Homebrew Dream Walker Species Details

"I have met you before, I saw you in a dream."

Smiling, Kali replied "I'm sure you have."

 

To be a Dream Walker is to walk alone. They are a rare and mystic people, existing on the Plane of Dreams, experiencing the passage of time only through the dreams of mortals on the material plane. Few dare push their connection to other planes, but those who do find themselves thrown into the land of the living.

Mystical Influences

Through their travels, dream walkers often interact with all mortals alive on the material plane, appearing hauntingly familiar to any who encounter the same one multiple times. The dream walker enters dreams randomly as a passage of time in their plane and interacts with the mortals within. The dream walker cannot always tell who the dreamer is, sometimes mistaking another a construct of the dreamers mind as the dreamer. While dream walkers may make a habit of affecting dreams they do not do so lightly or often.

They may enter a dream and assist a "white knight" figure in winning a war, unbeknownst to the Dream Walker the dreamer was actually the "villian" character who now subconsciously despises lords who rule over them, cementing their chaotic tendencies in the material plane. Dreams work in mysterious ways and dream walkers may attempt to influence or avoid the dreamer depending on their alignment. No matter their influence the dream walker does not know of it until they enter the material plane and meet the dreamer.

Once the dream walker has traveled to the material plane they are unable to return to the Plane of Dreams. The process provides their soul with a humanoid form; this matches the form that they took while entering the dreams of others. Once their soul has been given a mortal body their form is permanent, the variety of races is at the discretion of the DM, as are associated racial features such as flying.

Though they appear as any race, they have certain features that they bring from the dream plane. These can include slightly glowing or hazy features, wisps of their skin appearing to disolve on the edges, etc; these features are a sign that the Dream Walker was not birthed, but created, and the features can be adjusted to suit any campaign.

A Timeless Life

Dream Walkers experienced the passing of time differently in the Plane of Dreams, potentially entering the dreams of millions and passing centuries on the material plane before entering it themselves. While many millenia may have passed the dream walker would only be aware of the passage of time in terms of the number of or types of dreams they entered. Opinions of other races also comes from what was experienced in the dreams they entered. If they entered soldiers dreams during a period of war they may have a grim view of the material plane and a racial bias against certain groups. Often times the Dream Walker has no prejudices or concerns of other races/monsters/objects as they only experience them as constructs of the dreamer and are easily manipulated (much like the spoon from the matrix).

Upon entering the material plane the dream walker experiences time as if it were a dream, the concept of death not really understood until they are badly injured or threatened for the first time. Assuming that they survive their first encounter with death the dream walker may live to be well over 1000 years, though few do.

Often dream walkers follow a singular person or group in a similar way as they would follow the dreamer through the dream; it can take years before they are able to comfortably help a person without worrying about subconscious consequences from their actions.

Dream Walker Names

Dream Walkers, having no concept of time and no contact with others of their kind consider themselves to be adults.

During their time in the plane of dreams a dream walker will often invent a name for themselves, much as they create a persona and racial form to be encountered by the dreamer. If a name was not created during this process the dream walker quickly finds that one is required on the material plane and will choose one from their experiences in the dreamscape. Names can therefore be in any language and from any race that the dream walker may have encountered.

Dream Walker Traits

Your dream walker character has a variety of supernatural abilities, the result of life on another plane of existance.

Ability Score Increase

Your Wisdom score increases by 2.

Age

Physical maturity is reached as soon as the dream walker enters the material plane, prior to this the dream walker's soul still considered itself to be adult. They can live to be 1000 years old.

Alignment

Dream walkers love variety and the ability to enact change without facing consequences, so they lean strongly towards chaos. Some value and protect the dreamer and they are more often good than not. The dream walker's alignment depends entirely on their actions in the Plane of Dreams.

Size

Due to the ability to choose a race to match your dream walker's soul, your size can be between small and large.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

Accustomed to darkness in dreams, 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.

Keen Senses

You have proficiency in the Perception skill.

Dream Ancestry

You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

Dream State

You cannot sleep without another humanoid close to you also being asleep (the distance of "close" is at the discretion of the DM). To rest you enter their dreamscape, unable to affect change though able to communicate and walk with them through their experience. This time passes at a rate different to what the rest requires (8hrs in the material plane may take 10 minutes in the dream... or it could take 3 days of the dreamers time).

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you encountered whilst in the dreamscape.