Imp

The youthful cherubim's aura of flames withered and died. Their feathered wings moulted away, becoming frightening and bat-like. They became impish in appearance, and so took to calling themselves 'imps'.

The cherubim were, for the most part, a slave race to the archangels and the seraphim, with an aristocracy of free cherubim who aided in enslaving their own people. They had four grand cities in the High Heavens, built over fonts of divine power from which they harnessed their natural gifts of Magical prowess. One such city was built around the divine gate that was used to travel between realms. When the Divine Civil War erupted in the High Heavens, the enslaved cherubim rebelled against their free masters, resulting in devastation to their golden cities and the divine gate.

Ultimately, when the Luciferians were defeated, the rebellious slaves proved too dangerous to force back under subjugation, as their combined magical might could destroy the divine gate. They were magically repressed during the trials and were thrown down to Ragnarok along with their Luciferian allies. They too were afflicted with Lucifer's curse, but despite the painful transformations their archangel and seraphim allies endured, the cherubim's transformation into imps was relatively painless, and they retained their flight.

Small, but Powerful

Imps are the smallest of all races of demon-kind. Described as being as tall as a human forearm is long, an imp is usually between twelve to seventeen inches tall, and is tiny by most standards.
They have slender builds, with the head, hands, and feet in exaggerated proportions. They do not have cloven hooves. Instead, they are plantigrade and possess clawed, grasping feet with three digits similar to their hands. Their heads are wide and large ears drop from the sides. Their mouths are also wide and filled with pointed, shark-like teeth. Impish eyes are large and come in a variety of vibrant colors, which are typically altered in color depending on the types of magic they specialize in. Imps typically have scales and skin colorations similar to demons , but their horns are shorter and they lack the spaded tail tip. Being the only race to have retained flight after the curse transformed them, the imp’s wings are membranous and bat-like instead of white and feathery.
The diminutive imps are well known for their superior intellect and their fast-talking nature. Creators of many magi-technological wonders that would make most races’ heads spin, the imps are paranoid and egotistical inventors who tend to closely and jealousy project their knowledge. Imps have influenced the culture of the Dominion of Doubt to the point where impish and the dominion’s cultures are one and the same, yet they have still widely adopted the naming conventions propagated by demons.

Golemancy

Imps are the undisputed masters of golemancy, and impish golems are renowned as the most advanced forms of metal-magic fusion and artificial intelligence to date. Constructed out of stone, vegetation, and other semi-natural materials, golems are massive creatures whose strength (and completely empty minds) perfectly complement the small-stature but incredible intellect of their impish masters.
Almost all modern golems use technology first discovered by imps, as some of their greatest inventors are pioneers in the field of mind/golem interface. All their greatest inventions pushed that envelope. It is the beliefs of these renowned impish golemancers that a strong mind could make a strong golem even more effective. To imps, a golem can even be piloted from the inside using the vastly unexplored magical studies of psionics.
Although golems are powerful combatants, owing to their structure and imposing size, they lack the intelligence of their diminutive masters. Though they are capable of rationalizing, their ability to do such is limited by their programming and they are not self-aware.

Imp Names

Imps are typically named soon after birth, but not by their parents. Imps are able to learn speech at a very young age. Typically, a child's first words can come as soon as the day after their birth, but the speech is usually infant babbling.
Imp children often name themselves after a month as they mature faster than humans, but will live longer, provided there are no magical mishaps when studying.
An imp’s name often consists of a short, sharp first name with one or two syllables. Feminine impish names typically end in -i or -a vowel sounds, but are not required to do so. Masculine names often end in a consonant sound. Both male and female imps often have two of the same letter in a row somewhere in their name, this being a cultural norm, but it is certainly not required.
Male Names: Reeq, Craal, Drezz, Palno, Tyaal, Putt, Dott, Smogg, Yopp, Glimm
Female Names: Smurri, Ignis, Magna, Phazza, Biia, Trixxi, Sooka, Raffa, Diita
Surnames: (Dominion of Torment) Aul'Axxari, Aul'Tizzi, Aul'Eakku, Aul'Vetria, Aul'Tizzi, Aul'Venittis; (Dominion of Indulgence) Al'Ganz, Al'Maunis, Al'Gazza, Al'Wazza, Al'Yebbo, Al'Niakku; (Dominion of Doubt) Ul'Higgo, Ul'Ashbane, Ul'Bamman, Ul'Luxus, Ul'Zannitha, Ul'Malis

Imp Traits

Imp Traits

As an imp, your traits are as follows.
Ability Score Increase. Increase one ability score by 2, and increase a different one by 1, or increase three different scores by 1.
Age. Imps reach maturity at age 8 and can live to be 300.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet
Magical Resistance. If you fail a saving throw against a spell or magical effect, you can reroll the saving throw as a reaction. If you do so, you must use the new roll, and you can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
Educated. Whenever you make an Intelligence (History) check related to the study of magic, you are considered proficient in the History skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.
Flight. Because of your wings, you have a flying speed equal to your walking speed. You can’t use this flying speed if you’re wearing medium or heavy armor.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Demonic and Tradetongue.
Size. Imps average between 12 to 17 inches in height and weigh around 3 pounds. You are considered Small
Arcane Ward. When you or a creature within 20ft of you takes damage, you can use your reaction to roll a d10. Add your proficiency bonus to the number rolled, and reduce the damage by that total. After you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

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Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Demon-kind

Lifespan

250-300 years

Average Height

15 "

Average Weight

3 lb.

Geographic Distribution

• Ragnarok
• The Known World

Notable Imps

• Ignis Ul'Ashbane 
• Veraz Aul'Baelfire 

Imp Classes

Most imp adventurers tend to supplement their professions with some degree of spellcasting. Warlocks, sorcerers, artificers, and wizards are commonplace. Imp rogues and rangers will also utilize magic to supplement their abilities and are often able to quickly dart in and out of danger. Impish bards are uncommon unless they possess small instruments specially made for their size. Impish clerics are rare and will typically avoid heavy armor. They will tend to avoid divine magic and will instead draw their magical power from the world's ley-lines. Impish paladins, monks, fighters, and barbarians are rarer still, as most imps tend to avoid close-quarter combat. Those that do tend towards avoidance tactics. Imp druids are almost nonexistent, as most imps see arcane as superior to natural and divine magic.

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"Throughout my journeys, I have always thought that the wonders of impish architecture are second to none. The floating, cubic designs are unusual, but the methods used to hold such large structures aloft are boggling to the mind."

— Faldred Kensith, "A Traveler's Guide to Ragnarok"