|
This is a new race I've had in the works for awhile now and would just like some feedback on from the community. Let me know what you think. Please forgive sentence/spelling mistakes as this is a rough draft.
Shay
The shay, as they are most commonly known, are a reclusive type of fey who spend most of their time deep within dark forests under the veil of night. The shay pride themselves in their secrecy and sightings have been few and usually mistaken as they rarely reveal themselves to the outside world and even then only usually to other fey. Their communities are tight knit albeit small in thanks to the fact that shay are quite infertile and a female is lucky to conceive even one child in their lifetime.
The lunalai (the name they call themselves which roughly translates into "Moon's Secret") have spent countless centuries unlocking the mysteries of the world and accumulating its secrets that this knowledge combined with their fey bloodline passes through the generations now in the form of a mental lock on a fey's mind. Due to this, it is said that the safest place to keep a secret is inside the thoughts of a shay. Despite their love of secrets and distrust to outsiders, shay are a naturally curious race and often times take great risks in order to further their knowledge.
Physical Description:
One of the reasons so few shay have actually been seen is because of their close resemblance to surface elves and half-elves. Standing at around six feet or more with the females only a few inches shorter. Their skin tone, however is generally where the difference can be told albeit sometimes subtly with the shay holding onto shades of gray. The exact tone varies for each shay depending on how much sun they actually take in. Those who remain nocturnal solely tend to have darker gray skin while those who venture into the sunlight frequently have a much lighter shade to them. Because of this, the few shay who live among the outside world usually pass as elves or half-elves with their ears being pointed and long (though not as long as a full blooded elf). A shay's eyes also differ from how much light they take in. Most shay have dark black eyes but those who expose themselves to light find theirs take on the paler shades of blue, purple, green, and even silver.
A shay's hair is perhaps the most vibrant about their people. Though their initial colors are either black or white, most shay usually have streaks blue, purple, green, gold, or various shades there-of in their hair. Most usually only have one color in their hair though a few have been known to have multiple colored streaks as well which the shay take as a sign of good fortune.
Society:
The shay live in small tight knit groups (or 'clans' as some shay refer to themselves) that live in the deepest, darkest parts of the forest and cloak their homes in magic and wards to keep out unwanted adventurers or invaders. Many of these villages are settled between two planes to aid them in remaining unfound. Many shay believe it's their duty to keep their own existance as one of their prized secrets not to be revealed to any outsider, though there are a few clans that believe finding ties with other fey in the material world is a worthy pursuit, though this is usually for the purpose to increase their knowledge.
Still, there are the very few rare clans that believe contact with outsiders is not only an option but a necessity. These shay believe that in order to truly uncover the secrets of the world and life, you have to live as much of it as possible. Most shay adventurers that do exist in the world come from such groups that encourage their people to go out into the world should the curiosity arise and learn all that they can. The elders of these clans simply ask that the shay that do partake in such life journies find their way back to the clan once every several years to report all they have learned and share whatever stories they have to tell (though they are not allowed to bring others to their settlement).
On the rare occasion that a shay community should be discovered, the shay quickly evacuate through magical portals setup through the town that function only for the shay. Due to a high population of the shay having magical talents, raising a new settlement to start over in doesn't take much work and the cycle continues a new.
Relations:
Most shay distrust all non-shay. The shay that are willing to look past their own kind tend to usually only trust those with sylvan blood or those tied closely with nature such as elves, gnomes, and druids. Despite their own distrust for all others, their otherworldly beauty and aura tend to make other races warm up quickly to them.
One of the few things that the shay seem to truly despise are the undead. The shay believe that you are given one life to live and learn from and that undead creatures are disgusting parasites that cling to a life that is no longer theirs to hold onto.
Alignment and Religion:
Despite their ability to keep secrets and the fact that the word of a Shay is a sacred thing, these fey tend to do as they please with little regard for anything outside their community. As such, the shay tend to be more neutral over good or evil as well as over chaotic or lawful, though they tend more towards chaos then law should the situation arose to choose. Most shay respect the goddess Pharasma and Calistria as well as the god Nethys for their dominion over knowledge and often worship whichever closes shares their vision on life. Some have been known to worship Irori despite his hold over law as well as the darker side of knowledge in Norgorber, the god of secrets (it is even rumorered that the dark god of murder and secrets himself created the shay race though finding any truth behind this seems all but impossible. After all, if it were true, only the god himself would know and wouldn't be quick to give up such a secret).
Lastly, the few shay who decide to venture into the world to learn through living often worship Desna and look to her to guide their steps.
Shay Racial Traits
+2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, -2 Constitution: Shay are graceful and beautiful people who have an aura about them that makes them pleasing to others though their bodies are usually more frail than that of a human.
Medium: Shay are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Shay have a base speed of 30 feet.
Darkvision: Shay can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
Mental Lock: Shay are immune to all mind-affecting spells and effect; both beneficial as well as harmful. However, if a shay ever reveals a secret he swore never to reveal this ability is surpressed for 1 week. (Thinking about extending this to a month.
Fey Blood: Shay count as fey for any effect related to race.
Keen Senses: Shay receive a +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy skill checks. A shay's natural aura tend to make others like them more and also makes it easier for a shay to uncover secrets (Gathering Information).
Languages: Shay begin play speaking Common and Sylvan. Shay with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Aquan, Auran, Elven, Gnome, Ignan, and Terran.
Seems good, and well made.
I skimmed the fluff pretty much, so I didn't get everything.
Pretty much what I know is.
1 They are a moon related race of fey that are similar to elves. They are secretive, and prefer keeping to their own species, or something like that.
2 Their stat block seems balanced enough.
I really like this. When I start work on my Pathfinder homebrew, Shay will replace Elves.
I might tweak it just a bit to make it more 'lunar/night themed'.
Just state that the Shay are Medium Fey, then the Fey Blood ability is irrelevant.
|
Just state that the Shay are Medium Fey, then the Fey Blood ability is irrelevant.
Unless they're a type of humanoid who qualify as fey. (Spell effects are the only thing I can think of that would mean a difference - since I presume there are no racial hit dice involved - but it's a difference none-the-less.)
|
There is a bit of a push these last few years to avoid 'all or nothing' abilities such as immunities, replacing them with resistance bonuses instead, or extra saves to break free or whatever.
It's possible that Mental Lock might be considered a bit 'too good,' particularly when faced up against a specialist Enchanter, a Psion - Telepath or a Beguiler, who carries a big bag full of mind-affecting effects, and already gets hosed by encounters with undead, oozes, constructs, plants, etc.
A specific immunity, to ever revealing a secret while under the influence of a mind-affecting effect (combined with some other bonus, such as a +2 to saves or bonus chance to break free), for example, might be more specialized and acceptable.
lowlight vision fits better with fey according to core, without good reason to change it might be better not to.
personally I use elvensight, 30'darkvision + lowlight vision for elves, I would probably extend it to fey as well.
Aside from that they are a bit similar to feytouched from 3.0 / 3.5 fiendfolio they have:
- + 2 to stealth instead of diplomacy
- lowlightvision instead of darkvision
- charm person ability 1/day
otherwise they are similar ish, representing mortal creatures with a touch of feyblood (much like aasimar).
I am not sure why the shay have a bonus on diplomacy, seems they are not really into meeting that many people in particular,
I'd be thinking to give them + 2 perception and stealth instead
probably wouldn't use charm person
and add low lightvision instead of darkvision, considering elvensight
otherwise nicely done, generally well written, they are missing something that makes them stand out though.
The memory lock is a nice touch, though not solid yet, at least it isn't just a powerful ability.
I'll second the telepath frustration, where everyone is half-fey, undead or unintelligent. It does not make for harmonious play.