The Sylph race has been my thematic favorite for Pathfinder 1E.

Technically, one can play any class with a Sylph and make a decent character. However, for some builds, the choice of Sylph is hard to justify. For example, a Sylph Saurian Shaman could be highly effective, but people would still wonder why pick sylph at all if the gimmick is “druid of all dinosaurs”.

Hence, this guide is not about optimization in the sense of making characters effective, but optimization of the interaction between Sylph and the class features.

Section 0: Introduction

In this guide, I will assume, by default, a GM is non-permissive. However, I would also try to point out arguable things. When I talk about these, I use blue italics.

As far as character building goes, I don’t question pre-set goals, which is usually in the form of “I want to play a melee Sylph Fighter” or “I want to play a flying Sylph Barbarian”.

Section 1: What is a Sylph?

Theme

Ancestry

Sylphs are descendants of humans and air-typed elementals. Which, curiously, usually is not the Air Elemental, but Djinns, Invisible Stalkers and Cloud Dragons. Along with folks of other elemental heritage, they are called “geniekins”, presumably Djinns being the most common ancestor type. Anyway, any air-typed elemental could be an ancestor, so sometimes the rarer kinds could make an interesting backstory.

On the other hand, the non-elemental part is usually a human, but not always. It’s not impossible to have an Elf Sylph or a Halfling Sylph.

Sylphs have three variants. The default (I’ll call “windsoul”), Smokesoul and Stormsoul. It should be noted that the variants were created near the end of Pathfinder 1E, and hence most lore were only talking about Windsouls.

I think it might be a good question to ask GMs for a small Sylph, and I expect permissive GMs would give it a pass. I think ruling small Sylphs are slower is also fair though.

Personality

Windsouls are shy and reclusive, and also have a natural tendency of eavesdropping, and even has given this hobby a name “listening to the wind”, and it can even become an obsession.

Smokesouls are similarly reclusive. However, instead of curiosity, they are just all about obfuscation and intrigue. Reclusive for the sake of reclusive, not because you have something better to do.

Stormsouls are flashier, more confident, and impatient, like one would assume about something influenced by storms.

Well, all the above are stereotypes, and each character should have their own personality. It’s perfectly normal to play a character counter to stereotypes, especially when they are also in an unusual class. However, it’s good to know the stereotypes themselves, since they influence how others see your character.

Alignment

Windsouls are usually True Neutral like the stereotypical wizards they are.

Smokesouls are usually Chaotic Evil, because nothing good can come out of all these secret scheming, right? Anyways, Smokesouls also have the tendency to look like any other race, so perhaps a Smokesoul character won’t be automatically hated and feared by everyone. See, that’s also a scheme, and does good things.

Stormsouls are usually Chaotic Neutral. Bad tempers have a tendency to be chaotic, after all, Barbarian was “any nonlawful” in 3.5e.

Religion

For deities, Desna, Norgorber, Ng, Zohls and Tanagaar are their common choices, which is an interesting theme: none of these deities have an Air/Wind theme at all. The main theme here is travel and knowledge.

The evil elemental lord, Hshurha, is also a common choice. Her good counterpart, Ranginor, was only released from his prison in Pathfinder 2E era, and is usually not available for worship during 1E time.

Mechanics

Ability Score

Windsoul: +2 Dex, +2 Int, –2 Con
Smokesoul: +2 Dex, +2 Cha, –2 Con
Stormsoul: +2 Dex, +2 Cha, –2 Wis

Notably, there is always a Dex bonus, never a Str bonus and often a Con malus, meaning that all sylphs are nimble and fragile like elves. We see why Stormsouls are so confident, you can’t be confident when you have -2 Con.

Sylphs have boosts to Int or Cha. Wis-based Sylphs have to work with the lack of a racial bonus.

And, in all cases, the malus is placed in a stat that is painful to dump.

Type & Language

Sylphs are Native Outsiders, speak Common and Auran, and can choose additional languages among Aquan, Dwarven, Elven, Gnome, Halfling, Ignan, and Terran.

Alternatively, they can be mostly human, and count as Human as well, but they give up Auran, which they can still learn with high intelligence.

Count as human is strong mechanically because there are many human-exclusive options that’s either strong, or at least very general.

Other Fixed Stuff

Size: Medium; Speed: 30 feet; Darkvision 60 feet.

Standard stuff.

Spell-Like Ability (and alternatives)

Windsoul: feather fall 1/day.
Smokesoul: blurred movement 1/day
Stormsoul: shocking grasp 1/day
Sky Speaker: speak with animals 1/day, but only with flying animals
Weather Savvy: predict weather for the next 24 hours
Whispering Wind: +4 racial bonus on Stealth checks
Secretive (also replaces energy resistance): +2 racial bonus on saving throws against enchantment and divination spells and effects.

The spell-like abilities are generally good level 1 spells. However, Aasimars and Tieflings get level 2 spells, favoritism! Whispering Wind and Secretive both give always useful bonuses as well.

Air Affinity (and alternatives)

Air affinity: Sylph sorcerers with the specified bloodline treat their Charisma scores as 2 points higher for the purposes of all sorcerer spells and class abilities. Sylph spellcasters with the specified domain use their domain powers and spells at +1 caster level.
Windsoul: elemental (air) bloodline; Air domain.
Smokesoul: shadow bloodline; Smoke subdomain
Stormsoul: stormborn bloodline; Weather domain

Air Insight: Summon monster and summon nature’s ally spells that the sylph casts last 2 rounds longer than normal when used to summon creatures with the air subtype.
Breeze-Kissed (Su): Breezes seem to follow most sylphs wherever they go, but some sylphs are better able to control these winds than others. A sylph with this racial trait surrounds herself with swirling winds, gaining a +2 racial bonus to AC against nonmagical ranged attacks. The sylph can calm or renew these winds as a swift action. Once per day, the sylph can channel this wind into a single gust, making a bull rush or trip combat maneuver attempt against one creature within 30 feet. Whether or not the attempt succeeds, the winds are exhausted and no longer provide a bonus to the sylph’s AC for 24 hours.
Storm in the Blood: A sylph with this racial trait gains fast healing 2 for 1 round anytime she takes electricity damage (whether or not this electricity damage gets through her electricity resistance). The sylph can heal up to 2 hit points per level per day with this ability, after which it ceases to function.

Air affinity gives two bonuses that are hard to trigger simultaneously. Also, the two effects are worded very differently. The domain power one doesn’t require you to be a Cleric, but the effect, extra caster level, only applies to the domain powers and spells. The bloodline one actually needs you to be a Sorcerer, but lets you to treat your Charisma as higher for everything.

Look at the other planetouched races and the history of Pathfinder. Aasimar did not have a similar ability, and never needed one. Tiefling gained Fiendish Sorcery which gave a similar clause for sorcerers, back when Tieflings did not have the variants and were stuck at Cha-2. Hence, it was originally a band-aid to fix the “Tiefling sorcerers are iconic but weak” problem. Then, the geniekins were introduced in Bestiary 2, they all received elemental affinities clearly inspired by Fiendish Sorcery. By this time, Ifrits already have a bonus to Cha, and the ability no longer served the baid-aid fix purpose.

Basically, editors make new things out of existing abilities, without completely understanding the purpose. Which is why I wish in an imaginary open source game system, all abilities will come with design goals, just like how programmers need to write comments.

It might be worth asking the GM whether the sorcerer bonus can apply to bloodline powers acquired in other ways, as well as bloodragers. I personally think that getting an effective Cha+4 was not the design goal, but given this part of the game has been accepted for a decade, perhaps it’s worth asking. If you are playing a Windsoul and thus obviously not powergaming the charisma, it’s even more worth asking.

Also, the sorcerer FCB lists both Elemental (Air) and Djinni, while Air Affinity only lists Elemental (Air). I think it’s worthy to ask the GM to add Djinni to Air Affinity as well.

Also, Air Affinity is worth keeping for Sylph Kineticists, that part is hidden in the description of the Kinetic Invocation feat.

Among other options, Air Insight is somewhat useful for all casters that can summon at appropriate levels, but extra turns are less relevant at high levels anyways. Breeze-Kissed is also useful during low levels.

The interaction between Air Insight and the various features that change summoning from round/level to minute/level is unclear. A permissive GM will probably rule that Air Insight adds two minutes in this case. It still matters less than the round/level case anyways, since your summoned monsters are already guaranteed to outlast one encounter.

Resistance (and alternatives)

Energy Resistance: electricity resistance 5.
Thunderous Resilience: sonic resistance 5.
Like the Wind: +5 foot bonus to speed.
Secretive (also replaces SLA): +2 racial bonus on saving throws against enchantment and divination spells and effects.

Resistance is actually good because most of your game time will be spent at low levels. However, the other two options are not bad either.

Race Traits

Aerial Observer: +2 Perception from above
Carrying Voice: +2 CL to determine range of sonic spells and effects; Others do not suffer penalty to hear you in wind.
Following Breeze: +2 Acrobatics to jump with running start, and said running gets +5″
Wind-Carried Voices: +1 Sense Motive, and message
Thunderborn: electricity -> electricity/sonic 1/day
Genie Heir: +2 Charisma check to influence outsider from the home plane of genie ancestor
Minor Wishcraft: Spend a use of racial SLA to use any 0-level spell to grant a minor wish

TheOneHawk’s guide gives universally low rating to all these options.

Feats

Airy Step: +2 save vs. air/electricity effects, ignore 30 ft. when falling
Cloud Gazer: See through fog, mist, and clouds (3x in magical fogs)
Wings of Air (requires level 9, Airy Step): Increased save against air/electricity effects, gain a supernatural fly speed when not wearing light armor or less
Inner Breath (requires level 11): You no longer need to breathe
Elemental Jaunt (requires level 15): Cast plane shift 1/day to return to the plane of your ancestors
Elemental Strike: Deal +1 electric damage
Flow of Elements: Change all or part of a spell’s damage to electricity of an adjacent ally who has this feat

Special mentions:

Kinetic Invocation: Grant Kineticists lots of extra options. A Sylph can choose the Air options without getting this feat, but must keep Air Affinity.

Favored Class Bonus

Cleric: Add a +1/2 bonus on Knowledge (planes) checks relating to the Plane of Air and creatures with the air subtype.
Druid: Add a +1/2 bonus on Knowledge (nature) checks relating to weather and flying animals.
Inquisitor: Add a +1/2 bonus on Stealth checks while motionless and on opposed Perception checks.
Oracle: Add +1/6 to the oracle’s level for the purpose of determining the effects of one revelation.
Rogue: Add a +1/2 bonus on Acrobatics checks to jump and a +1/2 bonus on Sense Motive checks.
Sorcerer: Choose a bloodline power from the djinni or elemental (air) bloodline that the sorcerer can use. The sorcerer treats her class level as though it were +1/6 higher(to a maximum of +2) when determining the effects of that power.
Witch: Add a +1/2 bonus on Stealth checks and Perception checks made by the witch’s familiar. If the sylph ever replaces her familiar, the new familiar gains these bonus skill ranks.
Wizard: Select one arcane school power from the air or wood elemental schools that the wizard can currently use. The wizard treats her class level as though it were +1/6 higher (to a maximum of +2) when determining the effects of that power.

Frankly, most of these are weak and one is better off getting +1 HP or, if Mostly Human, choose a Human FCB option. However, some options, despite weak, can have their niches.

Items

Windsong Lute (4250 gp): increase bardic performance’s range by 10 ft. for everyone, but 20 ft. for Sylphs.

Spells

Windy Escape (level 1): DR 10/magic against one attack
Gusting Sphere (level 2): Wind ball that bull rushes and impairs ranged attacks
Absorbing Inhalation (level 4): Inhale a cloud effect, then exhale.
Cloud Shape (level 4): Turn into a cloud.
Elemental Mastery (level 4): Fly and circumstance bonus on attack when both airborne.
Miasmatic Form (level 4): Gaseous form, but with Stinking cloud / Poisonous cloud effects
Wind Blades (level 5): Damage while moving, and damage while in strong wind
Path of the Winds (level 6): Movable windstorm path

Racial spells are a weird concept. Especially when they are on the list of learned prepared casters, people ask “why, can’t a Human wizard just learn it from a Sylph wizard?” The official explanation “they are closely guarded” is also weird, not all Sylphs live in a secret community!

An argument that I found has some merit is that “well, the spell also needed the particular anatomy to work”, which I think makes sense for obvious “bodily” spells such as Windy Escape and Cloud Shape. And, seriously, Sylphs are really bad at survival, having an exclusive survival trick at low levels makes some sense.

Archetypes

There are two Sylph-exclusive archetypes, Wind Listener and Sky Druid. I’ll detail about them in Section 2, however.

Section 2: Topics

In this section, I list various topics, which is a mechanical options a Sylph has special access to.

For each topic, I’ll first quickly remind why it is included at all, or, the raison d’etre. I first examine the thematic flavor of such an option. Then, I examine its mechanics. For some topic, it would be useful to see other ways to acquire a similar ability, and I’ll list them under comparison. Then, I list things that interact with said option. Most of the time such a list is sufficient, but sometimes an item on the list might be important enough on its own and spawn further discussion.

Sorcerer Bloodlines

Raison d’etre

Air Affinity (Sylph trait, dependent on the subrace), as well as the Favored Class Bonus (which has a reduced bloodline list).

Theme

The way I now see it is, Sylph is about ancestry, but Sorcerer Bloodline is about manifestation. Hence why different Sylphs have different affinities, surely the Smokesoul doesn’t really have an ancestor from the Shadow Plane, it’s just their elemental heritage manifests in a different way.

Mechanics

Some note: there are wildblooded bloodlines, which are like subdomains, but actually are not. Technically they cannot be chosen by non-Sorcerers who gained bloodlines, nor can they work with crossbloodied.

Elemental (Air)

Also includes its wildblooded variant Primal here. Djinni, while technically a separate entry, is very similar so also included here.

Class Skill: Knowledge (planes).
Bonus Spells: burning hands (electric) (3rd), scorching ray (electric) (5th), protection from energy (7th), elemental body I (9th), elemental body II (11th), elemental body III (13th), elemental body IV (15th), summon monster VIII (elementals only) (17th), elemental swarm (19th).
Djinni Spells: shocking grasp (3rd), invisibility (5th), fly (7th), minor creation (9th), overland flight (11th), chain lightning (13th), plane shift (15th), greater planar binding (17th), wish (19th).
Bonus Feats: Dodge, Empower Spell, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Knowledge [planes]), Weapon Finesse.
Bloodline/Djinni Arcana: Whenever you cast a spell that deals energy damage, you can change the type of damage to electricity. This also changes the spell’s type to air.
Wildblooded Arcana: Whenever you cast a spell with an air descriptor, that spell deals +1 point of damage per die rolled.
Bloodline Power 1: Elemental Ray (Sp). You can unleash an elemental ray as a standard action, targeting any foe within 30 feet as a ranged touch attack. This ray deals 1d6 points of electricity damage + 1 for every two sorcerer levels you possess. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
Bloodline Power 3: Elemental Resistance (Ex). You gain electricity resistance 10. At 9th level, your electricity resistance increases to 20.
Bloodline Power 9: Elemental Blast (Sp). You can unleash a blast of elemental power once per day. This 20-foot-radius burst does 1d6 points of electricity damage per sorcerer level. Those caught in the area of your blast receive a Reflex save for half damage. Creatures that fail their saves gain vulnerability to your energy type until the end of your next turn. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 your sorcerer level + your Charisma modifier. At 9th level, you can use this ability once per day. At 17th level, you can use this ability twice per day. At 20th level, you can use this ability three times per day. This power has a range of 60 feet.
Djinni Power 9: Whirlwind (Su). You gain the ability to turn into a 10-foot-high whirlwind once per day for 1 round per sorcerer level.
Wildblooded Power 9: Elementalist Summoning (Su). Whenever you summon a creature, it gains electricity resistance 10 (if it already has such resistance, its resistance increases by +5), and its natural attacks deal an additional 1d6 points of electricity damage.
Bloodline Power 15: Elemental Movement (Su). You gain Fly 60 feet (average).
Bloodline Power 20: Elemental Body (Su). Elemental power surges through your body. You gain immunity to sneak attacks, critical hits, and damage from your energy type.
Djinni Power 20: Power of the Djinn (Su). You gain the power of genies to grant wishes. Once per day, you can cast limited wish as a spell-like ability. Such wishes must begin with the words “I wish,” and cannot duplicate a wish you have granted within the past 24 hours. If you use this ability to duplicate a spell with a costly material component, you must provide that component.
You also become immune to electricity damage, and can use plane shift once per day to travel to or from the Plane of Air.

Shadow

Also includes its wildblooded variant Umbral here.

Class Skill: Stealth.
Bonus Spells: ray of enfeeblement (3rd), darkvision (5th), deeper darkness (7th), shadow conjuration (9th), shadow evocation (11th), shadow walk (13th), power word blind (15th), greater shadow evocation (17th), shades (19th).
Bonus Feats: Acrobatic, Blind-Fight, Dodge, Quick Draw, Silent Spell, Skill Focus (Stealth), Stealthy, Weapon Finesse.
Bloodline Arcana: Whenever you cast a spell with the darkness descriptor or the shadow sub-school, you gain a circumstance bonus on Stealth checks equal to the spell’s level for 1d4 rounds.
Wildblooded Arcana: Whenever you cast a spell in an area of dim light or darkness, your effective caster level is increased by 1.
Bloodline Powers 1: Shadowstrike (Sp). You can make a melee touch attack as a standard action that inflicts 1d4 points of nonlethal damage + 1 for every two sorcerer levels you possess. In addition, the target is dazzled for 1 minute. Creatures with low-light vision or darkvision are not dazzled by this ability. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
Wildblooded Power 1: Cloak of Shadows (Sp). As a standard action, you can grant one target a cloak of shadows. This cloak gives the target a bonus on Stealth checks made in areas of dim or no light equal to 1/2 your sorcerer level for 1 round per 2 sorcerer levels you possess (minimum +1 bonus for 1 round). You may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
Bloodline Powers 3: Nighteye (Ex). You gain darkvision 30 feet. At 9th level, you gain darkvision 60 feet. If you already possess darkvision, its range is increased by these amounts.
Bloodline Powers 9: Shadow Well (Sp). You can use the Stealth skill even while being observed and without cover or concealment, as long as you are within 10 feet of a shadow other than your own. In addition, when within an area of darkness or dim light, as a standard action you may choose to switch places with a willing ally within 60 feet, who must also be in darkness or dim light. At 13th level, you can instead switch the positions of two willing allies, each of whom must be within 60 feet of you. Unless otherwise noted, this travel is identical to dimension door. You may use the ability to switch places once per day at 9th level, plus one additional time per day at 17th level and 20th level.
Bloodline Powers 15: Enveloping Darkness (Sp). You may create an area of deeper darkness that you can see through without penalty. All creatures except you are entangled within this darkness unless using freedom of movement or a similar effect. You may use this ability once per day.
Bloodline Powers 20: Shadow Master (Su). You can see perfectly in natural or magical darkness. When you use shadow conjuration or shadow evocation spells, your creations are 20% more real, and any creatures you create gain the benefits of the Augment Summoning feat.

Stormborn

Also includes its wildblooded variant Aerial here.

Class Skill: Knowledge (nature).
Bonus Spells: shocking grasp (3rd), gust of wind (5th), lightning bolt (7th), shout (9th), overland flight (11th), chain lightning (13th), control weather (15th), whirlwind (17th), storm of vengeance (19th).
Bonus Feats: Deadly Aim, Dodge, Enlarge Spell, Far Shot, Great Fortitude, Point-Blank Shot, Skill Focus (Fly), Wind Stance.
Bloodline Arcana: Whenever you cast a spell with the electricity or sonic descriptor, increase the save DC by 1.
Wildblooded Arcana: Whenever outdoors during any form of precipitation, your effective caster level is increased by 2.
Bloodline Powers 1: Thunderstaff (Sp). You can touch a weapon as a standard action, giving it the shock property for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your sorcerer level (minimum 1). At 9th level, you can confer the shocking burst property instead, but the duration of the power is halved. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
Bloodline Powers 3: Stormchild (Ex). You gain resist electricity 5 and resist sonic 5, and treat wind effects as being one step less severe. At 9th level, you treat wind effects as being two steps less severe and gain blindsense 60 feet against concealment from natural or magical fog, mist, or weather effects.
Bloodline Powers 9: Thunderbolt (Sp). You can command a stroke of lightning to strike from above in a 5-foot-radius cylinder 60 feet high. The thunderbolt inflicts 1d6 points of damage per sorcerer level; half of this damage is electricity and half is sonic. A Reflex save (DC 10 + 1/2 your sorcerer level + your Charisma modifier) halves this damage. Creatures failing their saves are deafened for 1 round. At 9th level, you can use this ability once per day, at 17th twice per day, and at 20th three times per day. This power has a range of 120 feet.
Wildblooded Powers 9: Windcaller (Sp). You can call the winds to obey your commands for 1 minute per level. This functions like control winds, except that you may choose to be immune to any increased wind effects you create. The ability’s duration does not need to be consecutive, but it must be used in 1-minute increments. This bloodline power replaces thunderbolt.
Bloodline Powers 15: Ride the Lightning (Sp). As a full-round action you can become a living lightning bolt and move in a straight line up to 10 times your speed. You do not provoke attacks of opportunity while moving in this way. Creatures or objects in your path are affected as by your thunderbolt power. Creatures do not block your movement but solid barriers do unless they are reduced to 0 hit points. You can use this power once per day for a number of rounds equal to your sorcerer level.
Bloodline Powers 20: Storm Lord (Ex). You are one with the storm. You gain immunity to deafness, stunning, and wind effects and gain blindsight 120 feet against concealment from natural or magical fog, mist, or weather. Once per day, when attacked with an electricity or sonic effect, you may forgo your saving throw and absorb the energies of the attack, healing 1 point of damage for every 3 points of damage the attack would otherwise have dealt.

Draconic (Cloud)

Not mentioned in any variation of Air Affinity, but Cloud Dragons are known ancestors of Sylph in Pathfinder lore. The wildblooded variant Linnorm is not included because of the same thematic reason.

Class Skill: Perception.
Bonus Spells: mage armor (3rd), resist energy (5th), fly (7th), fear (9th), spell resistance (11th), form of the dragon I (13th), form of the dragon II (15th), form of the dragon III (17th), wish (19th).
Bonus Feats: Blind-Fight, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Quicken Spell, Skill Focus (Fly), Skill Focus (Knowledge [arcana]), Toughness.
Bloodline Arcana: Whenever you cast a spell with an energy descriptor that matches your draconic bloodline’s energy type, that spell deals +1 point of damage per die rolled.
Bloodline Powers: The power of dragons flows through you and manifests in a number of ways. At 1st level, you must select one of the chromatic or metallic dragon types. This choice cannot be changed. A number of your abilities grant resistances and deal damage based on your dragon type, as noted on the following table.

(Here was a table, but it suffices to say that Cloud Dragon has Electricity and 30-foot cone)

Claws (Su): Starting at 1st level, you can grow claws as a free action. These claws are treated as natural weapons, allowing you to make two claw attacks as a full attack action using your full base attack bonus. Each of these attacks deals 1d4 points of damage plus your Strength modifier (1d3 if you are Small). At 5th level, these claws are considered magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming DR. At 7th level, the damage increases by one step to 1d6 points of damage (1d4 if you are Small). At 11th level, these claws deal an additional 1d6 points of damage of your energy type on a successful hit. You can use your claws for a number of rounds per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier. These rounds do not need to be consecutive.
Dragon Resistances (Ex): At 3rd level, you gain resist 5 against your energy type and a +1 natural armor bonus. At 9th level, your energy resistance increases to 10 and natural armor bonus increases to +2. At 15th level, your natural armor bonus increases to +4.
Breath Weapon (Su): At 9th level, you gain a breath weapon. This breath weapon deals 1d6 points of damage of your energy type per sorcerer level. Those caught in the area of the breath receive a Reflex save for half damage. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 your sorcerer level + your Charisma modifier. The shape of the breath weapon depends on your dragon type (as indicated on the above chart). At 9th level, you can use this ability once per day. At 17th level, you can use this ability twice per day. At 20th level, you can use this ability three times per day.
Wings (Su): At 15th level, leathery dragon wings grow from your back as a standard action, giving you a fly speed of 60 feet with average maneuverability. You can dismiss the wings as a free action.
Power of Wyrms (Su): At 20th level, your draconic heritage becomes manifest. You gain immunity to paralysis, sleep, and damage of your energy type. You also gain blindsense 60 feet.

Interactions

Unusual Ways to Get

Class Archetypes. Sorcerer (Crossblooded) gives an extra bloodline; Arcanist (Blood Arcanist) gets access to the Arcana and the Powers.
Class Options. Arcanist Exploit: Bloodline Development gives access to first level blood power.
Feats: Eldritch Heritage gives the first four powers.
Prestige Class: Dragon Disciple can give the Draconic bloodline even without picking a sorcerer.

None of the above options changes the ability score involved.

Bloodrager Bloodlines

Raison d’etre

Air Affinity (Sylph trait), which might be possible to be extended to Bloodrager bloodlines by begging the DM hard enough.

Domains

Raison d’etre

Air Affinity (Sylph trait).

Theme

What does having Elemental heritage to do with the choice of domains? It’s especially weird when you consider that the favorite deities of sylphs don’t have the Air domain at all.

I think I have three explanations.

First, most sylphs are not clerics anyways, and sylphs do not typically all live together. So the choice of non-cleric sylphs can be different from the choice of sylph clerics. The former wandering around and go to churches of their favorite knowledge or travel gods. The latter worships some elemental deity and serves a local community of mostly non-sylphs.

Second, preferring is not being good at. It could also be that most Sylph Clerics also preferred Desna, who doesn’t like Desna? But the Hshurha-worshiping sylphs are objectively more powerful, due to being favored by the evil elemental god.

Third, nobody cares about Clerics, the designer was all about Druids. There is further evidence in that Smokesouls have the Smoke subdomain, which isn’t on the list of any usual Sylph deity choices, but is accessible for Druids.

Considering that Air Affinity was an early design, while Smokesouls were a very late addition, either this ability was always designed for Druids, or the designer really didn’t think too much, but since all vaguely element-themed things are on the Druid’s domain list, we ended up this way.

Mechanics

Air Domain

Domain Spells: 1st—obscuring mist, 2nd—wind wall, 3rd—gaseous form, 4th—air walk, 5th—control winds, 6th—chain lightning, 7th—elemental body IV (air only), 8th—whirlwind, 9th—elemental swarm (air spell only).
Power 1: Lightning Arc (Sp). As a standard action, you can unleash an arc of electricity targeting any foe within 30 feet as a ranged touch attack. This arc of electricity deals 1d6 points of electricity damage + 1 point for every two cleric levels you possess. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier.
Power 6: Electricity Resistance (Ex). You gain resist electricity 10. This resistance increases to 20 at 12th level. At 20th level, you gain immunity to electricity.

Warpriest Domains

Raison d’etre

Air Affinity (Sylph trait), which might be possible to be extended to Warpriest domains by begging the DM hard enough.

Wizard Schools

Raison d’etre

Sylph favored class bonus.

Theme

The Air school is an obvious one. Sure, Wizards are not like Sorcerers, they use their brain to figure things out. However, if yourself is made of elemental air in some sense, perhaps you have slightly more ways to conduct experiments.

The Wood school is weirder. It is an representation of the Wu Xing system, where the material world is considered to be made of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth.

Note that, despite common stereotype that the “western world” had four elements and the “eastern world” had five, actually Buddhism also had the four elements, and the concept also spread to China and Japan. Hence, an imaginary martial monk from China or Japan would have probably learned about both system. No wonder they are fine with Elemental Fist only offering four choices.

In our world, Paracelsus invented the idea of four kinds of elemental beings, with the Air one called “Sylph”, possibly out of “sylvestris” (of the forest) and “nympha” (nymph). So, basically, Paracelsus named “Air Elemental” after “Forest Nymph”. That began the long tradition of sylphs have dual connection to air and wood. But at least within Pathfinder lore, Sylph isn’t generally connected to wood or plants.

Either way, I would not think much into it.

Wings of Air (Feat)

Theme

The winds lift you, carrying you where you want to go.

So, you do not actually grow wings like the Aasimars do, which is probably a good thing. Flying without wings is way cooler.

Mechanics

One first needs to pick the feat Airy Step.

You gain a +2 bonus on saving throws against effects with the air or electricity descriptors and effects that deal electricity damage. You may ignore the first 30 feet of any fall when determining falling damage.

Then Wings of Air.

Your bonus on saves against effects with the air or electricity descriptors and effects that deal electricity damage increases to +4. In addition, you gain a supernatural fly speed equal to your base speed (good maneuverability). You may only fly with this ability when wearing light armor or no armor.

So the total cost is two feats, and the main benefit is a fly speed as well as a somewhat narrow bonus to saves.

Comparisons

Strixes that famously gets a fly speed at level 1 without obvious downsides.

Gathlain also comes with a fly speed, and unlike the Strix, they were actually PFS legal, which means more GMs will accept them.

Aasimar also has a two-feat chain Angel Wings that guarantees a flying speed. The differences include: Angel Wings is one level later than Wings of Air; Angel Wings works under heavier load, only slower; Angel Wings’s prerequisite feat needs Con 13; Angel Wings seems to be actual wings, leading to different roleplaying experiences, and is probably an Ex instead of Su ability.

Among the skinwalkers, the werebat-kins can gain a fly speed among their change shape options at level 5.

Tengu gain temporary flight at level 5, without ways to make it permanent.

Kobolds have a long feat chain (4 feats) that ended up giving the kobold fly speed at level 10.

Interactions

Cloud Gazer (Feat)

Mechanics

The feat states:

You can see through fog, mist, and clouds, without penalty, ignoring any cover or concealment bonuses from such effects. If the effect is created by magic, this feat instead triples the distance you can see without penalty.

And, let us compare that with the most iconic source of mist, obscuring mist:

A misty vapor arises around you. It is stationary. The vapor obscures all sight, including darkvision, beyond 5 feet. A creature 5 feet away has concealment (attacks have a 20% miss chance). Creatures farther away have total concealment (50% miss chance, and the attacker cannot use sight to locate the target).

There were some debates about the meaning of these, but as far as I can tell, the general consensus about RAW is: in an infinitely large fog cloud, a Sylph with Cloud Gazer can see everything within 10 feet clearly, everything exactly 15 feet away with concealment, and everything further away with total concealment.

Comparisons

Half-Orcs has a trait which allows them to see twice as far.

Rangers with favored terrain (swamp) could use a feat Swamper to see twice as far.

The General feat Mountain Eyes (requiring Blind-Fight) allows you to ignore concealment, and treat total concealment within 10 feet as concealment.

The monster ability mistsight is a stronger version, without distance restrictions.

Ifrits have a similar feat, but only works with smoke.

Interactions

Notably, Cloud Gazer does not grant sight through smokes, and hence has no interaction with smoke effects. Wind-folk, don’t be too proud! That’s ifrits’ toy, leave that to them.

Obscuring Mist (1), Fog Cloud (2), Euphoric Cloud (2), Twilight Haze (2), Stinking Cloud (3), Solid Fog (4), Poisonous Cloud (4), Cloudkill (5), Incendiary Cloud (8).

There seems to be two major types for these spells. The defensive type is exemplified by Obscuring Mist, where the fog or cloud generally envelops you, as a defense or escape mechanism. The offensive type is exemplified by Stinking Cloud, where the fog or cloud is generally on the enemy.

The latter case seems to be more useful for an archer who shoots at the enemy in the cloud, than a caster, who probably has other area control spells that do not depend on seeing the enemy.

Elemental Strike (Feat)

Mechanics

Benefit: As a swift action, you can imbue your weapons with elemental energy. For 1 round, your weapons deal an additional 1 point of energy damage. The type of energy damage depends on your race: acid for oread, electricity for sylph, fire for ifrit, or cold for undine. For every 5 levels you possess, this bonus increases by 1, to a maximum of +5 at 20th level.
Special: You can use this feat instead of Arcane Strike to qualify for or attack with the Deadly Dealer feat.

Comparison

This feat is a variation of the Arcane Strike feat.

Prerequisites: Ability to cast arcane spells.
Benefit: As a swift action, you can imbue your weapons with a fraction of your power. For 1 round, your weapons deal +1 damage and are treated as magic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. For every five caster levels you possess, this bonus increases by +1, to a maximum of +5 at 20th level.

Arcane Strike has combat stamina rules and mythic versions that are easy to adapt to Elemental Strike. It might be worth asking for a houserule here.

Arcane strike also leads to subsequent feats such as Blooded Arcane Strike, Riving Strike, Spell Cartridges and Infused Spell Cartridges. There are also items such as Gloves of Arcane Striking that further support Arcane Strike but does nothing with Elemental Strike.

Interaction

As this feat basically trades away all your swift actions for damage, it has anti-synergy with other swift action classes (e.g., Inquisitor, Warpriest).

For arcane spell-casting classes, this feat provides a similar bonus damage to Arcane Strike, but does not provide access to subsequent feat chains. The energy types tends to be resisted, while the extra damage from Arcane Strike at least can contribute towards overcoming DR. Hence Elemental Strike is generally a weaker alternative.

However, Bloodrager also has Blooded Arcane Strike, which turns Arcane Strike to free actions, so one can stack Arcane Strike and Elemental Strike.

Flat damage bonus not influenced by weapon size generally favor more attacks per round (two weapon fighting, flurry of blows).

Air Insight (Trait)

Theme

Sylph spellcasters sometimes find that their elemental heritage makes creatures of air more willing to serve them.

OK, I’m not really sure the duration of summoning spells have anything to do with whether those creatures are willing to serve…

Mechanics

Summon monster and summon nature’s ally spells that the sylph casts last 2 rounds longer than normal when used to summon creatures with the air subtype.

Comparisons

Two of the other four geniekins have similar traits. There is also an interesting race trait for Suli called Elemental Caller:

Treat your caster level as 1 higher to determine the duration of spells you cast that call or summon genies or outsiders with the elemental subtype.

Which is functionally “+1 round” for Summon Monsters and Summon Nature’s Allies, but works well with effects that modify the duration of these spells, and also works with other spells.

I think Air Insight should have been phrased in a similar way.

Interactions

Versatile Summon Monster and Versatile Summon Nature’s Ally allows you to add the Aerial template (among other choices) to some options. Among the various effects the template adds, it also adds the air subtype. Have fun with flying bears with long duration.

Genie Heir (Trait)

Theme

You once met one of your genie ancestors, who taught you the ways of her race and their allies. You gain a +2 trait bonus on Charisma checks and Charisma-based skill checks to influence outsiders from the home plane of your genie ancestor.

So, this trait is very specific about the flavor. You must have a genie ancestor, can’t be an invisible stalker or a cloud dragon. The home plane is the Plane of Air.

Interaction

Whispering Wind (Trait)

Theme

Some sylphs are especially thin and wispy, as though they were made more of air than flesh.

Mechanics

Sylphs with this racial trait gain a +4 racial bonus on Stealth checks.

Comparisons

This makes Sylph one of the most stealthy races if we only look at the stealth bonus.

Goblins, however, have a similar bonus but are also small, so they still win.

Again, you might want to ask your GM for a small Sylph…

Anyways, stealth and perception are weird. Effects like invisibility give huge bonus to stealth, then Acute Senses also gives huge bonus to perception, making it a tug-of-war of really huge numbers, a theoretical game people usually don’t actually play.

Interactions

There is a straightforward synergy with the Sylph Inquisitor FCB, which is half as efficient as the regular skill point FCB, but it stacks with your skill points.

Stealthy Witch Familiar (FCB)

Theme

As a Favored Class Bonus there

Wind Listener (Wizard Archetype)

Theme

The Wind Listener builds on the lore about sylphs “listening to the wind”. Except, now a powerful wizard, the sylph is not longer satisfied with merely eavesdropping with their ears, and uses magic to do more impressive eavesdropping.

Or, rather, that’s actually most wizards do anyways. In any setting where a good rare spell can’t simply be learned by buying a scroll in the local magic shop, wizards will be willing to set off for adventures to find the said spell. Wind Listener just pushes this to its logical extreme.

Also, the Spell-like Ability Listening to the Wind says the sylph calls upon “air spirits”. Which is usually the Shaman’s thing, but this archetype was written before they designed the Shamans, so you get abilities that have nothing to do with the Shaman Wind Spirit…

Mechanics

Class Skills: A wind listener adds Perception to his list of class skills.
Arcane School: A wind listener cannot select divination or illusion as a prohibited school.
Spontaneous Divination (Su): At 1st level, a wind listener can reshape stored spell energy into divination spells he did not prepare ahead of time. The wind listener can “lose” any prepared spell that is not a cantrip in order to cast a divination spell of the same spell level or lower. The new spell must be one the wind listener knows and is capable of casting. Spells cast with this ability increase their casting time to a full-round action (if the spell’s normal casting time is longer than a full-round action, it remains unchanged). This ability replaces arcane bond.
Abjuration Sense (Ex): At 5th level, a wind listener develops a sixth sense for spotting spells designed to guard against his investigations. He gains a bonus on Perception checks equal to 1/2 his level to notice spells of the abjuration school and on Spellcraft checks to identify abjuration effects, spells, and magic items. This ability replaces the bonus feat gained at 5th level.
Wispy Form (Ex): At 10th level, the wind listener gains the ability to become airy and translucent as a standard action, gaining DR 10/magic and the effects of greater invisibility for a number of rounds per day equal to his level. These rounds need not be consecutive. Like the natural invisibility universal monster ability , this ability is not subject to invisibility purge. This ability replaces the bonus feat gained at 10th level.
Listening to the Wind (Sp): At 15th level, the wind listener can call upon spirits of the air to uncover lost lore about a legendary person, place, or thing. Invoking the spirits takes 10 minutes, during which time the wind listener must be free of distractions and able to concentrate. Once called, the spirits seek out information on the subject of the wind listener’s inquiries. This functions as the spell legend lore (caster level equal to the wind listener’s level), except that the wind listener is free to engage in other activities while spirits investigate on his behalf. The time required for the air spirits to return with this information is equal to what the casting time of the spell legend lore would have been if the wind listener had cast it. The wind listener can use this ability once per week, and only if he does not currently have air spirits searching for information. If the air spirits are currently searching for information, the wind listener can end their task early as a standard action, dismissing the magical effect and not returning any information. This ability replaces the bonus feat gained at 15th level.

The main thing is, I guess, spontaneous divination.

Interactions

Listening to the Wind, being a Spell-like ability locked behind a racial restriction, qualifies for Racial Item Mastery. Do you really need to use Listening to the Wind twice per day, though?

Sky Druid (Druid Archetype)

Theme

Some druids develop ties not to a particular landscape, but instead to the endless blue expanse of the skies. Such are the sky druids, who are more at home soaring through air than standing on the ground. A sky druid has the following class features.

Mechanics

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A sky druid loses medium armor proficiency.
Nature Bond (Ex): At 1st level, a sky druid who chooses an animal companion must select one with a fly speed. If choosing a domain, the sky druid must choose from the Air, Animals, Liberation, and Weather domains, or subdomains appropriate to those domains.
Sky’s Embrace (Su): At 2nd level, a sky druid no longer takes falling damage, as though she were constantly under the effect of feather fall. Additionally, she may take ranks in the Fly skill regardless of whether she has a natural fly speed, and may use her Fly skill in place of Acrobatics when making jump checks. This ability replaces woodland stride.
Resist Storm (Ex): At 4th level, a sky druid gains a +4 bonus on saving throws against spells with the air or electricity descriptors and against effects that control or modify the weather (such as sleet storm). This ability replaces resist nature’s lure.
Skymaster (Su): At 5th level, a sky druid can use the fly spell (self only) for a number of minutes per day equal to her druid level. These minutes do not need to be consecutive. This ability replaces trackless step.
Wild Shape (Su): At 6th level, a sky druid gains the ability to use wild shape. When a sky druid takes the form of a creature with a fly speed, this ability functions at her class level + 1. For all other forms, her effective druid level for the ability is equal to her actual sky druid level. This ability otherwise functions as and replaces wild shape.
Soaring Form (Ex): At 9th level, a sky druid is no longer affected by altitude sickness or natural or magical wind. This ability replaces venom immunity.
Into the Wild Blue (Su): At 13th level, a sky druid gains a fly speed equal to twice her base land speed (good maneuverability). This ability replaces a thousand faces.

Interactions

Overall this is a very solid and thematic archetype. Fly at level 5 is mildly notable. Too bad, sylphs never get a Wis bonus, and druids never have a thing to do with Int or Cha.

I haven’t found much special interaction so far.

Native Outsider (Type)

Theme

Mechanics

The mechanics of Native Outsider are annoying: first, Outsider comes with a big baggage of many things; second, being Native removes most of those things; third, a rule from a later source book ruled that Native Outsiders lose more things for not having a racial hit die.

In the end, being a Native Outsider comes with these effects:

Spells that target only humanoids cannot target you. They include the nasty stuff like charm person and hold person, but they also include useful buffs such as enlarge person.
You are still an outsider, and thus vulnerable to calling spells, though the spellcaster must be at a different plane.

Interactions

In the 3.5 era, outsider(native) type had funny interaction with Alter Self. Gone was the broken interaction, with Pathfinder, Alter Self always turns the user to a humanoid.

However, the more harmless Disguise Self still changes you to a creature of your type and of any subtype.