Artaiads, Variant (3.5e Race)

Artaiads

Personality

A warm smile on their face and a chortling laugh. Artaiads are often shy creatures, wary and nervous of new people and surprises. They are flighty and skittish, relaxing only when around close friends and family.

Physical Description

Standing shorter than most elves at about five feet tall and weighing around 90 pounds, artaiads are slim and wiry with graceful movements. Artaiads are typically tanned skin, though some may have reddish brown or tawny skin. Their hair ranges from blondes like the color of wood, to clay, earthy browns, mahogany and deep blacks. Their wide, alert eyes are typically brown or green. The whites of their eyes barely show. Males often sport a pair of short horns, though, depending on the artaiad type, they may only have antlers during certain times of the year. In any case, antlers or horns, they never grow very large.

Depending on the type of artaiad, they can also transform into either a medium-sized deer or antelope. This animal form is typically the same as a common type found in the area.

Relations

Typically, artaiads only get along with other fey races. They often form alliances with other fey folk when their lands are threatened and they share a common enemy. Artaiads can occasionally be found in the company of humanoids who respect nature and wish to live in peace with the land and the creatures that inhabit it.

Alignment

Living in the harsh wilds, artaiads are often at least partly neutral, though most are also good, and it pains them to have to deal forcefully with other good creatures who oppose their way of life.

Lands

Artaiads need a lot of range to call their homeland. They roam far and wide and can be found in mountain foothills, forests, grassland plains, savannas, jungles, taigas, tundras and scrubland. They range from the chilled northlands to the sweltering south. However, artaiads loathe to live in lands claimed by humanoids and will either simply flee from such places, or mount a fierce attack to keep invaders from despoiling their lands. Artaiads are less likely to attack peaceful frontier settlers who merely wish to make their own way in the world and more likely to attack large-scale invading forces seeking to reap the land and despoil its resources.

Religion

Artaiads are very connected to the spirits of the lands, and often revere and pay prayer and devotions to nature deities.

Language

Artaiads speak Sylvan with fluent fluidity and quick grace. Most artaiads eventually learn Common as well if they plan on communicating with humanoids.

Names

Upon the birth of a child, the mother will take her newborn out and seek an omen or a sign from nature. She will name her child for this sign (in the Sylvan tongue, of course). However, some artaiad tribes rely on oracles to name newborns. Outside of traditional artaiad culture, they may name their children anything they prefer.

Racial Traits

• +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma: Artaiads are quick and nimble with a presence of natural beauty and force of personality.
• Fey (Shapechanger): A fey is a creature with supernatural abilities and connections to nature. A shapechanger has the supernatural ability to assume one or more alternate forms.
• Medium: As Medium creatures, artaiads have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Artaiad base land speed is 30 feet. While in Alternate Form, her base land speed is 50 feet.
• Low-light Vision: An artaiad can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of shadowy illumination. She retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
• Wild Skills: Balance, Handle Animal, Jump, Knowledge (nature), Move Silently, Spot and Survival are always treated as class skills.
• Trample (Ex): An artaiad, as a full-round action, can move up to twice her speed and literally run over any opponents at least one size category smaller than herself.
• Scent (Ex): Artaiads have the Scent special ability, allowing her to sniff out and locate other creatures nearby.
• Alternate Form (Su): As a standard action, she can assume the form of a medium-sized deer (or antelope). Her gear melds into her form. Her movement speed increases to 50 feet. Her ability scores are unaffected by this transformation.
• Bestow Wild Form (Su): 1/day—She can polymorph a willing humanoid, monstrous humanoid or fey into a deer (or antelope). The subject retains his own size and ability scores. The subject's base land speed increases by 20 (to a maximum of 50). Duration of 1 hour/HD. Caster level is equal to character level. The save DC is Charisma-based. The subject can dismiss this transformation at any time as a standard action.
• Automatic Languages: Sylvan. Bonus Languages: Any (other than secret languages such as Druidic). See the Speak Language skill.
• Favored Class: Ranger
• Level Adjustment: +0

Vital Statistics

Table: Artaiad Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
150 years	+1d20	+2d20	+1d%

Table: Artaiad Aging Effects

Middle Age1	Old2	Venerable3	Maximum Age
350 years	530 years	700 years	+4d% years
At middle age, −1 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At old age, −2 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At venerable age, −3 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.

Table: Artaiad Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	4' 5"	+2d6	75 lb.	× (1d4) lb.
Female	4' 2"	+2d6	70 lb.	× (1d4) lb.

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