Homebrew Faeling Species Details

 

The lords were in the midst of a fearsome debate, for neither would admit to calling off the army. Lord Meradan was on the cusp of drawing his weapon when one of the dignitaries from Fleioran stood, and revealed herself to be a Faeling. She produced a letter, and recited it for the entire congregation, which read thus:

"Esteemed General,

Your services are desperately required in the castle. A dispatch will be sent to deal with the Elementals. This is far more urgent. I beg of you, return at once.

Chancellor Zellown"

At this time, the incriminated Chancellor tried to run, but was cornered by Lord Meradan's soldiers. The Faeling attested to having witnessed a meeting between the Chancellor and the Dao commander of the invading forces, who promised him all the gold he desired in exchange for allowing access to the city. The Chancellor broke down and admitted everything, and such was a deadly conflict prevented.

— Extract from the Diary of a Lord of Stallaron

To be greeted with stares and whispers, to always suffer an insatiable wanderlust, to see mistrust and wonder in every eye: this is the lot of the Faeling. And though this hardly affects them, some long for the acceptance that can only be found in nature. Their appearance is that of a Human, for the most part, but without magic, they can never pass for one, as they have the horns of a deer protruding from their brow, and their legs end in lynxlike paws.

Primal Bloodline

Faelings are derived from human bloodlines, lost forever in the Feywild. However, the plane responsible for their creation has left a clear imprint on their appearance. Faelings have large horns that resemble the horns of a great stag. They have thick hair, which they rarely, if ever, cut. Their legs end in the paws of a lynx, and the older they are, the darker the fur. Their skin tones cover the full range of human coloration, but also include deep greens, and the colors of the sky at twilight. 

Wild Cities

Faelings subsist in small minorities found mostly in wild, untouched wilderness. They construct their cities around portals to the Feywild, and they mimic Seelie design so thoroughly that a carless traveler might mistakenly believe to have crossed over already. 

Faelings have no 'homeland' on the Material Plane, instead connecting themselves to the Feywild and the Seelie court. They can accurately read the personality of most creatures, but Fey, Fiends, Celestials, and Aberrations are beyond their insight. 

Faeling Names

Faeling names fall into three broad categories. Faelings born into another culture typically have names reflective of that culture. Some have names derived from nature and dusk, passed down through generations. And some younger Faelings, striving to find a place in the world, adopt a name that signifies a virtue or other concept and then try to embody that concept. For some, the chosen name is a noble quest. For others, it’s a grim destiny.

Male "Natural" Names: Alder, Acorn, Bark, Dusk, Elk, Ice, Lune, Lake, Moss, Moose, Moor, Python, Sky, Trail

Female "Natural" Names: Aspen, Ant, Brook, Cristal, Diamond, Earth, Kaffir Lily, Lily, Magnolia, Nymph, Orchid, Petal, River

“Virtue” Names: Art, Adventure, Chant, Chaos, Creed, Calm, Excellence, Fear, Glory, Greed, Hope, Ideal, Music, Nowhere, Never, Open, Order, Poetry, Quest, Random, Reverence, Song

 MISTRUST DENIED

People tend to be suspicious of Faelings, as they are beyond the understanding of most human's worldviews. Shopkeepers keep a close eye on their goods when Faelings enter their stores, the town watch might follow a Faeling around for a while, and demagogues blame Faelings for strange happenings. This treatment, though, is completely undeserved. Faeling aren't any more likely to cause mischief than any other race. Years of dealing with mistrust does leave its mark on most Faelings, and they respond to it in different ways. Some choose to retreat from humans entirely, but others hope to earn respect. Most are simply very aware of how people respond to them. After dealing with this mistrust throughout youth, a Faeling often develops the ability to overcome prejudice through charm or intimidation.

Faeling Traits

Faelings all share many things in common, and the Feywild has manifested itself in many ways through them.

Ability Score Increase

Your Intelligence score increases by 1, and your Charisma score increases by 2.

Age

Faelings mature half as fast as humans, and can live for up to 5,000 years

Alignment

The magic of the Feywild has infused Faelings, and they mimic its chaotic nature. As such, most Faeling lean to chaotic alignments.

Size

Faelings are about the same size and build as humans. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

Because your race has spent so long in the eternal twilight of the Feywild, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Primal Resistance

You have resistance to saving throws against spells.

Primal Legacy

You can cast disguise self and faerie fire at will. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the speak with animals and plant growth spells once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 11th level, you can cast the polymorph spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so every dawn. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Sylvan.