Homebrew Darkin Species Details
Once god-warriors in the Ascended legion of the ancient Shuriman Empire, the Darkin are Ascended who have fallen far from grace. Several horrors and betrayals led to their irreversible corruption.
Fighting off the Void from consuming Runeterra exposed them to unspeakable abominations and catastrophic brutality. The fall of the emperor Azir and the collapse of the empire caused infighting in the Ascended legion, leaving many to feel purposeless, adrift. In this conflict between the Ascended, known as the Darkin War, those that would become the Darkin developed blood magic, forming and reforming their bodies. This war raged over Runeterra, with the Darkin taking countless mortal lives to fuel their magic and heal their wounds.
But ultimately, the Darkin were sealed away due to the intervention of the Targonians, particularly the Aspect of Twilight, a Targonian Ascended. The Aspect of Twilight taught mortals the magic necessary to entrap Darkin beings within their own weapons, if not outright destroyed. The Darkin War ended with the Darkin being suppressed and scattered; as centuries passed, the knowledge of their world-ending existence and capabilities fell into obscurity. But in recent times, mortals have found these once-hidden weapons and sought to wield them—potentially reviving these apocalyptic beings. When a mortal picks up a Darkin weapon, they are almost always instantly destroyed, their body overtaken and morphed into the Darkin’s physical host.
Darkin Traits
Your Darkin character has the following traitsAbility Score Increase
Your Dexterity score increases by 2. Your Strength score increases by 1.
Age
Prior to becoming Ascended, these beings age according to their mortal life. After Ascension, their aging slows and their natural lifespans are drastically increased, spanning millennia.
Alignment
The Ascended are steadfast in their ambitions; without personal appetite and vigor, their Ascension would undoubtedly fail. As such, they are rarely of totally neutral alignments. Targonian Ascended tend toward good alignments, while Darkin tend toward evil.
Size
Some retain their human frame when becoming Ascended, and others are altered in size and shape after the transformation. As such, Ascended vary from about 5 feet to over 7 feet tall. Your size is Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Ascended Endurance
When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
Language
You can speak, read, and write Va-Nox.
Blood Magic
The Darkin created and perfected the arcane power of blood magic, called hemomancy. As a bonus action, you can use this knowledge to heal your wounds for 1d6 + CHA hit points. After you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you complete a long rest. The dice changes when you reach certain levels. The die becomes a d10 at 5th level, a d12 at 10th level, and a d20 at 15th level.
Sealed Weapon
All existing Darkin are inseparably tied to their weapon of choice. You are proficient in this weapon. In order to roam the world, the Darkin requires a mortal to take hold of the weapon and become their host. In doing so, the host's mind and identity are erased, and their body becomes possessed by the Darkin. The weapon must remain within 10 feet of the Darkin at all times. Without a host, the Darkin’s consciousness is plunged in darkness, without the ability to see or feel until another mortal attempts to wield them.
Vengeance of the Darkin
The Darkin have an appetite for bloodshed; using your sealed weapon, you can critically hit on a 19 or 20. When you critically hit with the sealed weapon, you can roll one of the weapon’s damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.
Extra Languages
You can speak, read, and write in Ancient Shuriman and the native language of your mortal host.
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