HGd10PHB - Sylph (Air)

Sylph (Air)
Sylph are free spirited, sometimes flighty Fey connected to the elemental spectrum of Air. They are whimsical creatures who love fun and gossip.

Description
Sylph, when they can be found standing on the ground on rare occasion, stand at around three and a half feet tall. They appear as mere children at first glance, except their exotic appearance lends itself to a far more mature bearing. Their hair ranges through yellows and very light browns to sky blue and white. Some very few have light green hair owing to their Fey roots. Sylph wings are diaphanous and streamlined like a dragonfly's wings. These wings are similar to spider-silk in their mass to strength ratio, however, and are designed for speed. In the air, Sylph are very fast and highly skilled fliers.

Young sylph, called sylphlings, are born without wings and resemble a cross between a mer-folk and an inch-worm. Their legs are contained safely in a crawling sack that is eventually worn away by movement, freeing the legs. Their arms are attached to their sides the first few months of life by a delicate webbing that the baby sylphling eventually grows strong enough to tear. Once torn, the webbing disintegrates over the next few days. During the time before their arms and legs are freed, sylph babies crawl around by inching along. Afterward, they can run and play like normal children. Sylphlings are generally born no more than six inches long and grow to about two feet tall before their fifth conception day.

5 years to the day after their conception, a sylphling will enter into a cocoon state. Their backs will begin to secrete a sticky string like substance that they can attach to most any solid surface. Once attached, the sylphling will be drawn up to the surface the string is attached to and hang upside down in a deep sleep. The string will continue to ooze from their back taking five hours to completely cover them. Once completed, the string divides into two and begins to take on the shape of wings inside the cocoon. The chemical makeup of the string is different now and is composed of genetic material rather than simple chemicals. After five days, the transformed sylph will wake and use their magic to dissolve the cocoon. Instinct takes over as they drop and their wings catch them before hitting the ground. Sylph generally spend many days in the air getting used to their new wings and strengthening the back muscles before coming back down to the ground. Any elemental magic will work on the cocoon so long as it's source is the sylph inside.

On very rare occasions, a cocoon does not open after the five days inside. If the cocoon begins two wriggle and family or friends are about, they can help the sylph emerge. However, this likely means that the sylph does not have access to elemental magic for one reason or another. Sometimes it happens that no one is around. An isolated sylph with no magic cannot break the cocoon and will soon starve inside. If the cocoon does not open after the five days and there is no movement, then it is likely the sylphling died during the cocooning process. This happens about 1 in every 10,000 cocoonings.

Society
Fey are natives of Loar, but their divergence into the various separate cultures did not occur until after the Sundering. This was largely due to the divergent associations of the elemancers.

Male sylph are called sylphon while female are called sylpheid. Males tend toward short hair, though this is not always the case. Females value beauty and tend towards longer hair that is pulled back or put up when speed and mobility are required.

Sylph families are loose with newly emerged sylph leaving home a few days after their emergence from the cocoon. There are many gatherings of multiple generations and extended family for any excuse they can come up with though, including births, cocoonings, marriage, death, and other major events in sylph life.

Character Creation
 Key Characteristic:  Agility

 Base Characteristics:  +4 AGL; +2 BEA; +1 PRC; +2 PRS; +1 SPI; -2 CON; -2 STR; -1 WIS

 Skill Bonuses: 

Sylph gain 1 free BP in the following skills:
 * Ranged Combat
 * Air Spell Creation
 * Fly
 * Sing
 * Balance
 * Dance
 * Stealth

 Traits & Foibles:  The following are granted to Sylph without using Trait Slots:
 * Sense of Duty to Fey - all Fey feel a sense of family and duty to help other Fey. This sense of duty tends to cause them to hesitate or make different choices than others might make if they know a fellow Fey, especially another Sylph is in trouble.  Attempts to take actions contrary to this Sense of Duty suffer a -5 to their roll.  Attempts to harm another Fey suffer a -10. (-2)
 * Opposing Spectrum - Earth (6): Sylph take double effects from all magical Earth attacks (does not include mundane metal, ceramic, or crystal items) and cannot learn the Earth spectrum.
 * Flight - Sylph are almost always aloft and fly at 30m/Player Turn.
 * Agile Fighter (2)
 * Resistant to Air (3)
 * Spectrum Affinity - Air (1)

As Heroes
Sylph love adventure and are quick to accept any offers to go on them. However they tend to be mercurial and get bored easily. If they are not having fun, they may leave or they may find trouble thinking it is fun. Adventuring groups who have earned the Sylph's loyalty, though, find them to be great companions indeed. They tend to serve as scouts, elemancers (typically aeromancers), and flankers.

Navigation

 * Hero's Guild Players Handbook Home
 * Chapter 1 - Creature Kinds
 * Chapter 2 - Primary Characteristics
 * Chapter 3 - Skills
 * Chapter 4 - Traits and Foibles
 * Chapter 5 - Physical Combat Skills 
 * Chapter 6 - Mystical Skills
 * Chapter 7 - Equipment
 * Chapter 8 - Crafting
 * Chapter 9 - Knowledge Social and Movement Skills
 * Chapter 10 - Optional Classes
 * Chapter 11 - Rules of Engagement