Races: Anthousai

The anthousai are a race of fairies that were born from the Eternity Tree, when its flowers bloom and its seedlings traverse the multiverse to descend upon Midrealm. Where those mystical seeds land, anthousai are born. Although innately fey, the anthousai are closer to other mortal races of Midrealm. Their souls are separate from their physical bodies, which can age and die, but neither are their constrained to their fairy nature like true fey.

Anthousai are deeply attuned to nature and primal magic, particularly flowers and insects that depend on their existence. They are highly inquisitive, and retain a child-like perspective to the world regardless of how old they are.

Ethnicities

---

Arborfane

Navari

Zimdarvi

Languages

---

• Arborfane
• Navari
• Zimdarvi

Racial Traits

---

Standard Traits (12 CP)

• Type: Anthousais are fey.
• Size: Anthousais are Small creatures and gain -2 to Strength, +2 to Dexterity, -1 to Constitution, +1 size bonus to their DV, +1 size bonus on attack rolls, -1 penalty on combat maneuver checks and to CMD, +2 bonus on Fly checks, and +2 size bonus on Stealth checks, and their space is reduced to 1/4 sqr. (-2 CP)
• Speed: Anthousais have a base speed of 20 feet and a fly speed of 30 feet (poor maneuverability). (3 CP)
• Languages: Anthousais speak a regional language and Sylvan. Anthousais with a Intelligence scores can choose a regional language from the following: Draconic, Elvish, Gnomish, and Goblish. See the Linguistics skill page for more information about these languages.

Defense Racial Traits

• Fairy Resistance: Anthousais have DR/cold iron equal to their total Hit Dice. (4 CP)

Magical Racial Traits

• Fairy Veil: Anthousais can use a special fairy form of invisibility as a constant spell-like ability. Fairy Veil functions as the invisibility spell, except anthousais can see and can be seen as normal by other creatures with the fairy veil ability. This ability can be deactivated as a free action, and reactivated as a standard action. (4 CP)

Movement Racial Traits

• Wings: Anthousai have a pair of wings on the back, usually appearing as various types of insect wings or made of leaves. They allow the anthousai to takes no damage from falling (as if subject to a constant non-magical feather fall spell). These wings are necessary for their ability to fly. (2 CP)

Senses Racial Traits

• Low-Light Vision: Anthousai can see twice as far as humans in dim light. This range increases to three times as far at 7th Hit Die, four times as far at 14th, and so on every 7 HD after. (1 CP)

Alternate Traits

• Body Thorns: Anthousai that mature in particularly hostile environments develop thorns on their vines to protect them from overeager herbivores. You are considered to be wearing expert armor spikes when not wearing armor or bulky clothing, and are proficient with armor spikes. At character level 5th, and every 5 levels after, the armor spikes' damage increases one size larger. 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 eternity magic racial trait.
• Bower Born: Some anthousai sprout beautiful but delicate hibiscus flowers on their vines and emit a seductive pheromone. You gain a racial bonus equal to your character level on Diplomacy and Handle Animal checks. This racial trait replaces natural armor.
• Flighty: Some anthousai are too easily distracted to miss anything going on around them. You gain Perception as a class skill and gain a racial bonus equal to half of your character level on saving throws against patterns and effects that cause the fascinated condition. This replaces natural armor.
• Honey Whisperer: Some anthousai 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 with a racial bonus equal to half of their character level. This replaces natural armor.
• Intense Curiosity: Some anthousai habitually fixate on someone or something nearby and examine its every detail. When taking 20 on the check, they gain a racial bonus equal to their character level on Perception and Survival checks to find and follow tracks and to predict the weather. This replaces the eternity magic racial trait.
• Nimbus of Vitality: Anthousai sometimes are able to channel life-giving energy. As a 2-act action once per day per character level, 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 anthousai possesses. This racial trait replaces the eternity magic racial trait.
• Otherworldly Gossip: Many anthousai excitedly share every last bit of gossip they can find. These anthousai gain a racial bonus equal to their character level on Diplomacy checks to gather information and on checks with one Knowledge skill of the anthousai’s choice. Once the choice of Knowledge skill is made, it can’t be changed. This replaces the eternity magic racial trait.
• Photosynthetic Vision: Occasionally the tendrils of an anthousai’s symbiotic vines wrap around the anthousai’s face like a leafy mask. You gain a racial bonus equal to your character level on Perception checks. Photosynthetic vision replaces low-light vision.
• Sticky Tendrils: When a anthousai seed finds itself taking root in an environment that warps and changes erratically, the resulting anthousai 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 an anthousai 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 anthousai’s legs. These anthousai 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 anthousai’s speeds.
• Titled: Certain anthousai 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 anthousai treat Bluff, Diplomacy, and Knowledge (nobility) as class skills and gain a racial bonus equal to their character level on checks with them. This replaces the feather step spell-like ability.
• Tree Dialect: A rare few anthousai are born with the knowledge of an ancient way of speech that allows them to communicate with trees. A number of times per day equal to their character level, they can cast speak with plants (trees only) as a spell-like ability with a caster level equal to the anthousai’s character level. This replaces the eternity magic racial trait.

Racial Feats

---

Feat Name	Category/Type	Prerequisites	Benefit
Advanced Anthousai Magic	General	Cha 13, character level 3rd, anthousai.	You gain the following spells as spell-like abilities, each of which are usable a number of times per day equal to your character level: wood meld (as meld into stone, but only with wood), wood shape.
Biological Lattice	General	Anthousai, racial fly speed.	As a simple action, you can store an item you are carrying in your vines. While you are holding an item in your vines, you lose your fly speed. You can retrieve the stored item as a simple action or drop it as a free action, immediately regaining your fly speed in either case.
Fey Insight	General	Wis 13; Knowledge (nature) or Knowledge (planes) 2 ranks.	You gain a +2 bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, and Sense Motive skill checks when interacting with creatures of the fey type. If you have 10 or more ranks in one of these skills, the bonus gained when interacting with creatures of the fey type increases to +4 for that skill.
Fey Spell Lore	General	Cha 13, Spellcraft 1 rank, ability to cast druid spells.	Add the following spells to your druid spell list at the indicated levels: 0—dancing lights, 1st—lesser confusion, 2nd—charm person, 3rd—invisibility, 4th—bestow curse, 5th—charm monster, 6th—major curse, 7th—cloak of dreams, 8th—insanity, 9th—irresistible dance.
Fey Spell Versatility	General	Cha 13, Spellcraft 1 rank, ability to cast ranger spells.	Choose a 1st-level spell, a 2nd-level spell, a 3rd-level spell, and a 4th-level spell from the bard, sorcerer/wizard, or witch spell list that is either from the enchantment or illusion school or a spell with the curse descriptor. Add those spells to your ranger spell list. Once chosen, these spells cannot be changed.
Greater Anthousai Magic	General	Cha 15, Advanced Anthousai Magic, character level 9th, anthousai.	You gain the following spells as spell-like abilities, each of which are usable a number of times per day equal to your character level: command plants, thorny entanglement.
Green Tongue	General	Cha 13, character level 5th, anthousai.	You can cast speak with plants a number of times per day equal to your character level, as a spell-like ability.
Hydroponic Adaptation	General	Anthousai, racial fly speed.	Once per day per character level as a full-round action, you can lose your fly speed to gain a swim speed of 30 feet as you reconfigure your symbiotic vines to help you move underwater. This effect lasts for 1 hour, or until you end it as a full-round action.
Seasoned Flier	General	Dex 15, Fly 5 ranks, fly speed, anthousai.	Your maneuverability while flying improves to average.
Step of the Flighty Fey	General	Anthousai, feather step spell-like ability.	A creature under the effect of your feather step spell-like ability gains DR/cold iron for the duration of the effect equal to half of your character level.
Superior Anthousai Magic	General	Cha 17, Advanced Anthousai Magic, Greater Anthousai Magic, character level 15th, anthousai.	You gain the following spells as spell-like abilities, each usable a number of times per day equal to your character level: liveoak, tree stride.
Symbiotic Resilience	General	Con 13, anthousai.	When you are paralyzed, magically put to sleep, or stunned, you ignore the effects of that condition, but you are instead staggered for the same duration as the ignored condition. Removing the ignored condition also removes this staggered condition, but you can’t otherwise remove the staggered condition, nor can immunity to being staggered protect against it.
Wandering Mind	General	Character level 9th, anthousai.	When you fail a Will save against a mind-affecting effect that lasts more than 1 round, you can attempt another Will save on the round after your failed save. If you succeed, you gain the normal benefits of succeeding at a Will save against the effect. This feat offers only one additional saving throw against each effect.
Strange Yield	General	Craft (alchemy) 5 ranks, anthousai, racial fly speed.	Your vines produce fruit with helpful properties. Once per day as a full-round action, you can withdraw a small fruit from your symbiotic vines. Roll d% to determine a Common Potion or Oil on Table: Potions and Oils; the fruit functions as the result of that roll. After 24 hours, the fruit loses its magic.