Homebrew Awoken Species Details

People of Starlight

Awoken anatomy is structurally no different from that of homo sapiens, but several superficial characteristics are radically divergent. Most prominently, their skin pigmentation is expressed mostly in grey, blue, and purple tones, ranging from rich shades composed of those colors to extreme paleness. Awoken skin also presents an otherworldly subcutaneous glow which flows in regular organic patterns. The irises of their eyes are strongly luminescent, and take on a greater variety of vivid colors than typical human eyes, ranging from sharp blues and greens to bright red and orange, or even shining purple or silver. Their hair also grows naturally in bright, dramatic colors, and even when dark or muted it typically shows colorful undertones.

Between Darkness and Light

All Awoken are descendants or still-living survivors of the 891 crewmembers and 40,000 colonist passengers of Yang Liwei, the Golden Age colony ship designated Exodus Green. During its acceleration toward the heliopause, the ship was caught at the interstice between the oncoming Darkness and the farthest point where the Traveler extended its Light in defense of humanity. At this brink, the cataclysmic concurrence of godlike powers concentrated so intensely resulted in an energy density great enough to severely warp space, forming an event horizon that swallowed Yang Liwei and its crew like a sea-monster of spacetime.

Yet within this inescapable enclosure, instead of infinitely crushing oblivion, a new world took shape. Touched by both the Darkness and the Light, the mind of Mara Sov, first of the Yang Liwei crew to enter the newborn singularity, gained an unaccountable power to shape the parameters of a subsidiary spacetime. In this fresh universe, its passage of time vastly accelerated relative to the outside, an entirely new, unblemished cosmic history unfolded. After untold eons, the people of Yang Liwei, transfigured by their passage into the universe they would come to call the Distributary, began to return to physical embodiment, and awaken into new lives.

An entire civilization of immortal Awoken sprang up and flourished for millennia within the Distributary while the ashes of the Collapse settled and grew cold in the universe outside. While most adhered to the so-called Sanguine belief that the Awoken were perfectly free to enjoy their happy eternity, Mara Sov waged a longsighted influence campaign to convince some of them to return to their original universe to aid humanity’s survivors, even if leaving would cost them their immortality. After a long and terrible upheaval, Mara and her followers built a fleet of transdimensional ships to cross back over the event horizon. They arrived to find Earth in a benighted Dark Age, and the system beset by the invading Fallen, and so concealed themselves in the Reef—where Mara Sov would become queen, guiding the Awoken as they set about building a new society in hiding.

Awoken Traits

Ability Score Increase

One ability score of your choice increases by 2, and a different ability score of your choice increases by 1.

Languages

Awoken in the Distributary simply called their language Speech, but they subsequently relearned human languages as well. You can speak, read, and write City common.

Always a Way Home

You are always at least vaguely aware of Mara Sov, the Awoken Queen, so long as both you and she are in the same plane of existence. Even when lost, you can use this sense to direct yourself or a vehicle you are operating along a straight path toward her.

Paracausal Resistance

You have advantage on saving throws against spells, Light effects, and Darkness effects.

Paracausal Sensitivity

You gain the effects of the Sunsinger's Detect Light and Dark feature

Psychokinesis

You have the ability to move or manipulate objects by thought. As your action, you can exert your will on one object that you can see that is within a number of feet equal to 5 times your proficiency bonus, and that doesn’t weigh more than 10 pounds. If the object isn't being worn or carried, you can automatically move it up to 30 feet in any direction, but not beyond the range of this trait.

If the object is worn or carried by a creature, you must make a Charisma ability check contested by that creature's Strength check. If you succeed, you pull the object away from that creature and can move it up to 30 feet in any direction but not beyond the range of this trait.

You can exert fine control on objects with your psychokinetic grip, such as manipulating a simple tool, opening a door or a container, stowing or retrieving an item from an open container, or pouring the contents from a vial. You can affect the same object round after round, or choose a new one at any time. If you switch objects, the prior object is no longer affected by your psychokinesis.