Sylvie (Greyhawk)
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Sprites, and smaller cousins to pixies, sylvies appear as tiny humanoids of idealized proportions with gossamer wings.
Sylvies are less concerned with pranks than pixies and more concearned with simply enjoying fun and beauty. Intensely curious, they sometimes get attacked to larger folk and follow them around, often adopting traits similar to their companion. They are not industrious and can sit for days gazing at something if not disturbed.
Unlike pixies, sylvies are not specifically tied to woodlands; they prosper in any place of great natural beauty or that satisfies their curiosity and love of beauty. Some sylvies live in cities, usually as invisible observers. In areas dominated by evil they sometimes maintain small and isolated havens of beauty.
Sylvie adventurers are motivated by curiosity and fun. They tend to take adventures less than seriously and seek unusual solutions to problems. With their natural ability to fly, sense thoughts, disrupt enemy magic, and become invisible, sylvies are formidable creatures when angered. They are good choices for players who like to play mischievous characters and want some magic to carry out their plans.
Despite their size, full-grown sylvies can be very dangerous. Their magical powers and high attributes are responsible for their total ECL of 4, but their lack of hit points are their greatest drawback. The class is built around scaling the spell-like abilities, and their natural invisibility isn't introduced until 4th level. At the highest level of the class are the most powerful spell-like abilities and spell resistance.
Sylvies are 1 HD creatures, which means they start out with a class level and no racial HD. Sylvies can choose to develop by character class or by fay hit dice. Some sylvie abilities are reserved for those with hit dice.
Racial Traits
- Starting Ability Score Adjustments: 8 Str, +6 Dex, +2 Int, +2 Cha. Sylvies are physically weak but make up for it in other areas. A fully-developed sylvie has -8 Strength, +8 Dexterity, +6 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom, +6 Charisma.
- Tiny: As Tiny creatures, sylvies gain a +2 size bonus to Armor Class, a +2 size bonus on attack rolls, -8 penalty on grapple checks, and a +8 size bonus on Hide checks, but they must use smaller weapons than Medium-size creatures do, and their lifting and carrying limits are half of those of Medium-size characters. Gear scaled to sylvies weight 1/10 of normal and have half the normal cost.
- Speed: Sylvie land speed is 20 feet.
- Low-Light Vision: Sylvies can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
- Skills: +2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks. Sylvies can use their Dexterity bonus instead of their Strength bonus on Climb, Jump and Swim checks.
- Automatic Languages: Common, Sylvan. Bonus Languages: Elven, Gnome, Halfling.
- Favored Class: Sorcerer. The best multiclassing choices for a sylvie are cleric, rogue and wizard.
Race Features
Table: Sylvie by ECL Modifier
Class Level | ECL Modifier | Sylvie powers |
1 | 0 | Lesser sylvie powers 1/day |
1 | 1 | Dodge, fly 20 ft. (good), +2 Int, +2 Cha |
1 | 2 | Sylvie powers 1/day, fly 40 ft. (good), +1 natural armor, +2 Dex, +2 Wis |
1 | 3 | Natural invisibility fly 60 ft. (good), +2 Int, +2 Cha |
All of the following are features of the sylvie race.
Feats: A sylvie receives Dodge as a bonus feat at 2nd level. At each class level it gains feats normally according to its character level.
Lesser Sylvie Powers (Sp): A sylvie can use the following spell-like abilities once per day each: lesser confusion (DC 11 +Cha bonus), dancing lights, detect chaos, detect good, detect evil, detect law, faerie fire, and invisibility (self only). Its caster level for all spell-like abilities is equal to its HD + ECL modifer +3.
Invisibility at Will: Beginning at 3rd level, a pixie can use invisibility (self only) at will.
Sylvie Powers (Sp): Beginning at 3rd level, a sylvie can use detect thoughts (DC 12 + Cha bonus), glitterdust (DC 12 + Cha bonus), and dispel magic once per day each.
Natural Invisibility (Su): At 4th level, a sylvie is naturally invisible and remains invisible even when it attacks. This ability is constant, but the sylvie can suppress or resume it as a free action.
Table: Sylvie by HD
Level | Hit Dice | Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Skill Points | Special |
1st | 1 | +0 | +0 | +2 | +2 | x4 | Lesser pixie powers 1/day |
2nd | Dodge, fly 20 ft. (good), +2 Int, +2 Cha | ||||||
3rd | Sylvie powers 1/day, invisibility at will, fly 40 ft. (good), +2 Dex, +2 Wis | ||||||
4th | Natural invisibility, fly 60 ft. (good), +2 Int, +2 Cha | ||||||
5th | Greater pixie powers 1/day, DR 5/cold iron, SR 15, +2 Dex, +2 Wis |