Creatures that can trace their bloodlines back to an outsider are called “planetouched”. Because of their outsider heritage, planetouched have some unusual characteristics, and these qualities appear in descendants of the original planetouched creature for several generations. Though the maeluth, mechanatrix, shyft, and wispling presented below share characteristics among themselves, they tend to adopt the cultural beliefs that they are born into.
Each of the planetouched described in this section has a different set of combat tactics. While they all have the outsider type, they also have the native subtype, so they can be raised or resurrected.
The statistics block below contains details for more than one shape, size, or type of this creature. Use the horizontal scrollbar below it to display the desired one or select from the links below that.
| Maeluth ⬇️ Medium Outsider (Native) |
Mechanatrix ⬇️ Medium Outsider (Native) |
Shyft ⬇️ Medium Outsider (Native) |
Wispling ⬇️ Small Outsider (Native) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hit Dice: | 1d8+2 (6 hp) | 1d8+1 (5 hp) | 1d8 (4 hp) | 1d8 (4 hp) |
| Initiative: | −1 | −1 | +5 | +6 |
| Speed: | 20 ft. (4 squares) | 20 ft. (4 squares) | 30 ft. (6 squares) | 20 ft. (4 squares) |
| Armor Class: | 13 (−1 Dex, +3 studded leather, +1 small shield), touch 9, flat-footed 13 | 18 (−1 Dex, +6 banded mail, +2 large steel shield, +1 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 18 | 14 (+1 Dex, +3 studded leather), touch 11, flat-footed 13 | 16 (+1 size, +2 Dex, +2 leather, +1 small wooden shield), touch 13, flat-footed 14 |
| Base Attack/Grapple: | +1/+1 | +1/+1 | +1/+0 | +1/−4 |
| Attack: | Battleaxe +2 melee (1d8), or light crossbow +0 ranged (1d8) | Battleaxe +1 melee (1d8) | Short sword +0 melee (1d6−1), or light crossbow +2 ranged (1d8) | Short sword +1 melee (1d4−1), or light crossbow +4 ranged (1d6) |
| Full Attack: | Battleaxe +2 melee (1d8), or light crossbow +0 ranged (1d8) | Battleaxe +1 melee (1d8) | Short sword +0 melee (1d6−1), or light crossbow +2 ranged (1d8) | Short sword +1 melee (1d4−1), or light crossbow +4 ranged (1d6) |
| Space/Reach: | 5 ft./5 ft. | 5 ft./5 ft. | 5 ft./5 ft. | 5 ft./5 ft. |
| Special Attacks: | — | Shocking grasp | — | — |
| Special Qualities: | Dwarf traits, fiend hammer, outsider traits | Electricity healing, resistance to cold and fire 5, outsider traits | Ethereal jaunt, low-light vision, outsider traits, resistance to cold, fire, and sonic 5 | Disguise self, halfling traits, outsider traits |
| Saves: | Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +2 | Fort +5, Ref +1, Will +2 | Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +3 | Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +3 |
| Abilities: | Str 11, Dex 8, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 10 | Str 10, Dex 8, Con 13, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 9 | Str 8, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 9 | Str 8, Dex 14, Con 11, Int 13, Wis 11, Cha 10 |
| Skills: | Appraise +0 (+2 stone or metal), Balance +3, Climb +4, Concentration +6, Craft (metalworking) +6, Craft (stonemasonry) +6, Jump +4, Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +4, Survival +4; racial bonuses | Craft (any three) +5, Knowledge (any one) +5, Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +5, Profession (siege engineer) +9, Listen +4, Search +5, Spot +6; racial bonuses | Bluff +3, Hide +8, Listen +5, Move Silently +8, Search +4, Sense Motive +3, Sleight of Hand +4, Spot +5; racial bonuses | Bluff +4, Climb +5, Disguise +4, Hide +10, Jump +5, Listen +6, Move Silently +8, Search +5, Spot +4; racial bonuses |
| Feats: | Weapon Focus (battleaxe) | Great Fortitude | Improved Initiative | Improved Initiative |
| Environment: | Any underground | Any land and underground | Any land and underground | Any |
| Organization: | Solitary | Solitary or team (2–4) | Solitary, band (2–8), or clan (11–20) | Solitary |
| Challenge Rating: | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ |
| Treasure: | Standard | Standard | Standard | Standard |
| Alignment: | Usually lawful evil | Usually lawful neutral | Usually neutral | Usually evil (any) |
| Advancement: | By character class ♊ | By character class ♊ | By character class ♊ | By character class ♊ |
| Level Adjustment: | +1 | +1 | +3 | +1 |
Maeluth • Mechanatrix • Shyft • Wispling
Maeluths are planetouched descended from dwarves and devils.
Maeluths look like sturdy dwarves with fiendish features that hint at their devil-tainted ancestry. Common maeluth features include red eyes, weirdly elongated fingers, and nearly hairless bodies. Maeluths favor dark colors and often wear spiked armor.
Although similar in many ways to their dwarf ancestors, maeluths are more adept at social interaction because of their fiendish blood. They often use their innate social skills to attain powerful positions within dwarf society.
Maeluths speak Common, Dwarven, and Undercommon.
Maeluths are straightforward and orderly in combat. When encountered in numbers, they employ sophisticated formations and strategies.
Fiend Hammer (Su): Once per day, a maeluth can grant a melee weapon the unholy special ability. This effect lasts for 1 minute.
Mechanatrixes are planetouched who can trace their ancestry to one of the bizarre clockwork beings that reside on the plane of Mechanus.
Mechanatrixes are mostly human in appearance, but they have one or more mechanical or inorganic features. Most mechanatrixes have smooth skin with a faint metallic sheen. They behave with cold rationality and have a no-nonsense attitude toward life.
As befitting their nature, mechanatrixes have an affinity for mechanical objects of all kinds. They have an innate understanding of engineering and all sorts of crafts. The more martial-minded mechanatrixes become excellent siege engineers.
Like other planetouched beings, mechanatrixes never quite fit into any society. Most human societies shun them, while those from the plane of Mechanus believe them to be tainted and impure. As a result, they are often loners, but they are rarely bothered by this lack of social contact. Most mechanatrixes are firm believers in law and do whatever they can to fight chaos and bring order to tumultuous areas.
Despite their prowess, mechanatrixes prefer to avoid combat since they see it as destructive and wasteful. However, when they are forced to fight, they attack with shrewd tactics.
Mechanatrixes are not only immune to electricity, but they are actually healed by it. Because of this, they actively goad an opponent that uses any electricity attack.
Shocking Grasp (Sp): A mechanatrix can use shocking grasp once per day as cast by a sorcerer of 1st level or the mechanatrix’s character level, whichever is higher.
Electricity Healing (Ex): Because of a mechanatrix’s electricity affinity, any electricity attack directed at it cures 1 point of damage for each 3 points of damage it would otherwise deal. The mechanatrix gets no saving throw against electricity effects.
Skills: Mechanatrixes have a +2 racial bonus on Spot checks and a +4 racial bonus on Knowledge (architecture and engineering) checks.
Shyfts are planetouched beings descended from one of the native races of the Ethereal Plane. Belonging fully to neither the Ethereal Plane nor the Material Plane, they have the ability to move back and forth between both planes.
Shyfts appear as regular, unassuming humans. In fact, almost everything about them is forgettable and easy to overlook. They prefer to wear dark, simple clothing that does not draw any attention. Shyfts do not seem to mind that they are so inconspicuous and use it to their advantage. They are excellent spies, since they can listen in on conversations from the safety of the Ethereal Plane and sell any information they hear to the highest bidder. Shyfts are also known to specialize in assassination, thievery, and other criminal pursuits.
Shyfts speak Common.
Shyfts rarely attack an opponent directly, since they prefer to use stealth, ambush, and traps to win battles. They use their ethereal jaunt ability to either lurk on the Ethereal Plane, scouting for just the right moment to attack, or to flee from a threat on the Material Plane.
Ethereal Jaunt (Sp): Once per day, a shyft can make an ethereal jaunt as if by a cleric of 9th level or its character level, whichever is higher.
Skills: Shyfts have a +4 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks.
Wisplings are planetouched descended from halflings and demons.
With a heritage touched by demonic fire and chaos, this offshoot of the halfling race embodies everything that is small, quick, and deceptive. Wisplings rarely sit still, and their pranks and jokes range from cruel to murderous.
A wispling’s light brown skin, bright red hair, and angular features set it apart from other Small humanoids. Although their demonic heritage grants them abilities of stealth beyond those of many other races, wisplings have a taste for bright clothing that marks them in any crowd.
Wisplings speak Common.
Speed, instinct, and cruelty make wisplings far deadlier than their size and slight frame would suggest. Wisplings almost always strike from ambush and attempt to fade from battle before being cornered by larger foes.
Disguise Self (Su): Wisplings can use disguise self once per day, as the spell cast by a 1st-level sorcerer.
Source: Fiend Folio, page 136. Changes applied as per the D&D® v.3.5 Accessory Update. Because planetouched have the Native subtype in the Monster Manual (version 3.5), that subtype was applied to all the planetouched depicted above. Corrected wispling’s weapon damage to match its size category.