Quickling (3.5e Race)

This article is based on material presented in the revised Tome of Horrors.

Author: Ganteka Future (talk) Date Created: 8 October 2008 Status: 18 June 2015 v3.0 Editing: Clarity edits only please

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Quicklings

These malicious fey are quick striking darters that catch their opponents by surprise.

There is a milder variety of quickling known as sprightlings.

Personality

Quicklings are brutally mean and sharply insulting of others, constantly talking down to any being who'll listen. Whenever they can get away with an unkindly prank or attack, they'll take the opportunity. Quicklings almost never make friends outside of their own race.

Physical Description

Appearing as slender and lithe small elves with sharp features and a feral glint, the quickling darts and bobs, hardly standing still long enough for others to get a good look at them as most of the time, quicklings are invisible. On average, a quickling grows to about 3 feet tall and weighs about 25 pounds. Their skin ranges from pale blue to blue-white and their hair is usually silvery or snowy-white. Long pointed ears rise above the tops of their heads. Their eyes are usually cold and cruel with an untamed feral glint.

They dress themselves in ostentatious finery such as silks with embroidered embellishments and exotic furs. Often, the rarer and more exotic, the more coveted. This serves the purpose of appearing important as a show of status and superiority over others. They despise wearing bulky armors, as such encumbrances slow them down.

Relations

Twisted by malevolent fey magic in ages past, quicklings distrust or hate all they come across. Fey creatures are universally scorned by quicklings. Most races who come across quicklings only notice them by the loss of valuable trinkets and other things the quickling might find useful. Any individual that encroaches too far into quickling territory is either repelled with torment or brought to a brutal end. Other fey, due to quickling grudges long held, are often attacked on sight or at the very least (should the quickling be in a "playful" mood), mercilessly harassed for hours.

Alignment

The quicklings of ages past weren't the evil creatures they are today. Before they were affected by the malevolent fey magic that made them as they are, they were peaceable creatures living in harmony with the natural world around them. After the fey magic changed them, they have kept a tradition of telling their history as they saw it. As they told it, their ancestors were victims of ancient, powerful fey who begrudged them for the peace and serenity that they once enjoyed. Over their short generations, the quicklings told their children this story, gradually distorting it with every instance with their cruel teachings and grudges held and kept against the fey who cast the magic upon them. Accompanied with their actions over the ages, quicklings transformed into utterly evil creatures who disregard the welfare and sovreignty of others.

Lands

Quicklings are normally found in temperate forests and settle in small, isolated communities far from civilized lands. The communities are usually connected by a network of game trails or forest highways depending on the location of the communities and the density of the trees. Territorial boundaries are often marked with carved stones or even patrolled by other fey to serve as a warning for other creatures not to enter.

Hindering and humiliating traps are common in quickling territories. Cleverly obscured stinking sludge pits, prickling brambles, tripping roots and vines, poisonous mushrooms and dead-falls are all commonly employed.

Occasionally, patrols of quickling runners will dress alike and employ combat tactics to hide or deceive their numbers, using speed and invisibility to their advantage. Hit-and-run tactics are a staple and they often start combat with some variety on this theme. Clever runners quickly adapt and change up the plan to keep their foes uncoordinated and on the defensive. Against magic-using opponents, quicklings may simply retreat and return after many minutes in an attempt to burn through their foe's allotment of spells with false encounters before closing in for a real fight (or as well perhaps to simply get a good judgement of what they're up against).

Religion

Quicklings occasionally praise and honor insidious forest deities (evil deities with a nature portfolio). Mostly, quicklings rely on their own talents and skill, rather than seek help from the divine.

Language

Quicklings speak Common and Sylvan, speaking quickly and stringing words and sentences into each other without pauses or breaks.

Names

Quicklings often take fey names that they've claimed for their own culture, though, these names tend to be on the short side. They also like to make themselves appear grand by taking important sounding titles based on their accomplishments (or perceived accomplishments).

Racial Traits

• -2 Strength, +8 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma: Quicklings are unfathomably nimble with cruel cunning. Though, they aren't even as strong as a common man.
• Fey
• Small: As small creatures, quicklings gain a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks and a –4 penalty on grapple checks. Their lifting and carrying limits ¾ those of Medium-sized characters.
• Quickling base land speed is 80 feet.
• Racial Hit Dice: A quickling begins with four levels of fey, which provide 4d6 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +2, and base saving throw bonuses of Fortitude +1, Reflex +4, and Will +4.
• Racial Skills: A quickling’s fey levels give him skill points equal to (6 + Int modifier, minimum 1) per Hit Die, with quadruple skill points for the first Hit Die. Its class skills are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Tumble (Dex) and Use Rope (Dex).
• Racial Feats: A quickling’s fey levels give him two feats.
• Proficient with all simple weapons and light armor (but not shields).
• Roguish Instinct: A quickling can sneak attack like a rogue for +1d6 damage. This sneak attack stacks with sneak attack gained from class levels. Additionally, a quickling is treated as a rogue of half its ECL when calculating when Improved Uncanny Dodge applies.
• Sorcerous Talent: A quickling gains spellcasting as a 2nd level sorcerer with a caster level equal to its ECL. This spellcasting stacks with actual levels in sorcerer.
• Speed Burst (Su): As a swift action, a quickling can enter a state of frenzied speed. A speed burst lasts for a number of rounds equal to 1 + its Dexterity modifier. He gains a supernatural haste effect, as the spell. A quickling is fatigued for 1 minute after using a speed burst. A quickling cannot use a speed burst while fatigued.
• Invisibility Glamer (Su): A quickling has a fey invisibility glamer that affects itself as the spell. It loses this invisibility after making an attack and can reactivate it as a standard action or wait 3 rounds for it to reactivate on its own. A quickling can effortlessly suppress this glamer at will as a free action. All fey creatures see through the invisibility glamer of quicklings (much to their chagrin).

• Automatic Languages: Common and Sylvan.
• Bonus Languages: Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Gnome, Gnoll, Goblin, Halfling, Orc, Undercommon.
• Favored Class: Rogue
• Level Adjustment: +2
• Effective Character Level: 6

Vital Statistics

Table: Quickling Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
2 years	+0	+1	+1d2

Table: Quickling Aging Effects

Middle Age1	Old2	Venerable3	Maximum Age
6 years	10 years	12 years	+1d4 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: Quickling Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	3' 0"	+1d4	25 lb.	× (1d3) lb.
Female	2' 10"	+1d4	23 lb.	× (1d3) lb.

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