ETHEREAN

Relishing the taste of fresh mead and flavorful bread, Linnit’s

long, slender legs swung happily off the sides of the worn barstool.
His colorful, silken tunic shimmered in the lantern’s warm
firelight, which seemed to be at odds with the tuft of misty blue hair
that danced atop his head. Nimble, gray fingers plucked carefully
at his food to make sure that any crumbs and spills were kept to a
minimum.
Linnit’s smile was easy and disarming, for it was the grin of
a person experiencing the simple joys of life for the first time.
Although he had grown up not too far from this tavern, no one
there had ever seen him there before today. He, on the other hand,
already knew everyone’s names and stories, but had been cautioned
by his mother to keep that information to himself. After all, he’d
been coming here for decades.
As he finished counting the coins from his purse, Linnit’s eyes
flicked to the side at something that only he could see. He broad-
ened his smile and waved before handing the coins over to the man
AN OBSCURE LINEAGE
behind the bar. Ethereans resemble elves with light gray skin, but their hair
“Thank you for the meal, Roark. It was, truly, the best I’ve ever and eyes are distinctly different. Many ethereans’ eyes and
had.” hairs are either purple or magenta, but it’s not unheard of
“Thank yeh kindly, stranger. Safe travels,” said Roark with a for them to come in a full spectrum of colors—a curious
nod as he began to clean. result of living extensively on the Ethereal Plane. Further, an
Linnit chuckled as he slid his slender frame off the stool and onto etherean’s hair drifts and floats on its own, as if carried by an
the sticky floor to pick up his belongings. With a final smile, he invisible current, before evaporating into nothing at its ends.
made his way to the door.

Ethereans are, as their name would suggest, the unlikely DECENT BY NECESSITY
settlers of the Border Ethereal. Ethereans experience the The Border Ethereal allows for a free range of movement in
Material Plane from a distance, viewing it through the gray any direction, including through solid objects located on
and muffling barrier between the planes of existence. Most the Material Plane. As a result, privacy is extremely coveted
ethereans live in small communities spread throughout by those on the Ethereal Plane, who are constantly aware of
the Border Ethereal and find joy in poetry, art, and theater the near-impossibility of complete safety from others. Over
that offsets the drab and relative lifelessness of their home. generations, etherean culture has grown to uphold and teach
While only a few monsters are able to threaten those on a powerful focus on common decency between them. This
the Border Ethereal, etherean survival is only maintainable often translates to relatively lawful communities among
through their tenacity and shared sense of decency. For many ethereans, who expect that their safety and privacy will be
ethereans, the relative safety of the Ethereal Plane outweighs respected in exchange for their own adherence.
the richer experiences of the Material, but for those that do However, whether it be in accordance with a potentially fey
manage to cross that planar threshold, there is simply no ancestry, or merely in defiance of the strict social structure
comparison. that they live in, most ethereans have a deep appreciation
of harmless pranks and practical jokes. In general, as long

11
 ethereans enjoy setting silly pranks, provided that they aren’t
IDEAL TRAVEL COMPANIONS. mean-spirited, in order to fulfill some of their more chaotic
leanings. They have no particular inclination toward evil or
It’s easy to assume that an etherean is elven at first
good, although many that survive in the more untamed cor-
glance, and as such, those that approach an ethere-
ners of the Ethereal Plane will end up evil out of necessity.
an are often surprised when their interactions aren’t
nuanced with haughty sophistication. Most ethereans
Size. Ethereans are about the same size as humans and
have willowy builds. Your size is Medium.
are eager to make friends that aren’t other ethereans
and eschew sweeping generalizations. Earnest and
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. While on the
Ethereal Plane, it increases to 35 feet.
excitable, ethereans make for spectacular traveling
companions for people who enjoy conversations and
Darkvision. Accustomed to the chaotic and often un-
avoidable lighting of the Border Ethereal, you have supe-
storytelling.
rior vision in dark and dim conditions. 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
as it’s in good fun, moments of levity like these are part of
darkness, only shades of gray.
the fabric that keeps ethereans happy and entertained in an
Misty Sight. Your eyes are naturally attuned to the Border
otherwise quiet and dull world.
Ethereal, allowing you to always see out to your normal
range while on the Ethereal Plane.
WORLDS TO EXPERIENCE You can also use a bonus action to focus on seeing the
normally unseen. For 1 minute, or until your concentration
Ethereans typically take up adventuring when the routine of ends (as if concentrating on a spell), you can see invisible
the Border Ethereal no longer interests them. Such ethereans creatures and objects as if they were visible, and you can see
often go searching for a means of travel into the Material into the Ethereal Plane. Once you use this trait, you can’t use
Plane, but only some manage to find them. Those that do are it again until you finish a short or long rest.
thrust into a world suddenly bound by gravity and rife with Veil Shift. You can use an action while on the Material
danger, but also filled with opportunity and new experiences. Plane to slip into the Ethereal Plane, and vice versa, until
Many ethereans will happily accept contracts to travel great the start of your next turn. Any object you take while on this
distances or visit exotic realms, regardless of danger, in order other plane of existence is left there when you return to your
to make the most of their life beyond the Border Ethereal. original one. While on the Ethereal Plane in this way, you can
Ethereans will often choose to spend their coin on brightly only affect and be affected by other creatures on that plane,
colored and ostentatious clothing, seemingly making up for and you still move as if you were on the Material Plane. Crea-
the limited color palettes they may have experienced on the tures that aren’t on the Ethereal Plane can’t perceive you or
Border Ethereal. Others fall victim to new vices, but more interact with you while you’re there, unless a special ability
often than not, strict etherean resourcefulness is enough to or magic has given them the ability to do so, although you
prevent all but the most vulnerable ethereans from becoming can still see and hear them. Once you use this trait, you can’t
addicted to the pleasures of the Material Plane. use it again until you finish a long rest.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and
ETHEREAN NAMES one other language of your choice. Ethereans tend to learn
the languages of neighboring creatures from the Material
An etherean has a given name, a family name, and possibly a Plane.
nickname. Etherean nicknames often sound purposefully sil-
ly, and are just as likely to be self-given as they are by friends
or family.
CREATING YOUR ETHEREAN.
Male Names: Antham, Corifir, Genoven, Hanshen, Hosh,
Irsht, Luddin, Osvo, Pragil, Quord, Tryll, Ulram, Waylon When creating your etherean character, use these traits
Female Names: Cheyl, Crena, Destva, Euranya, Jeun, Kline, as a guide, rather than a rule. A typical etherean is natu-
Krimme, Ozla, Prinn, Tresht, Ura, Vass, Vertra, Vione rally charismatic, which is reflected in the Ability Score
Family Names: Atvash, Brenniwick, Orelet, Ouly, Pientrafit, Increase trait, but yours may be quiet and reserved by
Promuna, Reffra, Wrenylin, Yrelift, Zucha comparison. In that case, increase one ability score of
your choice by 2, and another by 1. Alternatively, you
can choose three different ability scores to increase by 1.
ETHEREAN TRAITS Similarly, your etherean may never have ascribed to
the rigors of etherean society and has fully embraced
Your etherean character has a variety of traits as a result of
their chaotic leanings. And, like all humanoids, size is
their unique plane of origin.
hardly a defining factor. When you select this race, you
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by
can choose to be Small, instead of Medium.
2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Lastly, the suggested age trait is just that: a sugges-
Age. Ethereans mature at the same rate as humans but live
tion. In your world, it’s possible that their passable fey
a few years longer.
ancestry is more concretely evident, resulting in a longer
Alignment. Because of the strict code of conduct that’s
life span. Regardless, the lifespan of most player charac-
necessary when living in etherean society, most ethereans
ters in fifth edition is about a century—presuming they
are lawful out of a sense of honor or decency. However, many
don’t meet a violent end on an adventure.

12 THE GRIFFON'S SADDLEBAG