Homebrew Hylden Race Details

The Hylden very much resemble humans but with the following differences: the irises of their eyes are a little bigger and may contain intricate patterns and their skin, eyes and hair can be almost any colour or shade. They also have crystals on their foreheads which vary in size, shape and colour by individual. These crystals offer arcane insight and powers to the Hylden granting them the potential to be great wizards and masters of magic.

Hylden are quite rare as the crystals in their head are considered to be very valuable. They are a newer race and when the Hylden came into being magic was already known and used by others. The propeties of the crystals were quickly discovered and so the Hyden were hunted down ever since. This has resulted in Hylden being unable to form their own culture and hide in secret amongst other humanoid races. They do not even have their own name - taking the names of the societies they hide within. Those with more subtle colourations hiding just with clothes, hats and similar while those with more vibrant and noticeable differences using magic to hide them.

Hylden Traits

As a Hylden you have the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Intelligence score increases by 2 and your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Age

Hylden reach adulthood in their late teens and live less than a century.

Alignment

Hylden tend toward no particular alignment.

Size

Hylden vary widely in height and build, from barely 5 feet to well over 6 feet tall. Regardless of your position in that range, your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Arcane Crystal

The crystal in your forehead serves as an Arcane Focus as described in the Spellcasting rules.

In addition the crystal allows you to cast a spell without material components even if the spell requires the materials to be consumed and/or have a cost up to and including 100 gp. If the spell has a materials cost greater than 100 gp then the material components must be provided as normal.

The crystal retains this ability even after the death of the Hylden that bore it - it was this property that caused Hylden to be hunted. The crystal cannot be removed while the Hylden is alive and is immune to all forms of damage while part of a Hylden.

Arcane Talent

Your crystal is connected to the magic of the world which you naturally understand on an intellectual level. You learn two cantrips and a 1st-level spell of your choice from the Wizard's spell list. You may cast the chosen 1st-level spell once at its base level without the need of spell slots and regain the ability to do so after a long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells.