Batling

Description

This miniscule creature resembles a cross between a fey pixie and a bat. It has a light down coat, bat-like wings, and a pixie-like face with large ears, small eyes, and an upturned nose.

Batlings are a magical crossbreed of pixie and bat. They resemble pixies with bat-like wings and features. Their feet are like those of a bat, with small claws for hanging upside down. The body is pixie-shaped with a short, soft fur covering, and varies in hue from light brown to a deep black. The face of a batling is also pixie-like, but with some bat-like characteristics. They have a sharp teeth and large ears like a bat; smallish eyes, and small, slightly upturned noses.

Like bats, batlings live in dark places, such as caves. They are nocturnal, which only adds to the superstition that surrounds them. Batlings come out at night to socialize and feed. An adult batling can eat 3 to 4 times his own weight a night in flying insects. This helps support their high metabolic rate. Batlings are also found of fruits, especially grapes. They make an extremely potent wine from grapes and a fungus that grows in their caves.

Batlings mate once a year in the spring and the female gives birth to a clutch of two young. They usually mate for life, and keep their lair far from humanoid eyes. Usually they will choose a lair inhabited by regular bats to help keep guard.

A batling stands 1-½ feet tall and weighs about 1 pound. The young batlings reach maturity in seven years. Batlings typically live 40 to 50 years.

Batlings can speak Sylvan. Some also speak Common and Elf. They speak with high-pitched voices.

Combat

Batlings are are only marginal fighters. They prefer to use their miniscule size and flying ability to avoid confrontations. However they will go to any lengths to protect their homes or their young. Male and female batlings are equally capable in combat. Young batlings are non-combative.

Spell-Like Abilities: 3/day―speak with animals (bats only, duration 1 minute). Caster level 1st.

Blindsense (Ex): A batling notices and locates creatures within 30 feet using echo-location. Opponents still have 100% concealment against a creature with blindsense.

Hypersonic Shriek (Ex): Three times per day batlings can let out a powerful shriek in a cone up to 40 feet long. Affected creatures must succeed on a DC 14 Fortitude save or become deafened for 2d6 rounds and be dealt 2d10 points of damage. Creatures that succeed at their save are dealt half damage. The save DC is Charisma-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.

Batling Society

Even though they are a created race, batlings have found a niche in the ecology of the world. Their diet has placed no strain on the local ecology.

Batlings tend not to interact with races other than pixies. This is not out of choice, but necessity. In the past they have been hunted down by other races under the mistaken impression that they are evil.

If batlings have a natural enemy it would be goblins. Goblins capture batlings in suspended steel traps. They gag the captive batlings and enjoy pulling off their wings. Goblins usually eat the males and children but keep the females around as slaves. A particularly ugly breed of bendith y mamau are born to these unfortunate batlings.

Batlings tend to be a very gregarious race that centers on the extended family. They get along well with other fey races, especially pixies and slyphs. However grigs tend to avoid them.

The batlings particularly enjoy being free of encumbrance, and tend not to wear clothing when young or among their own kind. They have also been known to wear light clothing similar to that of other pixies, only drabber and more functional.

Due to their appearance and origin, batlings are often believed to be small demons or at the very least evil. However nothing could be farther from the truth. An insane warlock who was researching new familiar types created the batlings. He believed that by combining the appearance of the bat with the intelligence of a pixie he would have a frightening ally. His experiments were a tremendous success; he created a race that could breed true. However he underestimated the natures of both the pixie and the bat. He produced a race that was both intelligent and good.

Batlings have been the subject of recent debate and experiments by wizards. Batling fur or guano has been used in place of bats in spell components. The spell wave of mutilation (q.v.) was discovered in this research.

Batling Characters

Batlings are generally too small to make effective player characters. A batling's favored class is ranger, and occasionally a batling leader is a ranger.

Advanced Benefits

In addition to the standard changes due to Hit Dice advancement, batlings also gain the following special benefits.

• Spell resistance equals creature's HD + 15 (maximum 25).
• The caster level of the spell-like abilities is equal to the Hit Dice.
• The save DC of the hypersonic shriek is equal to 12 + ½ HD + Charisma modifier.
• 1+ HD ― Add to spell-like abilities: 1/day―animal messenger (bat only).
• 2+ HD ― +2 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks. These bonuses are lost if the blindsense is negated.
• 3 HD ― Add to spell-like abilities: 1/day―summon swarm (bats only).