Genieborn Sylph
Born from the descendants of humans and djinn, sylphs are a shy and reclusive race consumed by intense curiosity. Sylphs spend their lives blending into the crowd, remaining unnoticed as they spy and eavesdrop on the people around them. They call this hobby “listening to the wind,” and for many sylphs it becomes an obsession. Sylphs are often guided by a desire to learn new things, especially when it comes to matters of philosophy and how others think. The grand amphitheater of Goliath’s alter rings with discussion of greater goods and general debate from dawn till dusk. Sylphs rely on their capable, calculating intellects and on knowledge gleaned from eavesdropping to deliver them from danger.
Physical Description:
Sylphs tend to be pale and thin to the point of appearing delicate, but their skinny bodies are often more resilient than they look. Many sylphs can easily pass for humans with some effort, though the complex blue markings that swirl across their skin reveal their elemental ancestry. Sylphs also bear more subtle signs of their heritage, such as a slight breeze following them wherever they go. These signs become more pronounced as a sylph experiences intense passion or anger, spontaneous gusts of wind tousling the sylph’s hair or hot blusters knocking small items off of shelves.Society:
Most sylphs feel stagnant learning in one place. In their early lives they often breeze through knowledge with great ease, so it’s common for them to leave home soon after coming of age. They rarely abandon civilization altogether, however, preferring instead to find some new city or settlement where they can go unnoticed among the masses. A sylph who happens upon another sylph unnoticed instantly becomes obsessed with her kin, spying on and learning as much about the other as she possibly can. Only after weighing all the pros and cons and formulating plans for every potential outcome will the sylph introduce herself to the other. As age begins to wear on the Sylph they inevitably come to Goliath’s Altar, whether it is their first time or they are returning after a long life of learning.Relations:
Sylphs enjoy prying into the affairs of most other races, but have little taste for actually associating with most of them. Sylphs can relate on some level with elves, who share their tendency toward aloofness, but often spoil any possible relationship by violating the elven sense of privacy. Dwarves distrust sylphs intensely, considering them flighty and unreliable. They form excellent partnerships with halflings, relying on the short folk’s courage and people skills to cover their own shortcomings. Sylphs are often lend an ear for those races that are under appreciated and try to find ways to help them on their journeys.Alignment and Religion:
Sylphs have little regard for laws and traditions, for such strictures often prohibit the very things sylphs love—subterfuge and secrecy. This doesn’t mean sylphs are opposed to law, merely that they use the most expedient means available to accomplish their goals, legal or not. Most sylphs are thus neutrally aligned. Sylphs are naturally drawn to mystery cults, and to deities who focus on secrets, travel, or knowledge.Adventurers:
An inborn urge to get to the bottom of things drives many sylphs to the adventuring life. A sylph who runs across the trail of a mystery will never be satisfied until she has uncovered every thread of evidence, followed up on every lead, and found the very heart of the trouble. Such sylphs make plenty of enemies by poking around into other peoples’ affairs, and usually turn to their roguish talents or wizardry to defend themselves.Stats Block
Ability Score: (+2 Dex, +2 Int, -2 Con) Sylphs are quick and insightful, but slight and delicate. Type: Sylphs are outsiders with the native subtype. Size: Sylphs are Medium creatures and thus have no bonuses or penalties due to their size. Speed: Sylphs have a base speed of 30 feet. Like the Wind: A sylph with this racial trait gains a +5 foot bonus to her base speed. Languages: Sylphs begin play speaking Common and Auran. Sylphs with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Aquan, Dwarven, Elven, Gnome, Halfling, Ignan, and Terran. See the Linguistics skill page for more information about these languages. Energy Resistance: Sylphs have electricity resistance 5. Spell-Like Ability (Sp) Sylphs can use feather fall 1/day (caster level equals the sylph’s total level). Darkvision: Sylphs can see perfectly in the dark up to 60 feet. Air Affinity: Sylph sorcerers with the elemental (air) bloodline treat their Charisma score as 2 points higher for all sorcerer spells and class abilities. Sylph spellcasters with the Air domain use their domain powers and spells at +1 caster level. Weather Savvy: Some sylphs are so in tune with the air and sky that they can sense the slightest change in atmospheric conditions. Sylphs with this trait can spend a full-round action to predict the weather in an area for the next 24 hours. The sylph’s prediction is always accurate, but cannot account for spells or supernatural effects that might alter the forecast. Storm in the Blood: A sylph with this racial trait gains fast healing 2 for 1 round anytime she takes electricity damage (whether or not this electricity damage gets through her electricity resistance). The sylph can heal up to 2 hit points per level per day with this ability, after which it ceases to function. Magical Linguist: A sylph gain a +1 bonus to the DC of spells they cast that have the language-dependent descriptor or that create glyphs, symbols, or other magical writings. They also gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against such spells. A sylph with a Intelligence score of 11 or higher also gain the following spell-like abilities (the caster level is equal to the user’s character level): 1/day—arcane mark, comprehend languages, message, read magic.
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