Admiral Squish
2014-05-12, 05:27 PM
Little Folk
http://windling.typepad.com/.a/6a00e54fcf73858834017ee3b178cc970d-pi
Little folk are a mysterious people. They’ve been roaming the world for as long as there have been humans. However, their small size and the aggressive expansion of humankind eventually led them to hide themselves away, often underground, in caves or under mounds. For thousands of years, their existence has been something of an open secret, and the little people have kept to themselves. But in recent years, with the purge in Europe and the colonization of the New World by foreign powers, many little folk communities have come out of hiding, either to help the humans or to fight them.
Personality: Little folk vary in personality widely, depending on type, culture, and personal inclination. There are a few common threads among them, however. Their small size can make them somewhat jumpy or nervous. They demand to be treated with respect and can be dangerous to offend. And finally, they are somewhat… strange, by human standards. Even if they share the same culture as a human, they may have strange taboos or rules to follow, or odd sensibilities. No matter how human they may look, they are a different sort of creature entirely, and those who deal with them would do well to remember that.
Physical Description: Little folk are just that. Tiny humanoid creatures. They range in size widely, depending on their type and area, but they are between one foot and two feet tall, around knee-high to an adult human. Mostly look very close to human, though they may have unusual features, and some may just be completely bizarre to look at. Little folk live about as long as humans, though they may age differently than humans in some cases.
Relations: For ages, the little folk and the humans have been willfully separate neighbors, the two groups living in close proximity, though they only rarely made any sort of close contact. In the chaos of the last few hundred years, increasing numbers of little folk communities have been coming out to their human neighbors more openly, forming stronger bonds and being more closely connected.
Alignment: Little folk are as widely spread as humans on the alignment grid. Some are highly lawful, some are pure chaos, some are compassionate and kind, others cruel and spiteful.
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Little Folk Lands: Little folk live all around the world in many different environments. Many communities are situated underground, either in natural caves or in constructed mounds, but others just live in nature, disappearing from sight when humans get too close. Even with the closer bonds the little folk are forging with their humans neighbors, many communities still remain hidden and secretive, some out of trepidation, other merely by architecture. After all, a human can’t easily fit into a room designed for denizens less than two feet tall. In the new world, little folk are respected and even honored, but in the old world the church actively hunts down little folk communities, prompting many to flee across the sea to the new lands however they can.
Religion: Little folk religion is often similar to their human neighbors’ in many of the superficial aspects, but at its core it’s quite distinct. Many little folk religions center around a mother-goddess figure, a leader of some sort who created all the little people of their various forms. Different groups depict this goddess differently, with different names, different appearances, and different messages for her children.
Language: Little folk are mystically tied together, despite thousands of miles and thousands of years of separation. They all speak a common language, known as Fae, in addition to any languages known from a culture. The language is instinctive to the little folk, and they can speak and understand it as native speakers as soon as their brains are developed enough to speak at all. Almost all little folk learn the languages of the human cultures nearby their homes, even if they never actually make contact with these neighbors.
Names: Little folk have many different naming conventions and ways to identify themselves. Some don’t even have ‘official’ names, simply responding to pseudonyms they’ve picked up over time. It’s believed in some places that little folk have a ‘true name’ they keep secret at all costs, and that to know the true name of one of the little folk had strange effects. Some say it lets the use command the individual, or summon them to your side, others believe that to speak such a name invites their wrath, or deeply offends them.
Adventurers: Little folk adventurers are not hard to find. Before the little folk began to more freely interact with humans, the only ones who left the communities were adventurers of one kind or another. The tradition of becoming an adventurer to better the community is still strong and vibrant, even with the increased intermingling.
+2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, -2 Constitution Little folk are nimble, highly likeable, and surprisingly strong for their size, but their small bodies just can’t take the sort of punishment larger creatures can.
Fey Type: Little folk are fey creatures.
Tiny Size: Little folk are tiny-sized, and as such, they gain a +2 size bonus to their AC, a +2 size bonus on attack rolls, but take a –2 penalty on combat maneuver checks and to their CMD, and gain a +8 size bonus on Stealth checks. Little folk take up a space of 2-1/2 feet by 2-1/2 feet, so up to four can fit into a single square. Little folk have a natural reach of 0 feet, meaning they can't reach into adjacent squares. They must enter an opponent's square to attack it in melee. This provokes an attack of opportunity from the opponent. Since they have no natural reach, they do not threaten the squares around them. Other creatures can move through those squares without provoking attacks of opportunity. Little folk cannot flank an enemy.
Slow Speed: Little folk have a base speed of 20 feet.
Low-Light Vision: Little folk can see twice as far as normal in conditions of low light
Walk Unseen: Little folk are highly secretive and well-practiced at avoiding notice. Little folk can use Stealth in any sort of natural terrain, even if it doesn’t offer cover or concealment.
Might of the Little Folk: Little folk are astoundingly strong for their tiny size. They are treated as large creatures for determining their carrying capacity.
All Kinds of Folks: Little folk are very diverse, and their ways of life can be dramatically different around the world, but they generally fall into one of the following groups.
Earth Folk: Earth folk are little people that are deeply connected to earth, soil, and stone. They are generally knowledgeable about stone and earth and can even disappear into it. Often found in caves, mines, or similar underground dwellings.
Examples:
Knockers are European little folk, and stand, on average, about two feet tall. They essentially look like miniature miners, complete with miniature clothes and, oftentimes, equipment. The knockers generally dwell in mines, current or abandoned. Males are usually the only ones seen, the females remaining deeper in the earth or in unused side-tunnels. The knockers are most famous for their classical ’knock’, a loud, sharp stone-on-stone noise that occurs when they use their Hairline Fractures spell-like ability. They often use this ability to weaken stone for easier tunneling, but the nature of the ability has been known to cause cave-ins. Knockers are sometimes blamed for these, but other times they’re seen as heroes who warn the miners with the sound.
Kobolds are a particularly elusive breed of European earth folk. They are almost never seen in person, instead making their presence known through the use of their dancing lights spell like ability, or using it to distract the humans while they do things around the mine. Kobolds are known to cause cave-ins, accidents, and even foul ore with a poisonous substance recently given the name ‘cobalt rex’. The kobolds can be guilty of the first two, but often it’s out of an interest to drive miners away from ore veins already corrupted by the substance. Generally they don’t mind humans, and are content to mine separately as long as they do not interfere with each other.
Ohdows are a new world little folk. They don’t dwell in mines, rather, they live deep in natural cave systems. They resemble well-formed but very small natives, just shy of two feet tall, and they perform an invaluable service to the people above. There are many creatures in the deep earth that must remain there or they would do terrible damage to the world above, and the ohdows believe it their job to ensure that these monsters remain below. The ohdows fight hard to ensure this happens, valiantly standing their ground against the most fearsome creatures of the deep underground, despite their small size, wielding deadly crystal-tipped arrows.
Spell-Like Abilities: Earth folk can use the following spell-like abilities at will: Dancing Lights, Hairline Fractures
Stonecunning: Earth folk gain a +2 bonus to perception checks to notice unusual stonework, such as traps and hidden doors in stone walls or floors. They receive a check to notice such features whenever they pass within 10 feet of them, whether or not they are actively looking.
Tremorsense: Earth folk can pinpoint the location of any creature within 30 feet that is touching the ground or any other solid surface they’re in contact with.
Meld into Stone: Earth folk can hide inside stone surfaces, as with the spell meld into stone. They can remain in stone in this way for up to 10 minutes per level per day, divided up as they choose.
Healer Folk: Healer folk are almost exclusively New World little folk. They are renowned for being great healers, medicine men, and teachers, and will often teach young humans the healing arts and the nature of various plants and herbs. Sometimes, they can even be asked to heal the sick or injured directly.
Examples:
Geow-lud-mo-sis-eg are child-like little folk. They stand about eighteen inches tall and are known to be exceptional healers and doctors. The Natives have always known how to call on them for aid, by leaving an offering of food and tobacco at the door of the sick or injured one. The healers usually come in a group during the night, one healer accompanied by a handful of students. It was once forbidden to look upon the healers as they came to work, but in recent years the taboos have relaxed somewhat, and in some areas the healers may even openly speak with the tribe’s shaman or medicine man to consult about the patient’s condition.
Bopoli are highly secretive healer folk who live in the wilderness in small tribal groups. They avoid human contact as much as possible, subsisting off berries and the occasional bit of small game. When humans are nearby, they’re known to throw pebbles or pinecones to distract them with noises. Most tribes have a representative, known as Kowi Anukasha, who will meet with select humans from nearby tribes, usually shamans, medicine men, and spiritual leaders. The Kowi Anukasha will often share their knowledge of herbs and medicine with these humans, or even help them to prepare medicines of particular importance. Sometimes, the tribe will ‘kidnap’ a human child wandering in the woods and train him in the art of medicine and healing for three days before returning him to his tribe, to let him grow into a great healer.
Spell-Like Abilities: Healer folk can use the following spell-like abilities at will: Detect Poison, Diagnose Disease
Nature Healing: Healer folk gain a +2 racial bonus to Heal checks, Heal is always a class skill for them, and they can give long term care and treat deadly wounds without any supplies, as long as they are in a natural environment.
Greatberry: Healer folk can empower a fresh berry or fruit with great healing power and nutrition a number of times per day equal to their level, transforming it into a greatberry. A greatberry heals the eater 2 HP and is as filling and nourishing as a full day’s rations, regardless of the size of the creature. A greatberry is only usable for one hour after being picked.
Helper Folk: Helper folk are little folk who live with humans or near them, and help their neighbors with everyday tasks in exchange for food and gifts. Helper folk do chores around the house or the farm, and sometimes can serve as guardians as well.
Examples:
Brownies are some of the most common helper folk in europe. They stand a bit more than a foot tall, and resemble miniature humans. They live inside the houses of humans, feeding on gifts left by the families and cobbling clothes out of discarded bits of fabric or garments. Brownies often see themselves as part of the family, even if the family never sees them, and they expect to be treated as a member of the family. They do their fair share of the chores, dusting, cleaning, and sometimes even washing dishes or clothes, and they get their fair share of the family’s food. If their gifts are referred to as payments, they may feel they are being treated as servants, and move on to a new family where their help will be more appreciated. If their family simply stops leaving gifts, the brownies may cause trouble, stop cleaning, or even start breaking or soiling things around the hose to show their displeasure.
Kiwolatomuhsisok are new world little folk who live in small groups near human settlements, usually two to four families of 16-inch humanoids. Different members of the tribe will leave offerings of food, leather, pottery, or other gifts for the little folk. The little folk will then take the offerings and offer their help with chores around the village, sometimes harvesting the food from the gardens, cleaning, or mending. They make a sport of sneaking through the village playing tricks in the night, but these are harmless, generally good-natured pranks, like braiding a horse’s mane or tail, tying things together, or rearranging things in a house. The one leaving the most clever or entertaining prank being declared the winner. This sport keeps the little people’s skills of stealth and silence sharp. Kiwolatomuhsisok are very fond of children and will sometimes help spontaneously if they see a family takes good care of their children.
Alux’ob are a mesoamerican type of little folk, which resemble mayan people eighteen inches tall, who make their own miniature versions of traditional clothes. They live in miniature villages out in remote natural places like forests and caves. A farmer can call for an alux by building a tiny house next to their fields for them to dwell in. An alux will move into the little house and live there for seven years, helping grow the crops, patrol the fields, and whistling to scare off predators and thieves in exchange for a portion of the yield. During the off season, the alux will return home village with their share of the yield to feed the alux’ob villagers before returning to the field as the growing season comes again. After seven years, the alux will depart back to their home village and family for good, sometimes playing tricks as they leave, depending on how they were treated.
Spell-Like Abilities: Helper folk can use the following spell-like abilities at will: Prestidigitation, Unseen Servant
Hidey-hole: Helper folk can use their Walk Unseen ability in urban or man-made terrain as well.
Eavesdropper: Helper folk are well-informed about the goings-on around their homes. Knowledge (Local) is always a class skill for them, and they gain a +2 bonus on perception checks to hear conversations or speech.
Guardian: Helper folk often serve as protectors as well as caretakers. They gain a +1 bonus to caster level when casting abjuration spells. Helper folk can ward an area and place it under their protection at will, as with an alarm spell set to mentally alert them. The effect lasts as long as the helper folk remains within the area.
Maker Folk: Maker folk are little folk who build, craft, or create things. Some create humble crafts, like shoes or tools, others create masterful magical items, or monuments of amazing beauty and durability. They can oftentimes complete even the largest projects in the span of a single day.
Examples:
Yunwi Tsunsdi are little folk who live in small caves in the mound. The resemble handsome natives, only about 20 inches tall, with extremely long hair that almost reaches the ground. They are masterful crafters who create beautiful pottery, stone carvings, and woodworks, and even magical tools and weapons on occasion. Each major creation inspires a celebration among them, and their drums and music can be heard from some distance away, echoing through the mountains. In olden times, they would strike those who came looking for the source of the sound with bewildering magic, but in recent years they have begun to actively trade with the humans around their settlements.
Leprechauns are some of the tallest little folk, around two feet tall. They wear red jackets with many buttons, and usually bear full beards and one of a variety of unusual hats. In truth, the number of buttons in each row and the number of rows varies depending on the leprechauns skill and renown, from four rows of four up to seven rows of seven. These are only a select few craftsmen of the leprechaun people who are sent out to make money for the community as a whole. The hidden communities reside under mounds of earth.
Menehune are Hawaiian little folk, about 18 inches tall, with strong, thick builds, both males and females. They don’t usually wear clothes, but their very long, straight hair keeps them warm and covers them. They are builders beyond compare, and can build walls, shrines, and other enormous structures in a single day. They create amazing stonework, intricately detailed and masterfully aligned.
Spell-Like Abilities: Maker folk can use the following spell-like abilities at will: Mending, Identify
Swift Craftsman: Maker folk gain a +2 bonus to all Craft or Profession checks made to create or build something. Once per month, when crafting, enchanting, or building something, the maker folk can attempt to finish it in a single day, by working for 24 hours straight. The maker folk cannot be interrupted or pause in their labors during this time or the attempt is wasted. If the maker folk succeeds on the attempt, the project is finished at the end of the 24 hour period. After such an attempt, the maker folk is exhausted for 24 hours, whether or not they were successful. The maker folk cannot create an object or structure larger than Large size using this ability.
Trickster Folk: Trickster folk adore mischief and troublemaking, and are quite talented at it. Sometimes, they’re harmless pranks played for amusement. Other times, they’re cruel, and even dangerous. Trickster folk are usually harmless or at least tolerable, but if attacked, things can spiral quickly out of control.
Examples:
Goblins are european tricksters. Standing about 18 inches, the goblins are gray-skinned little folk who drape themselves in rags and clothes stolen from children. They play all sorts of tricks and pranks on the humans they come across, enjoying nothing more than the sight of a giant being outwitted. They often travel in family groups, stealing or gathering food wherever they can get it. Some humans find the goblins’ pranks tiresome and infuriating, while others quite enjoy them. When attacked, the pranks can quickly scale from ‘annoying’ to ‘painful’ and even up to ‘dangerous’ if attacks persist.
Gremlins are another breed of European tricksters, an offshoot of goblins, with slightly lankier frames and lighter grey skin. Gremlins enjoy breaking things. And they do. The more complicated, advanced, or sturdy, the more fun they have destroying it. They adore clockworks and mechanical devices in particular. They are much less common than goblins, if only because they have a tendency to stick around somewhere nearby to watch the device fail when one attempts to use it, which is very rarely a good survival strategy.
Mannegishi are strange-looking new world little folk. They are about a foot and a half tall, with large heads and eyes, slender limbs, and six slender fingers or toes on each limb. They make villages in the reeds on river shores, and will fish from the rocks rising from the river for their meals. When humans come too close to their fishing spots or their homes, they may lash out, cracking or capsizing canoes, or sending them spinning in the current, which can be very dangerous if there are rapids nearby.
Spell-Like Abilities: Trickster folk can use the following spell-like abilities at will: Prestidigitation, Vanish (self only)
Touch of Mischief: Trickster folk can break things with just a touch. Trickster folk can touch a medium or smaller object as a standard action to break it, as with the Break Spell, but the DC is (10 + ½ level + charisma modifier).
Tricky Fingers: Trickster Folk gain a +2 bonus to Disable Device and Escape Artist checks, and Escape Artist is always a class skill for them.
Warrior Folk: Warrior folk are another new world sort of little folk. Fierce warriors, they can be dangerous enemies or helpful friends for a tribe to have. Trespassing into their territory can be extremely dangerous, and some types are known to hunt and eat humans.
Examples:
Awwakkule are the traditional example of the little folk. They are strange creatures, with large bellies and heads, and short but strong limbs, standing about 18 inches tall. They have sharp teeth and are almost entirely carnivorous. They are fearsome warriors, and their lands are distinctly separate from the humans they live near. The two groups maintain a tenuous peace, as long as the humans don’t intrude on their land and offer the appropriate gifts and respect to the little folk. Those who don’t, learn why these truce is so important to the humans.
Nunnehi are a more benevolent kind of warrior folk that dwell beneath the green mountains. They resemble handsome natives only 20 inches tall. They appear more frequently to the humans near their homes, and maintain friendly relations. When called upon, they will even fight beside the humans in times of need, using their surprisingly powerful little bows and even putting poisons to good use. The nunnehi are one of the little folk groups who have come out of the mound more openly, formally allying with their human neighbors and walking freely among them in some villages.
Hecesiiteihii are a cruel sort of little people, known as cannibal dwarves. They are a little less than a foot and a half tall, resembling natives with darker skin tones and sharp teeth. They are a warrior people, believing that the only way for them to reach their good afterlife is to die in combat. They are aggressively territorial and any human who strays too close to their homes is fair game. They use poisoned arrows in hunting and battle, and are known to eat the humans they kill. They are usually spotted when carrying their kills back to their homes to feed those who don’t hunt, their women and children.
Spell-Like Abilities: Warrior folk can use the following spell-like abilities at will: Longshot, Gravity Bow
Poison Use: Warrior folk are skilled with poison, and never risk accidentally poisoning themselves when applying it to weapons.
Giant-Fighter: Warrior folk gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC against creatures of medium or larger size, as they are trained to fight such foes.
Water Folk: Water folk are some of the most alien of the little people, born to watery environments. They aren’t as human as many other kinds of little folk, sometimes with strange skin or inhuman features.
Examples:
Grindylows are the most common european water folk. They are a somewhat dangerous sort, who dwell in swamps, lakes, and ponds, any area of fresh, still water. About 18 inches tall when standing, they have smooth, wet, green or blue skin, like a frog or a salamander, and long, gangly arms with long, webbed fingers. Grindylows are known to grab children from the shores of their waters and pull them in to play with them, using their touch of the sea spell-like ability to let the child swim freely with them. However, the spell can run out suddenly and it doesn’t allow them to breathe the water like the grindylows. Many young grindylows have difficulty understanding the concept of not being able to swim, or not being able to breathe the water, which leads to many tragic accidents and has led to their unpleasant reputation.
Paakniwat are a new world sort of water folk, reptilian humanoids standing a little shy of 16 inches. They have fine scales, like a fish, and webbed feet and hands. They are not pleasant creatures. They live in small villages in lakes and ponds, but their hunters spread out along rivers and streams until they come across suitable prey, which includes humans. When they find some, they use their ghost sound spell-like ability to imitate the sounds of a baby of whatever creature they target in distress, located in some reeds or somewhere similarly shielded from view. Then, when the target investigates, they pounce, attacking with poisoned arrows or a well-placed club. If they win, they’ll float the corpse back toward home, dragging it along from under the surface.
Spell-Like Abilities: Water folk can use the following spell-like abilities at will: Ghost Sound, Touch of the Sea
Waterborne: Water folk are creatures of the water. They can breathe water just as easily as air, and have a swim speed of 30 feet. As creatures with a swim speed, they have a +8 racial bonus to swim checks to perform a special action or avoid a hazard and can take 10 on swim checks, even when rushed or threatened.
Wild Folk: Wild folk live in the wild places of the world, separate but parallel to the human societies around them. Despite the challenges put forth by their size, they thrive wherever they can, though they have a notable history of trouble with geese and cranes.
Examples:
Ishigaq are little folk of the north, who roam through the pine forests and the tundra. They stand little more than a foot tall, but otherwise look much like inuit. They live by hunting small mammals and birds, and their footsteps are so light they leave no footprints in the snow. Over long distances, they sometimes ride tiny sleds pulled by arctic hares, which the Ishigaq treat much like horses.
Pygmies are little folk of the equatorial regions of the world, all across Eurasia and Africa. They stand a bit shy of a foot and a half, and they have dark olive skin tones. These little folk have been locked in a violent struggle against a certain species of migratory cranes. The cranes nest near the pygmy settlements, which they regard as little more than a convenient place to snack while they raise their young. Their sharp eyes, tall bodies, wicked beaks and ability to fly make them very dangerous foes. In retaliation, the pygmies mount goats and ride to the nesting regions where they slaughter the chicks and crack the eggs, in the hopes of not having to face them when they grow.
Tsivdigewi are little folk of the new world, about 14 inches in height, and resembling miniature natives with very long hair. They live on shorelines, under basket-like domes of sticks and strips of wood, with a number of the branches sticking straight out from the edge. They plant these houses in the sand, and dig out a pit in the center for sleeping. The dome has no doors or windows, though the branches are far enough apart that they can generally see what’s going on outside it. This is a defensive measure against the flocks of geese and cranes that come each year and terrorize the little folk. When it’s safe to move, they pull the house out of the sand, flip it over, and drag it behind them, putting all their belongings inside it. Normally, they simply hide from the birds with their baskets, but in recent years bands have begun to arm themselves with spears and clubs, hoping to make themselves too dangerous for the geese to devour.
Little people who live out in the wilderness in parallel to man. They generally have no strong feelings regarding them, other than that they make good trading partners from time to time. Many have had long-standing wars with geese, swans, and cranes.
Spell-Like Abilities: Wild folk can use the following spell-like abilities at will: Know Direction, Endure Elements (self only)
Wild Step: Wild folk can walk freely in their wild areas. In natural environments, they can ignore the negative movement effects of difficult terrain, and leave no tracks or scent trail. This does not apply to terrain that has been magically manipulated, or terrain on the spirit world, and it does not prevent them from suffering the effects of moving through some hazards, such as damage from thorns or the effects of poison ivy.
Wild Heart: Wild folk gain a +2 bonus to Handle Animal and Survival checks.
Bonus Language: All little folk speak Fae as native speakers, in addition to any languages gained from cultures they possess.
http://windling.typepad.com/.a/6a00e54fcf73858834017ee3b178cc970d-pi
Little folk are a mysterious people. They’ve been roaming the world for as long as there have been humans. However, their small size and the aggressive expansion of humankind eventually led them to hide themselves away, often underground, in caves or under mounds. For thousands of years, their existence has been something of an open secret, and the little people have kept to themselves. But in recent years, with the purge in Europe and the colonization of the New World by foreign powers, many little folk communities have come out of hiding, either to help the humans or to fight them.
Personality: Little folk vary in personality widely, depending on type, culture, and personal inclination. There are a few common threads among them, however. Their small size can make them somewhat jumpy or nervous. They demand to be treated with respect and can be dangerous to offend. And finally, they are somewhat… strange, by human standards. Even if they share the same culture as a human, they may have strange taboos or rules to follow, or odd sensibilities. No matter how human they may look, they are a different sort of creature entirely, and those who deal with them would do well to remember that.
Physical Description: Little folk are just that. Tiny humanoid creatures. They range in size widely, depending on their type and area, but they are between one foot and two feet tall, around knee-high to an adult human. Mostly look very close to human, though they may have unusual features, and some may just be completely bizarre to look at. Little folk live about as long as humans, though they may age differently than humans in some cases.
Relations: For ages, the little folk and the humans have been willfully separate neighbors, the two groups living in close proximity, though they only rarely made any sort of close contact. In the chaos of the last few hundred years, increasing numbers of little folk communities have been coming out to their human neighbors more openly, forming stronger bonds and being more closely connected.
Alignment: Little folk are as widely spread as humans on the alignment grid. Some are highly lawful, some are pure chaos, some are compassionate and kind, others cruel and spiteful.
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Little Folk Lands: Little folk live all around the world in many different environments. Many communities are situated underground, either in natural caves or in constructed mounds, but others just live in nature, disappearing from sight when humans get too close. Even with the closer bonds the little folk are forging with their humans neighbors, many communities still remain hidden and secretive, some out of trepidation, other merely by architecture. After all, a human can’t easily fit into a room designed for denizens less than two feet tall. In the new world, little folk are respected and even honored, but in the old world the church actively hunts down little folk communities, prompting many to flee across the sea to the new lands however they can.
Religion: Little folk religion is often similar to their human neighbors’ in many of the superficial aspects, but at its core it’s quite distinct. Many little folk religions center around a mother-goddess figure, a leader of some sort who created all the little people of their various forms. Different groups depict this goddess differently, with different names, different appearances, and different messages for her children.
Language: Little folk are mystically tied together, despite thousands of miles and thousands of years of separation. They all speak a common language, known as Fae, in addition to any languages known from a culture. The language is instinctive to the little folk, and they can speak and understand it as native speakers as soon as their brains are developed enough to speak at all. Almost all little folk learn the languages of the human cultures nearby their homes, even if they never actually make contact with these neighbors.
Names: Little folk have many different naming conventions and ways to identify themselves. Some don’t even have ‘official’ names, simply responding to pseudonyms they’ve picked up over time. It’s believed in some places that little folk have a ‘true name’ they keep secret at all costs, and that to know the true name of one of the little folk had strange effects. Some say it lets the use command the individual, or summon them to your side, others believe that to speak such a name invites their wrath, or deeply offends them.
Adventurers: Little folk adventurers are not hard to find. Before the little folk began to more freely interact with humans, the only ones who left the communities were adventurers of one kind or another. The tradition of becoming an adventurer to better the community is still strong and vibrant, even with the increased intermingling.
+2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, -2 Constitution Little folk are nimble, highly likeable, and surprisingly strong for their size, but their small bodies just can’t take the sort of punishment larger creatures can.
Fey Type: Little folk are fey creatures.
Tiny Size: Little folk are tiny-sized, and as such, they gain a +2 size bonus to their AC, a +2 size bonus on attack rolls, but take a –2 penalty on combat maneuver checks and to their CMD, and gain a +8 size bonus on Stealth checks. Little folk take up a space of 2-1/2 feet by 2-1/2 feet, so up to four can fit into a single square. Little folk have a natural reach of 0 feet, meaning they can't reach into adjacent squares. They must enter an opponent's square to attack it in melee. This provokes an attack of opportunity from the opponent. Since they have no natural reach, they do not threaten the squares around them. Other creatures can move through those squares without provoking attacks of opportunity. Little folk cannot flank an enemy.
Slow Speed: Little folk have a base speed of 20 feet.
Low-Light Vision: Little folk can see twice as far as normal in conditions of low light
Walk Unseen: Little folk are highly secretive and well-practiced at avoiding notice. Little folk can use Stealth in any sort of natural terrain, even if it doesn’t offer cover or concealment.
Might of the Little Folk: Little folk are astoundingly strong for their tiny size. They are treated as large creatures for determining their carrying capacity.
All Kinds of Folks: Little folk are very diverse, and their ways of life can be dramatically different around the world, but they generally fall into one of the following groups.
Earth Folk: Earth folk are little people that are deeply connected to earth, soil, and stone. They are generally knowledgeable about stone and earth and can even disappear into it. Often found in caves, mines, or similar underground dwellings.
Examples:
Knockers are European little folk, and stand, on average, about two feet tall. They essentially look like miniature miners, complete with miniature clothes and, oftentimes, equipment. The knockers generally dwell in mines, current or abandoned. Males are usually the only ones seen, the females remaining deeper in the earth or in unused side-tunnels. The knockers are most famous for their classical ’knock’, a loud, sharp stone-on-stone noise that occurs when they use their Hairline Fractures spell-like ability. They often use this ability to weaken stone for easier tunneling, but the nature of the ability has been known to cause cave-ins. Knockers are sometimes blamed for these, but other times they’re seen as heroes who warn the miners with the sound.
Kobolds are a particularly elusive breed of European earth folk. They are almost never seen in person, instead making their presence known through the use of their dancing lights spell like ability, or using it to distract the humans while they do things around the mine. Kobolds are known to cause cave-ins, accidents, and even foul ore with a poisonous substance recently given the name ‘cobalt rex’. The kobolds can be guilty of the first two, but often it’s out of an interest to drive miners away from ore veins already corrupted by the substance. Generally they don’t mind humans, and are content to mine separately as long as they do not interfere with each other.
Ohdows are a new world little folk. They don’t dwell in mines, rather, they live deep in natural cave systems. They resemble well-formed but very small natives, just shy of two feet tall, and they perform an invaluable service to the people above. There are many creatures in the deep earth that must remain there or they would do terrible damage to the world above, and the ohdows believe it their job to ensure that these monsters remain below. The ohdows fight hard to ensure this happens, valiantly standing their ground against the most fearsome creatures of the deep underground, despite their small size, wielding deadly crystal-tipped arrows.
Spell-Like Abilities: Earth folk can use the following spell-like abilities at will: Dancing Lights, Hairline Fractures
Stonecunning: Earth folk gain a +2 bonus to perception checks to notice unusual stonework, such as traps and hidden doors in stone walls or floors. They receive a check to notice such features whenever they pass within 10 feet of them, whether or not they are actively looking.
Tremorsense: Earth folk can pinpoint the location of any creature within 30 feet that is touching the ground or any other solid surface they’re in contact with.
Meld into Stone: Earth folk can hide inside stone surfaces, as with the spell meld into stone. They can remain in stone in this way for up to 10 minutes per level per day, divided up as they choose.
Healer Folk: Healer folk are almost exclusively New World little folk. They are renowned for being great healers, medicine men, and teachers, and will often teach young humans the healing arts and the nature of various plants and herbs. Sometimes, they can even be asked to heal the sick or injured directly.
Examples:
Geow-lud-mo-sis-eg are child-like little folk. They stand about eighteen inches tall and are known to be exceptional healers and doctors. The Natives have always known how to call on them for aid, by leaving an offering of food and tobacco at the door of the sick or injured one. The healers usually come in a group during the night, one healer accompanied by a handful of students. It was once forbidden to look upon the healers as they came to work, but in recent years the taboos have relaxed somewhat, and in some areas the healers may even openly speak with the tribe’s shaman or medicine man to consult about the patient’s condition.
Bopoli are highly secretive healer folk who live in the wilderness in small tribal groups. They avoid human contact as much as possible, subsisting off berries and the occasional bit of small game. When humans are nearby, they’re known to throw pebbles or pinecones to distract them with noises. Most tribes have a representative, known as Kowi Anukasha, who will meet with select humans from nearby tribes, usually shamans, medicine men, and spiritual leaders. The Kowi Anukasha will often share their knowledge of herbs and medicine with these humans, or even help them to prepare medicines of particular importance. Sometimes, the tribe will ‘kidnap’ a human child wandering in the woods and train him in the art of medicine and healing for three days before returning him to his tribe, to let him grow into a great healer.
Spell-Like Abilities: Healer folk can use the following spell-like abilities at will: Detect Poison, Diagnose Disease
Nature Healing: Healer folk gain a +2 racial bonus to Heal checks, Heal is always a class skill for them, and they can give long term care and treat deadly wounds without any supplies, as long as they are in a natural environment.
Greatberry: Healer folk can empower a fresh berry or fruit with great healing power and nutrition a number of times per day equal to their level, transforming it into a greatberry. A greatberry heals the eater 2 HP and is as filling and nourishing as a full day’s rations, regardless of the size of the creature. A greatberry is only usable for one hour after being picked.
Helper Folk: Helper folk are little folk who live with humans or near them, and help their neighbors with everyday tasks in exchange for food and gifts. Helper folk do chores around the house or the farm, and sometimes can serve as guardians as well.
Examples:
Brownies are some of the most common helper folk in europe. They stand a bit more than a foot tall, and resemble miniature humans. They live inside the houses of humans, feeding on gifts left by the families and cobbling clothes out of discarded bits of fabric or garments. Brownies often see themselves as part of the family, even if the family never sees them, and they expect to be treated as a member of the family. They do their fair share of the chores, dusting, cleaning, and sometimes even washing dishes or clothes, and they get their fair share of the family’s food. If their gifts are referred to as payments, they may feel they are being treated as servants, and move on to a new family where their help will be more appreciated. If their family simply stops leaving gifts, the brownies may cause trouble, stop cleaning, or even start breaking or soiling things around the hose to show their displeasure.
Kiwolatomuhsisok are new world little folk who live in small groups near human settlements, usually two to four families of 16-inch humanoids. Different members of the tribe will leave offerings of food, leather, pottery, or other gifts for the little folk. The little folk will then take the offerings and offer their help with chores around the village, sometimes harvesting the food from the gardens, cleaning, or mending. They make a sport of sneaking through the village playing tricks in the night, but these are harmless, generally good-natured pranks, like braiding a horse’s mane or tail, tying things together, or rearranging things in a house. The one leaving the most clever or entertaining prank being declared the winner. This sport keeps the little people’s skills of stealth and silence sharp. Kiwolatomuhsisok are very fond of children and will sometimes help spontaneously if they see a family takes good care of their children.
Alux’ob are a mesoamerican type of little folk, which resemble mayan people eighteen inches tall, who make their own miniature versions of traditional clothes. They live in miniature villages out in remote natural places like forests and caves. A farmer can call for an alux by building a tiny house next to their fields for them to dwell in. An alux will move into the little house and live there for seven years, helping grow the crops, patrol the fields, and whistling to scare off predators and thieves in exchange for a portion of the yield. During the off season, the alux will return home village with their share of the yield to feed the alux’ob villagers before returning to the field as the growing season comes again. After seven years, the alux will depart back to their home village and family for good, sometimes playing tricks as they leave, depending on how they were treated.
Spell-Like Abilities: Helper folk can use the following spell-like abilities at will: Prestidigitation, Unseen Servant
Hidey-hole: Helper folk can use their Walk Unseen ability in urban or man-made terrain as well.
Eavesdropper: Helper folk are well-informed about the goings-on around their homes. Knowledge (Local) is always a class skill for them, and they gain a +2 bonus on perception checks to hear conversations or speech.
Guardian: Helper folk often serve as protectors as well as caretakers. They gain a +1 bonus to caster level when casting abjuration spells. Helper folk can ward an area and place it under their protection at will, as with an alarm spell set to mentally alert them. The effect lasts as long as the helper folk remains within the area.
Maker Folk: Maker folk are little folk who build, craft, or create things. Some create humble crafts, like shoes or tools, others create masterful magical items, or monuments of amazing beauty and durability. They can oftentimes complete even the largest projects in the span of a single day.
Examples:
Yunwi Tsunsdi are little folk who live in small caves in the mound. The resemble handsome natives, only about 20 inches tall, with extremely long hair that almost reaches the ground. They are masterful crafters who create beautiful pottery, stone carvings, and woodworks, and even magical tools and weapons on occasion. Each major creation inspires a celebration among them, and their drums and music can be heard from some distance away, echoing through the mountains. In olden times, they would strike those who came looking for the source of the sound with bewildering magic, but in recent years they have begun to actively trade with the humans around their settlements.
Leprechauns are some of the tallest little folk, around two feet tall. They wear red jackets with many buttons, and usually bear full beards and one of a variety of unusual hats. In truth, the number of buttons in each row and the number of rows varies depending on the leprechauns skill and renown, from four rows of four up to seven rows of seven. These are only a select few craftsmen of the leprechaun people who are sent out to make money for the community as a whole. The hidden communities reside under mounds of earth.
Menehune are Hawaiian little folk, about 18 inches tall, with strong, thick builds, both males and females. They don’t usually wear clothes, but their very long, straight hair keeps them warm and covers them. They are builders beyond compare, and can build walls, shrines, and other enormous structures in a single day. They create amazing stonework, intricately detailed and masterfully aligned.
Spell-Like Abilities: Maker folk can use the following spell-like abilities at will: Mending, Identify
Swift Craftsman: Maker folk gain a +2 bonus to all Craft or Profession checks made to create or build something. Once per month, when crafting, enchanting, or building something, the maker folk can attempt to finish it in a single day, by working for 24 hours straight. The maker folk cannot be interrupted or pause in their labors during this time or the attempt is wasted. If the maker folk succeeds on the attempt, the project is finished at the end of the 24 hour period. After such an attempt, the maker folk is exhausted for 24 hours, whether or not they were successful. The maker folk cannot create an object or structure larger than Large size using this ability.
Trickster Folk: Trickster folk adore mischief and troublemaking, and are quite talented at it. Sometimes, they’re harmless pranks played for amusement. Other times, they’re cruel, and even dangerous. Trickster folk are usually harmless or at least tolerable, but if attacked, things can spiral quickly out of control.
Examples:
Goblins are european tricksters. Standing about 18 inches, the goblins are gray-skinned little folk who drape themselves in rags and clothes stolen from children. They play all sorts of tricks and pranks on the humans they come across, enjoying nothing more than the sight of a giant being outwitted. They often travel in family groups, stealing or gathering food wherever they can get it. Some humans find the goblins’ pranks tiresome and infuriating, while others quite enjoy them. When attacked, the pranks can quickly scale from ‘annoying’ to ‘painful’ and even up to ‘dangerous’ if attacks persist.
Gremlins are another breed of European tricksters, an offshoot of goblins, with slightly lankier frames and lighter grey skin. Gremlins enjoy breaking things. And they do. The more complicated, advanced, or sturdy, the more fun they have destroying it. They adore clockworks and mechanical devices in particular. They are much less common than goblins, if only because they have a tendency to stick around somewhere nearby to watch the device fail when one attempts to use it, which is very rarely a good survival strategy.
Mannegishi are strange-looking new world little folk. They are about a foot and a half tall, with large heads and eyes, slender limbs, and six slender fingers or toes on each limb. They make villages in the reeds on river shores, and will fish from the rocks rising from the river for their meals. When humans come too close to their fishing spots or their homes, they may lash out, cracking or capsizing canoes, or sending them spinning in the current, which can be very dangerous if there are rapids nearby.
Spell-Like Abilities: Trickster folk can use the following spell-like abilities at will: Prestidigitation, Vanish (self only)
Touch of Mischief: Trickster folk can break things with just a touch. Trickster folk can touch a medium or smaller object as a standard action to break it, as with the Break Spell, but the DC is (10 + ½ level + charisma modifier).
Tricky Fingers: Trickster Folk gain a +2 bonus to Disable Device and Escape Artist checks, and Escape Artist is always a class skill for them.
Warrior Folk: Warrior folk are another new world sort of little folk. Fierce warriors, they can be dangerous enemies or helpful friends for a tribe to have. Trespassing into their territory can be extremely dangerous, and some types are known to hunt and eat humans.
Examples:
Awwakkule are the traditional example of the little folk. They are strange creatures, with large bellies and heads, and short but strong limbs, standing about 18 inches tall. They have sharp teeth and are almost entirely carnivorous. They are fearsome warriors, and their lands are distinctly separate from the humans they live near. The two groups maintain a tenuous peace, as long as the humans don’t intrude on their land and offer the appropriate gifts and respect to the little folk. Those who don’t, learn why these truce is so important to the humans.
Nunnehi are a more benevolent kind of warrior folk that dwell beneath the green mountains. They resemble handsome natives only 20 inches tall. They appear more frequently to the humans near their homes, and maintain friendly relations. When called upon, they will even fight beside the humans in times of need, using their surprisingly powerful little bows and even putting poisons to good use. The nunnehi are one of the little folk groups who have come out of the mound more openly, formally allying with their human neighbors and walking freely among them in some villages.
Hecesiiteihii are a cruel sort of little people, known as cannibal dwarves. They are a little less than a foot and a half tall, resembling natives with darker skin tones and sharp teeth. They are a warrior people, believing that the only way for them to reach their good afterlife is to die in combat. They are aggressively territorial and any human who strays too close to their homes is fair game. They use poisoned arrows in hunting and battle, and are known to eat the humans they kill. They are usually spotted when carrying their kills back to their homes to feed those who don’t hunt, their women and children.
Spell-Like Abilities: Warrior folk can use the following spell-like abilities at will: Longshot, Gravity Bow
Poison Use: Warrior folk are skilled with poison, and never risk accidentally poisoning themselves when applying it to weapons.
Giant-Fighter: Warrior folk gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC against creatures of medium or larger size, as they are trained to fight such foes.
Water Folk: Water folk are some of the most alien of the little people, born to watery environments. They aren’t as human as many other kinds of little folk, sometimes with strange skin or inhuman features.
Examples:
Grindylows are the most common european water folk. They are a somewhat dangerous sort, who dwell in swamps, lakes, and ponds, any area of fresh, still water. About 18 inches tall when standing, they have smooth, wet, green or blue skin, like a frog or a salamander, and long, gangly arms with long, webbed fingers. Grindylows are known to grab children from the shores of their waters and pull them in to play with them, using their touch of the sea spell-like ability to let the child swim freely with them. However, the spell can run out suddenly and it doesn’t allow them to breathe the water like the grindylows. Many young grindylows have difficulty understanding the concept of not being able to swim, or not being able to breathe the water, which leads to many tragic accidents and has led to their unpleasant reputation.
Paakniwat are a new world sort of water folk, reptilian humanoids standing a little shy of 16 inches. They have fine scales, like a fish, and webbed feet and hands. They are not pleasant creatures. They live in small villages in lakes and ponds, but their hunters spread out along rivers and streams until they come across suitable prey, which includes humans. When they find some, they use their ghost sound spell-like ability to imitate the sounds of a baby of whatever creature they target in distress, located in some reeds or somewhere similarly shielded from view. Then, when the target investigates, they pounce, attacking with poisoned arrows or a well-placed club. If they win, they’ll float the corpse back toward home, dragging it along from under the surface.
Spell-Like Abilities: Water folk can use the following spell-like abilities at will: Ghost Sound, Touch of the Sea
Waterborne: Water folk are creatures of the water. They can breathe water just as easily as air, and have a swim speed of 30 feet. As creatures with a swim speed, they have a +8 racial bonus to swim checks to perform a special action or avoid a hazard and can take 10 on swim checks, even when rushed or threatened.
Wild Folk: Wild folk live in the wild places of the world, separate but parallel to the human societies around them. Despite the challenges put forth by their size, they thrive wherever they can, though they have a notable history of trouble with geese and cranes.
Examples:
Ishigaq are little folk of the north, who roam through the pine forests and the tundra. They stand little more than a foot tall, but otherwise look much like inuit. They live by hunting small mammals and birds, and their footsteps are so light they leave no footprints in the snow. Over long distances, they sometimes ride tiny sleds pulled by arctic hares, which the Ishigaq treat much like horses.
Pygmies are little folk of the equatorial regions of the world, all across Eurasia and Africa. They stand a bit shy of a foot and a half, and they have dark olive skin tones. These little folk have been locked in a violent struggle against a certain species of migratory cranes. The cranes nest near the pygmy settlements, which they regard as little more than a convenient place to snack while they raise their young. Their sharp eyes, tall bodies, wicked beaks and ability to fly make them very dangerous foes. In retaliation, the pygmies mount goats and ride to the nesting regions where they slaughter the chicks and crack the eggs, in the hopes of not having to face them when they grow.
Tsivdigewi are little folk of the new world, about 14 inches in height, and resembling miniature natives with very long hair. They live on shorelines, under basket-like domes of sticks and strips of wood, with a number of the branches sticking straight out from the edge. They plant these houses in the sand, and dig out a pit in the center for sleeping. The dome has no doors or windows, though the branches are far enough apart that they can generally see what’s going on outside it. This is a defensive measure against the flocks of geese and cranes that come each year and terrorize the little folk. When it’s safe to move, they pull the house out of the sand, flip it over, and drag it behind them, putting all their belongings inside it. Normally, they simply hide from the birds with their baskets, but in recent years bands have begun to arm themselves with spears and clubs, hoping to make themselves too dangerous for the geese to devour.
Little people who live out in the wilderness in parallel to man. They generally have no strong feelings regarding them, other than that they make good trading partners from time to time. Many have had long-standing wars with geese, swans, and cranes.
Spell-Like Abilities: Wild folk can use the following spell-like abilities at will: Know Direction, Endure Elements (self only)
Wild Step: Wild folk can walk freely in their wild areas. In natural environments, they can ignore the negative movement effects of difficult terrain, and leave no tracks or scent trail. This does not apply to terrain that has been magically manipulated, or terrain on the spirit world, and it does not prevent them from suffering the effects of moving through some hazards, such as damage from thorns or the effects of poison ivy.
Wild Heart: Wild folk gain a +2 bonus to Handle Animal and Survival checks.
Bonus Language: All little folk speak Fae as native speakers, in addition to any languages gained from cultures they possess.