Sprite Alternative (5e Race)
Sprite
"The tree had a wee village in its boughs, I swear. Next thing I knew, I was lyin' face-down in the dirt, my head was full of stars, an' when I stood up an' looked around, both the tree and the wee village were gone." - Tale of a Half-Orc Ranger
Physical Description
Standing about a foot high - or 30cm for us metric folks - a Sprite is a tiny humanoid figure with iridescent dragonfly wings. They resemble Elves, with slender forms and pointed ears.
History
Fey creatures, Sprites nonetheless often make their homes in the forests of the Material Plane.
Society
Sprites are aggressive and hardy warriors who build their homes in the boughs of trees and willing Treants, verdant glades brightened by moss, wild flowers and toadstools. Where they live wild nature thrives and the Sprites allow no trespassers. When intruders are spotted, the Sprites lead them astray with ominous rustling from the bushes and distant snapping twigs. Creatures foolish enough to persist in intruding on a Sprite's territory are stung with poisoned arrows and lulled into a senseless sleep. While they slumber, the Sprites make good their escape, retreating to an even more secluded area of the forest.
Sprite Traits
Tiny Fey creatures that will defend their forests and promote the natural beauty of wild nature above all else.
Ability Score Increase. +2 Cha, +1 Wis
Age. Sprites mature quickly and then stop ageing. At 5 years of age, they are physically mature, and it is unknown how long a Sprite can live to be, though after several centuries a Sprite might begin to show signs of further physical maturing, even growing to resemble something close to 'old age'.
Alignment. Always good. A Sprite tends towards neutral good, but chaotic or lawful are not out of the question.
Size. Tiny. A Sprite is on average 1ft tall, and the following considerations should be made for their stature:
Abilities: -4 Str, +4 Dex
Armour: Armour that has been specifically designed for a Tiny Character follows the same rules as in the PHB, with the exception of Heavy armour which reduced flying speed by 10ft. Light armour constructed for Small creatures can be resized on the fly for a Tiny creature, however it suffers a -1 penalty to AC for the poor fit and reduces flying speed by 10ft.
Weapons: Weapons that have been specifically designed for a Tiny Creature follows the same rules as in the PHB, but deal less damage. As a rule, reduce the damage dice amount by one dice class - for instance a d8 damage becomes a d6 damage. In the case of a d4 damage, the damage dealt suffers a -1 penalty.
Weapons not specifically made for a Tiny creature can only be used if they have the Light property, and suffer a disadvantage to attack rolls when used one-handed.
Shields: Much the same as armour, shields can be used normally when specifically designed for a Tiny creature, however unlike armour, shields are too big, heavy and unwieldy for a Tiny creature to use otherwise.
Mounts: Can use a creature of size Small or larger as a mount.
Movement through creature space: A Tiny creature can move through the space of a creature of Medium or larger. This space is considered difficult terrain and does provoke a reaction attack.
Dexterity: Being Tiny often means being more agile and grants proficiency to Dexterity Saving Throws.
Carrying Capacity: Not a packmule. Follow the PHB guide for carrying capacity for Tiny creatures and realise that your Sprite is not going to be hauling around three sets of platemail, fourteen greataxes and three shields as they flit about the battlefield. They are going to keep their inventory light and simple - or invest in Bags of Holding.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 10ft. Your Flying speed is 40ft.
Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Forest Kin. Double your proficiency modifier for Nature Checks concerning forest environments and natural forest creatures.
Heart Sight. The Sprite touches a creature and magically knows the creature's current emotional state. If the target fails a Charisma Saving Throw (DC = 8 + proficiency modifier + Charisma Modifier), the Sprite also knows the creature's alignment. Celestials, fiends and undead automatically fail the saving throw.
Invisibility. The Sprite and their worn and carried equipment becomes invisible until they attack, cast a spell or have their concentration disrupted. This ability can be used a number of times equal to their Charisma modifier (minimum of once) before requiring a long rest to recover the ability.
At Higher Levels: At 5th level, the Sprite can regain their ability with a short rest. At 10th level, they can use the ability up to twice their Charisma modifier. At 15th level, they can use the ability at-will. At 18th level, their ability becomes Greater Invisibility and no longer fails if concentration is disrupted.
Poison Savvy. The Sprite has proficiency with the Poison Kit, and double proficiency to Nature, Survival and Medicine checks to identify, craft or treat poisons.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, Elven and Sylvan.
Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Races