Homebrew Chaos Race: Siren Species Details

The sirens once lived on a great expanse of shoals in the Cerulean Gulf, where they built a city of brilliant white limestone. Its towering spires and pillars thrust out from the rocky waters, allowing the sirens to fly or swim as they pleased. They lived here joyfully, praising Sydon, who governed the oceans. Sidon heard this from his throne in Praxis and scowled. "Were they truly grateful, they would not build their towers to rival mine."

When the sirens learned that Sydon was displeased, they were heartbroken. They dismantled their towers and composed new melodies—songs of repentance—which once more carried on the winds to the ears of the Titan. He was unmoved. "Were they genuinely repentant, they would not sing so brazenly, but they would go meekly and offer the proper sacrifices in place of songs.

This time, the sirens were utterly stricken. They had believed that the gods cherished their songs. Their voices were stilled, and the city's brilliance faded into shadow in the ensuing silence. Stone foundations cracked, and pediments grew heavy. The pillars collapsed, and the town of the sirens sank deep into the ocean, swallowed by churning waters. Even its name was forgotten.

Centuries passed in silence. Eventually, a new song began—an endless lamentation for the city that now sleeps on the ocean floor. When Lutheria learned that the city of the sirens had been destroyed, she laughed. She captured an entire flock of the pitiful creatures and gleefully cursed them, twisting them into something monstrous. These were the first harpies.

Sirens are not amphibious but well-adapted for living in and around water. They are thought to descend from an ancient Nereid who fell in love with an avian celestial. Iridescent scales cover many parts of their body, and their taloned hands and feet are excellent for fishing. They live in small flocks along the shores of the ocean. Siren's artwork, poetry, and architecture emphasize their unique relationship with the clouds above and the sea below.

Every siren is born with an abiding sense of sorrow that never fades—soul-crushing grief caused by the loss of her ancestral home. From an early age, sirens learn to sing the ancient songs of their lost city, which evoke heart-wrenching memories of a time that will never come again. Anyone who hears a siren's song is immediately mesmerized by the overwhelming emotion conveyed by her beautiful voice. Some are moved to tears—others collapse into catatonia. The siren is not exempt from this—the moment she hears her lamentations, she experiences an intense pang of loss.

Sirens have broad, feathered wings growing out of their backs, which allow them to fly like birds. For this reason, sirens are often employed as messengers tasked with conveying satchels of written letters from one city to another. However, a siren can only fly when her heart is filled with light. On such days, her songs are bright and joyful, no matter what manner of a message she carries. Thus the saying, "A siren in good spirits may yet carry ill news."

Chaos Race: Siren Traits

Sirens have the following traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma score increases by 2, and your Dexterity score increases by 1.

Age

Sirens mature at the same rate as humans but live about five times as long.

Alignment

From birth, sirens experience deep feelings of sorrow from the loss of their ancestral home. Some wish to prevent another tragedy from befalling other races, drawing them toward good alignments. Others become bitter and pessimistic, tending toward neutral alignments.

Size

Sirens are slightly shorter than humans and have a wingspan of about 6 feet. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Languages

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

Enthralling Voice

You have an advantage on Performance and Persuasion checks made with your voice. Additionally, your powerful lungs allow you to hold your breath for up to 1 hour.

Wavering Emotions

Your mood affects your ability to sing and fly. After a long rest, you must choose whether you are feeling joyful or sad. While you are unhappy, you lose your flying speed but gain songs of sorrow. While feeling positive, you achieve your flying speed but lose songs of sorrow. Your mood may change before the next time you rest, but it won’t affect which ability you have access to until after your next rest is completed.

Flight

You have a flying speed of 30 feet. To use this speed, you can’t be wearing medium or heavy armor.

Songs of Sorrow

Your lamentations have a powerful effect on anyone who can hear them. You can cast the charm person spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the enthrall spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Finally, when you reach the 5th level, you can cast the hold person spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. The targets of your spells must have the ability to hear you singing.