Aridni noctiluca
The Aridni came to the mortal world in the great fey incursion three thousand years ago, servants and companions of otherworldly masters who eventually went home.
Height 0.7 to 1 meter
At a glance
Darkvision None
Languages Common, Fey
Resistances Aridni have no innate damage resistance. Their fey defenses are represented by their magical resilience trait rather than blanket resistance to damage.
Height 0.7 to 1 meter
Weight 5 to 14 kg
Lifespan 250 to 300 years, adult at 60
At the table
Aridni are Small, with a base Speed of 25 feet and a fly Speed of 30 feet. They must end their movement on a surface capable of supporting them; they cannot hover. The Game Master should use the normal Pathfinder 2E rules for flight, falling, and difficult terrain. This unusually strong ancestry benefit is best suited to campaigns that can accommodate a flying 1st-level character.
Aridni have an innate resistance to hostile magic. They gain a +1 circumstance bonus to saving throws against spells and magical effects. This does not grant resistance to damage, and it does not stack with another circumstance bonus to the same save.
Aridni possess innate fey magic. They can cast detect magic and dancing lights as at-will innate primal cantrips. They can also cast invisibility once per day as a 2nd-rank innate primal spell. Their spell DC and spell attack modifier use Charisma and scale with their level using the standard spell proficiency progression. The Game Master may substitute an equivalent spell tradition to fit the campaign's fey cosmology.
Aridni archers sometimes prepare arrows with fey enchantments. This is not an automatic combat ability: access to magical sleep, fear, or confusion effects should come through appropriate ancestry feats, items, or spells. Such effects use the normal saving throws, durations, and incapacitation rules for the spell or effect involved.
Common, Fey
Aridni are often quick-witted, agile, and socially nimble, with a natural flair for dexterity and charisma. Pathfinder 2E ability boosts are chosen using the normal ancestry rules; these tendencies are descriptive, not fixed ability scores.
These Aridni favor bold colors, intricate disguises, and dramatic flourishes of magic.
Gloamglints are practiced deceivers and performers, often serving as scouts, entertainers, or negotiators. They tend to treat a conversation as a game whose rules can be changed with a well-timed joke.
The Aridni came to the mortal world in the great fey incursion three thousand years ago, servants and companions of otherworldly masters who eventually went home. Some Aridni followed; many were left behind or chose to remain. Today, one might be a wizard's former attendant, a quick-winged scout, a generous guide, or a thief who insists that every acquisition was a fair bargain. They are wary, witty, and fiercely protective of their freedom, but younger generations are discovering that the mortal world offers more than old grudges and stolen treasure.
Aridni are small, ashen-grey fey with fine, elven-looking features, narrow shoulders, and thin, agile bodies.
They stand no more than a meter tall and rarely weigh more than 14 kilograms. Their prominent moth-like wings are patterned in subdued bands or eye-spots, with a soft dusting that catches moonlight. Their flight is swift and sharply maneuverable, making them difficult to corner. Many wear fitted clothes with concealed pockets, light armor, and small bows sized for their hands.
Otherworldly origins; now found in secluded fey-touched places, wizardly households, old ruins, and hidden quarters within mortal settlements.
Small, wiry children whose wings are still growing. They learn flight through play, daring leaps, and frequent tumbles.
Aridni are considered mature at about 60 years. Many leave the security of kin to pursue work, travel, or mischief among other peoples.
Most Aridni live roughly 250 to 300 years. Older Aridni often become keepers of grudges, bargains, and family histories, though some remain restless adventurers.
Rare individuals persist beyond the usual span, their fey magic slowing age or tying them to an unusual place, object, or promise.
Aridni culture is shaped by abandonment, survival, and the long effort to decide what freedom means after generations in service.
Some communities prize clever acquisition and consider a successful theft a performance of skill, while others condemn the old habit as a danger to hard-won trust. Many Aridni once sought refuge with wizards, serving as aides, messengers, or magical assistants. Their descendants may still preserve household customs from those arrangements, but increasingly choose their own callings. They love adventure, fortune, and glory, and their quick humor can conceal either genuine warmth or a deep, enduring resentment.
Aridni have no single faith.
Some honor fey powers, local spirits, or deities associated with freedom, luck, nature, and magic; others distrust institutions and prefer private charms or family rites. Their mischievous heritage inclines many toward chaotic outlooks, but individual Aridni range widely, from principled protectors to unapologetic opportunists.
Aridni often begin interactions with a sneer, a joke, or a probing question, especially around humans and dwarves.
Their distrust has roots in old conflicts involving fey and elves, and centuries have not erased every inherited grievance. Still, many have found loyal friends among other peoples. Newer generations are particularly likely to approach the world with curiosity, though even an open-hearted Aridni may keep one eye on the nearest exit.
The Aridni remember a homeland in the Feywyld, though few living members know it firsthand.
Their mortal refuges favor concealed lofts, hollow trees, narrow rafters, and small chambers with several exits. A settled community may adapt an abandoned tower or the upper reaches of a wizard's home, dressing it with charms, stolen finery, and lookout perches. Their spaces are built for flight and quick escape, but newer generations increasingly make welcoming places meant to be shared.
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