Ifrit

The fire breathes the air, consumes the fuel, and breeds when opportunity allows; each blaze's flickering shape as unique as a fingerprint. Is it not alive?

Origins

Ifrits look like they should be the spawn of the darkest demons, with their softly glossy, pitch-colored skin, black nails, red-glowing eyes, and sooty hair suffused by low-banked flame. The inner flames that seethe within them, tightly leashed most of the time, certainly seem to signal the fires of some dreadful hell. But appearances are deceiving. Ifrits are not infernal creatures at all, but rather a race of fire beings, pure elementals, no more evil and wicked than Sylphs or Oreads.

Sadly, their innocence has not kept them from the worst kinds of exploitation, enslavement, torture, banishment, and every other form of injustice a harsh world can inflict upon them. Ifrits carry the primal fire within their souls, the pure elemental joy of the raging fire, and to every form of examination known, nothing else. Ifrits are not nearly as tightly based in Evil as the melancholy Barani, or the evergood Vishkanya, but simply due to their unfortunate looks, they are nearly universally scorned.

To be honest, the natural fear of fire of nearly every creature on the Prime Material may have something to do with that, too.

Ifrits have been on the Prime Material since the first time the elemental spirits of fire merged with the inhabitants of the Prime Plane, and wandered out of their volcano homes peering around in amazement. Ifrits have been in the Prime Material just as long as any other race, but they have not prospered, and they are rare indeed.

Culture

Ifrits look very different than most races. They are literally on fire, all the time, with their hair frequently giving off low flames of red and purple. These flames are largely cosmetic, although an Ifrit can ignite small fires just by touching things. Ifrits intensely dislike rain, water, and cold, but they do not suffer harm from such things any more than any other race. A wet Ifrit simply has no visible flames until their hair dries out. Of all the races, Ifrits have the least variation in their coloration. All Ifrits are either deep, rich, glossy black, or deep, rich glossy red in color, and the red-skinned Ifrits are quite rare. Their hair is similarly almost always black, with some instances of blazing red and rarely, yellow and orange. Their eyes are usually black as well, with dancing flames in red. Some few Ifrits will have eyes the yellow of an honest flame, or orange, and rarely even the rich blue of a well-banked, slow fire, but such are rare. Black skin, hair, and eyes, with flames a-dance over them all, comprise well over ninety percent of all Ifrits.

Ifrits do not mingle lightly with any other races, and their small enclaves are typically well-isolated from the rest of the world. Ifrits like to live in places where there is fire in the world, and will typically live in areas with active volcanoes if at all possible. Their fireproof nature makes such areas comfortable and inviting for them, and keeps other races away. Ifrits do not eat food or drink water as other races do: instead, they both eat and drink fire. A torch flame is a light meal, and a good sized campfire will feed a half dozen Ifrits in good style. Ifrits like fire, and can see in firelight with amazing acuity.

Ifrits like to keep several fires burning in their homes at all times, and will have a plethora of candles, lamps, torches, etc, all burning as often as possible. Ifrit homes tend to be small, sturdy affairs of dressed stone, decorated with all manner of scorches and other weird ifrit artworks. Ifrits will sometimes ask Oreads to build their homes for them, and such durable split-stone dwellings are highly prized by the Ifrits.

That said, Ifrits are always ready to leave their homes at a moments notice. When danger approaches, Ifrits will typically set their homes ablaze and wait inside the firestorm, hoping their foes will grow bored and leave. If they do not, the Ifrits will flee through secret pathways before the inferno dies down, leaving their homes blackened but essentially unharmed. Attackers usually search the 'ruins' and move on, satisfied the Ifrits are dead. The Ifrits then move right back in and begin stocking up on fuel for the next time a stranger approaches.

To say that Ifrits are not trusting of strangers is putting it mildly.

That said, Ifrits are incredibly non-xenophobic. Given their racial history of the cruelest persecution imaginable, they are downright outgoing, in their own cautious and diffident fashion.

It may seem odd that such a fiery race is so cautious and diffident with others, but in many cases it is because Ifrits have a racial tendency to have a very very bad temper. To say that Ifrits are fiery in their nature is putting it mildly. Over the eons of their existence, every Ifrit hot-head has managed to get themselves killed off young. For an Ifrit, a calm demeanor is very much a survival strategy, and even so, Ifrits still have that surging anger just below the surface. Not every Ifrit adventurer becomes a barbarian berserker, but a lot of them do and they are very, very good at unleashing their anger. That explosive well in every Ifrit leads many of them to overcompensate to avoid "blowing their stack" ... literally! Ifrits can seem like wells of Zen calm... until they lose their grip and burst into flames and wade into battle.

Growing Up Ifrit

Ifrit are quite prosaic in their marriage customs. Two Ifrit mate and have children, although like many of the more exotic races an Ifrit 'pregnancy' is very different. An Ifrit's stony home, when they are expecting a child, will have a chamber in the center where a heavy hearth is laid, and upon that hearth will be a deep, rich bed of well-tended coals, burning brightly and glowing with heat. A pregnant Ifrit will gather up and nurse to life the flame of her baby, and when the 'birth' arrives, the child will be bedded into the hearth as a tiny living flame. For the first several years of their lives, Ifrit live as pure flame, until, around the age of three years, the coals are consumed and a young Ifrit's body is formed from them. Once they are embodied, Ifrits grow up in much the same way as any other young humanoid.

Ifrit tend to be quite solitary, and do not send their children to schools or mingle very much with other races. As a result, many ifrit are quite sheltered concerning events and portents in the larger world, and many Ifrits, whether they will admit it or not, are hungry for any news they can get. Ifrit live long lives, and mature very slowly compared to other races. If they were more common, it is likely that Ifrits and fey-kin would make excellent companions for one another, as they both have difficulties integrating. Sadly, Ifrits are rare enough that such things have been rare to non-existent.

That said, Ifrits can be extremely skilled craftsmen and remarkably compelling and dynamic storytellers and performers if there is a topic that catches their fiery interest. Ifrits are very good at the forge, and although extremely rare, ifrit-forged armor and weapons are reputed to rival or exceed anything Dwarves can produce. Ifrits who wander and tell stories are in huge demand, and their extremely exotic appearance is actually a positive for such matters...as long as they keep moving, ahead of any nasty rumors that may get started.

Ifrits have a long childhood, and mature slowly, both physically and mentally. Once they are grown to adulthood, they stay vigorous for a couple of centuries, and enter their middle age at around 250 years of age. Their middle age seems to last for centuries, and they never seem to have a dotage period. After about 600 to 700 years of middle-age, they will gutter briefly one day, and die.

Economy

Ifrits are too rare to have much major impact on most communities. If an Ifrit family is accepted enough by other races to strike up a trade, Ifrits are skilled craftsmen in every way, as well as being capable musicians, dancers, and storytellers. Most Ifrits never get to show off their prowess, however. As a result of their skill, Ifrit communities, despite being small, tend to be well-secured, prosperous, and comfortable. If they were more common, Changelings might leave their favored Halfings alone a bit more.

Ifrits are not exceptional at any particular skill, except perhaps forgework, although how true those rumors are is open to speculation.

Ifrits are in some small demand in areas of the world that have extensive deserts. Ifrits do not need water to live, instead sustaining themselves on fire, and a small amount of firewood is much easier to procure in a desert than water is. Add in the Ifrit's general tolerance for extreme heat, and it can be easy to see why Ifrits are highly prized staff for desert-crossing caravans. Some Ifrit make a very good living as caravan masters or guards in such climates.

Ifrits make very bad sailors.

Customs

Ifrits love the summertime. They celebrate and venerate every holiday that involves the summer, such as the summer solstice. They do not exactly worship volcanoes, but they really like them a lot, and if there is an even slightly active volcano to be found, there are almost always Ifrits living nearby.

Ifrit celebrate the birthdays of their family with great reverence. In a world that often hates them, every child is considered a precious gift and births are celebrated with gusto. Ifrits rarely celebrate the holidays of their neighbors, although it is not unheard of.

In general, Ifrits live quietly and prefer to stay at home a great deal, where they practice their peculiar arts and crafts. Ifrits can conjure flames from the skin at will, and they can will it to burn bright or sooty. As a result, Ifrit all have the equivalent of paintbrushes in their fingertips at all times. Ifrit use scorch marks to make the most amazing illustrations. Among the more discerning, such Ifrit artworks are highly prized.

Ifrit clothing, furnishings, and houses tend to be a solid mass of scorch-marks after a while. Even to creatures without an Ifrit's specialized eyesight, such patterns and designs are quite lovely. To an Ifrit, when illuminated by firelight, such artwork is an incredible many-layered vista of meaning and expression. To other races, an Ifrit's home may appear spartan and unfurnished, but to an Ifrit, that same house appears rich and warm and inviting.

Lifespan and Burial

Ifrits live a very long time; by most accounts, a thousand years is not unheard of. Once they reach middle age, an Ifrit settles into a long, slow steady burn, their inner fires banked away, their outer fires carefully damped to a minimum. Young Ifrits have fire dancing over their skin all over their bodies, especially when they grow agitated or wrathful or gleeful. Older Ifrits are much more reserved.

Ifrits never have a period of dotage, and remain vigorous to the hour of their death. Ifrits almost always die of what they call "the Guttering" or "the Quench." Over the space of a few hours, their inner fires chuff and huff and flicker and then... go out. Ifrits do not linger when their time comes; when the Guttering sets in, it's time to say their goodbyes, and quickly.

After they expire, whether of old age or by violence or misadventure, their bodies appear to be charcoal husks, dry and brittle things. Care must be taken in handling a dead Ifrit, to avoid pulverizing the crunchy remains into a few pounds of powder. Ifrit typically have their remains sealed in a sturdy ceramic jar and buried in a catacomb somewhere. Ifrit like a permanent grave marker, something heavy and sturdy, that will last a long time, and will show the world what they did with their time.

Relations with Others

Ifrit do not have close relations with any other race. The most likely place for such friendships to develop, with Tieflings, are severely frowned upon by the elders of both races: If Ifrits and Tieflings are seen together, Humans, paranoid and violent, can always be counted upon to send a lynch mob to visit.

Ifrits, it should be mentioned, have a racial tendency to be calm, like a well-banked fire. They also have a tendency, it should be noted, to have a volcanic temper and have the capability of incredible destruction if provoked. Not every ifrit is a closet berserker, but enough of them are to make the stereotype a little too real for comfort.

The closest thing Ifrits have to allies are the Oreads. Oreads build many of the Ifrits' permanent houses, for which the Ifrits are very grateful. Grippli and Vanx do not like Ifrits even a little bit, and Undines will cross the street to avoid an Ifrit, and vice versa. Those water-loving races find an Ifrit's fiery nature hard to tolerate, and the watery nature of an Undine sets an Ifrits teeth on edge. So.... Drippy....

Starting Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	5 ft. 9 in.	+2d4 in. (5 ft. 11 in. - 6 ft. 5 in.)	150 lbs.	+(2d8x7 lbs.) (164 - 262 lbs.)
Female	5 ft. 7 in.	+2d4 in. (5 ft. 9 in. - 6 ft. 3 in.)	100 lbs.	+(2d8x7 lbs.) (114 - 212 lbs.)

Starting Ages

Adulthood	Intuitive	Self-Taught	Trained
40 years	+3d6 years (43 - 58 years)	+5d6 years (45 - 70 years)	+7d6 years (47 - 82 years)

PCs

Ifriti have no class or alignment restrictions.

Standard Racial Traits

All Ifriti have the following Standard Racial Advantages:

• Attributes: Ifriti may choose to gain one of the following ability score bonus sets when creating their character. No ability score may ever be modified above a 20 or below a 7.
  • +2 to two different ability scores, -2 to one ability score
  • +2 to one ability score, +1 to three different ability scores, -2 to one ability score
  • +4 to one ability score, -2 to one other ability score

• Size: Ifriti are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.

• Type: Ifriti have the Humanoid type, with the Elemental subtype.

• Base Speed: Ifriti have a Walk speed of 30 feet.

• Languages: Ifriti begin play speaking Common and Ignan.

• Bonus Languages: Characters with a positive Intelligence modifier gain one bonus language per +1 of their modifier, selecting from the following list: Dwarven, Elven, Gnome, Halfling, Tengu, and Terran. Once the character's intelligence is high enough to have acquired all six of these bonus languages, they no longer gain bonus languages for increasing their Intelligence. Characters can also learn new languages by placing ranks in the Linguistics skill.

• Firelit Vision (Su): Ifrit gain low-light vision, but only if the source of the illumination is coming from a flame, such as torch, candle, lantern, brazier, campfire, forest fire, etc. If the source of illumination is moonlight or any magical non-flame light source such as a light spell, their vision is normal.

• Fire Resistance (Su): Ifrit gain Energy Resistance (ER) versus Fire (energy, common) equal to 5 + their character level.

• Spark (Sp): As a standard action, an Ifrit can ignite an unattended object no larger than size Fine as if they used a Spark cantrip. This ability can be used at-will, but unlike the actual cantrip, it only has a range of touch.

Major Racial Traits

Choose one of the following Major Racial Traits:

• Elemental Affinity (Su): An Ifrit with this racial trait may add 1 point of fire (energy, common) damage per two character levels (round down, minimum 1), to any effect they produce from any non-weapon source (spells, items, class abilities, etc) which already deals fire damage. This extra damage may only be applied once per creature per round. Conversely, when using a weapon that deals fire damage, this racial trait instead adds 1 point of additional fire damage to the weapon's base weapon damage (meaning it increases with the weapon's damage at 6th, 11th, 16th, 21st, 26th, and 31st levels, is multiplied on a crit, and is neither bonus nor precision damage). This damage is applied once per attack. Rays are considered 'spell effects' for purposes of this trait, not weapons. Weapons or spells which do not already deal fire damage gain no benefit from this trait.

• Soothing Warmth (Sp): This Ifrit has healing powers in their blood. As a standard action, the Ifrit deals 1 point of irresistible CON damage to themselves, and heals a touched ally 1d6 points per two character levels of the Ifrit (round down, minimum 1). Beginning at 11th level, the Ifrit may cast Lesser Restoration on the touched ally instead of healing them. At 21st level, the Ifrit may cast Restoration on the touched ally instead of healing them, and at 31st level, the Ifrit may cast Greater Restoration on the touched ally instead of healing them. Even if the Ifrit is immune to CON damage, this ability causes CON damage. This trait may be used an unlimited number of times per day (as long as the Ifrit's CON score remains above zero), but the Ifrit may never heal or restore themselves with this trait.

• Aura of Fire (Su): Once per day, the Ifrit may call up an aura of fire. This is a Stance that requires a move action to activate and a swift action each subsequent round to sustain. All creatures who begin their turn in the Ifrit's space or any square adjacent to the Ifrit take 1d6 points of fire (energy, common) damage + 1 point per character level of the Ifrit.

• Fire Hardened (Su): Some Ifrit have passed through the tempering heat and are made strong by it. They gain DR 1/-. This DR stacks with any class, item, or other permanent sources of DR x/-. Fire Hardened improves to DR 2/- at 11th level, DR 3/- at 21st level, and DR 4/- at 31st level.

• Hypnotic Flame (Su): When the Ifrit with this racial trait uses any effect, spell, item, class ability, etc., associated with the Illusion, Enchantment, or Evocation schools, the save DC of any effects is increased by a +1 training bonus. This bonus increases to +2 at 21st level.

Minor Racial Traits

Choose one of the following Minor Racial Traits:

• Coherent Rage (Ex): Once per encounter, an Ifrit Barbarian with this racial trait may activate one rage power more than they would normally be able to activate. That is, they can either activate two rage powers during a round in which they are not using Frenzy, or they can activate one additional rage power above what their Frenzy class feature allows them if they are using Frenzy in the same round they wish to use Coherent Rage. The effects of this racial trait only apply to a single bonus activation each encounter. An Irit with this racial trait may only ever activate a given rage power once per round.

• Unquenchable (Su): Once per encounter, when an Ifrit with this racial trait is reduced below half health, they may spend a swift action to gain their CON modifier as temporary hit points.

• Illuminating Flames (Ex): An Ifrit with this racial trait may use their CON modifier as the key ability for one Profession skill of their choice, instead of their WIS modifier. Once selected, the skill may not be changed, except through the Reselection rules.

• Shelter of Flames (Su): Whenever an Ifrit with this racial trait takes the total defense action, they automatically deal a number of points of fire (energy, common) damage equal to their character level to any enemy that hits them with a melee attack. This damage is dealt each time a creature successfully hits them with a melee attack, and it requires no to-hit roll.

• Pioneer (Ex): An Ifrit with this racial trait gains a +1 training bonus to either the Knowledge (Planes) skill or the Survival skill. Once selected, the skill may not be changed, except through the Reselection rules. This bonus improves to +2 at level 11, +3 at level 21, and +4 at level 31.