Homebrew Karsite Species Details

Inheritors of Hubris

Karsus was once a mighty wizard-king in ancient times, so powerful as to even attempt to steal power from a god. His hubris far outpaced his ability, however, and his soul was torn asunder by the unimaginable power that he wielded. This failed usurpation shattered his empire and scattered his many children, causing his bloodline to become a part of nearly every human civilization. Sometimes, one of these descendants will be born with some features of their infamous ancestor, and these individuals are known as Karsites.

A Karsite normally looks like their human parents, with two unusual traits: a shock of white hair and mismatched eyes, one of which is always a light blue. In communities where Karsites breed exclusively with one another, other features begin to appear that even more closely resemble Karsus, such as straight blond or black hair, a sharp widow's peak, and a small nose and mouth.

Karsites born among ordinary humans might live and die without ever knowing that their unusual appearance comes with wondrous abilities, but others discover their birthright when they attempt to take up the path of a spellcaster, or when magical violence leaves them less harmed than it should have. Communities of karsites often seek out such “foundlings” to indoctrinate into their philosophy, hoping to swell their numbers and advance their evil agenda.

Shadowy Cults

One of the more powerful abilities that Karsites are born with is a great resilience to magic, even being able to drain power from spells directed at them to heal themselves and dispel magic with a touch. Some Karsites use this as evidence that they are superior to mundane humans and deserve to rule over them, forming shadowy cults and secret societies that scheme to sieze power over other humans.

Many of these groups venerate Karsus to the point of worship, some even claiming that some faint vestige of his being remains, urging his descendants to sieze their rightful place and tear down the hateful gods that he blames for his downfall. Whether anything truly remains of Karsus or not, these groups believe that they have been chosen by Karsus to reign over the world, establishing Karsus as the one true god. Many of these groups despise not only the worshippers of other gods but also arcane magic, blaming Karsus' failure not on his own hubris but on the weakness of arcane magic as a concept as though they seek revenge on the weave itself.

These groups work towards their goals in many ways, discrediting the good works of heroic spellcasters, preventing the founding of temples of the gods of magic, stealing magic items and ruining their creators, and taking leadership roles in human settlements. Despite their general ruthlessness, they loathe killing other humans, viewing it as a waste of potential servants. However, they relish the opportunity to harm spellcasters and clerics of any race.

When you make your karsite character, consider what connection, if any, they may have with these cults. While many karsites are completely unaware of the existence of the Karsus cults, the cults are likely to begin investigating any karsite character who draws enough attention to themself, possibly even attempting to bring this individual into the fold-- or, if they are deemed a threat, to eliminate them.

Karsite Traits

As a Karsite, you have the ability to resist and draw strength from hostile magic.

Ability Score Increase

Karsites are unusually resilient compared to ordinary humans. Your constitution score increases by 2, and two other ability scores of your choice increase by 1.

Age

As with ordinary humans, Karsites reach adulthood in their late teens and live less than a century.

Alignment

Karsites raised by or indoctrinated into the Karsus cults are normally evil, but they do not have any innate tendency toward any particular alignment.

Size

Karsites tend not to vary much in height, almost always being around 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 other language of your choice.

Karsite Resilience

When you succeed on a saving throw against a spell or other magical effect, you can choose to regain a number of hit points equal to your proficiency bonus, which are applied after any effects from the spell. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain all uses on a long rest.

Karsite Magic Resistance

Your body repels the arcane. You have advantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws against spells and other magical effects.