Sphynx live in the Shattered Lands on the larger islands where cliffs, mountains, and volcanoes abound. They live mostly in caves in the sides of the aforementioned geological features, using handholds, footholds, ropes, and wings to ascend and descend. Their food sources are mostly agrarian, much like the Pueblo peoples. These homes are gathered into cave villages complete with schools and taxes and elected elders. Sphynx are hard working, intelligent, harmonious people. No member of the race would ever dream of shirking his duty, once he knew exactly what his duty was, of course. They are very good at finding loopholes, not to exploit them you see, but to make sure they were actually meant to be there in the first place. The few Sphynx who have been 'civilized' are very good lawyers, judges, and bureaucrats. They live in harmony with nature and themselves, but should anyone threaten them, or nearby patches of nature, they feel perfectly justified in taking any measures necessary to defend themselves.
Sphynx who venture out into the world are generally of these classes; Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Mage, Specialist Wizard, Thief, or Psionic. Some have even been known to be two of these at once.
Sphynx have their own language, of course, and can choose additional languages from this list: Ancient, Mer, any language spoken in the Shattered Lands. Other languages are possible, but must be explained to the DM's satisfaction. The Sphynx use the Ancient alphabet.
Sphynx characters have 90 percent resistance to sleep and all charm-related spells. (See PH Chapter 9: Combat for an explanation of magic resistance) This is in addition to the normal throw allowed against a charm spell.
Even though Sphynx have wings, they cannot fly. They are too heavy for their wingspan. They are able to glide, though exactly how far is dependant on local conditions. They do get enough lift to gain 6 points of movement when running. If one charges using the wings for speed, one gets a +1 bonus to damage rolls, but a -1 penalty to attack rolls.
Sphynxian infravision reaches 60 feet into the darkness.
When considering wild psionic talents, Sphynx are allowed a +1 to their base chance, which is then multiplied by three. If this roll is not successful, a Sphynx character may still be eligible for racial psionics. If the number rolled was 10 or under, they will have a levitational power, if the number was between 11 and 15, inclusive, they may choose teleportation.
Sphynx are raised with the tendency to be overly polite and formal, not to mention snobby. This translates to 1 less charisma point. Being that they have wings that they can spread for balance, Sphynx get to add 1 point of dexterity.