Homebrew Ajnari Species Details

Physical Description

Ajnari are, for the most part, human in appearance. Easily their most definable trait, and the most obvious physical difference that sets them apart from humans, is the presence of a disembodied eye that is covered with thick skin, and is can be attached or not attached to Ajnari via a long chord. This strange, thick skin, though referred to as skin, is actually very rarely, if ever, of the skin color of their Ajnari, and instead sporting colors that would be more readily attributed to scales. This eye, known as their third eye or ajna, is apparently what allows them to read minds. the third eye upon Ajnari never blinks, and usually follows the gaze of their other two eyes, though it may rarely be observed looking around seemingly of its own accord. Ajnari tend to be short compared to humans, and their hair and eye colors vary wildly, which is contrasted by their usually pale skin.

History

Because Ajnari have a preference to hide away and seclude themselves, nobody is entirely certain how or when they came to exist in the world. Even an Ajnari of modern day don't seem to know the answer, but judging by Ajnari lifespan, the fact that the story of their origin has been lost by the time the current generation of Ajnari had come to be, it can be assumed they've been around for tens of thousands of years.

Society

Ajnari do not have much of a society. They prefer to seclude themselves away from bustling locales, in homes they build for themselves on grasslands or, less frequently, within caverns, because their mind reading is often viewed with extreme distaste, which they generally know about even if such feelings aren't expressed aloud due to the very ability in question. However, they get along well with animals, which usually can't be understood by others, so they often have many pets. Ajnari also still needs to eat like many creatures, so they will usually send one of their more intelligent pets to make purchases in a town in their stead. Unlucky Ajnari who have no pets are forced to begrudgingly show their faces in public and make the purchases themselves.

Because Ajnari rarely leave their homes, let alone enter public spaces, interactions with them are limited, which has led to many people to start spreading legends out of fear; they are spoken of as intelligent monsters that pry into the memories of lost travelers, using the travelers' own knowledge, experiences, and fears to undermine their victims' sanity. In more recent years, these legends have begun to accumulate some truth to them through a small number of documented encounters with Ajnari, but it's the rude preconceptions that upset the Ajnari in the first place and cause such hostilities. Despite this, Ajnari seem to have started opening up to public interactions more little by little from the appearances of them joining tribes and small villages, albeit very slowly; it's possible they wish to dispel the rude rumors and show that they can be nice people and be gotten along with like any other race.

Ajnari Names

Because Ajnari tend to live out in seclusion, they usually use names from the most prominent languages of the local creatures found native to the area they build their home in. For example, an Ajnari who lives in a tribe might have name accustomed to said tribe.

 

Ajnari Traits

Be it thoughts, memories, or even secrets; the mind cannot escape your third eye.

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

Ajnari mature rapidly, though they live incredibly long lives. Ajnari reach adulthood in their early teens and can live for many thousands of years.

Alignment

Ajnari are usually more passive by nature, and as such tend most towards neutral alignments.

Size

Ajnari are shorter than humans on average, ranging from 4 to 5 feet in height. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30.

Darkvision

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.

Cerebral Being

Your creature type is both humanoid and aberration.

Animal Understanding

You are proficient in the Animal Handling skill.

Scrutiny

You are proficient in the Insight skill.

Third Eye

You read the mind of any creature you can see and are currently looking at as per the detect thoughts spell, no action required by you, as long as that creature is within 60 feet of you and has an Intelligence of 4 or higher. You automatically probe deeper into a creature's thoughts, no action required by you, should you continue to look at them for longer than 6 seconds (1 round), though the creature does not make a Wisdom saving throw, nor does this cause them to become aware that you are reading their thoughts; should a creature become aware that you're reading their thoughts, they also can't end the effect without the aid of magic or a feature that blocks mind reading. You can't stop yourself from probing deeper into a creature's thoughts. You can still read a creature's thoughts even if it doesn't know any languages. You can't read any creatures' minds while you are unconscious or blinded. Whenever the Ajnari looks away after peering into the mind of said creature for longer than 6 seconds (1 round), the creature then immediately knows that their mind has been read.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, and the language most frequently used by the native creatures found near your home.