Fainil

Fainil, also known as Night Flyers, are a Dungeons & Dragons race introduced in issue #244 of Dragon Magazine for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition.

Natives to the world of Tir, a minor setting invented for that issue, the Fainil are the result of a breeding program between drow and tanar'ri to create a race of malevolent winged elf-kin. Whilst in other settings they might be considered a dark counterpart to the avariel, on Tir, their enmity is reserved for the Telvar, a race of warlike winged elf-kin native to Tir as well.

The project to begin breeding the Fainil began in the wake of the great war between dark elves and gray elves, which saw the drow banished to Tir's Underdark. Well aware that the Telvar's speed and mobility would be a deadly threat to the disorganized hordes of humanoid tribes that the drow planned to use as the muscle behind their attempt at revenge, Fainil were bred specifically to counter the efforts of the Telvar.

And it worked. When the drow managed to enact a mighty ritual that shrouded the world in darkness, the speed and ferocity of the fainil saw them at the forefront of the greatest drow victories. When the ritual ultimately failed some 50 years later and the drow were either destroyed or driven back underground by the sunlight, the fainil remained aboveground, stubbornly clinging to their surface fastnesses of Morvan and Moddan. Despite repeated assaults by humans, demihumans and other races, their fortresses have never known defeat. They have even managed to slowly spread out to colonize other worlds as well.

Appearance-wise, fainil resemble a drow version of a fey'ri; a dark-skinned elf with tiefling-like mutations that signal its demonic ancestry. The one constant to their kind is that all Fainil sport enormous bat-like wings, which enable them to fly. Their demonic ancestry has imbued them with complete immunity to electricity, but has stifled their affinity for magic. It has also drastically shortened their lifespans; a fainil ages and lives about as long as a standard half-elf.

Personality-wise, they are... well, pretty much what you'd expect of drow tieflings. Their entire mentality revolves around taking what they want, when they want, and discarding it when they no longer feel they need it; other races are inferior, fit only to serve as slave labor. Ironically, though they don't trust easily, they are extremely loyal, especially to those that they battle alongside of.

One trait that does distinguish them from the drow is that fainil are not matriarchal in nature. Although they share the politically divided, treacherous nature of drow society, with lives full of intrigue and political trickery, the hierarchy is not dominated by the women; both sexes can rise equally high, and if anything, it is the menfolk who tend to be slightly more likely to be in charge. That said, the religious ranks do tend to be filled by women first and foremost.

As you might expect, pretty much nobody likes a fainil. Surface races still remember the tales of their ancient exploits, and their modern practices of theft and slave-raiding keep the hate alive. About the only races that have anything positive to say about them are the drow and those few Underdark races willing to trade with them, since the fainil's comparatively free access to the goods of the surface world gives them access to a wide array of things that the denizens of the Underdark regard as rare and valuable prizes.

Adventuring fainil are rare, but not unheard of. Most are those who have somehow been disgraced and are fleeing death at the hands of their kin. Others are the rare alykus; fainil mutants who have a truly elfin affinity for magic, increasing their normal racial cap of wizard levels from 5th level to 16th level, but who lack the normal penchant for destruction and ruthlessness that characterized their kinsfolk. These beings are irreversibly outcast from their society; a disgraced fainil could theoretically win a place back amongst their kin, but an alykus will be slain on sight, condeming them to try and make a life amongst other races.

PC Stats

Ability Score Minimum/Maximum: Strength 3/17, Dexterity 7/19, Constitution 3/18, Intelligence 3/18, Wisdom 3/18, Charisma 3/18

Ability Score Adjustments: +1 Dexterity, -1 Strength, -1 Constitutiton

Class & Level Limits: Fighter 7, Ranger 7, Cleric 5, Wizard 5 (16), Thief Unlimited

Thieving Skill Adjustments: -15% Move Silently, +10 % Hide in Shadows, +5% Detect Noise

Movement: 3, Fly 12 (Manueverability B)

Special Advantages:

Immune to Electricity

Infravision 120 feet

Base Magic Resistance 50%

Spell-like Abilities: Dancing Lights, Faerie Fire and Darkness from 1st level, Know Alignment and Detect Magic from 4th level. All spell-like abilities can be used 1/day.

Special Disadvantages:

Fainil suffer the same penalties when exposed to sunlight as a drow.

Fainil are less adept at fighting on the ground, suffering a -2 penalty to their attack rolls and a +2 penalty to their Armor Class when they are fighting on the ground.