have a set natural form which they refer to as their "true face". Sharing the lithe bodies, pointed ears, and graceful features of a traditional elf, the fey'ri also has a number of fiendish features that belie their crossbred natures. The most pronounced of these is a set of large wings that extend from the back of their shoulders. These wings are often bat or dragon like in appearance, though some with feathers or even a velveteen coat of fur have been known, with colors for the wings varying wildly from fey'ri to fey'ri. Other common features include horns, glowing eyes, pronounced canines, and tails of various description. (Author's Note: Using the tiefling appearance chart from the Council of Thieves Adventure Path or Blood of Fiends may be appropriate.)
Society: Where elves have kept close to nature, the fey'ri are at home in urban environments. They move easily among busy marketplaces, noble estates, and back alleys. They enjoy the subtle magics of enchantment, the skilled arts of subterfuge, and the adulation of performance. While a secretive race, it is a rare fey'ri that doesn't enjoy doing things as stylish as possible.
Relations: There are few races that a fey'ri is not willing to work with, though they normally find themselves more at home among elves, half-elves, halflings, and humans. While they enjoy the presence of gnomes, they rarely try to pass themselves off as the excitable race, claiming that it's just too much work. They also tend to avoid dwarves, but this may be more a throw back to their elven heritage, than any current difficulties with the race. The only races that they seem to have disdain for is orcs, half-orcs, and goblinoids. They find them to be barbaric brutes best suited as fodder and little else. Even the most civilized half-orc is often considered, at the very best, to be aesthetically unpleasing to the eyes.
Alignment: Natural manipulators and opportunist, most fey'ri fall along the Neutral alignments, with Chaotic Neutral and Lawful Neutral, and the occasional evil, being the most common. As a race, they rarely say that they're sorry.
Names: Fey'ri follow most elven naming conventions, though, they keep "house names" as their surnames. A house name almost serves as a clan or sect name might in some other circles. While the original house names are lost, a few of the currently used house names are Icemoon, Morningson, Phoenixwing, Shadowmoor, and Starsinger.
Fey'ri Racial Traits:
- +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma, -2 Constitution. Fey'ri are quick of body and mind, and bear a powerful personal presence, but have never been able to rid themselves of the frailer aspects of their elven heritage.
- Medium: Fey'ri are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
- Movement: Fey'ri have a normal land speed of 30 feet. They also have wings which grant them a flight speed of 60 feet, average maneuverability. Fly is always considered a class skill for Fey'ri.
- Darkvision: Fey'ri have darkvision to 60ft.
- Low-Light Vision: Fey'ri can see twice as far as humans in dim light.
- Elf Blood: Fey'ri count as elves for any effect related to race.
- Elven Immunities: Fey'ri have maintained the immunity of their elven ancestors, and as such are immune to magic sleep effects and get a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells and effects.
- Alter Self (Sp): A fey'ri can cast alter self as a spell like ability at will. The caster level is equal to the fey'ri's HD.
- Racial Skills: Fey'ri gain a +2 racial bonus to Bluff, Perception, and Stealth skills.
- Outsider: Fey'ri are native outsiders.
- Mixed Blood (Ex or Sp): A fey'ri has a number of abilities granted from the sorted blood that flow through their veins. At first level a fey'ri can choose a total of 4 abilites from the list below. A fey'ri can only have one of the abilities marked with an asterisk (*). Each power can be used as described in the list. The caster level is equal to the hit dice of the fey'ri and the DCs for these abilities are Charisma based.
- Charm Person (Sp): 1 per day. If this ability is taken a second time, it can instead be used 1 + (Int, Wis, or Cha modifier) times per day.
- Clairaudiance/Clairvoyance (Sp): 1 per day. Each time this ability is taken, it increases the times per day by 1.
- Damage Reduction 5/magic (Ex)*: This ability can only be taken once.
- Darkness (Sp): 1 per day. If this ability is taken a second time, it can instead be used 1 + (Int, Wis, or Cha modifier) times per day.
- Detect Thoughts (Sp): 1 per day. If this ability is taken a second time, it can instead be used 1 + (Int, Wis, or Cha modifier) times per day.
- Detect Magic (Sp): 1 per day. If this ability is taken a second time, it can instead be used 3 + (Int, Wis, or Cha modifier) times per day.
- Dimension Door (Sp)*: 1 per day. This ability cannot be taken a second time.
- Drow or Elven Weapon Proficiency: This may only be selected once, but acts as the racial trait of either a drow or elf. A fey'ri cannot have both the drow and elven proficiency.
- Enervation (Sp)*: 1 per day. This ability cannot be taken a second time.
- Tainted Blood Sorcery (Ex): Fey'ri sorcerers with the Abyssal, Accursed, Boreal, Draconic, Efreeti, Infernal, Pestilence, Protean, Rakshasa, Shadow, Starsoul, Stormborn, or Undead bloodline can select this trait to treat their Charisma modifier as 2 higher for all sorcerer class abilities.
- Fire Resistance 10 (Ex): This ability cannot be taken a second time.
- Sleep (Sp): 1 per day. If this ability is taken a second time, it can instead be used 1 + (Int, Wis, or Cha modifier) times per day.
- Suggestion (Sp): 1 per day. If this ability is taken a second time, it can instead be used 1 + (Int, Wis, or Cha modifier) times per day.
- +2 save against Electricity (Ex)
- +2 save against Poisons (Ex)
- Languages: A fey'ri begins speaking Common and Elven. Fey'ri with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Abyssal, Aklo, Draconic, Giant, Infernal, or Sylvan.
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