New Races: Half-Nymph, Half-Nixie, and Half-Pixie

This is a little something for anyone who has wanted to play as a fey type character, but without the exorbant ECLs. I also wanted a balanced race that featured a charisma bonus. I was shooting for a +0 ECL with this, I think I'm just about on target. Its a tad stronger than the half-elf, but then again what isn't?

The basic idea is that nymphs can only crossbreed with elves, since they are the most similar race.


The Half-Nymph

• Cha +2, Str -2, Con -2

• Medium: As Medium creatures, Half-Nymphs have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.

• Half-Nymph base land speed is 30 feet.

• Immunity to sleep spells and similar magical effects, and a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against enchantment spells or effects.

• Low-Light Vision: A half-nymph can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. She retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.

• +1 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks.

• Elven Blood: For all effects related to race, a half-nymph is considered an elf.

• Fey Blood: For all effects related to race, a half-nymph is considered a fey.

• Automatic Languages: Common, Elven and Sylvan. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, and Orc

• Wild Empathy: A half-nymph can improve the attitude of an animal as if she were a 1st level druid, if the half-nymph is also a druid then she recieves a +2 bonus to the check.

• Dazzling Gaze: As a standard action, a half-nymph can daze a creature within 30 feet with a look. The target creature must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Cha modifier) or be dazed for 1 round. This is a supernatural ability, and can be used 3/day.

• Favored Class: Druid. A multiclass half-nymph’s druid class does not count when determining whether she takes an experience point penalty.

...good concept.

I like this Half-Nymph a lot. I have been toying with the idea of a Half-Fey races for my own campaign but found it difficult to keep the flavor and still maintain game balance or at least not have as many ECL levels. You seem to have overcome that hurdle and come up a very appealing and interesting new racial concept. Good Effort and if you want to give it a try, see what you can do for Half-Pixies (say cross bred with Humans or Halflings) that was the fey creature I was working with, but gave up when I got to ECL +3. DOH !!!!!!! Cheers

The dazzling gaze might be a bit too much. It is like a daze monster except that the save DC increases as the half nymph levels up. Say that the effect of dazzling gaze is like daze and I think it'll be comparable to the cantrip abilities of gnomes.

I second the Half-Pixie request, but I would suggest the other half be either halfling or gnome. Maybe have two varieties!

Cheiromancer said:

The dazzling gaze might be a bit too much. It is like a daze monster except that the save DC increases as the half nymph levels up. Say that the effect of dazzling gaze is like daze and I think it'll be comparable to the cantrip abilities of gnomes.

I second the Half-Pixie request, but I would suggest the other half be either halfling or gnome. Maybe have two varieties!

Click to expand...

I third the half-pixie. *grins*

I like the half-nymph a lot....very well done.

My worries would more be that it is a bit too weak. Taking a hit on both Str and Con is pretty rough.

Good call, Cheiromancer. Definately make the gaze equivalent of daze. I would not have caught that except in play . . .

Give them +2 racial bonus to Hide and Survival checks in forests.

And perhaps a little something else, but I can not quite think of it yet . . .

Very good concept and execution.

I'm glad you all like it


I was kind afraid that the daze effect was a bit too strong, I just wanted it to always be a viable action to take in combat. That, and I was more working down from 2d4 rounds of stunning than working up from a cantrip.

No big deal though, I can just remove the HD increase. The daze spell has a HD limit though, is the lack of that going to be a problem? I'd say the fact that its a gaze attack weakens it a bit and balances it out, and at least keeps it viable at mid levels. Good one to use on NPCs though.


I tried to make a weaker version of blinding beauty called distracting beauty, it caused -1 to attack rolls within 30 ft. I thought that was a too much, so I dropped it. Maybe if it gave a penalty to listen and spot checks instead? Sort of like a bardic facination effect.


A bonus to a spellcasting stat is so good that it requires two penalties to balance, just like how a strength bonus requires extra compensation. Granted, Str and Con are big hits, and Cha a litttle less strong since their favored class doesn't use it much, but thats just a good excuse to give them more special stuff.


I wouldn't give them any skill bonuses, since full nymphs dont get them either.

I'm on a roll!

I've touched up the half-nymph class, and created both the half-nixie and half-pixie races. Hope you like them.




The Half-Nymph

• Cha +2, Str -2, Con -2

• Medium: As Medium creatures, Half-Nymphs have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.

• Half-Nymph base land speed is 30 feet.

• Immunity to sleep spells and similar magical effects, and a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against enchantment spells or effects.

• Low-Light Vision: A half-nymph can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. She retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.

• +1 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks.

• Elven Blood: For all effects related to race, a half-nymph is considered an elf.

• Fey Blood: For all effects related to race, a half-nymph is considered a fey.

• Automatic Languages: Common, Elven and Sylvan. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, and Orc

• Wild Empathy: A half-nymph can improve the attitude of an animal as if she were a 1st level druid, if the half-nymph is also a druid then she recieves a +2 bonus to the check.

• Dazzling Gaze: As a standard action, a half-nymph can daze a creature within 30 feet with a look. The target creature must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 10 + Cha modifier) or be dazed for 1 round. This is a supernatural ability, and can be used 3/day.

• Distracting Beauty: This ability affects all humanoids within 30 feet of a nymph. Those who look directly at a half-nymph must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 10 + Cha modifier) or suffer a -2 penalty to spot and listen checks. A half-nymph can suppress or resume this ability as a free action.

• Favored Class: Druid. A multiclass half-nymph’s druid class does not count when determining whether she takes an experience point penalty.




Half-Nixie (aka River Halfling)

Small Humanoid (Aquatic)

• +2 Dex, +2 Cha, -4 Str, -2 Con

• Small: As a Small creature, a half-nixie gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but she uses smaller weapons than humans use, and her lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a

Medium character.

• Speed: 20 ft, swim 30 ft

• Halfling Blood: For all effects related to race, a half-nixie is considered a halfling.

• Fey Blood: For all effects related to race, a half-nixie is considered a fey.

• Low-Light Vision: A half-nixie can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. She retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.

• Wild Empathy: A half-nixie can improve the attitude of an animal as if she were a 1st level druid, if the half-nixie is also a druid then she recieves a +2 bonus to the check.

• Amphibious: Although half-nixies are aquatic, they can survive indefinitely on land.

• Skills: A half-nixie has a +2 racial bonus to all swim checks, plus an additional +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.

• A half-nixie recieves a +1 bonus to all listen and move silently checks, these bonuses double when in water. The half-nixie also gains a +3 bonus to hide checks when in water.

• Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day Charm Person, Caster level 1st, save DC 11 + Cha modifier.

• Automatic Languages: Common, Halfling and Sylvan. Bonus Languages: Dwarven, Elven, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, and Aquan.

• Favored Class: Ranger. A multiclass half-nixie’s ranger class does not count when determining whether she takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing.




Half-Pixie (aka Tree Gnome)

• Dex +4, Str -4

• Small: As a Small creature, a half-pixie gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but he uses smaller weapons than humans use, and his lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a Medium character.

• Half-Pixie base land speed is 20 feet.

• Gnome Blood: For all effects related to race, a half-nixie is considered a gnome.

• Fey Blood: For all effects related to race, a half-nixie is considered a fey.

• Low-Light Vision: A half-pixie can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. He retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.

• +1 racial bonus on saving throws against illusions.

• Skills: Half-Pixies have a +2 racial bonus on Listen checks, and a +1 racial bonus on Search, Spot and Craft (Alchemy) checks.

• Enduring Invisiblity: Half-Pixies who have invisibiliy or greater invisibility cast on them benifit from twice the normal duration.

• Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day-dancing lights, daze, prestidigitation. Caster level 1st; save DC 10 + half-pixie’s Cha modifier + spell level.

• Special Arrows: A half-pixie who gains the craft magic arms and armor feat can create special Memory Loss and Sleep arrows if they meet the requirements.

• Automatic Languages: Common, Gnome, Sylvan. Bonus Languages: Elven, Halfling.

• Favored Class: Sorceror. A multiclass half-pixie’s sorceror class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty


Pixie Arrows: (Need some help here)

Memory Loss: An opponent struck by this arrow must succeed on a DC 15 Will save or lose all memory. The save DC is Charisma-based and includes a +2 racial bonus. The subject retains skills, languages, and class abilities but forgets everything else until he or she receives a heal spell or memory restoration with limited wish, wish, or miracle.
Strong enchantment; CL ??th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Pixie blood, Feeblemind; Price ??? gp + ??? XP.


Sleep: Any opponent struck by this arrow, regardless of Hit Dice, must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or be affected as though by a sleep spell. The save DC is Charisma-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.
Moderate enchantment; CL ??th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Pixie blood, Symbol of Sleep; Price ??? gp + ??? XP.

How about a half-dryad? That seems like it might be interesting...might be a bit redundant with the half-nymph though, since they would both have a CHA bonus and probably have druid as a favored class...Maybe if the half-dryad was half human, so they would have a CHA bonus, and extra skill points? I dunno...I just like dryads better than nymphs.

Come to think of it, I think the half-dryad has been done in the past, but I can't seem to find it...

My version of the Half-nymph is ECL 2...i should update her to 3.5 hrm.

Hey Quib, would it be ok if I put your half-pixie, half-nymph, and half-nixie on my webiste. I accidently already posted the half-nymph, and will take it down right away if you don't want any of this stuff on my site. The URL is
http://www.uberddragons.cjb.net