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This is not the Sylph, but the Core of the idea was born from race creation rules (albeit from the SAVAGE WORLDS role playing game).
Using the pathfinder Races book:
Wind Fey, Tenative name - "Sylvari"
Race: Fey __________________ Points 2 (*low light vision*)
Size: Small ________________ Points 0
Speed: Slow 20ft __________ Points -1
Attributes: great weakness _ Points -3
-4 strength, -2 Constitution, +2 Dex.
Languages: Xenophobe__ Points 0 (*Can learn elven, gnomish, Halfling, and common).
Defense trait: Desert Runner _ Points 2
*Rebranded in fluff text as the race's "bond to nature".
Feats&Skills: +2 acrobatics _ points 2
Magical traits: none. _____Points 0
Offensive trait: none. ____Points 0
Sense Traits: none. _______Points 0
Movement traits: (two)
Leaper ____________________Points 2
Gliding* __________________Points 3
*Fluff text- They refer to their gliding ability as "Sylvan Grace".
Racial Weakness: Contact with cold iron Will Negate their Leaping and gliding abilities, For 1d6 rounds after contact is stopped, or one round per point of damage caused by a cold iron weapon.
Racial Penalty: Technophobe, this race has a -2 penalty on technical skills (Disable device, alchemy, etc.) as sylvari have little to no experience with clockwork, steam power, and alchemy. (*Guns are revolting-scary as they use iron, fire, and technology)
As a floating, graceful race, the sylvari tend to live among the tree tops and never fall from those lofty heights. due to their small size (*tall as dwarves, but weight like halflings- Svelt, slender physiques) the sylvari are readily sustained by their forest environs. Even small birds and squirrels provide plenty of food for sylvari.
Sylvari do regularly visit the ground to gather fresh water when it is needed. Sylvari use elven trance instead of sleep, and the awareness allows them to avoid losing their position even on high tree branches.
Note: Sylvari do not have the elven racial immunities to sleep and resistance to enchantments.
As tree top forest dwellers with low light vision, sylvari rarely use fire larger than that produced by a single torch. It is also rare for sylvari to own metal items that weigh more than 2 pounds. Sylvari craft with natural materials that surround them: Amber, bark, branches, feathers, small animal bones, hide and sinew. Sylvari have long life spans about 500 years, and this colors their perspective. Sylvari have learned ways to coax nature to grow into desired shapes. Shelters, clothing, tools, all naturally grown (*Or harvested) from the forests around them.
Sylvari use the third dimension, their Verticallity, and range in combat, their preference is the use of bows.
A sylvari (*ranger, Slayer, scout, rogue) can infuriate a legion of orcs by simply staying well out of reach. Orc kind, goblin kind, trolls, and lizardfolk however, have no issues with Fire, Cold Iron, or technology...
Physical description: extremely svelt, as tall as dwarves but they weigh as much as halflings. Sylvari are not skeletal waifs, their decreased body weight may in part be due their magical floating nature. Their skin tones match that of various trees and cut wood. Hair and eye color changes with the season: Green in spring, gold in summer, reds in autumn, whites in winter. Aging Sylvari gradually retain their winter colors. A saying among the sylvari for any sylvari who is found dead for reasons other than old age is reffered to as, "Sorrow out of season".
Sylvari clothing is almost an afterthought and worn typically for modesty purposes. Since few look up, and fewer still have the keen eyes to spot them in their naturally camouflaged clothing the Sylvari have been hidden from the world.
It is rare for any sylvari to become an adventurer, but it can happen: wanderlust, curiousity, displacement, rebelliousness, exiled criminal...
Sylvari can be their own race and differ from traditional elves- What do you all think?
I like them, just a few questions
What is their fly speed and quality? or is that defined in the ARG gliding ability?
How much can they carry aloft? Is it based on str, or does their magical flight just support them and x lbs of gear.
Should they get a skill bonus to fly?
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I like them, just a few questions
What is their fly speed and quality? or is that defined in the ARG gliding ability?
How much can they carry aloft? Is it based on str, or does their magical flight just support them and x lbs of gear.
Should they get a skill bonus to fly?
I did not want to repost material directly from the Races guide so I just listed the "names" and "Point cost", with some detail when reasonable.
The Gliding ability is defined by the Advanced races guide, yes.
I would limit their gliding ability to themselves and a light load.
Combined with their reduced strength, this prevents the creation of a sylvari in thick Stone plate armor, tower shield, and bastard sword... floating through the air like a leaf.
if a player using the 20 point build system buys an 18 strength the sylvari racial penalty brings that back down to 14 at the maximum.
How far can they fly? well, a simple acrobatics check for a vertical jump. (*Note: I will edit the race entry so that they lose the "Slow" movement - thus the penalty to jump checks associated with the "slow" speed. Also, the race will gain fly and acrobatics as class skills with a +2 bonus).
For every one foot that they fall, a sylvari glides 5 feet in any direction chosen. So if a sylvari jumps 6ft up, the sylvari can glide 30 ft. The gliding ability defines this as "Akin to a permanent feather fall" and that the maximum distance one can glide per round is 60 ft.
The plus is that a sylvari can glide up to 60 ft, and never takes damage from falling. the downside is that this doesn't replace regular movement, like Running.
A squad of Orc Barbarians can move very quickly, but in a forest... the Sylvari can rain arrows from a far in the safety of their branches.
As to an adventuring Sylvari - a sylvari who survives a forest fire may turn to adventuring as a way to seek out and wreak vengeance on those guilty of starting a fire.
Orc's and others may know of the fey weakness to cold iron, Sylvari who are in contact with cold iron lose their "Sylvari Grace" no leaping, no gliding- and cannot use those gifts for 1d6 turns after the contact with cold iron has stopped. If struck with a cold iron weapon, the sylvari lose their "sylvari grace" for one round for each point of damage.
Orc's and others may also know the sylvari endurance: eat and drink like a small sized race, needing only 4 hours of trance, and resistant to fatigue (See ability Desert runner and note that they are Small sized despite their stature.) and low light vision to keep working even in poor light...
To evil unscrupulous types, captive sylvari wearing cold iron manacles makes great slaves!
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Revised details:
Wind Fey, Tenative name - "Sylvari"
Race: Fey __________________ Points 2 (*low light vision*)
Size: Small ________________ Points 0
Speed: normal 30ft __________ Points 0
Attributes: great weakness _ Points -3
-4 strength, -2 Constitution, +2 Dex.
Languages: Xenophobe__ Points 0 (*Can learn elven, gnomish, Halfling, and common).
Defense trait: Desert Runner _ Points 2
*Rebranded in fluff text as the race's "bond to nature".
Feats&Skills-
Sylvari treat Acrobatics and flight as class skills and gain a +2 bonus with these skills. Points:5 points.
Magical traits: none. _____Points 0
Offensive trait: none. ____Points 0
Sense Traits: none. _______Points 0
Movement traits: (two)
Leaper ____________________Points 2
Gliding* __________________Points 3
*Fluff text- They refer to their gliding ability as "Sylvan Grace".
Racial Weakness: Contact with cold iron Will Negate their Leaping and gliding abilities, For 1d6 rounds after contact is stopped, or one round per point of damage caused by a cold iron weapon.
Racial Penalty: Technophobe, this race has a -2 penalty on technical skills (Disable device, alchemy, etc.)
Total Race points: 13, possibly reduced slightly by the weakness caused by cold iron and technophobic skill penalty. Thus the Sylvari may approximate a 10 point standard race and should be useable without being disruptive to a G.M.'s campaign.
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as one can imagine, the sylvari perspective:
As they need so little, other races seem like gluttonous pigs...
As sylvari benefit from trance and the endurance bestowed on them by their bond with nature- they might be confused by other races frequent need for rest and long hours spent sleeping...
Also, to sylvari - the ground is a dirty and potentially dangerous place. those that spend their lives in contact with it may be the object of some disdain...
a campsite "on the ground" can be an odd concept to sylvari, and the idea of sleeping on the ground may be revolting.
Halfling hill homes, while fastidiously clean, are unsettling to sylvari.
Underground abodes are a particularly frightful subject to the sylvari who delight in feeling the freedom of the wind and the music of the trees.
building a fire larger than a torch is wasteful at the least and upsetting to sylvari who view trees as their homes...
casting fire spells shock and awe sylvari...
the only metalwork a sylvari might appreciate is mithril...
those who wear suits of metal armor are possibly the subject of mockery, because of skill check penalties and reduced speed.
Many sylvari do not realize it, but they may be claustrophobic...
Some sylvari are under emotional stress when they cannot see the sky.
in a city, Sylvari prefer the rooftops to shady crowded streets...
Sylvari despise drow above all else (but have no racial advantage against them), and were among those who forced them into the darklands.
Slyvari fear giant spiders; as spiders can climb to their treetop homes, hang webbing traps, and stealthily hunt their kind.
Sylvari - are absolutely terrified by fire breathing dragons,
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Creation myth: The creator made the sylvari to guard the trees of the garden, especially the tree of life. The Sylvari did as they were bid and guarded the trees. One of the sylvari paused witnessing a fruit that had fallen to the ground. Confused, the sylvari went to the earth and found the fruit. The creator had said, "You may not take from the tree and eat", but had not said anything about fruit that had fallen from the tree.
The sylvari ate a bite, and bid the other sylvari to partake.
The flavor was astounding and filled them with life as they had never felt it before.
When the creator returned and saw that the sylvari had eaten of the fruit, the creator banished the sylvari from the garden. As the sylvari had not purposefully committed a sin they were not destroyed; however due to their banishment they were also separated from the gods as one day humans would be.
The sylvari believe in this tale as they have long lives and were not stripped of their "grace" like the other dirt dwellers.