A friend of mine asked for help to make the leShay (a race from the Epic Level Handbook) a playable race. This is what I have done.
Since I liked the result, I'm sharing it.
LESHAY RACIAL TRAITS
- +2 Dexterity, –2 Constitution: LeShay are graceful but frail.
- Medium: As Medium creatures, leShay have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
- LeShay base land speed is 30 feet.
- Fey (Extraplanar): As fey, leShay are immune to effects that specifically target humanoids, such as the charm person spell. As natives of the Outer Plane of Faerie, leShay have the extraplanar subtype while they are on the Material Plane (or any other plane besides the leShay’s home plane). This makes them vulnerable to certain effects that might force them back to their home plane.
- Immunity to magic sleep effects, and a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells or effects.
- Low-light Vision: A leShay can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. He retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
- Spell-like Abilities: A leShay with Intelligence or Charisma of 8 or higher gains spell-like abilities, using his Hit Dice as his caster level. The table below lists the abilities available. These abilities are cumulative; a leShay with 3 HD can use the abilities on the 1-2 HD row on the table as well as those on the 3-4 HD row.
{table=head]HD|Abilities
1-2|Cure light wounds 3/day
3-4|Knock 3/day
5-6|Blur 3/day, detect thoughts 1/day
7-8|Invisibility 3/day
9-10|Alter self 1/day
11-12|Water breathing 3/day
13-14|Speak with plants 3/day
15-16|Teleport 3/day
17-18|Greater dispel magic 1/day
19-20|Freedom 1/day[/table]- LeShay Weapons (Su): Each leShay carries two personal masterwork melee weapons that she manifests from his own life essence. The weapons must be chosen at 1st level and can't be changed ever after. They have to be the same kind of weapon (typically two longswords). When not in combat, the weapons simply do not exist, but leShay can “draw” their weapons from nowhere as a free action once per round. LeShay weapons can be enchanted by spellcasters with Craft Magic Arms and Armor, just like any masterwork weapon; the leShay must be present for all the time required for the creation. The moment a leShay relinquishes his grip on a leShay weapon or if it is broken, it dissipates, but the leShay can redraw it with a free action.
- Superior Two-Weapon Fighting (Ex): When a leShay fights with a leShay weapon in each hand, he gains a +2 bonus on attack rolls, because these weapons are extensions of his own body.
- Immortality (Ex): LeShay never die from age, disease, or toxins; they perish only if killed. They are immune to diseases and poisons. Moreover, leShay don't take ability score penalties for aging and cannot be magically aged. Bonuses still accrue. (Most leShay reached venerable age centuries ago and so they have a +3 bonus to all mental abilities.)
- Spell Resistance (Ex): A leShay has spell resistance equal to its Hit Dice +10.
- Gaze (Su): A leShay can crush an opponent’s will just by looking onto his or her eyes. This is similar to a gaze attack, except that the leShay must use a standard action, and those merely looking at him are not affected. Anyone the leShay targets must succeed on a Will save or fall instantly under the leShay’s influence as though by a charm person spell. Caster level is the same as the leShay's HD and the save DC is 10 + 1/2 leShay’s HD + his Charisma modifier. The ability has a range of 30 feet. LeShay are immune to their own gaze.
- Weapon Proficiency: LeShay receive the Martial Weapon Proficiency feats for the longsword, rapier, longbow (including composite longbow), and shortbow (including composite shortbow) as bonus feats. LeShay esteem the arts of swordplay and archery, so all leShay are familiar with these weapons.
- +2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks. A leShay who merely passes within 5 feet of a secret or concealed door is entitled to a Search check to notice it as if she were actively looking for it. A leShay’s senses are so keen that she practically has a sixth sense about hidden portals.
- Polyglot: LeShay characters treat Speak Languages as a class skill for all their classes.
- Automatic Languages: Common and Elven. Bonus Languages: Any (except for secret languages, such as Druidic). LeShay have great facility at languages.
- Favored Class: Duskblade. A multiclass leShay’s duskblade class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing. LeShay combine great magical knowledge with unmatched fighting mastery.
- +2 Level Adjustment.
(Note: LeShay are clearly stronger than drows, despite having the same level adjustment. But if you compare them to a half-fey elf or a phrenic elf, they are more or less equally powerful. (And no one plays drows anyway.)
If you think it is overpowered, you can raise the leShay's level adjustment to +3.)
