Ability Score Increase. Your dexterity increases by 1, and your intelligence increases by 2.
Age. Demon blooded humans mature as humans but may live a few years longer.
Creature Type. You are a humanoid.
Size. Your size is medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30ft.
Breath Stealer. You know the message cantrip. At 3 level, you can cast the hold person spell, and at 5 level you can cast the speak with dead spell. Once you cast hold person or speak with dead with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast either of those spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level. Intelligence, wisdom, or charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this lineage).
Darkvision. You have superior vision in dark and dim conditions thanks to your demonic heritage. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You discern colors in that darkness only as shades of gray.
Perspicuity. You have proficiency in the Investigation skill.
Single-minded Focus. You are driven by a private mania. You require only 4 hours of light sleep each night. During this time you remain semi-conscious, and what dreams you may experience consist of plans for success in coming ventures. After resting in this way you gain the benefit of a long rest.
Tool Proficiency. You gain proficiency with the artisans' tools of your choice.
Languages. You can speak and understand common, northern dialect.
The barbarians of the north are a taciturn, dour lot—with outsiders. When among close friends, they are much warmer and more outgoing. As a group, they live in small, tribal communities where family relationships extend into the distant past. Those communities are rarely permanent. In winter, they congregate near good fishing grounds, and in the summer they follow herds of caribou onto the mainland. Most months a group of them can be found near the foothills of Mount Elkenbrand.
It's from these communities that the demon blooded take their origin.
These oft-maligned individuals are exiles almost from birth. Bearing an inborn streak of magic they cannot find a place among the tribes' people who still remember suffering at the hands of the wizard kings of old. A few find places as wise-people, but more often than not demon blooded are fated to wander.
This is the story.
Once, long ago, before the tribes moved north, there were no demon blooded children. It was not until the vile oppressor Elwyn forced the tribes to relocate that those with tainted blood started to appear. The old ones say it is the mountain. Elkenbrand was the site of Elwyn's tower; it is a cursed place. Why not leave, then, the young ask. Sometimes the elders do not answer, yet when they speak the answer is always thus—we are a part of the land.
Play a demon blooded human if you want to be a hero with a dark secret.
Dragonborn
Per latest rules.
The great dragon Ing is among the oldest, most powerful beings in the world—and he didn't get to be that way by being stupid. In his youth, he ravaged the countryside along with others of his kind, but a day came when the humans—having recently learned magic—began to band together to fight back against the winged menace. Ing's cousins were cut down by men with swords working for men with spells.
Alone among his kind, Ing realized he would have to play the wizard kings at their own game. With magic he made himself a man and began to create alliances. Through the years his network has spread, and one of the greatest tools in his arsenal has been siring children with the lesser beings. The offspring of these unions are powerful individuals in their own right, and through their exploits Ing's fame grows.
Play a dragonborn human if you want to be a hero with powerful friends.
Fey blooded
Ability Score Increase. Your dexterity and charisma increase by 1, and so does one score of your choice.
Age. Fey blooded humans mature at the same rate as humans. They may live a few years less.
Creature Type. You are a humanoid.
Size. Your size is medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 35ft.
Faerie Magic. Pick a cantrip of your choosing from the bard's, druid's, or warlock's spell lists. You know that cantrip. Intelligence, wisdom, or charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell (choose when you select this lineage).
Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the charmed condition on yourself.
Mask of the Wild. You can attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, falling snow, mist, and other natural phenomena.
Red Head. Your ancestry puts you in contact with the natural world in a visceral way. Pick a natural cycle of your choosing (seasons, tides, diurnal, etc.). During some part of that cycle you have a bonus to an attribute or advantage on some type of roll, while during another part of that cycle you have a penalty. E.g. your magic is tied to the tides. During high tide (one hour once or twice a day) you impose disadvantage on saving throws against your spells and their effects, while during low tide (one hour once or twice a day) your foes have advantage on their saving throws against your spells and their effects.
Trickster. As a Fae-blooded human, you can spend 5 feet of movement to automatically escape from nonmagical restraints, such as manacles or a creature that has you grappled. Additionally, swimming does not cost extra movement.
Skill Versatility. You gain proficiency in a skill of your choice.
Languages. You can speak and understand common, southern dialect, and one other language of your choice.
This is the story.
Every so often, someone will wander off the path into the deep forest. They don't always come back. Sometimes they do, and afterwards they may have children. Sometimes those children bear the mark of their parents' brush with the Others. Some say that the faeries steal children after birth, others say they're born wrong—whatever the case those children grow into fey blooded men and women.
These individuals are naturally graceful. Bearing an inborn streak of faerie magic they find a home wherever they go. Most make a place for themselves within society, but a tendency towards wanderlust means they don't always stay in one place for long. They make friends easily, and they easily adapt to new situations.
Play a fey blooded human if you want to be a hero with a carefree outlook.
Giant kin
Ability Score Increase. Your constitution increases by 2, and one ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Age. Giant kin mature at the same rate as humans. They always die much sooner.
Creature Type. You are a humanoid, although that may change in the course of play...
Size. Your size is medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30ft. Your speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armor.
Doomed. The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long. Over the course of play you will undergo a baleful metamorphosis. You could harm those around you, and eventually you will become an NPC.
Earthquake Stomp. While using hysterical brawn you can strike the ground with such force that foes (and friends) may lose their footing. As a bonus action, make a shove attack against all adjacent creatures. Any that fail to resist are also knocked prone.
Hysterical Brawn. A Giant kin can call upon the might of their namesakes. Once per long rest the Giant kin can enter a rage which lasts for a minute. To do so, you must take a bonus action or a reaction when forced to make a Strength or Constitution saving throw. Until the minute is up, your strength score is 30, and you have advantage on Strength and Constitution saving throws and on Charisma (Intimidation) checks. After the minute is up or when you use a bonus action to end this rage, you gain a level of exhaustion.
Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, lift, or the size of object you can break.
Skill Versatility. You gain proficiency in a skill of your choice.
Languages. You can speak and understand common, any one dialect.
The giants have been missing from the world for an age, and it is only through their works that we know they ever existed. Chief among their accomplishments is an underground labyrinth, connecting the corners of the world for a purpose that has been lost to time. Venturing into these tunnels is a dangerous yet lucrative prospect. For those brave enough to undertake the ordeal an unexpected consequence is the birth of a giant kin child.
Exactly why some children are born giant kin while others are not is poorly understood—as is the tendency of their adventurous parents to become violently self-destructive in their later years. Nevertheless, some children are born with the spark of that ancient race rekindled. Almost invariably their lives are the stuff of stories—both good and bad.
Play a giant kin human if you want to be a hero with a short, brilliant life.
Half-fey
Ability Score Increase. Your dexterity and one other score of your choosing increase by 1, while your charisma increases by 2.
Age. Half-fey humans mature at the same rate as humans. They may live a few years less.
Creature Type. You are a fey.
Size. Your size is medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30ft.
Faerie Magic. Pick a cantrip of your choosing from the bard's, druid's, or warlock's spell lists. You know that cantrip. At 3 level you gain the ability to cast faerie fire. At 5 level you can cast the gaseous form spell. Once you cast faerie fire or gaseous form with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast either of those spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level. Intelligence, wisdom, or charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this lineage).
Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the charmed condition on yourself.
Red Head. Your ancestry puts you in contact with the natural world in a visceral way. Pick a natural cycle of your choosing (seasons, tides, diurnal, etc.). During some part of that cycle you have a bonus to an attribute or advantage on some type of roll, while during another part of that cycle you have a penalty. E.g. your beauty is tied to the seasons. During summer (three months) your charisma is increased by 2 and can go above 20, while during the winter (three months) your charisma suffers a 2 point penalty.
Trickster. As a Half-Fae human, you can spend 5 feet of movement to automatically escape from nonmagical restraints, such as manacles or a creature that has you grappled. Additionally, swimming does not cost extra movement.
Languages. You can speak and understand common, southern dialect. You can also understand the languages of beasts, plants, and vegetation.
You've heard the story—and so did the kings of old—how lost men and women met faeries in the deep forest. While most rightly fear such a meeting, a few among the gentry see surviving such an encounter as a proof of their right to rule. To bring this proof home they will conceive children with the Others. The resulting child will be half-fey.
Those who carry the mark of Faerie are graceful and clever, and those who have a faerie for their mother or father are doubly so. Their magic is stronger, their wanderlust as well; they slip seamlessly from one home to another, and the world welcomes them with open arms.
Play a half-fey human if you want to be a hero with a magical heritage.
Mer kin
Ability Score Increase. Your constitution increases by 2, and your intelligence increases by 1.
Age. Mer kin mature at the same rate as humans. What happens afterwards—well, that would be telling...
Creature Type. You are a humanoid, although that may change in the course of play...
Size. Your size is medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30ft.
Amphibious. At first level, you can hold your breath for up to 15 minutes at a time. When you reach third level, you gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed. At fifth level, you become fully amphibious. You can breath air or water and you have advantage on all Strength (Athletics) checks related to swimming.
Darkvision. You have superior vision in dark and dim conditions thanks to your merfolk heritage. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You discern colors in that darkness only as shades of gray.
Doomed. The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long. Over the course of play you will undergo a baleful metamorphosis. You may harm those around you; however, this process could be arrested depending on your choices in game.
Poison Resilience. Your green blood gives you advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the poisoned condition on yourself. You also have resistance to poison damage.
Perspicacity. You have proficiency in the Insight skill.
Languages. You can speak and understand common, Nymiiri dialect.
It is an open secret that the depths of the world's oceans are not barren. Strange beings inhabit these waters, and stranger still they may walk among us. Mer kin children are the proof. Born often ignorant of their own heritage these individuals struggle to find their way. It can be a shock for a parent to discover on the birth of their child that their husband or wife is not the person they thought. How much more so, then, must the child of such a union come to see life as an unrevealed mystery?
The mer kin soon discover their talents. They are peerless swimmers, and as they grow older they find the sea calls to them more and more. Venoms which would kill even the strongest cannot curdle their green blood. And strangest of all, the minds of men seem an open book to these gifted and cursed individuals.
Play a mer kin human if you want to be a hero with mysterious powers.
Demon blooded
Ability Score Increase. Your dexterity increases by 1, and your intelligence increases by 2.
Age. Demon blooded humans mature as humans but may live a few years longer.
Creature Type. You are a humanoid.
Size. Your size is medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30ft.
Breath Stealer. You know the message cantrip. At 3 level, you can cast the hold person spell, and at 5 level you can cast the speak with dead spell. Once you cast hold person or speak with dead with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast either of those spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level. Intelligence, wisdom, or charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this lineage).
Darkvision. You have superior vision in dark and dim conditions thanks to your demonic heritage. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You discern colors in that darkness only as shades of gray.
Perspicuity. You have proficiency in the Investigation skill.
Single-minded Focus. You are driven by a private mania. You require only 4 hours of light sleep each night. During this time you remain semi-conscious, and what dreams you may experience consist of plans for success in coming ventures. After resting in this way you gain the benefit of a long rest.
Tool Proficiency. You gain proficiency with the artisans' tools of your choice.
Languages. You can speak and understand common, northern dialect.
The barbarians of the north are a taciturn, dour lot—with outsiders. When among close friends, they are much warmer and more outgoing. As a group, they live in small, tribal communities where family relationships extend into the distant past. Those communities are rarely permanent. In winter, they congregate near good fishing grounds, and in the summer they follow herds of caribou onto the mainland. Most months a group of them can be found near the foothills of Mount Elkenbrand.
It's from these communities that the demon blooded take their origin.
These oft-maligned individuals are exiles almost from birth. Bearing an inborn streak of magic they cannot find a place among the tribes' people who still remember suffering at the hands of the wizard kings of old. A few find places as wise-people, but more often than not demon blooded are fated to wander.
This is the story.
Once, long ago, before the tribes moved north, there were no demon blooded children. It was not until the vile oppressor Elwyn forced the tribes to relocate that those with tainted blood started to appear. The old ones say it is the mountain. Elkenbrand was the site of Elwyn's tower; it is a cursed place. Why not leave, then, the young ask. Sometimes the elders do not answer, yet when they speak the answer is always thus—we are a part of the land.
Play a demon blooded human if you want to be a hero with a dark secret.
Dragonborn
Per latest rules.
The great dragon Ing is among the oldest, most powerful beings in the world—and he didn't get to be that way by being stupid. In his youth, he ravaged the countryside along with others of his kind, but a day came when the humans—having recently learned magic—began to band together to fight back against the winged menace. Ing's cousins were cut down by men with swords working for men with spells.
Alone among his kind, Ing realized he would have to play the wizard kings at their own game. With magic he made himself a man and began to create alliances. Through the years his network has spread, and one of the greatest tools in his arsenal has been siring children with the lesser beings. The offspring of these unions are powerful individuals in their own right, and through their exploits Ing's fame grows.
Play a dragonborn human if you want to be a hero with powerful friends.
Fey blooded
Ability Score Increase. Your dexterity and charisma increase by 1, and so does one score of your choice.
Age. Fey blooded humans mature at the same rate as humans. They may live a few years less.
Creature Type. You are a humanoid.
Size. Your size is medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 35ft.
Faerie Magic. Pick a cantrip of your choosing from the bard's, druid's, or warlock's spell lists. You know that cantrip. Intelligence, wisdom, or charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell (choose when you select this lineage).
Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the charmed condition on yourself.
Mask of the Wild. You can attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, falling snow, mist, and other natural phenomena.
Red Head. Your ancestry puts you in contact with the natural world in a visceral way. Pick a natural cycle of your choosing (seasons, tides, diurnal, etc.). During some part of that cycle you have a bonus to an attribute or advantage on some type of roll, while during another part of that cycle you have a penalty. E.g. your magic is tied to the tides. During high tide (one hour once or twice a day) you impose disadvantage on saving throws against your spells and their effects, while during low tide (one hour once or twice a day) your foes have advantage on their saving throws against your spells and their effects.
Trickster. As a Fae-blooded human, you can spend 5 feet of movement to automatically escape from nonmagical restraints, such as manacles or a creature that has you grappled. Additionally, swimming does not cost extra movement.
Skill Versatility. You gain proficiency in a skill of your choice.
Languages. You can speak and understand common, southern dialect, and one other language of your choice.
This is the story.
Every so often, someone will wander off the path into the deep forest. They don't always come back. Sometimes they do, and afterwards they may have children. Sometimes those children bear the mark of their parents' brush with the Others. Some say that the faeries steal children after birth, others say they're born wrong—whatever the case those children grow into fey blooded men and women.
These individuals are naturally graceful. Bearing an inborn streak of faerie magic they find a home wherever they go. Most make a place for themselves within society, but a tendency towards wanderlust means they don't always stay in one place for long. They make friends easily, and they easily adapt to new situations.
Play a fey blooded human if you want to be a hero with a carefree outlook.
Giant kin
Ability Score Increase. Your constitution increases by 2, and one ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Age. Giant kin mature at the same rate as humans. They always die much sooner.
Creature Type. You are a humanoid, although that may change in the course of play...
Size. Your size is medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30ft. Your speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armor.
Doomed. The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long. Over the course of play you will undergo a baleful metamorphosis. You could harm those around you, and eventually you will become an NPC.
Earthquake Stomp. While using hysterical brawn you can strike the ground with such force that foes (and friends) may lose their footing. As a bonus action, make a shove attack against all adjacent creatures. Any that fail to resist are also knocked prone.
Hysterical Brawn. A Giant kin can call upon the might of their namesakes. Once per long rest the Giant kin can enter a rage which lasts for a minute. To do so, you must take a bonus action or a reaction when forced to make a Strength or Constitution saving throw. Until the minute is up, your strength score is 30, and you have advantage on Strength and Constitution saving throws and on Charisma (Intimidation) checks. After the minute is up or when you use a bonus action to end this rage, you gain a level of exhaustion.
Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, lift, or the size of object you can break.
Skill Versatility. You gain proficiency in a skill of your choice.
Languages. You can speak and understand common, any one dialect.
The giants have been missing from the world for an age, and it is only through their works that we know they ever existed. Chief among their accomplishments is an underground labyrinth, connecting the corners of the world for a purpose that has been lost to time. Venturing into these tunnels is a dangerous yet lucrative prospect. For those brave enough to undertake the ordeal an unexpected consequence is the birth of a giant kin child.
Exactly why some children are born giant kin while others are not is poorly understood—as is the tendency of their adventurous parents to become violently self-destructive in their later years. Nevertheless, some children are born with the spark of that ancient race rekindled. Almost invariably their lives are the stuff of stories—both good and bad.
Play a giant kin human if you want to be a hero with a short, brilliant life.
Half-fey
Ability Score Increase. Your dexterity and one other score of your choosing increase by 1, while your charisma increases by 2.
Age. Half-fey humans mature at the same rate as humans. They may live a few years less.
Creature Type. You are a fey.
Size. Your size is medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30ft.
Faerie Magic. Pick a cantrip of your choosing from the bard's, druid's, or warlock's spell lists. You know that cantrip. At 3 level you gain the ability to cast faerie fire. At 5 level you can cast the gaseous form spell. Once you cast faerie fire or gaseous form with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast either of those spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level. Intelligence, wisdom, or charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this lineage).
Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the charmed condition on yourself.
Red Head. Your ancestry puts you in contact with the natural world in a visceral way. Pick a natural cycle of your choosing (seasons, tides, diurnal, etc.). During some part of that cycle you have a bonus to an attribute or advantage on some type of roll, while during another part of that cycle you have a penalty. E.g. your beauty is tied to the seasons. During summer (three months) your charisma is increased by 2 and can go above 20, while during the winter (three months) your charisma suffers a 2 point penalty.
Trickster. As a Half-Fae human, you can spend 5 feet of movement to automatically escape from nonmagical restraints, such as manacles or a creature that has you grappled. Additionally, swimming does not cost extra movement.
Languages. You can speak and understand common, southern dialect. You can also understand the languages of beasts, plants, and vegetation.
You've heard the story—and so did the kings of old—how lost men and women met faeries in the deep forest. While most rightly fear such a meeting, a few among the gentry see surviving such an encounter as a proof of their right to rule. To bring this proof home they will conceive children with the Others. The resulting child will be half-fey.
Those who carry the mark of Faerie are graceful and clever, and those who have a faerie for their mother or father are doubly so. Their magic is stronger, their wanderlust as well; they slip seamlessly from one home to another, and the world welcomes them with open arms.
Play a half-fey human if you want to be a hero with a magical heritage.
Mer kin
Ability Score Increase. Your constitution increases by 2, and your intelligence increases by 1.
Age. Mer kin mature at the same rate as humans. What happens afterwards—well, that would be telling...
Creature Type. You are a humanoid, although that may change in the course of play...
Size. Your size is medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30ft.
Amphibious. At first level, you can hold your breath for up to 15 minutes at a time. When you reach third level, you gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed. At fifth level, you become fully amphibious. You can breath air or water and you have advantage on all Strength (Athletics) checks related to swimming.
Darkvision. You have superior vision in dark and dim conditions thanks to your merfolk heritage. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You discern colors in that darkness only as shades of gray.
Doomed. The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long. Over the course of play you will undergo a baleful metamorphosis. You may harm those around you; however, this process could be arrested depending on your choices in game.
Poison Resilience. Your green blood gives you advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the poisoned condition on yourself. You also have resistance to poison damage.
Perspicacity. You have proficiency in the Insight skill.
Languages. You can speak and understand common, Nymiiri dialect.
It is an open secret that the depths of the world's oceans are not barren. Strange beings inhabit these waters, and stranger still they may walk among us. Mer kin children are the proof. Born often ignorant of their own heritage these individuals struggle to find their way. It can be a shock for a parent to discover on the birth of their child that their husband or wife is not the person they thought. How much more so, then, must the child of such a union come to see life as an unrevealed mystery?
The mer kin soon discover their talents. They are peerless swimmers, and as they grow older they find the sea calls to them more and more. Venoms which would kill even the strongest cannot curdle their green blood. And strangest of all, the minds of men seem an open book to these gifted and cursed individuals.
Play a mer kin human if you want to be a hero with mysterious powers.
Will return to this post at later time.