Sidhe (5e Race)

Sidhe

“The Sidhe are prancy, but fierce." —Jim Butcher, Cold Days

Physical Description

Sidhe are beautiful beyond belief, often literally, and many of them use this beauty to charm or terrorize the common folk. Height can vary between the different types of Sidhe, anywhere between a couple of feet tall to seven feet. They are almost always slender and graceful, much like elves. Their hair, eye and skin color typically reflect their Court alliance, with Winter Sidhe having pale white, blue or even black skin, black or blue eyes and hair in every conceivable shade of blue, white or purple. Summer Sidhe have a warmer appearance: their skin is usually tan, bronze or pale green; their eyes shades of green; and their hair is often blonde, green or red. Wild Sidhe can run the gamut of coloration, often their own attitudes shaping their appearance, but with a feral cast: irises that look like cat or serpent eyes, or hair that is leafy or made of fine vines.

History

Whilst very little is known of the Sidhe, it is known that before man or even elves walked the earth, in the time of the primordials, the Sidhe Lords claimed dominion. It was a time of wild creation and a constant battle for survival and supremacy. As the humans, dwarves and lesser races gained power, threatening the delicate power balance of the Winter and Summer Queens, the Sidhe separated their realm from the mortal, material plane forming what we know now as the Feywild.

Society

Sidhe society is a complicated hierarchy divided into two main factions: The Winter court and the Summer Court. All fey beings belong to one of these factions and are often born into it, but their allegiance can change if the lord they owe fealty to changes. In rare instances, fey creatures (little folk mostly) might offer a pledge of fealty to a powerful mortal who has done them a service. If that mortal should accept a mantle of power from one of the Queens, the nature of any who followed can change.

Sidhe Lords are unable to speak a word that is not true, but many are deceitful, as nature can be deceitful. It is often said that a truth spoken by a Sidhe is not the truth you heard. The name of the game in Sidhe society is intriguing. It is considered unrefined to use brute force, as only the most cunning can manipulate others into doing such work. The use of manipulation is commonplace, expected, and even considered the height of true power among the Courts.

Sidhe Names

The Sidhe enjoy a long and sometimes intensely fantastical history. Many of the Sidhe refer to themselves by title and name at the same time. For example, a Sidhe Lady named Lea, might be formally addressed as The Lea’nan’Sidhe.

Male: Nicholas, Oberon, Brokk, Oren, Kallen

Female: Mab, Maeve, Titania, Ella, Nissa, Rhoslyn, Tana

Connecting Honorifics: 'nan' or le'

Clan Names: Sidhe. Faction can be denoted by whether the Sidhe is a member of the Seelie or Unseelie Courts or if they are Wild (Unaligned formally with a court).

Sidhe Traits

Beings from legend a fairy tales, and often godmothers and godfathers.
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence or Dexterity score increases by 2.
Age. Minor Sidhe come to physical maturity very rapidly, usually within a year or two, but are not accepted into adult society until they are well over 100. This is to offer them sufficient time to complete their extensive social training. It is exceedingly easy to annoy or insult a Sidhe Lord and ignorance is no excuse. Faux pas' are typically met with cruelty that borders on or crosses well into the sadistic or permanent. A Sidhe does not die of old age and often becomes more powerful as it ages and rises, albeit very slowly, through the ranks of the Court.
Alignment. All Sidhe are Lawful to a fault. They will follow the letter of the contract or legal requirements, but they lack the concept of ‘spirit of the law’ and so can be good, evil or neutral.
Size. Sidhe can vary in size quite a bit, but their size often increases with power or social rank. Most commonly any minor Sidhe lord found in the wild would be between 3’6” and 7’ tall. If they are under 4’, your size is classed as medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Fae Court. Choose a fae court to belong to. You have advantage on Persuasion checks when dealing with other Sidhe or lesser fey allied with your court. You also gain resistance to, depending on court alignment, fire (Summer), cold (Winter) or necrotic (Wild).
Compulsions. A sidhe cannot tell a direct lie, however, they are allowed to twist the truth or give vague answers. Ex: questioner: who is your mother? You: a sidhe noble of high rank. (as opposed to telling them your mother's actual name.) You also must answer any questions that are asked of you three times (the common phrase among sidhe is "Thrice I ask and done"). The Sidhe consider anyone who ask thrice extremely rude, potentially to the point of mortal insult.
Iron Aversion. The touch of iron and other metals such as steel burns you. If you touch any iron or steel with your bare skin, you take 1d4 damage per turn in contact with the material. Your starting metal weapons and armors are made of an equivalent material, but items typically looted count as steel unless otherwise stated.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Sylvan.
Subrace. Two main subraces of Sidhe populate the worlds of D&D: Little Folk and Fair Ones. Choose one of these subraces.

Little Folk

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Wings. You have a flying speed of 30 feet. You cannot fly higher than this though. If your wings get wet you cannot use them until you dry them over a short rest.
Invisibility. You can cast the invisibility spell once with this trait, requiring no material components, and you regain the ability to cast it when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Fair Folk

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2.
Natural Spellcasting. You know the druidcraft cantrip. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast the charm person spell once per day. Once you reach 5th level, you can also cast the suggestion spell once per day. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

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