Editing Shadow Fey (section)

====Fir====
Firs are almost unique amongst the Arak in that their depiction changes markedly between editions. The basic premise of their nature as the Arak's [[artificer]]s, fascinated by precision engineering, mechanics, clockwork and related fields of study, remains the same, but the implementation very much differs.

In AD&D, firs resemble pale [[sprite]]s whose fingers are extremely long and thin, tapering to needle-like points, and who have the ability to transform into hedgehogs. They have a manic-depressive sort of mentality, resulting in them switching between two different phases of mentality; an intent working phase when they labor nonstop and a ruminating stage when they meditate on their next project. Unusually, their diet is influenced by their alternate form; though they tend to skip meals except grabbing a bite of whatever's on offer when in their working phase, in meditative mode. they prefer slugs above all else but will also eat grubs, worms, bugs, and other such small fry. Inoffensive by nature, firs rely on traps, clockwork-based [[Animated Object]]s or even small [[golem]]s to defend themselves and their lair, and will usually flee whilst their guardians defend them. If absolutely forced to fight, firs can induce confusion with their mind-bending rambling diatribe about theories, designs, engineering principles and so forth, as well as the ability to charm people who meet their gaze. Immune to attacks from stone weapons and to the cold, a final weapon in the fir's arsenal is their ability to cast spells of the creation and guardian spheres as 5th-level [[cleric]]s. Ironically for a species that tends to work with such metal frequently, firs are supernaturally vulnerable to tin.

So, how did 3e change this? Well, a lot of the core details remain, such as their resilience and their ability to cause confusion. However, 3e firs now come in two varieties, based on courtly allegiance. Firs of the Seelie Court, commonly called Tolly-Knocks, resemble pale-skinned, long-haired human babies with long, thick, pointed claws instead of fingernails. Firs of the Unseelie Court, commonly called Gremlins, also resemble claw-fingered human babies, but much uglier, and completely hairless. Both retain their original AD&D version's fascination with engineering, but the purposes they put it to differ; tolly-knocks prefer clockwork devices of all sorts, whilst gremlins like making traps, weapons and explosives. This manifests especially in their combat tactics; tolly-knocks tend to lead armies of animated toys in their defense, whilst gremlins are more likely to rely on cruel traps and explosive "surprises". Both versions can change into the shape of rodents, with tolly-knocks preferring mice and hedgehogs, and gremlins favoring rats. Tolly-knocks can charm person with their gaze, whilst gremlins instead cause fear.

One special trait given to the 3e fir is that, whilst they function as 4th level [[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)|sorcerers]] in terms of spell-casting abilities, these spells serve as simple "base mechanic" to cover their various contraptions and toys; any "spell" a fir casts actually originates from one of its magical devices, and thus all fir spells require material components. As this sourcebook couldn't reference [[Eberron]], it would be perfectly kosher to instead replace both their spell-like abilities and their [[Favored Class]] with [[Artificer]].

Fir are attracted to human craftsmen and mechanical artisans - clock-makers, gunsmiths, locksmiths, trap-makers and engineers, whose talents they may seek to preserve as [[changeling]]s or who they just may want to compare ideas with. They do compete with brags over the engineers.

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