Sorial (3.5e Race)

Author: ArelMCII (talk) Date Created: 12/21/2013 Status: Nominally completed. Editing: Clarity edits only please

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Sorial

Humanoids descended from fey that feed on emotions, such as joystealers and gray jesters.

Personality

Sorial have often been described as self-centered and melodramatic. Leaping from whim to whim on a tidal wave of emotion gives them a reputation as flighty and crude. While outsiders attribute this to immaturity and selfishness, the reality is sorial are hardly in control of their own emotions. Their wishy-washy ways stem from the intensity of mortal emotion, something their fey blood has yet to adapt. Much like their distant cousins, the shadar-kai, the fey from which sorial are descended have long been the victims of an emotional deadness, forced to feed upon the emotions of others in order to feel anything more intense than mere discomfort or contentment. The mingling of the blood of fey and mortal has resulted in a kind of inborn hysteria. However, even without the inability to stifle their emotions, sorial are proud creatures. Whether because they are wrapped up in their own emotions or because of an effect of their heritage, nobody is certain. Regardless, sorial love to be the center of attention, to the point that many are afraid of being alone. Given the chance, a sorial would rather die dramatically than live a life away from the limelight.

Physical Description

Sorial are often mistaken for very pale elves. Their features, like those of elves, are sharp, complete with almond-shaped eyes and upswept ears. Their ashen skin often sports an imperceptible tint of pink, blue, or silver. They are similar to elves in build as well, with most sorial standing little more than five feet and possessing a thin, nimble frame. Most striking of a sorial's physical features are their eyes, whose hue changes with the sorial's hunger. Two eye colors are known to exist: a deep red that lightens to a gleaming gold when the sorial is full; and a midnight black that rises to a brilliant sky blue. Despite the seemingly luminescent color of a well-fed sorial's eyes, they do not actually emit light. Sorial sport a wide array of hair colors, each either brilliantly striking or startlingly dark. Indeed, sorial seem to naturally exhibit every color of hair but the mundane: gleaming red streaked with gold, shimmering blue, and even gradiented hair are all considered common. In fact, the number of hair colors that sorial have been known to possess is dwarfed only by the myriad ways the sorial style them. A sorial's style of dress is less indicative of their personal preferences and more of their mood. A happy sorial might dress in sunny hues of intricately layered clothing, while a melancholy sorial might wear simple, soiled affairs of dark colors. Many sorial go through several outfits a day, changing or altering their clothing to match their current emotional outlook.

Relations

Sorial tend to be on less-than-favorable terms with others of fey blood, the latter taking the insoril's—and by extension the sorial's—decision to remain within cities as a sign that they have abandoned the natural world. While the more lawful races tend to view sorial as “disruptive,” most intelligent races (eventually) welcome the presence of a sorial with open arms. Those few who know of their heritage or their thirst for emotion, however, see them as no better than their enslaved forebears or, in some cases, voracious vampires, and seek their elimination. When it comes to their opinions of others, sorial rarely care one way or the other. While they much prefer the company of chaotic beings to “stuffy” lawfuls, they will gladly travel with nearly any clique. However, they do possess one race-spanning hatred: khen-zai. The ethergaunts, ancient horrors who enslaved the proud insoril and twisted them for their own purposes, are an abomination the sorial will not stand for. While many sorial wish to avenge their forefathers, most cannot stand the ethergaunts' emotion-culling agenda.

Alignment

The hysterical sorial tend almost unwaveringly to chaotic alignments, with chaotic neutral being the most common. This outlook tends to come not from an active disinterest in others, but from the sorial's inability to see an inch beyond their collective nose. Even good-aligned sorial commit good deeds out of a need to be recognized rather than any sense of altruism.

Lands

Sorial, distantly descended from emotional fey such as insoril, do not have lands of their own. They make their homes in the urban areas where their ill-fated ancestors once did, drawn to emotional hubs such as theaters and town centers (as well as the occasional battlefield).

Religion

While most sorial acknowledge the fact that powerful beings exist in planes beyond most mortals' knowledge, worship is something most do not even consider. Individualistic to a fault, sorial do not enjoy the thought of some unknown being dictating their thoughts, actions and belief. At most, some sorial pay tithes to churches that support revelry or the arts.

Language

Sorial are born with an almost perfect knowledge of sylvan, a gift from their fey ancestors. Nearly all sorial speak common as well. Most pick up the languages of their native lands.

Names

Born of other races in much the same way as planetouched, there is no such thing as a "typical" sorial name. However, many sorial go by aliases, nicknames, or self-given titles, rather than their birth names.

Racial Traits

• +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, -2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom: The graceful, attractive, and outgoing sorial are frail and prefer action over planning.
• Humanoid 
• Medium: As a Medium creature, a sorial has no special bonuses or penalties due to its size.
• Sorial base land speed is 30 feet.  
• Low-Light Vision: A sorial can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. She retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions. 
• Fey Blood: For all effects relating to race, a sorial is considered to be a creature of the fey type. 
• Emotional Attachment: Sorial rely on their attachment to emotions in order to make the most of their abilities. A sorial with immunity to mind-affecting spells or effects (including immunity to fear effects) loses access to her supernatural racial abilities, as well as her racial skill bonuses on Charisma checks, Charisma-based skill checks, and Sense Motive checks. 
• Empathy (Su): Sorial passively sense the emotions of those around them at all times. This functions as the blindsense ability, except it only detects the presence and positions of creatures that possess an Intelligence score within 30 feet, as well as their current emotional state (such as afraid, angry, hungry, exhausted, or happy). Creatures that lack an Intelligence score, as well as creatures immune to mind-affecting spells and abilities, cannot be detected by this ability. 
• Empathic Feeding (Su): As their forebears once did, sorial can feed upon the emotions of others. As a standard action, a sorial can feed upon the emotions of all creatures within 30 feet who are currently experiencing a powerful emotion (up to the DM's discretion, but creatures currently experiencing a morale bonus or penalty should always qualify). The victim loses the ability to feel any emotions; it is no longer subject to morale bonuses or penalties, can't rage, can't receive benefits or penalties from any ability derived from emotion or inspiration, and is immune to fear effects. This emotional deadness lasts for 1 day per point of Charisma modifier the sorial possesses. During this time, the victim is also immune to all abilities that drain emotion (such as those possessed by sorial, gray jesters, or joystealers). Sorial are immune to this ability, as are joystealers, gray jesters, and any other creature that feeds on emotions. A sorial cannot feed on more creatures per day than 1 + her Charisma bonus. Also, if the sorial feeds on a number of creatures equal to or exceeding her Constitution bonus, she does not need to eat or drink that day. 
• Heighten Emotions (Su): Whenever a sorial gains or grants a morale bonus, that bonus is increased by 1. This also applies to morale penalties, increasing the penalty by 1. Additionally, sorial cast spells derived from emotion or inspiration (DM's discretion) at +1 caster level. 
• +2 racial bonus on Charisma checks and Charisma-based skill checks (except for Use Magic Device). 
• +4 racial bonus on Sense Motive checks. 
• -2 penalty on saves against enchantment spells and effects, as well as spells and abilities derived from emotion or inspiration (DM's discretion).
• Automatic Languages: Common and Sylvan
• Bonus Languages: Any (except secret languages such as Druidic)
• Favored Class: Bard or Wilder
• Level Adjustment: +0
• Effective Character Level: 1

Vital Statistics

Table: Sorial Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
20 years	+2d6	+3d6	+4d6

Table: Sorial Aging Effects

Middle Age1	Old2	Venerable3	Maximum Age
50 years	75 years	100 years	+5d20 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: Sorial Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	4' 6"	+3d4	100 lb.	× (1d6) lb.
Female	4' 4"	+3d4	80 lb.	× (1d6) lb.

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