Artaiad (3.5e Race)

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Author: Ganteka Future (talk)
Date Created: 5 March 2009
Status: 20 February 2014: v2.0
Editing: Clarity edits only please
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Artaiad[edit]

They're a fey race that transform into deer or antelopes. The primary stats here represent an adult. Most of what is known about artaiads is gained through observation by other folk.

Personality[edit]

A warm smile lights their face as a chortling laugh echoes about. 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.

As fey creatures, they are a wild, untamed force of nature and spiritual magic. Given the duality of their humanoid- and animal-shaped forms, they express both the mundane qualities of mortal nature and the magical essences held beyond its visible and tangible surfaces. So too, then, that artaiad personalities can fluctuate suddenly, allowing them to draw upon hidden reserves of ferocity and determination not readily apparent.

Physical Description[edit]

Standing shorter than most elves at about five feet tall and weighing around 90 pounds, an artaiad's humanoid form is slim and wiry with graceful movements. Artaiads are typically tanned skin, though some may have reddish brown or tawny skin. Their hair's color ranges from blondes like the color of wood, to clay, earthy browns, mahogany and deep blacks. Hair texture varies from wavy to straight, with wiry or curly hair being uncommon. 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 notably large (or useful for combat). Their ears are typically fey-like or elven in nature, though some are known to have ears like those of their alternate animal form or some mix in-between.

Depending on the regional tribe, each artaiad 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.

Animalistic traits are more common among young artaiads. It is rumored that artaiads are born appearing as a cross between their two forms. Some scholars believe that the artaiads are fey spirits that have inhabited animal bodies and taken humanoid form rather than being fey that assume animal forms. While it would appear (through the use of magical examination) that an artaiad's humanoid form is its natural form, many have been known to remain in their animal form (or shift to it) upon death.

An artaiad often only wears fibrous materials latticed together as clothing. Though, some tribes gather clothing from other sprites and fey as trade. They rarely carry many possessions or weapons, often having water pouches and food stores to sustain them, but little else. Some artaiads have been found with unusual possessions like golden combs, single gauntlets, worn arrows, rings or other trinkets which they show extreme emotional responses and protection over.

Female artaiads are slightly smaller and trimmer than their male counterparts.

Relations[edit]

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.

A rare few artaiads are found living within humanoid settlements as adopted citizens, appearing much more like the locals than as members of their own race.

Alignment[edit]

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. The rare evil artaiads are a plague on civilian populaces and manipulate nature to their control.

Lands[edit]

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.

Some artaiads are known to infiltrate herds of the animals they assume the forms of, leading them to new grazing grounds and away from hunters and foul luck.

Artaiads generally maintain small tribes of around two dozen individuals at most. Some are known to be loners, especially adult males, who patrol large territories or wild land.

Young artaiads develop at a different rate than humanoids, going through several phases with sudden developmental growth spurts rather than growing gradually. For the first year of life, a young artaiad is very much like a helpless baby until it learns how to shift to its alternate form, at which point it quickly grows to the size and attitude roughly equivalent to a five- to seven-year old human. This phase may last twenty years or more after which it becomes an adolescent, growing in size, but not quite a master of its abilities. This phase lasts until they become adults nearly a hundred years later. Adolescent artaiads are playful and inquisitive, still naive and sheltered to the world. After an artaiad reaches adulthood, it ages rather slowly, gradually becoming more worldly at the cost of its sprightliness and resilience. Like most fey, they are not known to die of old age. Though, it is believed that an artaiad may pass on from loneliness or from becoming broken-hearted.

Interestingly, there have been recorded instances of artaiad young being raised by other cultures, in which the child grows up as a member of its adoptive parents' race, aging as a member of that race and even beginning to look like them in superficial ways, such as skin and hair color. It is not unknown for adolescent artaiads who are given to wandering to become "adopted" by humanoids or monstrous humanoids they become particularly fond of. Some artaiads that live among other non-fey races may even neglect or forget their heritage for years.

Some humanoid towns tell tales of the reverse happening, where one of their own will run off with the artaiads and become fey themselves. Like many stories surrounding fey creatures, it is difficult to substantiate.

Religion[edit]

Artaiads are very connected to the spirits of the lands, and claim reverence and respect toward nature deities. However, they aren't devout.

Language[edit]

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

In some areas, artaiads are known as siliads, saliads, deer sprites or springheels.

Names[edit]

Upon the birth of a child, the mother will typically 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 (Adult)[edit]

Racial Traits (Juvenile)[edit]

The statistics below represent an adolescent or juvenile artaiad. As such, she hasn't yet gained access to many of her race's features or abilities. Perhaps she has suppressed her innate nature from years of living among other races. Whatever the flavor, these traits may be used as a variant to allow characters to play a basic artaiad. If the player later wishes to gain the race's full features, he may do so by taking levels in fey HD with the racial features gained as listed below. This progression also gives him the option of his character becoming "adopted" and losing racial traits (in favor of levels in a different class). Players should work with DMs to allow character retraining to go as smoothly as possible.

Table: Juvenile Artaiad Fey HD Progression

Hit Die: d6

Level Base
Attack Bonus
Saving Throws Special
Fort Ref Will
1st +0 +0 +2 +2 40 foot Alternate Form Land Speed, Improved Unarmed StrikeB, Full HD DR Progression, +2 Dexterity
2nd +1 +0 +3 +3 50 foot Alternate Form Land Speed, Trample, Spell-like Abilities, +2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma

Class Skills (6 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level)
Balance (Dex), Handle Animal (Cha), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis) Swim (Str).

Vital Statistics[edit]

Table: Artaiad Random Starting Ages
Adulthood Simple Moderate Complex
120 years +1d20 +2d20 +1d%
Table: Artaiad Aging Effects
Middle Age1 Old2 Venerable3 Maximum Age4
350 years 530 years 700 years Indefinite
  1. At middle age, −1 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.
  2. At old age, −2 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.
  3. At venerable age, −3 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.
  4. An artaiad has no maximum age and doesn't die of old age.
Table: Artaiad Random Height and Weight
Sex 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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Facts about "Artaiad (3.5e Race)"
AuthorGanteka Future +
Effective Character Level2 + and 1 +
Favored ClassRanger +
Identifier3.5e Race +
Level Adjustment0 +
Racial Ability Adjustments+2 Dexterity +, +2 Wisdom + and +2 Charisma +
RatingUnrated +
SizeMedium +
SubtypeShapechanger +
SummaryThey're a fey race that transform into deer or antelopes. +
TitleArtaiad +
TypeFey +