Dungeons & Dragons 5E: Race -- Pixies

One of my favorite supplements from D&D 4E was Heroes of the Feywild, which really opened my eyes to how to run adventures in the Realm of Faerie. And one of the fan-favorite parts of the book was the new race section. I ended up having a number of Pixie player characters at my table over the years. I was impressed with the work done on them -- despite the potential for abuse or the possibility it would end up terrible, they actually made pixies playable and interesting, with unique-but-not-overpowered abilities. They got my seal of approval.

With the advent of 5E, I was pleased to see the Pixie and Sprite in the Monster Manual. They have apparently decided the two races are related but slightly dissimilar -- Pixies are essentially nonviolent versions of Sprites, with a few magical abilities changed out. While the new edition has an emphasis on simplicity and the Pixie definitely isn't a simple race, I think they can still work as a PC race option. Below the cut, I present my take on the race, trying to adhere as closely as possible to the spirit of the 4E race while incorporating the elements from the 5E Monster Manual version.

Pixie Traits

As a pixie, you have the following racial traits.

    Ability Score Modifiers. Your Dexterity and Charisma scores increase by 2 but your Strength score decreases by 2 (to a minimum of 1).

    Age. Pixies live as long as the high elves. In the Feywild, the race measures time in centuries, and pixies are effectively immortal unless they are slain.

    Alignment. Pixies thrive on randomness and excitement. The banal, common, and everyday routine of ordered life that mortal humanoids must endure is anathema to the long-lived pixies. Pixies love chaos, and as a result most pixies are chaotic. Fey reflections of human children, some pixies are good-natured and kind, while others are cruelly mischievous; many change from one extreme to the other as the mood strikes.

    Size. Barely over a foot tall, pixies are Tiny. You can only use weapons with the Light property, and then only as two-handed weapons. Weapons made especially for pixies (or other Tiny creatures) can be wielded one-handed, but such weapons do only 1 point of damage and have half the range of the larger version (if ranged). Armor must also be made especially for pixies; even specially-made heavy armor precludes flight.

    Speed. Your base walking speed is 10 feet. You can fly 30 feet per round and can hover. However, you cannot fly when encumbered or wearing heavy armor.

    Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

    Pixie Dust. You know the druidcraft and dancing lights cantrips. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast the sleep spell once per day as a 1st-level spell. Once you reach 5th level, you can cast the fly spell once per day as a 3rd-level spell. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

    Natural Sneak. You gain proficiency in the Perception and Stealth skills.

    Superior Invisibility. As an action, you magically turns invisible until you attack or cast a spell, or until your concentration ends (as if concentrating on a spell). Any equipment you wear or carry is invisible with you. Once you have used this ability, you must complete a short or long rest before you can use it again.

    Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Sylvan. Sylvan is the language of fey creatures, such as satyrs, dryads, and treants. It is very alien-sounding to mortals, and has words for many concepts that can’t be understood by mundane creatures. Sylvan writing is very beautiful and florid, but is similarly alien and sometimes appears in nature, for example as frost on glass or in the ripples of color in cut stone.