Homebrew Astomoi Species Details

 

 To be greeted with stares and whispers, to hide from every passerby who might throw a stone, to know mistrust and fear in every mind: this is how the astomoi live their lives. It is not anyone's fault, but their telepathic abilities, used to be able to communicate at all, suit commonfolk ill. Their appearance and their nature are strange to them, but it is the fear of their minds being read that keeps most away.

Faceless Folk

Astomoi are considered strange by the wider world, not helped by the fact that their origins remain a mystery. Some claim they come from the stars, some say from the depths, and some say they are from the plane of dreams. One thing, however, is for certain: They don't look to most like a natural creature, and as such, are seldom treated as though they belong. They lack faces, but for each feature they lack, they make up for it in some other way. Their sense of smell is replicated using the pores of their skin, and their sight is handled by their telepathic abilities, in much the same way as they communicate. They are generally a shade of blue, but can also come in purple or green. They are usually hairless, because of their use of their pores as a means of smell.

Self-Reliant and Suspicious

Astomoi tend to spread out, to keep attention to themselves at a minimum. As such, while some may come to resemble some other race, in order to garner more respect, the vast majority of them go unnoticed, and they tend to take as many measures as possible to keep it that way.

When astomoi do come together, they are highly protective of each other, and wary of those unlike them. This often results in high tensions, and garners them few allies outside their own kin. While there are those who respect their dedication, it takes effort for even them to make allies of such groups.

Astomoi Names

Astomoi, lacking any concrete social structures of their own, tend to use words as names, believing that the strength of the idea will strengthen their child's ideas as well. As such, object names are a common choice for astomoi parents, though concepts are not uncommon, either... though some may instead choose a name suited to the surrounding culture.

"Object" Names: Blood, Stone, Glass, Steel, Hammer, Star, Cloud, Vine, Light, Sword

"Concept" Names: Magic, Shadow, Will, Hope, Pain, Destiny, Dream, Current, Control, Good

 

 

 

Astomoi Traits

Astomoi are identified primarily by a few key characteristics.

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

Astomoi mature at the same rate as humans but live quite a few years longer.

Size

Astomoi are about the same size as humans, with roughly the same build as elves. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Blindsight

Your body is adapted to its own strange anatomy. Through your telepathy, you can gain a sense of your surroundings. You have 60' of blindsight.

Psychic Resistance

You have resistance to psychic damage.

Psychic Prowess

You know the mage hand cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the unseen servant spell as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the detect thoughts spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Olfactory Skin

Since they lack a mouth, astomoi cannot eat in the conventional way; they instead inhale the nutrients, leaving the food intact, but devoid of any value. As such, they are immune to food poisoning, but are at a disadvantage against gas-based attacks, such as poisonous clouds. This takes the form of poison vulnerability.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, but can only speak it telepathically.