Gathlain (12 RP)

According to some fey ballads, gathlains were one of the first peoples awakened in the the primal realm of the fey. Gathlains grow from the seeds of an enormous magical tree—seeds that often drift for hundreds of miles before developing into adolescent gathlains, with the tree’s mistletoe grown into their flesh to form their strange wings. Despite being born with a basic understanding of their world, gathlains are inquisitive to a fault. They are known to be invaluable guides and knowledgeable explorers, if one can put up with their numerous questions and strange japes.

Physical Description: Wings of wood and vines grow out of the bodies of these lithesome fey. Gathlains prefer to wear a mix of clothing, with a base of natural materials like grass skirts or simply woven tunics combined with bits of finery gathered from a variety of sources.

Society: Gathlain society is built around art, discovery, experimentation, and storytelling. These fey constantly seek new ways to look at the world. Gathlain leaders are often popular explorers followed primarily as idols worth emulating and as sources of intriguing gossip. Although gathlains tend to engage in raucous romances born of melodramatic or fanciful encounters, they do not procreate conventionally from such pairings, even when the two happen to be of different physical sexes. Gathlains show little interest in gender, finding it quaint when other races use it as a basis for assigning roles or choosing partners.

Relations: Gathlains associate with a variety of other fey as freely as among their own kind. These mixed communities of fey are called courts and feature elaborate titles for those members deemed most interesting or most worthy of admiration. When a gathlain chooses to join a different community, it is generally a temporary membership, whether it lasts only a season or persists for decades. Adventuring gathlains frequently seek out and attempt to mingle with like-minded gnomes; however, gnomes often find gathlains too flighty, foolish, and undisciplined for their tastes.

Alignment and Religion: Mischievous and capricious, gathlains have discordant temperaments. Most are chaotic, and they tend to be morally neutral. The typical gathlain finds mortal religions strange; like many fey, they trade respect and token offerings to godlike fey in exchange for protection, but they see little difference between that and offerings to lesser kings and queens.

Adventurers: Gathlains strive to entertain themselves and sate their immense curiosity about the world around them, and those who decide to become adventurers often migrate to the Material Plane to explore. They favor spellcasting classes and skilled classes such as bard or rogue.

Names: Gathlains lack gender-specific names, but instead attempt to create unique names for each individual. Some examples are Agollia, Armath, Arnonwy, Brazial, Dwynnen, Eirgara, Finnath, Gummow, Inirha, Marcanth, Nirialu, Sollowy, Tiltiu, and Urhiod.

Racial Traits

  • Ability Score Modifiers: Gathlains are quick, with dynamic and engaging personalities, but are rather fragile. They gain a +2 bonus to Dexterity and Charisma but suffer a –2 penalty to Constitution.
  • Type: Gathlains are Fey.
  • Size: Gathlains are Small and gain a +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a –1 penalty on combat maneuver checks and to CMD, a +2 bonus on Fly checks, and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks.
  • Speed: Gathlains have a base speed of 30 feet and a fly speed of 40 feet (poor maneuverability).
  • Low-Light Vision: Gathlains can see twice as far as humans in dim light.
  • Languages: Gathlains speak Common and Sylvan. A gathlain with a high Intelligence score can choose from the following languages: Draconic, Elven, Goblin, Halfling, and Orc.

Other Traits

Alternate Racial Traits

  • Arboreal Vitality: Some gathlains draw exceptional nourishment from any kind of tree through their wings, although their wings are much more delicate. A gathlain with this racial trait has a fly speed of only 20 feet (poor maneuverability) but gains fast healing 2 for 1 round whenever he is adjacent to a living tree larger than he is. The gathlain can heal up to 2 hit points per level per day with this ability, after which it ceases to function. This modifies the gathlain’s fly speed. Source PPC:WO
  • Body Thorns: Gathlains that mature in particularly hostile environments develop thorns on their vines to protect them from overeager herbivores. You are considered to be wearing masterwork armor spikes when not wearing armor or bulky clothing, and are proficient with armor spikes. These thorns can be sundered or destroyed as if they were a worn object (hardness 1, 5 hp), but grow back 1 week later. This racial trait replaces the spell-like abilities racial trait.
  • Bower Born: Some gathlain sprout beautiful but delicate hibiscus flowers on their vines and emit a seductive pheromone. You gain a +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy and Handle Animal checks. This racial trait replaces natural armor.
  • Fey Resilience: Even gathlains who leave the First World can retain a bit of the supernatural resilience shared by many fey. A gathlain with this racial trait gains DR 1/cold iron. This DR increases by 1 for every 5 HD the gathlain has. This replaces the spell-like abilities racial trait. Source PPC:WO
  • Flighty: Some gathlains are too easily distracted to miss anything going on around them. They gain Perception as a class skill and gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against patterns and effects that cause the fascinated condition. This replaces natural armor. Source PZO1140
  • Honey Whisperer: Some gathlains keep bees of all sizes, collecting their honey and sometimes even riding the largest of them. They can use Handle Animal and wild empathy to influence vermin as if they were animals with an Intelligence score of 1. This replaces natural armor. Source PZO1140
  • Intense Curiosity: Some gathlains habitually fixate on someone or something nearby and examine its every detail. When taking 20 on the check, they gain a +4 racial bonus on Perception and Survival checks to find and follow tracks and to predict the weather. This replaces spell-like abilities. Source PZO1140
  • Natural Bounty: Some gathlains command natural plants in a different way, with their control increasing as they grow more powerful. Once per day, a gathlain with this racial trait can cast goodberry as a spell-like ability. When the gathlain’s character level reaches 9th, he can cast plant growth (overgrowth only) as a spell-like ability once per day, and at 13th level, he can cast heroes’ feast as a spell-like ability once per day. The gathlain’s caster level for these abilities is equal to his character level. This replaces the natural armor and spell-like abilities racial traits. Source PPC:WO
  • Nimbus of Vitality: Gathlains sometimes are able to channel life-giving energy. As a standard action once per day, they can surround themselves in an aura that affects them as faerie fire and grants fast healing 2. The nimbus lasts for 3 rounds plus 1 additional round per 2 character levels the gathlain possesses. This racial trait replaces the spell-like ability racial trait. Source PZO9280
  • Otherworldly Gossip: Many gathlains excitedly share every last bit of gossip they can find. These gathlains gain a +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy checks to gather information and on checks with one Knowledge skill of the gathlain’s choice. Once the choice of Knowledge skill is made, it can’t be changed. This replaces spell-like abilities. Source PZO1140
  • Photosynthetic Vision: Occasionally the tendrils of a gathlain’s symbiotic vines wrap around the gathlain’s face like a leafy mask. You gain a +2 racial bonus on Perception checks. Photosynthetic vision replaces low-light vision.
  • Soaring Agility: A gathlain whose seed spends a long time drifting through the air before coming to rest grows with a natural aerial agility. Gathlains with this racial trait gain a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks originating from at least 20 feet below the gathlain. This replaces natural armor. Source PPC:WO
  • Sticky Tendrils: When a gathlain seed finds itself taking root in an environment that warps and changes erratically, the resulting gathlain learns to cling tenaciously with its vines. You can cling to walls and even ceilings as long as the surface has handholds, and it is treated as being constantly under the effects of a non-magical spider climb spell (except that you may not cling to smooth surfaces). Your vines provide only the ability to glide rather than true flight; you take no damage from falling, as if subject to a constant non-magical feather fall spell. While in midair, you can move up to 5 feet horizontally for every 1 foot you fall, at a speed of 60 feet per round. You cannot gain height with your wings, but instead coast in other directions as you fall. If subjected to strong winds or any other effect that causes you to rise, you can take advantage of this updraft to increase the distance you can glide. This racial trait replaces your fly speed.
  • Symbiotic Imbalance: Occasionally the conditions for a gathlain seed’s growth heavily favor the plant portion of its body, causing more nutrients to go to the building of its vine wings and fewer to developing the gathlain’s legs. These gathlains have larger wings than normal. They have a base speed of 20 feet and a fly speed of 40 feet (average). This racial trait alters the gathlain’s speeds.
  • Titled: Certain gathlains play at the games of courtly intrigue that dominate much of Fey World culture, assuming titles that other fey may or may not recognize. These gathlains treat Bluff, Diplomacy, and Knowledge (nobility) as class skills. This replaces the feather step spell-like ability. Source PZO1140
  • Tree-Born: Some gathlains take after their tree ancestors, standing more firmly but moving more slowly. They have no Constitution penalty but have a base speed of 20 feet and a fly speed of 30 feet (clumsy maneuverability). This replaces the penalty to Constitution and alters speed. Source PZO1140
  • Tree Dialect: A rare few gathlains are born with the knowledge of an ancient way of speech that allows them to communicate with trees. Once per day, they can cast speak with plants (trees only) as a spell-like ability with a caster level equal to the gathlain’s character level. This replaces spell-like abilities. Source PZO1140
  • Whimsical Outlook: Some gathlains can use their unusual mentality as a defense against efforts to control their minds. Once per day when a gathlain with this trait attempts a Will saving throw, he can roll the saving throw twice and use the better result. He must decide to use this ability before attempting the saving throw. This replaces the spell-like abilities racial trait. Source PPC:WO

Favored Class Options

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

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Race Guide © 2012, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors: Dennis Baker, Jesse Benner, Benjamin Bruck, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, Jim Groves, Tim Hitchcock, Hal MacLean, Jason Nelson, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Owen K.C. Stephens, Todd Stewart, and Russ Taylor.

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