The sheltered ones are an ancient race of beautiful winged people with cold blood coursing through cold hearts. With long pendulous antennae, and moth-like faerie wings, myth suggests that the sheltered ones represent the primal fear of the world. Shorter than even the aquan, the sheltered ones stand at around a diminutive 4 feet - their antennae and wings each at another half a foot higher.
Though some have whispered they predate even the arrival of the Arbiters, the Council of the Holy Arbitration has emphasised the explicit wisdom of the Arbiters - all of the Complete races received the boon of the Arbiters; that is, the intensification - and therefore the sheltered ones must have similar origins to the rest of the races. Especially foreign is the
Personality
Age and Weight
Traits
Size. Sheltered ones are Small sized, lighter than most other races for their wings. They receive a +1 size bonus to AC, a +1 size bonus to attack rolls, a -1 size penalty to CMB and CMD, and a +4 size bonus to Stealth checks.
Racial type. Sheltered ones are humanoid insect people, with the humanoid (sheltered one) subtype.
Base speed. Sheltered ones move at an impressive clip for their size, having a base speed of 30 feet.
Languages. All sheltered ones begin with the languages Common and Auran. Sheltered ones with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Aquan, Arbitrage, Draconic, Giant, Necril, Sylvan, Tengu.
Basic Features
+2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma. Although light on their feet and eerily perceptive, the sheltered ones are foreign to the surface of Reverie and the blessing of the Arbiters.
Special Features
Coldblooded (Su). The sheltered ones have icy hearts and cold blood in their veins. Once per day as an immediate action after a successful attack roll with a manufactured weapon, unarmed strike, or natural attack, but before dealing damage, they can empower their strike, dealing +1d2 cold damage per character level (maximum +6d2 at level 6). This damage is not multiplied on a critical hit.
Darkvision (Su). The sheltered ones have developed an enchanted familiarity with the darkness, and gain the darkvision 60 feet racial trait.
Foreign Mind (Ex). Sheltered ones take a -2 penalty to Diplomacy checks when interacting with members of other races.
Keen Senses (Ex). Sheltered ones gain a +2 racial bonus to Perception checks.
Light Sensitivity (Ex). The sheltered ones have an aversion to brightly lit areas, and are dazzled as long as they remain in an area of bright light.
Winged (Ex). Though they cannot fuel their own flight, sheltered ones have powerful wings and gain a +4 racial bonus on Fly checks, as well as a +10 racial bonus to their movement speed in a charge, run, or withdraw.
Lightseeker
Many sheltered ones seek to move away from living in the dark, instead chasing the light above their ancestral home - but some take the quest from the Council of the Holy Arbitration, which purifies them and their lineage from their curse. These sheltered ones have the following modifications:
Ability score modifiers change to +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, -2 Wisdom.
Mantid
Ability score modifiers change to +2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma.
Icy Hearth
Some sheltered ones project the ice in their cold hearts outward. These sheltered ones have the following modifications:
Icy hearth sheltered ones lose the coldblooded racial feature.
Icy hearth sheltered ones gain the icy hearth racial feature, as follows.
Icy Hearth (SP). Once per day as a standard action, a sheltered one can blast a target with a devastating chill, applying the staggered condition and dealing 1d6+1 cold damage (DC 10 + 1/2 character level + any mental attribute modifier; partial - negates staggered condition). At 1st level, this ability has a 10' range. It increases in range by 10' every level thereafter.