Nephilim (10 RP)

Paragons of the mortal races, nephilim are the children of angel and devil, given physical form on the material plane. While not as divinely in tune with their heritage as god-blooded, the nephilim still feel a draw to resolve divine conflict as it threatens to destroy life on the world they call home.

Physical Description: Nephilim appear human, but their lack of flaws can be unnerving for those who don’t know them.

Society: Nephilim find little time to settle down and create villages with their kind. Most are too busy adventuring, or looking for trouble anywhere they can find it. Not that a nephilim can’t retire, but the itch to do something great never goes away, even on the rare occasion that one lives long enough to grow old.

Relations: Because of a nephilim’s willingness to put itself in danger, other races tend to give them a wide berth. Halflings can appreciate the nephilim’s wanderlust, and dwarves and half-orcs celebrate their physical prowess, but all will occasionally hesitate while the nephilim knows not the meaning of the word.

Alignment and Religion: Nephilim border on chaotic, and most are good, if only because of their drive to solve problems rather than create them. They view worship of the gods as necessary when drawing power from them, but otherwise treat them as a nuisance for interfering with mortal affairs.

Adventurers: A nephilim’s human side shines through in the variety of classes they can pick. The most common of these are barbarian, gunslinger, monk, necromancer, paladin, witch, and wizard.

Male Names: Asher, Barak, Gad, Jokim, Meshach

Female Names: Atarah, Huldah, Naarah, Sarai, Zilpah.

Random Starting Ages
Adulthood Intuitive1 Self-Taught2 Trained3
13 years +1d4 years
(14 – 17 years)
+1d6 years
(14 – 19 years)
+2d6 years
(15 – 25 years)

1 This category includes barbarians, oracles, rogues, and sorcerers.
2 This category includes bards, cavaliers, fighters, gunslingers, paladins, rangers, summoners, trainers, and witches.
3 This category includes alchemists, clerics, druids, inquisitors, magi, monks, and wizards.

Random Height and Weight
Gender Base Height Height Modifier Base Weight Weight Modifier
Male 5 ft. 4 in. +2d10 in. 125 lbs. +(2d10×5 lbs.)
Female 4 ft. 11 in. +2d10 in. 90 lbs. +(2d10×5 lbs.)

Standard Racial Traits

Nephilim usually have the following racial traits.

  • Ability Score Modifiers: +2 Constitution. Nephilim characters also gain a +2 racial bonus to one other ability score of their choice at creation to represent their varied nature.
  • Type: Nephilim are humanoids with the human subtype.
  • Size: Nephilim are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
  • Base Speed: (Fast Movement) Nephilim have a base speed of 40 feet.
  • Languages: Nephilim begin play speaking Common. Nephilim with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages, such as Druidic).

Defense Racial Traits

  • Stubborn: Nephilim gain a +2 racial bonus on Will saving throws to resist spells and spell-like abilities of the enchantment (charm) and enchantment (compulsion) subschools. In addition, if a nephilim fails such a save, it receives another save 1 round later to prematurely end the effect (assuming the spell or spell-like ability has a duration greater than 1 round). This second save is made at the same DC as the first. If the nephilim has a similar ability from another source (such as a rogue’s slippery mind class feature), it can only use one of these abilities per round, but can try the other on the second round if the first reroll ability fails.

Feats and Skills Racial Traits

  • Skilled: Nephilim gain an additional skill rank at first level and one additional rank whenever they gain a level.

Magical Racial Traits

Weakness Racial Traits

  • Unsettling: Nephilim take a -2 penalty to Bluff and Diplomacy checks. Creatures that would start indifferent start as unfriendly when interacting with a nephilim, and animals that would start unfriendly start as hostile.

Alternate Racial Traits

Nephilim can select the following racial traits.

  • Divine Surge: Once per day, a nephilim with this racial trait can increase any d20 roll it just made by rolling 1d6 and adding it to the result. Using this ability is an immediate action taken after the result of the original roll is revealed. This can change the outcome of the roll. The bonus die gained by using this ability increases to 1d8 at 8th level, 1d10 at 14th level, and 1d12 at 20th level. If it becomes mythic, the nephilim loses this ability and gains Marked for Glory as a bonus feat. This racial trait replaces unsurpassed talent.
  • Mythic Companion: The nephilim gains Mythic Companion as a bonus feat, which means it is considered a mythic creature for the purposes of determining how mythic spells and effects affect it. If it ever becomes mythic, the nephilim gains a +1 bonus on all saves against mythic spells and effects. This racial trait replaces unsurpassed talent.

Favored Class Options

The following options are available to all nephilim characters who have the listed favored class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the favored class reward.

  • Any Class: Add +1 to the character’s energy resistance to one kind of energy (maximum +10).
  • Barbarian: Add a +2 bonus on Acrobatics checks made to jump.
  • Gunslinger: Add a +2 bonus on Acrobatics checks made to move through threatened areas and enemy spaces.
  • Monk: Each melee attack that hits during a flurry of blows after the first in a round deals +1 damage, to a maximum of twice the monk’s Strength bonus.
  • Necromancer: Deal +1 damage with attacks and damaging spells against creatures with less than half their total hit points, to a maximum of twice her Constitution bonus.
  • Paladin: As a swift action, the paladin can give enemies within 5 feet a -1 penalty to attack her allies until the start of her next turn, to a maximum of twice her Charisma bonus
  • Shaman: Add ½ to the shaman’s effective class level for the purpose of determining her spirit animal‘s natural armor adjustment, Intelligence, and special abilities.
  • Wizard: Add one spell from the wizard spell list to the wizard’s spellbook. This spell must be at least one level below the highest spell level the wizard can cast.

Non-Human Nephilim

In areas where the predominant race is not human, nephilim will take the form of the dominant race instead. These nephilim are treated the same as human nephilim, except their size may change, and they can trade skilled and fast movement for other racial traits, such as low-light vision, darkvision, or a defensive racial trait.

Racial Archetypes

The following racial archetypes are available to nephilim:

Section 15: Copyright Notice

The Book of Many Things, © 2018,Samurai Sheepdog; author Kevin Glusing.

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