Descended from humans trapped on the Shadow Plane, fetchlings are creatures of darkness and light intertwined. Generations of contact with that strange plane and its denizens have made fetchlings a race apart from humanity. While fetchlings acknowledge their origins, they exhibit little physical or cultural resemblance to their ancestors on the Material Plane, and are often insulted when compared to humans. Some members of the race also take offense at the name fetchling, as it was given to them by humans who saw them as little more than fetchers of rare materials from the Shadow Plane. Most fetchlings instead prefer to be called kayal, a word borrowed from Aklo that roughly translates to "shadow people" or "dusk dwellers."
Infused with the essence of the Shadow Plane and possessing human blood commingled with that of the Shadow Plane's natives, fetchlings have developed traits and abilities that complement their native plane's bleak and colorless terrain. Though most fetchlings treat the Shadow Plane as home, they often trade and deal with creatures of the Material Plane. Some fetchlings go so far as to create enclaves on the Material Plane in order to establish alliances and trade routes in areas where the boundary between the two planes is less distinct. These fetchlings often serve as merchants, middlemen, and guides for races on both sides of the planar boundary.
Description
Physical Description
Superficially, fetchlings resemble unnaturally lithe—bordering on fragile—humans. Their adopted home has drained their skin and hair of bright colors. Their complexion ranges from stark white to deep black, and includes all the various shades of gray between those two extremes. Their eyes are pupilless and pronounced, and they typically glow a luminescent shade of yellow or greenish yellow, though rare individuals possess blue-green eyes. While their hair tends to be stark white or pale gray, many fetchlings dye their hair black. Some members of higher station or those who dwell on the Material Plane dye their hair with more striking colors, often favoring deep shades of violet, blue, and crimson.
Society
Fetchling are adaptable creatures, and as such display no singular preference for moral philosophy or the rule of law. Most mimic the cultural norms and governmental structures of those they live near or the creatures they serve. While fetchlings are arguably the most populous race on the Shadow Plane, they rarely rule over their own kind; most serve as vassals or subjects to the great umbral dragons of their homeland, or the bizarre nihiloi who dwell in the deeper darkness. Above all, fetchlings are survivors. Their tenacity, versatility, and devious pragmatism have helped them survive the harsh environs of the Shadow Plane and plots of the powerful creatures dwelling within it. On the Material Plane, especially if unable to return to their home plane at will, fetchlings tend to cluster in small, insular communities of their own kind, mimicking the cultural norms and political structures of those they trade with.
Relations
Because of their shared ancestry, fetchlings interact most easily with humans, though they also find kinship with gnomes and other races that were cut off from their home planes or are not native to the Material Plane. Their pragmatism and adaptable nature put them at odds with warlike or destructive races, and when they do have to deal with orcs, goblinoids, or other savage cultures, fetchlings will often play the part of the fawning sycophant, a tactic learned from serving umbral dragons and one they see as key to their race's survival. Strangely, their relationship with dwarves and elves are rather strained. Dwarves find fetchlings duplicitous and creepy, while the tension with elves is so subtle and inexplicable that both races find it difficult to explain.
Alignment and Religion
Fetchlings—especially those living outside the Shadow Plane—worship a wide variety of gods. A smaller number of evil fetchlings worship demon lords of darkness and lust.
Adventurers
The Shadow Plane's ever-present hazards pose great danger to fetchling adventurers, but also great opportunity. Because of their servile status on their home plane, however, most fetchlings prefer to adventure on the Material Plane, which often offers more freedom and trading opportunities between the two planes. Fetchlings make excellent ninjas, oracles, rangers, rogues, and summoners.
Male Names
Arim, Drosil, Jegan, Somar, Yetar, Zoka.
Female Names
Acera, Amelisce, Inva, Renza, Zaitherin.
Fetchling Racial Traits
+2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, -2 Wisdom
Fetchlings are quick and forceful, but often strange and easily distracted by errant thoughts.
Native Outsider
Fetchlings are outsiders with the native subtype.
Medium
Fetchlings are Medium creatures and receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Fetchlings have a base speed of 30 feet.
Fetchlings can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
Fetchlings can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
Fetchlings have a +2 racial bonus on Knowledge (planes) and Stealth checks.
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.
A fetchling can use disguise self once per day as a spell-like ability. He can assume the form of any humanoid creature using this spell-like ability. 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, and at 13th level, he gains plane shift (self only, to the Shadow Plane or the Material Plane only) usable once per day. A fetchling's caster level is equal to his total Hit Dice.
Fetchlings begin play speaking Common. 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.
Shadow Creature (CR +1)
Creatures with the shadow creature template dwell on the Shadow Plane, only rarely venturing onto other, brighter planes, and can be summoned by shadow callers. A shadow creature's CR increases by +1. A shadow creature's quick and rebuild rules are the same.
Rebuild Rules
Senses gains darkvision 60 ft. and low-light vision; Defensive Abilities gains energy resistance and DR as noted on the table below; SR gains SR equal to new CR + 6; Special Abilities Shadow Blend (Su) In any condition of illumination other than bright light, a shadow creature blends into the shadows, giving it concealment (20% miss chance). A shadow creature can suspend or resume this ability as a free action.
Shadow Creature Defenses
| Hit Dice | Resist Cold and Electricity | DR |
|---|---|---|
| 1–4 | 5 | — |
| 5–10 | 10 | 5/magic |
| 11+ | 15 | 10/magic |
Alternate Racial Traits
The following racial traits may be selected instead of existing fetchling racial traits. Consult your GM before selecting any of these new options.
Rare fetchlings excel in the role of emissary between the Shadow Plane and the Material Plane. Once per day, such a fetchling can roll twice when making a Bluff or Diplomacy check and take the better roll. This racial trait replaces shadow blending.
Some fetchlings can manipulate shadowy energy in order to displace their location instead of transporting between shadows. Upon reaching 9th level, instead of gaining shadow walk as a spell-like ability, these fetchlings gain displacement as a spell-like ability usable twice per day. For this ability, a fetchling's caster level is equal to his total Hit Dice. This racial trait modifies the spell-like ability racial trait.
Fetchlings who spend their time studying the subtle magic of their adopted plane gain arcane insights on the use of shadow spells. These fetchlings gain a +1 racial bonus to the DC of any illusion (shadow) spells they cast. This racial trait replaces the skilled racial trait.
Rather than taking on the forms of others, some fetchling are adept at destroying the memories of other creatures. Instead of gaining disguise self as a spell-like ability, such fetchlings can use memory lapse once per day as a spell-like ability. For this ability, a fetchling's caster level is equal to his total Hit Dice. This racial trait modifies the spell-like ability racial trait.
Fetchlings who have spent most of their lives on the Material Plane can become more acclimated to their new environments. Instead of gaining a +2 racial bonus on Knowledge (planes) checks, these fetchlings gain a +1 racial bonus on Knowledge (nature) and Knowledge (local) checks. This racial trait modifies the skilled racial trait.
Favored Class Options
The following options are available to all fetchlings who have the listed favored class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the favored class reward.
Treat the oracle's level as +1/3 higher for the purposes of determining which of its racial spell-like abilities it can use.
Add a +1/2 bonus on Perception and Survival checks made on the Plane of Shadow.
Add a +1/2 bonus on Stealth and Sleight of Hand checks made while in dim light or darkness.
Add +1/2 to either cold or electricity resistance (maximum resistance 10 for either type).
The summoner's eidolon gains resistance 1 against either cold or electricity. Each time the summoner selects this reward, he increases his eidolon's resistance to one of those energy types by 1 (maximum 10 for any one energy type).
Add one spell from the wizard spell list to wizard's spellbook. The spell must be at or below the highest level he can cast and be of the illusion (shadow) subschool or have the darkness descriptor.
Racial Archetypes
The following racial archetypes are available to fetchlings.
Hunters and guides through the Shadow Plane, dusk stalkers are rangers that thrive in shadow. Adept at hunting in dusk, darkness, and twilight, these rangers excel at manipulating shadows.
Class Skills
The dusk stalker adds Knowledge (planes) to his list of class skills and removes Knowledge (nature) from his list of class skills.
When a dusk stalker gains the favored terrain ability, that ability is modified in the following ways. At 3rd level, a dusk stalker picks his primary terrain normally, but only gains a +1 bonus on those checks while on a plane other than the Shadow Plane, and gains a +3 bonus on those checks while on the Shadow Plane. Each time he chooses to add a bonus in a favored terrain, he gains a +1 bonus on those checks while on a plane other than the Shadow Plane, and gains a +3 bonus on those checks while on the Shadow Plane. This ability modifies favored terrain.
At 4th level, a dusk stalker creates a mystical bond with shadows. The shadows around a dusk stalker weave and swirl, confusing his enemies. When a dusk stalker is fighting in dim light or darkness (magical or otherwise), he gains a +4 insight bonus on Acrobatics checks made to move through an enemy's threatened area or through its space. Furthermore, a number of times per day equal to his Wisdom modifier, the dusk stalker can manipulate shadows in a 5-foot square within 30 feet. That square must be in an area of dim light or darkness (magical or otherwise). Enemies with an Intelligence score within or adjacent to that 5-foot square take a –2 penalty to AC and on Reflex saving throws. The harassing shadows last for 1 round. This is a mind-affecting fear effect. This ability replaces hunter's bond.
Dark Sight
At 12th level, a dusk stalker gains the see in darkness ability. This ability replaces camouflage.
While most summoners can call any manner of creature from across the planes to serve them in combat, supplementing the skills of their eidolon with a diverse range of creatures, others eschew this broad utility and instead concentrate upon calling forth entities from the Shadow Plane. A shadow caller has the following class features.
Class Skills
The shadow caller adds Stealth to his list of class skills and removes Use Magic Device from his list of class skills.
When a shadow caller uses his summon monster ability or casts the summon monster spell, he typically summons creatures from the Shadow Plane or creatures closely associated with shadow. When a creature on the summon monster spell list indicates that it is summoned with either the celestial or the fiendish template based on the alignment of the caster, the creature summoned by the shadow caller has the shadow creature template instead . Furthermore, the summon monster lists are modified in the following ways (these changes also apply to using a higher-level summon spell to summon multiple creatures from a lower-level list).
Summon Monster INo changes.
Summon Monster II: A shadow caller cannot summon Small elementals or lemures, but instead can summon zoogs.
Summon Monster III: A shadow caller cannot summon dretches or lantern archons, but can summon augur kytons.
Summon Monster IV: A shadow caller cannot summon Medium elementals, hell hounds, hound archons, or mephits, but can summon allips , gloomwings , and shadows.
Summon Monster V: A shadow caller cannot summon babau, bearded devils, bralani azatas, Large elementals, salamanders, or xills, but can summon shadow mastiffs and shae.
Summon Monster VI: A shadow caller cannot summon Huge elementals, erinyes, lillend azatas, or succubi, but can summon cloakers.
Summon Monster VII: A shadow caller cannot summon bebiliths, bone devils, greater elementals, or vrocks, but can summon greater shadows.
Summon Monster VIII: A shadow caller can only summon derghodaemons and young umbral dragons.
Summon Monster IX: A shadow caller can only summon interlocutor kytons and nightwings.
This ability otherwise functions as and replaces the summoner's normal summon monster spell-like abilities.
Shadow Eidolon
A shadow caller's eidolon is at once a thing of shadow called from the deep of the Shadow Plane and his own shadow; the two are inseparable. When his eidolon manifests, his shadow lengthens and finally detaches from him as a creature unto itself. For as long as the shadow caller's eidolon is manifested, he and the eidolon do not have distinct shadows, regardless of the presence or absence of light. This lack of a shadow replaces the magical symbol that identifies the summoner and his eidolon.
This ability alters the summoner's eidolon ability.
New Evolutions
The following evolutions are available to all summoners.
2-Point Evolutions
In any condition of illumination other than bright light, the eidolon disappears into the shadows, giving it concealment (20% miss chance). If it has the shadow form evolution, it instead gains total concealment (50% miss chance). The eidolon can suspend or resume this ability as a free action.
The eidolon's body becomes shadowy and more indistinct. This shadow form grants the eidolon constant concealment (20% miss chance), and its melee attacks affect incorporeal creatures as if it had the ghost touch weapon property. The eidolon's melee attacks deal only half damage to corporeal creatures.
New Racial Rules
The following options are available to fetchlings. At the GM's discretion, other appropriate races may make use of some of these new rules.