Sprightling (3.5e Race)

Sprightling
Summary::Lithe and agile, the sprightling is a cruel prankster.

Personality
By nature, sprightlings are insulting without wit nor pause. They demean and berate virtually anyone whom they meet with a jovial passion. No chance for foul prank, malign mischief or swift attack is missed. Because of their wicked natures, sprightlings are quick to make enemies and become the scourge of folk nearby. Nothing short of a show of greater power will deter their attacks.

Physical Description
As they dash about, ever in a hurry, it's hard to get a good look at a sprightling. Similar in proportion to that of a pixie, sprightlings have slender and lithe bodies. Adults reach a height of three feet and weigh in at 25 pounds on average. Most all sprightlings have skin with a pale blue tint, though some are nearly white. Their facial features are sharp and pronounced with a wicked gleam in their yellow eyes. Sprightlings, like other sylvan folk, have long, pointed ears. A sprightling's ears angle up high and hold close to their head, twitching on occasion. Their hair, often long and flowing, ranges from silver to winter white. Sprightlings also have sharp teeth, giving them a sinister smile.

Sprightlings are garrish dressers with no remorse for their assault on fashion. They prefer fine silks, of bright colors or patterns, typically resorting to steal such things. Most all sprightlings revile the thought of wearing clunky armor that would serve to slow them down or reveal their position as they sneak about, causing mayhem.

Relations
Sprightlings have a great distaste for other fey folk, more so than they do of other creatures, not that they would bother to make an alliance with anyone. They carve their own way, targeting anyone who comes into their lands, or nearby, taking what they can, goods, children, shiny trinkets and baubles.

Sprightlings are often blamed for missing treasures and misery befallen in the woods. Malicious traps and irksome annoyances are merely the order of the day for any sprightling to stave off boredom.

Alignment
Sprightlings are wicked, evil folk, though not all are without redemption, as they attack other wicked creatures as well. Sprightling history teaches their young to hold a grudge against other fey folk and to fight for anything to establish their place in the world.

Being part of the wild, they have no inclination toward law or chaos, they do as they please for themselves.

Lands
Most sprightlings settle into small communes in temperate forests. They are known to establish burrows beneath trees, within their roots, to make their homes. The entrances are well concealed, however, the trampling of leaves and networks of trails often hints at their presence.

Sprightlings are notorious for leaving trails in deepwoods areas. Game animals, like deer often use the trails as well, though their intended purpose is to connect small communes of sprightlings to each other, so they can trade (or steal) goods.

Religion
Sprightlings have little reliance on extra-planar powers, and don't have the resources or need to maintain a religion. Some few individuals do revere patron deities as a quick means of gaining a bit of extra favor or luck. Typically, they pray to evil deities of the forest, though some trickster gods or travel gods might show up in a sprightling's shrine.

Language
Sprightlings speak a dialect of Sylvan, as well as Common, though, this is mostly out of necessity for proper taunting. Sprightlings speak without taking pauses or breaks for their thoughts, running words and phrases together with great haste.

Names
Sprightlings take Sylvan names, though typically not traditional Sylvan names, unless they feel especially cruel to their own children. Typically, they are given short names as children. Most adults also take titles based on their deeds or territory.

Racial Traits

 * ,, : Sprightlings are agile, but weak.
 * Size::Small: As small creatures, sprightlings gain a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks and a &minus;4 penalty on grapple checks. Their lifting and carrying limits ¾ those of Medium characters.
 * Sprightling base land speed is 40 feet: A sprightling’s land speed is faster than the norm for his size by +20 feet. This benefit applies only when he is wearing no armor, light armor, or medium armor and not carrying a heavy load. Apply this bonus before modifying the sprightling’s speed because of any load carried or armor worn.
 * Sprightling Sprint (Ex): Sprightlings gain the Run feat. In addition, a sprightling can continue running without need to make Constitution checks for tiring. Sprightlings gain an additional +4 racial bonus on Jump checks made with a running start.
 * Hard to Catch (Ex): Sprightlings gain a +4 racial bonus on Escape Artist skill checks.
 * Dazzle of Opportunity (Su): With a flicker of fey magic, a sprightling is capable of dazing his opponents at just the right opportunity. Whenever a sprightling is allowed an attack of opportunity, he may react to use this ability in place of an attack. With a quick gesture, a sparkle of magic splashes his opponent, who must then make a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 his HD + his Charisma modifier) or become dazed for one round. This is a mind-affecting compulsion. If dazed, the opponent is unable to act normally. A dazed creature can take no actions, but has no penalty to armor class. Unfortunately for sprightlings, this ability is instinctually reactionary magic and they are unable to summon the control to use it at will.
 * Automatic Languages: Common and Sylvan.
 * Bonus Languages: Elven, Gnome, Halfling.
 * Favored Class:
 * Level Adjustment: +Level Adjustment::0
 * Effective Character Level: Effective Character Level::1
 * Effective Character Level: Effective Character Level::1