Epsy (3.5e Race)

A "race's compendium" race created by
Kkat

Epsy

Espy were created in infamy. In the War for Magic, the psionic Illithid, working under the guidance of an Abomination and It's Children, sought to tear asunder the mana tapestry and destroy magic forever. Of the foes who sought to stop them, the Dragons were their most dangerous enemies. So the mindflayers conducted progenetive experiments which eventually resulted in an army of psionic Dragons which served as the Illithid's elite champions in that Great War. However, before they could create such creatures, the Illithids needed to advance and perfect their progenetive craft. The Illithids started with experiments using animals and creatures native to the underdark. One of the earliest successful experiments produced the espy, a sentient race of tiny humanoids engineered from the bats which dwelled in the caverns near Illithid cities.

Personality

Espy are a humble and contemplative, yet fiercely free-willed race. They are renowned for their simple wisdom as well as their skill with the esoteric powers of Kruth. Wise beyond their years, most espy live simple, fulfilling lives either far away from other races or right under their noses. The espy are a young race with a strong sense of history but little sense of tradition.

Physical Description

Espy are tiny, well-proportioned humanoids who typically stand between 8 and 12 inches tall and with wingspans at least double their height. Their wings are batlike in structure and allow them to fly. Males are on average half an inch taller, but with similar graceful build. Espies have skull structures similar to their primal ancestors, bats. But their facial features are more sculpted and pleasing to the eye, being described by many common folk as “vulpine”. Espy have predominate ears almost identical to those of large bats. Espy possess a relatively normal appearing set of eyes, dark brown or black in color, plus a third eye set in the middle of their forehead which may be of any color (but is usually the same as their “normal” pair). Most espy keep their Third Eye closed; the eye is nearly invisible when not open, appearing as a crease in their furred foreheads. Espy also have a thin layer of fur covering their bodies. This fur similar in pattern to that of bats, and is usually tan, brown, gray or black. Fewer espy have a reddish-brown fur. And there are very rare espy with pure white fur and red eyes. Espy are nearly blind. Most espy have never seen a sunset or a mountain range. Early generations extrapolated the existence of Pelor from the sun’s reflections on rocks and streams.

Relations

Espy have close relations with the Elves and the Dwarves, often living within the same area. They enjoy the company of Halflings and sometimes that of Gnomes. (Although many find Gnomes eccentric, if not dangerous, like children with hazardous toys.) Their previous experience with the slaver nation of Kruth has instilled a distrust of Humans and Lizardfolk, an attitude that is passed from generation to generation, but this rarely manifests as outright hostility. Espy who interact with other races frequently tend to loose this prejudice. Espy recognize a common history with the gargoyles, but unlike the gargoyles, the espy harbor no love for their progenitors.

Alignment

Most espy are chaotic, having thrown off the chains of their oppressors and rejected utterly the laws and society of their homeland Kruth. Espy tend toward good, in retaliation against the evil who spawned them. However, while uncommon, evil espy are hardly rare.

Lands

Most espy live within havens that usually consist of a number of loose family structures. Espy families are less close-knit than that of other species, with the children being a responsibility of the community as a whole. Most espy make their havens within caverns or in wilderness areas far from the dangerous modern civilizations of humans and lizardfolk. Espy havens are built in places difficult to reach without flight, such as within the branches of a group of trees or on high cavern shelves. These havens are often difficult to find, thanks to protective camouflage, location and relatively small size. Espy who live in human society often form sub-societies that function underneath that of the humans rather than interacting directly with it.

Religion

Espy tend towards mysticism rather than religion. While many have developed for themselves the psionic arts of Kruth, they have only loathing for the God of Psionics – the Illithid Bakaz. Those who take to religion usually worship Mais Laidon, God of Freedom.

Espy hold their Third Eye as sacred, believing it the eye of their soul. Espy rarely open their third eye (some if only because it disconcerts other races); and several espy communities attach stigma to it, some considering it rude to gaze upon others with the eye of the soul while others believe it harmful to expose the soul to bad things in the world.

Adventures

Espy usually become adventurers as part of personal quests. Some adventure because they seek enlightenment, or to make the world a better place. Other espy take up the call to adventure out of a desire to shed the stigma of having been created to serve evil monsters, or to route out similar evils. Or, conversely, to become evil masters themselves.

Racial Traits

• Type: Humanoid

• +2 Dex, +2 Wis, +2 Cha, -4 Str

• Tiny Size: Espy gain a +2 size bonus to attacks and AC, and a +8 size bonus to Hide. Espy suffer a –8 size penalty to certain combat maneuvers such as Grapple, Overrun and Trip. Espy can only use tiny or smaller weapons with one hand, and may use small weapons two handed. Espy monks do less damage with their unarmed attacks than small or medium characters.

• Base Land Speed 10, Flight 30 (good). Espy with levels in classes which increase their movement rate, such as Barbarian, gain that increased movement to both land and Flight speeds.

• Armor costs double base price for espy because of the extra level of difficulty and craftsmanship required to create tiny armors. However, armor for espy characters weighs only a quarter of the listed armor weight. Further, any equipment that has reduced weight for small characters, such as rations, weigh one-sixteenth their listed weight for espy. (With the exception of rations, any espy item weighing less than half a pound can be considered of negligible weight.)

• While healthy, the small bodies of espy make them more frail than their constitution would dictate. Espy characters gain HP from Hit Dice one type lower (minimum d4) than normal for their class.

• Echolocation: Espy “see” by emitting high-frequency sounds, inaudible to most other creatures, granting them a special version of blindsight with a radius of 120 feet. Espy use the Listen skill for both Listen and Spot checks. Once an espy has noticed a creature or object, she remains aware of it even if it attempts to hide or becomes invisible. Espy can make a Listen check to spot an invisible presence as if that presence were not invisible. They cannot sense ethereal presences and can detect incorporeal presences only 50% of the time. This is an extraordinary, sonic effect and can be affected by spells or powers which effect sonics. A Silence spell negates this ability and forces the espy to rely on his weak vision, which has a maximum range of 10 feet.

• Espy have extremely keen ears and gain +4 to Listen checks.

• Vulnerability to Sonics (ex): Espy are more susceptible to sound-based attacks. Espy take double damage from sonic attacks except on a successful save.

• Espy gain a +2 racial bonus to Move Silently. This bonus increases to +6 when flying. Espy using Echolocation cannot Move Silently against other espy, gnolls or creatures who can sense high-frequency sounds.

• Third Eye: Espy possess a mystical third eye. Espy gain a +2 insight bonus to Willpower saves versus psionics and mind-influencing spells and effects, and one psionic Power Point per character level. These PP may not be used to manifest psionic powers. However, they may be used to fuel psionic feats. You may take psionic feats even if you are not a psion or psychic warrior.

• Espy with a Charisma of 13 or higher can make their three eyes glow, granting a +4 circumstantial bonus to Intimidation against creatures who can see them. They may do this a number of times per day equal to 1 + Cha modifier. This is a paranatural ability.

• Espy gain a +4 dodge bonus to AC versus Illithid, Yaun-ti and Dragons. This represents special training espy undergo where they learn tricks and tactics developed by previous generations in the War for Magic. Any situation in which the espy looses her Dex bonus, such as when flat-footed, she also looses his dodge bonus.

• Espy gain a +1 racial bonus to attack rolls against Humans and Lizardfolk. Espy have long battled the Human and Lizardfolk slaver clans, and have developed special fighting techniques against them.

• Racial Skills: Concentration and Autohypnosis. These skills are always considered class skills for an espy, regardless of actual class.

• Automatic Languages: Espy and Common. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Drow, Dwarven, Elven, Undercommon

• Favored class: Psion. Psionics comes naturally to the three-eyed espy. Rogue/psion espy are particularly common.

• Level Adjustment: +1

Vital Statistics

Table: Epsy Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
20 years	+4d6	+6d6	+10d6

Table: Epsy Aging Effects

Middle Age1	Old2	Venerable3	Maximum Age
30 years	40 years	50 years	+1d20 * 4 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: Epsy Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	5' 6"	+1d6	120 lb.	5 × (2d6) lb.
Female	5' 0"	+1d6	90 lb.	5 × (2d6) lb.

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