Editing Neraphim

[[File:Neraphim.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Not to be confused with the [[Slaad|other]] toad-men of [[Limbo]]...]]

'''Neraphim''' are a minor planar race hailing from [[Dungeons & Dragons]], and one of several such races included in the Planar Handbook for [[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition]]. A strange race of [[beastfolk|humanoid toads]] native to [[Limbo]], they are different from the more famous [[slaad]]i despite the obvious physical resemblance, although wild speculation about their possible connections - such as the neraphim maybe being slaadi that were "infected" by order and so gained greater sanity at the cost of much of their former might - rages amongst sages.

Neraphim are roughly humanoid in shape, with coarse red hide. Though bipedal like other humanoids, a neraph has a massive, toadlike head shaped like that of a red slaad. The range in height and weight found among neraphim is the same as found among humans. Chitinlike encrustations on a neraph's skin provides it some natural protection; however, neraphim also prefer to wear colorful bone-spiked leather (made of stabilized and cured chaos beast hide). Neraphim take longer to mature than humans do, not reaching adulthood until age 40, but they can live to be more than 400 years old.

As you'd expect, the neraphim are a nomadic people who pursue a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, stalking the planar wildlife through the maelstrom of Limbo, where their prodigious leaping ability grants them exceptional mobility. Their most prized prey is the Chaos Beast, an enormous anarchy-spawned creature whose carcass can provide many neraphim with nutrition and an alternative to chaos-matter for crafting tools and clothing. They organize themselves into tribal units, called Houses, consisting of several related families united behind a single fearsome matriarch - almost like a more warlike version of the [[grippli]] - who stake dominance over a certain region of Limbo and claim exclusive hunting rights in that area. Unlike the mighty [[slaad]]i, neraphim cannot afford to be as inconsistent as the plane they inhabit and the game they hunt - only stern discipline within each neraph house keeps its members from succumbing to poverty and starvation. As such, the houses spend most of their time avoiding each other, and when they do meet are as likely to be in conflict over hunting grounds as they are to be in alliance against a common threat.

The exception to this is the Festival of Spawning; a racial celebration that occurs once every 7 years. During this time, all neraphim houses congregate in order to negotiate with one another, exchanging resources and influence as each house seeks to better its position within the neraphim hierarchy.

Within each house, the rule of the matriarch is law, and her rule can be harsh. The most severe punishment a matriarch can dispense is exile from the house. Exiled neraphim can be encountered by planar travelers visiting Limbo, though most are slain by other houses, slaadi, [[githzerai]] hunting parties, and roaming chaos beasts. Some exiles have open personalities and strike up friendships with travelers from other planes, hoping to accompany them home and leave the dangerous realm of Limbo behind. With little to no prospect of returning to his or her house, and with even less prospect of joining another house, an exiled neraph makes a perfect adventurer. Exiles who embrace this path soon learn to excel, for the skills that allow them to hunt in the changing seas of Limbo are useful elsewhere. Against all odds, some exiles adventure in order to complete a great quest or meet some other condition imposed by a house matriarch that might allow them back into a house. However, once a neraph discovers the greater cosmos, he or she seldom wishes to return to a primitive and nomadic lifestyle.

Neraphim encountered while still associated with a house are generally unfriendly toward strangers, even those of the same race. However, exiles are more open-minded and may team up with others (whether neraphim, githzerai, or some other-planar race) in order to survive. On the other hand, because neraphim remind some individuals of smaller, skinnier red slaadi, other races are usually a bit standoffish at first. This is not helped by the fact that, even though they hold themselves above the general churn of Limbo, neraphim can't help having one chaotic component in their alignment. They try not to give in to their chaotic nature, and generally are successful in this practice.

Giving some credence to the theory that the neraphim are a subspecies of slaad, a few neraphim houses worship less bloodthirsty and less insane aspects of the entities Ssendam and Ygorl (who are normally considered to be, if not slaadi deities, at least very powerful slaadi worthy of respect). Additionally, whilst neraphim have their own language, they can also speak the Slaad language. That said, given that neraphim will also learn Common, Abyssal and Celestial in order to communicate with planewalkers, that may be reading too much into things.

Neraphim have given names and house names. Those exiled from a house are usually ceremonially stripped of their house names, though some continue to refer to themselves as such, while others take appellations similar to "the Exile," "the Stricken," or "the Houseless."
* Male Names: Anh, Cado, Hao, Sam, Tam, Teo, Thanh, Thuan, Van, Xuan.
* Female Names: Chi, Hyunh, Lan, Mai, Nam, Tham, Trinh, Yen.
* House Names: Spent River, Hanging Cliff, Invisible Sea, Lost Mountain, Burning Water, Living Stone.

==PC Stats==
::Outsider (Extraplanar): Neraphim are native to the plane of Limbo, and thus have the outsider type. They gain the extraplanar subtype when not on Limbo. They are not subject to spells or effects that affect only humanoids, such as charm person and dominate person.
::Medium: As Medium creatures, neraphim have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
::A neraph's base land speed is 30 feet.
::Neraphim have darkvision out to 60 feet.
::Neraph Camouflage (Ex): When charging an opponent or when using a thrown weapon, neraphim can use a technique known as motion camouflage (also called neraph camouflage by other races), which predatory insects use to trick prey into thinking they are stationary even though they are moving closer. The target creature can be fooled into believing that the charging neraph or the neraph's thrown weapon is in fact not moving closer, or moving closer only very slowly.
:::A neraph can make one camouflage attack per enemy per encounter (once a foe sees the attack in action, that foe can discern it for what it is for the duration of that combat). Creatures that are subject to a neraph's charge or that are targeted by a weapon thrown by a neraph may not apply their Dexterity bonuses to their Armor Class. All conditions that pertain when a foe cannot apply his Dexterity bonus to Armor Class also pertain to the neraph's attack (for instance, a sneak attack could also be made with this attack, if the neraph can make such an attack).
::Leap (Ex): Neraphim are natural jumpers. They have a +5 racial bonus on Jump checks.
::Weapon Familiarity: Neraphim may treat the annulat as a martial weapon rather than an exotic weapon.
::+2 Natural Armor: Natural skin encrustations grant neraphim some protection against harm.
::Skills: Neraphim have a +2 racial bonus on Spot and Search checks.
::Automatic Languages: Neraph, Slaad. Bonus Languages: Common, Celestial, Abyssal.
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Ranger]].

[[Category: Dungeons & Dragons]] [[Category: Monsters]] [[Category: Dungeons & Dragons Races]]