The Second
2012-10-21, 11:40 PM
I'm creating a magic-free pixie race for a game I'd like to run using the D20 modern rules. Essentially, as in the fluff, the pixies have to decide to either try and coexist with mankind or fight to keep humans out of their homes.
Pixies will be the only playable race, so I'd some feedback on whether the race is interesting, unbalanced, or even worthless.
The Origin of the Fey
The Fey existed long before the creation of Man. Their folklore tells of a time of dreams, when magic was abundant and hatred, greed, and envy had yet to darken their hearts.
None yet lives that remembers when the time of dreams ended, some stories tell that it was the coming of Man that drove the Fey apart. Whatever the cause, there now exists three unique races of Fey.
In the early days after the time of dreams, a great conflict arouse between the Brownies and the Fairies, over what role the Fey would play in the development of Man.
The Brownies believed that the Fey should teach Mankind the ways of magic and the ways of nature. They saw Men as children who should be raised with caring and compassion.
The Fairies believed that Man was a blight on the world and sought to destroy Man before he gained dominance.
Caught in the middle were the Pixies, who chose to separate themselves from both their kin and Man. The Pixies isolated themselves in deep forests, where they watched the rest of their kin dwindle due both internal conflict and the rise superstition amongst Men.
With the coming of modern technology, the Pixies now find themselves trapped. Their kin are long forgotten memories, and Man has begun to encroach on their forest sanctuaries. With nowhere to run, the Pixies must make a choice: Embrace the modern world and the humans which control it or fight against change, even to their last breath.
Pixie
Personality
Pixies are shy and reclusive. If not for the encroachment of humans on their homes, they would be happy to remain in their forests.
Pixies love song and dance, and have a long tradition of passing knowledge to the next generation through intricate dances and historical ballads.
Appearance:
Pixies are diminutive creatures who stand no more than six inches tall. Most Pixies are fair skinned. Their hair and eye color can range anywhere from silvery white to midnight black.
Pixies weave their clothing from silk, they tend to prefer loose fitting green or brown tunics. Pixies do not craft shoes, though they do sometimes wear slippers or stockings, especially in climates where winters bring freezing temperatures.
Pixies sport two pairs of gossamer wings from just below their shoulder blades. The wings can be likened to those of a mayfly, when not in use the wings are help perpendicular to the ground. The primary wings are almost as long as the Pixie is tall, the secondary wings are about half of the length of the primary wings.
A pixie takes great care to keep her wings clean, healthy, and out of harms way. A pixie who's wings have been damaged through accident or neglect is a very poor sight to behold.
Relations:
Since the end of the time of dreams, Pixies have had very little contact with humans. When A Pixie and a human meet, it is merely by chance, and quite often, the human never knows that he has encountered anything out of the ordinary.
If a human wanders too close to a Pixie community, the Pixies will gently guide the human away, nearly always without revealing their presence.
Alignment:
Pixies are most often Neutral, those who tend toward Law may choose to become sages, leaders, or keepers of historical knowledge; those who tend toward chaos often find themselves wondering throughout the land, sharing news and gossip with other Pixie communities.
Lands:
Pixies make their communities in deeply wooded temperate forests, far form human civilization. They make their homes in hollowed trees, taking great care to limit to limit the damage they case to their living homes.
Some Pixies are known to take refuge in or under large mushrooms, or in burrows created and abandoned by animals.
Language:
Pixies still speak the language of the Fey, a language consisting of the sounds of nature. Clicks, hums, sighs, and birdsong make up the parts of everyday Pixie speech.
Over the centuries, some Pixies have picked up human speech, mostly due to curiosity, but more recently as a necessity to learn of the movements of the humans who are drawing ever nearer to Pixie lands.
Pixie Racial Traits:
-9 Strength, +9 Dexterity: Due to their Fine size, pixies lack in physical strength, however, they are supremely agile and quick, and are able to perform fantastic areal maneuvers while on the wing.
Fine: As a Fine creature, a pixie occupies 1/2 foot of space and has a reach of 0. He also gains a +8 size bonus to Armor Class, a +8 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +16 size bonus on Hide checks, but he uses smaller weapons than humans use, his lifting and carrying limits are 1/8 of those of a Medium character, and he takes a -16 penalty on grapple checks.
Pixie base land speed is 5 feet.
Pixie base fly speed is 40 feet. A pixie's maneuverability while flying is perfect.
Low-light Vision: A pixie can see twice as far as a human in
starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor
illumination. He retains the ability to distinguish color and detail
under these conditions.
+2 racial bonus on Listen checks: Pixies have keen ears.
Automatic Languages: Fey and the language of the nearest human population.
Pixies will be the only playable race, so I'd some feedback on whether the race is interesting, unbalanced, or even worthless.
The Origin of the Fey
The Fey existed long before the creation of Man. Their folklore tells of a time of dreams, when magic was abundant and hatred, greed, and envy had yet to darken their hearts.
None yet lives that remembers when the time of dreams ended, some stories tell that it was the coming of Man that drove the Fey apart. Whatever the cause, there now exists three unique races of Fey.
In the early days after the time of dreams, a great conflict arouse between the Brownies and the Fairies, over what role the Fey would play in the development of Man.
The Brownies believed that the Fey should teach Mankind the ways of magic and the ways of nature. They saw Men as children who should be raised with caring and compassion.
The Fairies believed that Man was a blight on the world and sought to destroy Man before he gained dominance.
Caught in the middle were the Pixies, who chose to separate themselves from both their kin and Man. The Pixies isolated themselves in deep forests, where they watched the rest of their kin dwindle due both internal conflict and the rise superstition amongst Men.
With the coming of modern technology, the Pixies now find themselves trapped. Their kin are long forgotten memories, and Man has begun to encroach on their forest sanctuaries. With nowhere to run, the Pixies must make a choice: Embrace the modern world and the humans which control it or fight against change, even to their last breath.
Pixie
Personality
Pixies are shy and reclusive. If not for the encroachment of humans on their homes, they would be happy to remain in their forests.
Pixies love song and dance, and have a long tradition of passing knowledge to the next generation through intricate dances and historical ballads.
Appearance:
Pixies are diminutive creatures who stand no more than six inches tall. Most Pixies are fair skinned. Their hair and eye color can range anywhere from silvery white to midnight black.
Pixies weave their clothing from silk, they tend to prefer loose fitting green or brown tunics. Pixies do not craft shoes, though they do sometimes wear slippers or stockings, especially in climates where winters bring freezing temperatures.
Pixies sport two pairs of gossamer wings from just below their shoulder blades. The wings can be likened to those of a mayfly, when not in use the wings are help perpendicular to the ground. The primary wings are almost as long as the Pixie is tall, the secondary wings are about half of the length of the primary wings.
A pixie takes great care to keep her wings clean, healthy, and out of harms way. A pixie who's wings have been damaged through accident or neglect is a very poor sight to behold.
Relations:
Since the end of the time of dreams, Pixies have had very little contact with humans. When A Pixie and a human meet, it is merely by chance, and quite often, the human never knows that he has encountered anything out of the ordinary.
If a human wanders too close to a Pixie community, the Pixies will gently guide the human away, nearly always without revealing their presence.
Alignment:
Pixies are most often Neutral, those who tend toward Law may choose to become sages, leaders, or keepers of historical knowledge; those who tend toward chaos often find themselves wondering throughout the land, sharing news and gossip with other Pixie communities.
Lands:
Pixies make their communities in deeply wooded temperate forests, far form human civilization. They make their homes in hollowed trees, taking great care to limit to limit the damage they case to their living homes.
Some Pixies are known to take refuge in or under large mushrooms, or in burrows created and abandoned by animals.
Language:
Pixies still speak the language of the Fey, a language consisting of the sounds of nature. Clicks, hums, sighs, and birdsong make up the parts of everyday Pixie speech.
Over the centuries, some Pixies have picked up human speech, mostly due to curiosity, but more recently as a necessity to learn of the movements of the humans who are drawing ever nearer to Pixie lands.
Pixie Racial Traits:
-9 Strength, +9 Dexterity: Due to their Fine size, pixies lack in physical strength, however, they are supremely agile and quick, and are able to perform fantastic areal maneuvers while on the wing.
Fine: As a Fine creature, a pixie occupies 1/2 foot of space and has a reach of 0. He also gains a +8 size bonus to Armor Class, a +8 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +16 size bonus on Hide checks, but he uses smaller weapons than humans use, his lifting and carrying limits are 1/8 of those of a Medium character, and he takes a -16 penalty on grapple checks.
Pixie base land speed is 5 feet.
Pixie base fly speed is 40 feet. A pixie's maneuverability while flying is perfect.
Low-light Vision: A pixie can see twice as far as a human in
starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor
illumination. He retains the ability to distinguish color and detail
under these conditions.
+2 racial bonus on Listen checks: Pixies have keen ears.
Automatic Languages: Fey and the language of the nearest human population.