Homebrew Chronomancer Race Details

It occurred to her then as she laid eyes on this cloaked stranger. His tools were not of this world, she could see that now, and this so-called 'continuum' he spoke of pertained to neither any magic nor alchemy she had ever encountered.

"'Go on then," she prompted with an edge of irritation sharpening her unchecked curiosity, "How can 'time' be an 'ocean'?"

His roguish grin caught her offguard as, with a knowing wink, he replied.

"Come on, that's an easy one! Time? Like an ocean, you can sail across time."

- Willhemina Fluter and the Physician

Slivers of a myth linger within the rarest tomes of the universe's most ancient libraries: they speak of a race that lords over time itself, and of their demise at the hands of one of their own people.

Most scholars have long since dismissed their existence as a far-fetched story, a childish fable that has been muddled with the history of the gith—yet a handful of historians hold not only to their belief that there's a grain of truth in these tales, but that some chronomancers could still exist even now.

A Lost People

Chronomancers appear identical to humans on the outside. They share the size and form of humans, along with their skin tones, eye color, and hair. Externally, it's practically impossible to tell them apart—a fact which allows them to blend in with humans, and remain unknown throughout the centuries.

Beyond their appearance, chronomancers differ vastly. Where humans are a short-lived race, the chronomancers can seemingly bend time to outlive even the elves, and additionally have duplicates of vital organs such as the heart. Chronomancers are also blessed with an incredible intellect. Most striking of all is their ability to defy death itself, and instead reshape their dying form into a new, healthy body.

Early History - Fall of the Mind Flayers

The intelligent chronomancers are thought to have been humans in ancient times. The truth is lost to them despite the vast chronicles of history they preside over, but the prevailing theory is that—as humans—they were slaves of the illithids, and gained their supernatural qualities by using the remnants of the illithid's psionic creations found after the gith rebellion. It's also believed this is the source of their genius intellect, which in turn formed the basis for their miraculous time-warping technology.

What the chronomancers do know is that, not long after the illithid empire crumbled, one of their own defied their laws and became a renegade that ultimately wiped out most of their race. The chronomancers were at war against a surviving colony of illithids. The chronomancers, able to regenerate their bodies after seemingly dying, forced the illithids to desperate measures. The illithids warped their young, and installed their changed forms into metal shells that allowed them to focus their psionic powers into beams strong enough disintegrate their enemies bodies' outright.

It was during this conflict they believe a single renegade chronomancer wiped out both the illithid colony and the majority of all chronomancers in one fell act of unmitigated destruction.

The means of this act, and the fate of the renegade, remain unknown.

Later History - The Primus Calculation

Homeless, and with dwindling resources, rescue came in the most unlikely of forms—a modron scout, one of the mechanical servants of the godlike entity Primus, discovered the chronomancers. Primus, in his desire to increase order in the universe, saw a rare worth in these plane-walking, time-warping humanoids. In a unique agreement, Primus offered to shelter them on his clockwork realm of Mechanus in return for their service in purging the universe of chaos.

They gladly accepted, and have remained in service to Primus ever since. A High Council of Chronomancers was composed of six of them to guide their people, and they established an aristocratic society in their newly granted corner of Mechanus where all their simpler needs were fulfilled by modron workers.

Primus's greatest gift was what the chronomancers have come to know as the 'Primus Calculation', a formula beyond the comprehension of most mortals that directs the modrons in their eternal quest to spread order. Through millenia of studying this formula, the chronomancers have begun to unlock its surface secrets, and have seemingly glimpsed the patterns binding the very universe together. It's this unique insight that allows them an almost arcane-like power of divination, able to occasionally decipher coming disruptions to the time continuum or great uprisings of chaos.

They remain there in Mechanus, venturing out across the planes every so often to remedy incursions against time and order, servants to the will of Primus.

Temporal Technology

The chronomancers possess secret knowledge of fantastical contraptions no other race has ever neared creating. These closely-guarded creations fuse technology and magic, and the smallest of which include items such as a 'chisel of auditory ingress' that opens any door, and 'psionic parchment' which shows whatever the bearer wishes to be shown upon it.

Their most fantastical creation is the Temporal Travel Vessel, a tall metal box with a door that, when opened, leads to a pocket dimension shaped like a huge room. Few of these are said to have ever been successfully created, but those that have been made are said to be able to travel through time itself. It's said that a crew of four, or a very talented individual chronomancer, can manipulate the machines inside the pocket dimension to send the Temporal Travel Vessel back and forth through time and the planes themselves. Upon exiting the pocket dimension, those inside emerge through the vessel's door into that new point in time and space.

Chronomancer Names

Chronomancer names are fluid, first chosen by a chronomancer's parents, and able to be changed freely by the chronomancer itself when it reaches adulthood. Some chronomancers keep the same name throughout their long lives, others go through several, or merely alter one partially. These name changes are often triggered by events, changing philosophies, or new goals.

The names they take are typically based on common professions or roles prevalent throughout most civilizations across history, and act more like titles in how they present them.

Chronomancer Names: Builder, Scientist, Barron, Physician, Tailor, Captain, Controller

Chronomancer Traits

Your chronomancer has the following traits.

Ability Score Increase

 Your Intelligence score increases by 2.

Age

Chronomancers are extremely long-lived, reaching adulthood at a century old and living up to one thousand years.

Alignment

Loyalist chronomancers tend toward lawful neutral, raised with the belief its their sacred duty to follow the 'calculations of Primus'. Renegade chronomancers can be of almost any alignment, but lean towards chaos and extremes of either good or evil.

Size

Chronomancers range from barely 5 feet to well over 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and one extra language of your choice.

Scriptures of the Past

The great chronicles of the world were instilled in you at a young age. You are proficient in the History skill.

Chronologic Education

You are proficient with either calligrapher's supplies or tinker's tools.

Duplicate Organs

Thanks to having duplicates of a vital organ, you only require two death saving throws to stabilize.

Temporal Rebirth

You can choose to come back to life with 1 hit point at any time between one minute after dying and within an hour of dying, as long as your body has not been entirely destroyed. You cannot perceive anything during this time, but can measure the passage of time up until the hour ends. When you use this trait, you undergo a special version of the reincarnate spell where your body reforms into a new, healthy chronomancer body - and often a new or altered personality, although your memories, skills, and abilities remain. After using this trait, you have -4 to all attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks until you complete a short rest. In addition, after using this trait you may cast a version of the regenerate spell that does not restore hit points, without using material components, on yourself once within 7 days. Once you have used this trait to return to life, you cannot use it again until a year has passed.