Fetchling

## Overview

Fetchlings are mortals who experience the influence of the Ethereal Plane in their ancestry, at their birth, or during their time in the womb. Most often, children born near leyline convergences or places of great magical power are fetchlings, although some simply have parents exposed to massive amounts of magic due to a lifetime of practice or cutting-edge spell experimentation. Fetchlings inherit the Ethereal Plane's insubstantiability, its lack of color, and with training, a modicum of its power to warp space. As well, they have a marked wanderlust that manifests in an inability to settle down in one place, a tendency to engage in constant and ever-more-wild trains of philosophical and fantastic thought, or both. Scholars hypothesize that this is due to wishing to follow along the leylines that they were truly born from, while more common folk simply misattribute their heritage to Pahala Kadam's servitor race, the kytons, and consider them omens of war.

## Mechanics

### Standard Racial Traits

* **Ability Score Modifiers:** Fetchlings are quick and forceful, but often strange and easily distracted by errant thoughts. They gain +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, and –2 Wisdom.
* **Type:** Fetchlings are outsiders with the native subtype.
* **Size:** Fetchlings are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
* **Base Speed:** Fetchlings have a base speed of 30 feet.
* **Languages:** Fetchlings with a high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Aklo, Aquan, Auran, Draconic, D’ziriak (understanding only, cannot speak), Ignan, Terran, and any regional human tongue.

### Defense Racial Traits

* **Shadow Blending (Su)**: Attacks against a fetchling in dim light have a 50% miss chance instead of the normal 20% miss chance. This ability does not grant total concealment; it just increases the miss chance.
* **Shadowy Resistance**: Fetchlings have cold resistance 5 and electricity resistance 5.

### Feat and Skill Racial Traits

* **Skilled**: Fetchlings have a +2 racial bonus on Knowledge (planes) and Stealth checks.

### Magical Racial Traits

* **Spell-Like Abilities (Sp)**: A fetchling can use disguise self once per day as a spell-like ability. He can assume the form of any humanoid creature. A fetchling’s caster level is equal to his total Hit Dice. When a fetchling reaches 9th level in any combination of classes, he gains shadow walk (self only) as a spell-like ability usable once per day as a spell-like ability. A fetchling’s caster level is equal to his total Hit Dice. When a fetchling reaches 13th level in any combination of classes, he gains plane shift (self only, to the Shadow Plane or the Material Plane only) usable once per day as a spell-like ability. A fetchling’s caster level is equal to his total Hit Dice.

### Senses Racial Traits

* **Darkvision**: Fetchlings can see perfectly in the dark up to 60 feet.
* **Low-Light Vision**: In addition to their ability to see perfectly in the dark up to 60 ft, fetchlings have low-light vision, allowing them to see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.

## Society

Fetchlings rarely stay in a single settlement or kingdom long enough to truly acclimate to any given society, but have a remarkable knack for spending their short time within larger groups wisely. They have no shame when it comes to flattery or diplomacy and have a reputation that precedes them when it comes to their ends justifying their means, although they're no more inured to violence than the next person. As such, they tend to rise quickly in any society that welcomes them, adapting to any situation with impressive mutability and justifying their lack of personal pride with the necessity of their survival. On the road, fetchlings tend to be accepting of a wide range of traveling partners, if only so that they can gain a wider range of experiences and tales. This experience makes fetchlings valued merchants, caravaneers, diplomats, and messengers. However, their most common sterotype rarely gives credit to fetchling mages and dreamers, who aren't as willing to explore the world but are more than ready to explore countless focal and architectural possibilities, including the details of the origin of their own race.

## Religion

The vast majority of fetchlings, if not all of them, venerate Petya Naumov, the fetchling whose curiosity was strong enough to bring her to the method of ascending to godhood (or was itself enough to cause her ascension. Scholars have yet to figure it out). Most also pay homage to any deity who will listen and is relevant - in storms, they pray to Basang Ba's Apparition; in towns, they pray to Ketar Mozog; in castles, they pray to Dowager Empress Kyouko; on battlefields, they pray to Pahala Kadam; in hospitals, they pray to Agathon and Alessandra Juntoso's Apparition. Those who seek answers about magic and their origins worship Zhihao Jin or Fa'qamuu Twice-Heavenbound, as Jolein Composed of Desire's insistence on knowledge only being revealed to the wise and worthy strikes fetchlings as more of a challenge than anything else.

## Relations

Fetchlings usually envy the ease with which aasimar, tieflings, aphorites and ganzi coast through social interactions thanks to their divine heritage. They have no problem impersonating a tiefling in order to gain an advantage, and thus the two races have a dislike for each other due to the chaos this produces for both of their reputations.

Changelings and orcs see fetchlings as great, inoffensive allies that can be used to lead into further relationships, but more often than not, fetchlings ditch them as soon as it would be beneficial.

Fetchlings would love to have dhampir at their side to scare away threats, though the half-undead resent the fetchlings for how easy it is for them to blend in.

Drelmans find the fetchlings' inability to choose a home foreign and thus dislike them, and duergar and dwarves both dislike them for the disruptions they cause in daily life.

Both drow and elves appreciate the tales that fetchlings are willing to tell of their travels, an opinion which is shared and intensified by parmans who are equally interested in any foreign goods a fetchling merchant may carry.

Gnomes, kitsune, sylphs, and ifrits all get along marvelously with fetchlings - each of the races is similarly capricious and the shadowfolk value their magical expertise, pranks, curiosity, and bragging with equal intensity.

Grippli and halflings enjoy visits from fetchlings, which always bring something new, but lizardfolk and vanara find them to be ominous signs of a world that's closing in on them too quickly for comfort.

Fetchlings have the most secure relationships with kobolds and vishkanya, and eagerly meet with them to practice flattery and verbal duels, respectively.

Ghorans, having little grasp of the emotions and thoughts inside the heads of mortal races, have no way to easily discern fetchling falsehoods from truth, and thus attempt to have as little interaction with them as possible - although a fetchling who can prove their honesty and knowledge of leylines to a ghoran may find a lifelong partner.

Nagaji and oreads similarly find fetchlings difficult to trust, although their stories are welcome and a high point of many festivals.

Hobgoblins routinely dismiss and underestimate fetchlings, considering them undisciplined vagabonds, while tengu are eager to record every word from a fetchling's mouth as glorious truth.

Ratfolk tend to treat fetchlings as glorified cargo transports, only valuing them for their deliveries.

Undines most often end up as impromptu therapists for fetchlings in any given relationship, as they know that the taciturn race won't easily spill their secrets and true feelings.

Suli prefer fetchlings as underlings in all cases, eagerly choosing to let their flattery flow freely and keep them nearby, but even the impressive compensation usually offered can't stifle a fetchling's wanderlust.

Skinwalkers shy away from fetchlings, finding their magical nature disturbing to their inborn instincts.

Goblins and fetchlings get along like old friends even on their first meeting, and it's a common occurrence for them to swap tall tales and wild stories until both pass out from exhaustion.

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