Homebrew Aetherborn Species Details

Aetherborn come into being spontaneously as part of the aether refinement process. Their bodies and minds are apparently formed out of some interaction between the volatile elements of aether that are removed during refinement and the psychic impressions created by the people involved in the process. But each aetherborn is a unique individual, not a mere copy of some other person’s mind and shape. This race is little understood, and few aetherborn are willing to waste any of their short lives allowing vedalken scholars to study their biological and psychological characteristics.

Aetherborn are a strange living by-product of the process of aether refinement, cast in humanoid form but lacking any of the biological qualities of other races. They don’t eat or sleep, and they don’t reproduce—nor do they have any physical sexual characteristics. Language that categorizes people into male or female categories thus breaks down when it comes to aetherborn. Most aetherborn prefer that others use the pronoun “they” to refer to them, since it doesn’t attribute a gender that they don’t possess. Only a relative few prefer “he” or “she,” having chosen to adopt a gender.

The relationship between aetherborn and the Consulate is complicated. On the one hand, aetherborn understand that their race wouldn’t exist without the Consulate’s aether refining operations, so they feel at least some motivation to ensure that those operations continue to run smoothly. On the other hand, few aetherborn have any patience for the tedious and cumbersome politics and regulations of the Consulate, which gives them at least a little sympathy with renegade philosophy. Typically, aetherborn are drawn to one side or the other more by the lure of excitement and entertainment than by any serious political beliefs.

Aetherborn Traits

Racial Features

Age

Aetherborn come into being as adults and live no more than a few years.

Alignment

Neutral aetherborn might devote much of their time (and wealth) to parties and social activity, while evil aetherborn are usually involved in the criminal underworld.

Size

Aetherborn are about the same size as humans, ranging from 5 to 6 feet tall. They are quite light – only about 100 pounds – and their weight diminishes as they age and more and more of their substance returns to the aethersphere. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet

Darkvision

Accustomed to the night, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. 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.

Born of Aether

You have resistance to necrotic damage.

Menacing

You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and two extra languages of your choice.

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma score increases by 2, and two other ability scores of your choice increase by 1.

Feat

You gain one feat of your choice.