Homebrew Half Celestial Species Details

Born of a Holy Union

Depending on their parents, half celestials could have many forms, but they were often attractive and pleasing to the senses. Their skin was often smooth and without blemishes, or they might have sparkling eyes or some other feature indicative of their celestial heritage. All half celestials bore feathered wings like an angel, even if their parent did not have such wings. Half celestials bear within their souls the light of the heavens. They are descended from humans with a touch of the power of Mount Celestia, the divine realm of many lawful good deities. Half celestials are born from human and celestial parents, their births hailed as blessed events. They are a people of otherworldly visages, with luminous features that reveal their celestial heritage.

A Timeless Perspective

Half celestials can live well over 700 years, giving them a broad perspective on events that might trouble the shorter-lived races more deeply. They are more often amused than excited, and more likely to be curious than greedy. They tend to remain aloof and unfazed by petty happenstance. When pursuing a goal, however, whether adventuring on a mission or learning a new skill or art, half celestials can be focused and relentless. They are slow to make friends and enemies, and even slower to forget them. They reply to petty insults with disdain and to serious insults with vengeance.

Like the branches of a young tree, half celestials are flexible in the face of danger. They trust in diplomacy and compromise to resolve differences before they escalate to violence. They have been known to retreat from intrusions into their homes, confident that they can simply wait the invaders out. But when the need arises, half celestials reveal a stern martial side, demonstrating skill with weapons and strategy.

Hidden Wanderers

While half celestials are strident foes of evil, they typically prefer to keep a low profile. A half celestial inevitably draws the attention of evil cultists, fiends, and other enemies of good, all of whom would be eager to strike down a celestial-born if they had the chance.

Lacking a homeland, half celestials know that they have to make their own way in the world and that they have to be strong to survive. They are not quick to trust anyone who claims to be a friend, but when a half celestial's companions demonstrate that they trust them, the half celestial learns to extend the same trust to them. And once a half celestial gives someone loyalty, the half celestial is a firm friend or ally for life.

When traveling, half celestials prefer hoods, cloaks, and other gear that allows them to conceal their identities. They nevertheless have no compunction about striking openly at evil. The secrecy they desire is never worth endangering the innocent.

Conflicted Souls

Despite its celestial origin, a half celestial is mortal and possesses free will. Most half celestials follow their ordained path, but some grow to see their abilities as a curse. These disaffected half celestials are typically content to turn away from the world, but a few become agents of evil. In their minds, their exposure to celestial powers amounted to little more than brainwashing.

Evil half celestials make deadly foes. The radiant power they once commanded becomes corrupted into a horrid, draining magic, and their celestial parent often abandons them.

Even half celestials wholly dedicated to good sometimes feel torn between two worlds. The parent that guide them see the world from a distant perch. A half celestial who wishes to stop and help a town recover from a drought might be told by their celestial parent to push forward on a greater quest. To a distant celestial, saving a few commoners might pale in comparison to defeating a cult of Orcus. A half celestial's guide is wise but not infallible.

Exploration and Adventure

Half celestials often take up adventuring out of wanderlust. Since they are so long-lived, they can enjoy centuries of exploration and discovery. They dislike the pace of human society, which is regimented from day to day but constantly changing over decades, so they find careers that let them travel freely and set their own pace. Half celestials also enjoy exercising their martial prowess or gaining greater magical power, and adventuring allows them to do so. Some might join with rebels fighting against oppression, and others might become champions of moral causes, such as their nature and celestial parent often directs them.

Half Celestial Names

Most half celestials are born from human parents, and they use the same naming conventions as their native culture.

Subrace

Three subraces of half celestials exist: radiant half celestials, aberrant half celestials, and fallen half celestials. Choose one of them for your character.

Half Celestial Traits

Your half celestial character has the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma score increases by 2.

Age

Although half celestials reach physical maturity at about the same age as humans, the celestial understanding of adulthood goes beyond physical growth to encompass worldly experience. A half celestial typically claims adulthood and an adult name around the age of 180 and can live to be 750 years old, although there are records of some reaching 1,000.

Size

Your size is medium.

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.

Celestial Resistance

You have resistance to necrotic damage and radiant damage.

Flight

You have a flying speed of 50 feet. To use this speed, you can’t be wearing heavy armor.

Light Bearer

You know the light cantrip. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for it.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Celestial.