Homebrew Gemnis (Gemfolk) Species Details

The energy fades as the small chunk of crystal glows faintly, slowly growing brighter and brighter. The blinding light grows into a mass of pure energy, molding itself into the shape of a young child laying quietly upon the rocky ground. It stirs in it's sleep, the child's light blue rocky textured skin still shimmering slightly in the darkness. Upon the forehead embedded into it's form, rests a rough curving triangular growth of crystal forming along the hairline like a tiara.

Birthed From Magic

Gemnis are a race of magic based beings, born from pure magic and gifted with it. The original gemnis were born from a large surge of magic thousands of years ago, when the age of magic came about. Forming their bodies from pure magical energy and using gemstones as their core. Each one baring resemblance to their core gemstone in their outward form, taking on the shape of highly beautiful and attractive humanoids with bright colored skin, single colored pupil less eyes, crystalline growths growing from and imbedded into their bodies. The gemnis take on a myriad of colors and shapes while still looking humanoid in design, with their outward appearance displaying their inherent magical abilities and what section of their class system they belong to.

They use the power of their minds to project sound from them simulating speech, and consuming food while not necessary can be done for appearances. Though like most races, they need to learn a skill to be able to do it and this includes languages. With a nearly indefinite lifespan, a gemnis could experience all of life's wonders and mysteries, but while all this is true no gemnis is truly immortal and can die just like any other creature. 

Militarized Upbringing

The Gemnis are a long living people and a great warmongering conqueror race, who have existed since the beginning of the age of magic. Building great cities inside and close to mountains. The Gemnis stay young and strong for thousands of years, making them quite capable conquerors. Being great warriors, generals, and strategists who have seen more battles and strategies than any race could ever hope to learn from. They look down on most other races, waging war and conquering anyone they see as inferior to themselves. Their intelligence for battle and machines knows no bounds, making great works of technology far beyond most can dream of.

Being naturally beautiful, intelligent, and strong makes their royal class so terrifying, that they could even start a war over a single rude comment, or sign of disrespect. Even though they hate most races, they have looked at the elven races as being a beautiful and intelligent people. The Elves are their only allies, since they are beautiful and intelligent like them, and because they live long enough lives like they do. Showing them and their royal families respect, rather than any other race. They have formed many trade routes with their cities, and are even invited to special Gemnis only celebrations.

The Gemnis have many enemies, but their most hated race and absolute enemy of their people, are the dwarven races. Their hatred spans over a thousand years, since the great massacre and raid that was orchestrated by one greedy dwarven king. This king sent an onslaught of dwarven soldiers, with a mission to massacre one of their greatest citadels. They killed over a thousand Gemnis, almost wiping out two thirds of their race and several bloodlines extinct. Since then no Dwarf is safe from the wrath of the Gemnis, any Dwarf found near a Gemnis city or settlement is executed without prejudice. Many of these executions are turned into great festivals where even the royal families make public appearances.

Monarchy of Stones

The Gemnis are a very snooty, haughty, egotistical, prideful, cruelly conditioned, strictly governed, vain, highly oppressed society and people. There is the Royal Family, who rule above all other classes in the Gemnis society, who are known as the Royal Cuts. Below the Royal Cuts you have the Pristine Cuts which are the upper class, the middle class who are called Rough Cuts, and the low class who are called Uncuts. They have a hierarchy of royalty and importance, with laws and traditions that are built on a ruling class system. The more valuable the gemstone bloodline, the higher in the hierarchy they are. They also only talk to others in the same hierarchy or level of importance as they are. They have an even lower and most hated class of people, called the Off Colors. Their society represents beauty and strength, so they resent the Off Colors for the fact that they are Gemnis born from gemstones with defects, or slightly messed up colors then the rest of their other specific gemstone types and families. They as well have an extreme disliking towards mining races, as they misinterpret them as actual gemstones.

The Gemnis aren't born like normal races, a couple who want a child must procure a gemstone of their own type. The couple then must take the gemstone home, or to their family's birthing shrine. This shrine is a special place, where everyone of their relatives and ancestors were first born. Shrines are usually only owned by Royal Cuts, or the Pristine Cuts and generally very well protected. The ritual involves two Gemnis holding in their hands together the gemstone of their own type, they then infuse it with their own life energies. This ritual takes over 8 hours to perform, and a lot of their own strength to complete it. Though after the ritual is said and done, the gemstone shines with magical light, which grows into the shape of a small child. This child from the moment of its birth knows how to speak, read, and write as well as having half of the skills and knowledge of both parents. Though this ritual is very intimate and done often enough, the royal families don't do these rituals very often at all. In fact the ceremony in which two Royal, or Pristine Cuts create a new Gemnis is revered as a great and momentous occasion that follows with a grand celebration.

Intelligence, beauty, and strength are the most important traits to any Gemnis. Their schools for art, history, magic, and technology are they best in the land holding great stores of knowledge larger then any library could hold. Their Love of knowledge fuels them with importance, making any Gemnis scholar as vain as possible when it comes to a battle of knowledge. The Gemnis all love beauty, leading most to become full of themselves. Their love for beauty makes them great at styling and dressing, leading a good few to become wonderful tailors and seamstresses. Being made of magic themselves, makes most Gemnis aspire to become great wizards and sorcerers. Learning all forms that magic can take, taking magic and creating new more powerful spells. This is the love for many powerful Gemnis, never knowing the limits to what magic can become, excites them.

Their schools for technology, give birth to creative craftsman and ingenious artisans every day. Building new technological marvels day after day, this is the dream of many bright Gemnis hoping that one day, their work will be praised by the Royal, or Pristine Cuts. Strength, power, skill, these things are the essence of beauty to many warriors and soldiers of the Royal Cuts militia. Fighting and winning proves ones beauty, in battle to win and win greatly is honorable and beautiful, to lose and lose horribly is dishonorable and ugly. "The stronger you are, the more beautiful you are!", for the Gemnis soldiers and warriors of the Royal Cuts militia these are words to live by. Though above all else the one and only rule you never break, is that the Royal Cuts are right in everything they say and the most beautiful of all Gemnis.

Any Gemnis who disobeys a command from a Royal Cut, will be punished severely and even executed for their transgression. This instills absolute fear and obedience into all Gemnis, making their power over their subjects absolute.

Gemnis Names

Their proud nature and elegance flows into their names. Gemnis who are born are given names based off of their gem bloodline. While most Gemnis do not have surnames like other races, Royal Cuts and Pristine Cuts do have surnames, but different. They feel more like beautiful elegant titles, that sound more poetic and honorific than the surnames of most royal or upper class families from other races.

Male Names: Ambarcus, Emavid, Ruboris, Saphillip, Victuartz

Female Names: Ambethany, Emereth, Laurystal, Pearlaina, Saphiera

Gemnis (Gemfolk) Traits

As a gemnis your traits are the following.

Age

Gemnis are born as small children and mature roughly at the age of 18. They can live upwards of over 3000 years, though they can die a lot earlier from unnatural causes.

Alignment

Gemnis are mostly any lawful alignment, while a few being any neutral alignment.

Size

Gemnis mimic humanoids in shape but smaller, they can be of any build and their height or weight is proportionate to their build. Though the majority tend to fit a more smaller than average humanoid build, thus your size is Small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Reverting

When your hit points fall to 0, your body shutters and shakes while light wraps around you, transforming you into the gem of your chosen bloodline. When this happens, a burst of magic energy emanates from you in a 5 foot radius. Any creature hit by this effect must make a Constitution saving throw against your Constitution score, or be thrown 15 feet back and become prone. In this state you do not make saving throws, but you become prone and incapacitated until you receive magical healing, or take a short rest. Once you do, you lose the prone and incapacitated effects, you then transform back into your regular form and you gain 1 level of exhaustion.

At 5th level the thrown range becomes 20 feet, 25 feet at 10th level, and 30 feet at 15th level.

Living Gemstone

Even though you were formed from light, you are a living creature. You are immune to disease. You do not need to eat or breathe, but you can ingest food and drink if you wish. When resting, instead of normal sleep you enter a lucid dreamlike meditative state for 4 hours each day. While you are in this state; you are fully aware of your surroundings and notice approaching enemies and other events as normal.

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 3.

Languages

You can speak, read and right Common, Terran, and one extra language of your choice.

Metamorphic Blade

You may use your bonus action to transform one of your arms into the like of a longsword. When you hit a creature with this weapon, you may add (1d4) force damage to your damage total.

Being disarmed of this weapon takes on a whole new meaning.

 

At 5th level the damage becomes (1d6), (1d8) at 10th level, and (1d10) at 15th level.

Seeing through Stone

You perceive the world with tremorsense for 120 feet, and can detect and pinpoint the origin of vibrations within a specific radius, provided that the source of the vibrations are in contact with the same ground or substance.

Tremorsense can't be used to detect flying or incorporeal creatures.

Elemental

You are an elemental.

Meld with Rock

While you remain motionless in an earthen or rocky environment, you are indistinguishable from your surroundings.

Shielded Mind

You are immune to scrying and to any effect that would sense your emotions, read your thoughts, or detect your location.