Homebrew Celestial Changeling Species Details

The glaciered Highwood's were silent; a cool, crisp air carrying with it momentary wisps of stillness. The huntress could barely make out her target; a quivering figure struggling against a piercing arrowhead affixed into a frozen tree A short breath escaped her lips. She had successfully completed the bounty no other in these woods had yet to achieve; a cold scourge in these lands for months had finally been caught. Her mark had eluded her sights for the past two weeks when she had begun but her ever unyielding patience's had now overcomes its endurance  and unsettlingly humanlike intelligence. Quietly, she drew closer to the creature, her long fur cloak effortlessly covering her tracks in the deep snow behind her. As many nervous and excited thoughts within her mind began to cease, the moon's eye, Tivaor, broke the murky clouds from above and with it came into view the visage of the beast. 

By the vague and poorly sketched work of art that plastered the taverns bounty board upon acceptance she had assumed her beast to be a griffin or perhaps a rogue owlbear wandering lost from its herd, but the entity's wings were too large and functional for an owlbear.  It had already escaped her twice on her hunt via the night sky. A griffon could not be ruled out so easily, but why would one be compelled to build a nest or seek out a companion in the brutal conditions of central Jorvik?  But she could see now the complete visage before her; its wings were not a griffon-like color. They were a solid ashen white mimicking the fresh snow beneath its bipedal feet. The large wings were wrapped around itself like a protective cocoon, blocking the cold and an inevitable placed bowshot. 

With quickened pace she brushed past an old fallen oak tree, the scent of blood hitting her nose; her first arrow had indeed found its mark. It was less than a moment later that snow carefully packed in the oak’s dry branches gave way and toppled to the ground in a soft but nonetheless noticeable thud.The sight of the being became clear in that reborn stillness as its wrapped wings unfurled to the sight of an unfamiliar and strange otherworldly humanoid. 

The beast could not even be described as such. It carried the body and distinguishing features of a human being from its legs to the arrow pinning its upper shoulder blade to the tree behind it. Its face scanned the night air  into the wilderness beyond in calculated sectors and before she could duck into the snow beneath her its eyes- or what should have been its eyes met hers. It looked as a male human would from a distance, but as she held its gaze the more inhuman it began to become. Skin whiter and even more pale than the feathery wings on its back, a slightly upturned nose and where its eyes lay nothing but black void save for two dimly glowing gold rings outlining where the iris of the eyes should have been. Painted like makeup were shadows of dark black and fading gold underneath and around its sunken sockets. The body's figure was slim, almost skeleton-like in comparison to its framing large wings. But the clothes it wore were not leathers or skins like many nomadic tribes wore in the area- but that of city make-and fine, something no ordinary civilian could afford. 

The being-the man, stared at her crouched behind the fallen tree. It was a moment before she realized he had found her  in the dark.  It was a split second decision, but the huntress decided to run. He saw her, clearly much better than what she could see of him. The man was not a beast, nor was he anything she had ever heard of. No depiction of angels, celestials, or devils were inline with what he was- there was no creature that was depicted in such a manner in any bestiary or hunting manual she had seen. There were parallels sure, his pale skin and somewhat shadowed eyes matched closely with Itk-var, Changeling, but there were no such variants of a nearly extinct race.  It-he was new,  a being of capacity and he had recognized her. It was momentary but she swore her name passed silently on its lips, Amilee.  It was better to run. It was better to run and  lie to the town. Wings, pale skin, lifeless eyes and behind it a form of unique humanity. Whatever he was would need to be assessed and higher skilled hunters-killers would need to be found. She hunted beasts, not people.  As the wind began to pick up and the coming storm began, a sense of relief washed over her mind as the tracks behind her disappeared into obsolete white. Returning to the town took shorter than she imagined and the warm interior of the shodden tavern where her targeting began brought with it a calming peace and security.

It was not until the early morning that the  fresh owlbear body was discovered still warm outside the tavern. Laying on top was a single ashen white feather an a note that read, 

For Amilee,

In payment for the other night regarding our rather misfortunate interaction in crossing. I apologize for being unable to deliver your quarry in person per your request but other more pressing circumstances require my more immediate intention. I hope this will satisfy any monetary needs for your duration of stay in the town and quell any lingering doubts you had for myself and motives. May we one day meet each other again under more celebratory circumstances. Thank you for your work in the protection of our beloved home and its territory beyond.  Regardless of timing,  I must place my admiration in your skills as a huntress. It was truly a commendable shot.                                

      Avandra’s Blessings,

                    -E

  

                                                                                                                         ---Account of events taken from The Sights Beyond the Eye: A Documentation of Ontourna's Unidentified Races by Intevar Cycca

 

Celestial Changelings can shift their forms with a thought. With such features, most Celestial Changeling would be treated as another Changeling- with suspicion, fear and a general overarching distrust. With their heritage such an ability become useful in avoiding the eyes of those who covet their unique features. Their eyes or wings for example- nearly priceless for collectors, but not nearly as priceless as a divinely gifted changeling themselves.  It is rare to catch a Changeling as they appear, and even rarer to see one born of such divine will; celestial abilities thought only to be granted, not born onto. 

The Face Beyond the Mask

Wherever humans live, changelings reside also; the question is whether their presence is known.

Changelings are born to one of three paths. A few are raised in stable communities where changelings are true to their nature and deal openly with the people around them. Some are orphans, raised by other races, who find their way in the world without ever knowing another like themselves. Others are part of nomadic changeling clans spread across the Five Nations, families who keep their true nature hidden from the single-skins. Some clans maintain safe havens in major cities and communities, but most prefer to wander the unpredictable path of the god known as the Traveler.

In creating a changeling adventurer, consider the character’s relationships with people around them. Does the character conceal their true changeling nature? Do they embrace it? Do they have connections to other changelings or are they alone and in search of companions?

Blessed Cover of the Gods

In their true form, changelings are pale, with colorless eyes and silver-white hair. It is rare to see a changeling in that form, for a typical changeling changes their shape the way others might change clothes. A casual shape — one created on the spur of the moment, with no depth or history — is called a mask. A mask can be used to express a mood or to serve a specific purpose and then might never be used again. However, many changelings develop identities that have more depth. They build an identity over time, crafting a persona with a history and beliefs. This focused identity helps a changeling pinpoint a particular skill or emotion. A changeling adventurer might have personas for many situations, including negotiation, investigation, and combat.

Personas can be shared by multiple changelings; there might be three healers in a community, but whoever is on duty will adopt the persona of Tek, the kindly old medic. Personas can even be passed down through a family, allowing a younger changeling to take advantage of contacts established by the persona’s previous users.

The Name Game

Much like regular changelings, a celestial changeling may use a different name for each mask and persona however many tend to pick a single persona reflecting their heritage and live with that mask unless discovered or hunted.  Unlike changelings, celestial changelings often pick more normalized names within the world- an effort to conceal what they can about their existence from others outside a trusted few. On some occasions celestial changelings pick names that represent or incorporate parts of their heritages ideas allowing for easier identification and understanding between others. When picking a name for your celestial changeling, think about how your character views their heritage- is it a blessing, or a curse? Does your character know of other celestial changelings or do they think they are alone in a world out to get them? How does this affect how they choose their names?

 

Changelings have a fluid relationship with gender, seeing it as one characteristic to change among many.

Celestial Changeling Names: Morten, Solari, Disa, Peony, Warlan, 

Celestial Changeling Traits

Your Celestial Changeling character has the following traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma score increases by 2. In addition, one ability score of your choice increases by 1.

Age

Celestial Changelings mature slightly faster than humans and have a longer lifespan of around 130 years. While a celestial changeling can transform to conceal their age, the effects of aging affect them similarly to humans.

Alignment

Celestial changelings often feel the call to good or evil alignment based on their celestial lineages rather than mortal, making each individual fall into their own unique category. Those who turn away from their lineage's sway often gravitate towards pragmatic neutrality or in extreme cases, the opposite spectrum of whatever alignment their lineage calls them towards

Size

Your size is Medium. To set your height and weight randomly, start with rolling a size modifier:

Size modifier = 2d4

Height = 5 feet + 1 inch + your size modifier in inches

Weight in pounds = 115 + (2d4 × your size modifier)

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

Blessed with a radiant soul, your vision can easily cut through darkness. 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 can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Shapechanger

As an action, you can change your appearance and your voice. You determine the specifics of the changes, including your coloration, hair length, and sex. You can also adjust your height and weight, but not so much that your size changes. You can make yourself appear as a member of another race, though none of your game statistics change. You can’t duplicate the appearance of a creature you’ve never seen, and you must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs that you have. Your clothing and equipment aren’t changed by this trait.

You stay in the new form until you use an action to revert to your true form or until you die.

Divine Blessings

You gain proficiency with two of the following skills of your choice: Deception, Insight, Persuasion. Religion or Arcana

Celestial Heritage

Choose one of the following celstial paths for your character. 

• Protector Aasimar
• Scourge Aasimar
• Fallen Aasimar

Languages

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