Homebrew Cinderborn Species Details

Many think of the act of creating a new being as an act of ultimate creation, birthing being sacred and upheld. For some though, they seek to spread their race in acts of destruction or decay. For a Cinderborn to be created, a being is impaled by an Emberheart, causing their mind to be erased, and their body to become a husk that the embers inhabit. Thus, a Cinderborn comes to be.

Cinderborn may be made from any Medium or Small humanoid. Regardless of previous features, there skin becomes an ashen white or charcoal black, lacking saturation, and their eyes glow with the orange-red warmth of an ember. Their most notable feature is the fact that their chest cavity has been visibly ripped open and blackened, and their heart is replaced with a Jewel-like ember, glowing with a bright, beating, orange light. The ember emits strands of energy that flow throughout the body, and may sometimes be visible under the skin.

Emberheart

It is unknown where the first Ember of the Cinderborn came from, with theories including that of it being an ember of the very first flame, a gift from a god of fire, an artifact from the plane of fire, or even a stone made from the souls of the dead, offered up to the sun. Regardless, if an existing Cinderborn finds a ruby worth over 1000 Gold, they can imbue it with their flame, turning it into another Ember. If this Ember is placed (weather by choice or force) into the chest of an existing humanoid, it will take hold and sink in, replacing their heart and turning them into another Cinderborn. As far as is known, an Emberheart cannot be destroyed, proving indestructible, unless the owner of it is killed while it is within their chest. In this case, the Emberheart disintegrates into ash and a small wisp of smoke.

Remnants of a Flame

 The Cinderborn are not known to have a distinct culture, but their unique physiology requires certain customs and fashion. Often, Cinderborn will wear open-faced tops, regardless of gender, in order to display their ember, and to prevent the burning of their clothing. As for cultural differences, it is incredibly taboo to touch an ember of another, naturally, and the brightness and health of a cinder is often a point of pride, changing with the flow of emotion, power, and exertion.

Cinderborn do not require food, however, they do need to consume a source of heat every week or so, or fuel every half week, depending on it's power (food and alcohol count as fuel once consumed). in order of least to most power is: embers or fuel (3 days), flames (5 days), burning fuel (8 days), dragon fire (12 days), and magma (30 days).

Seen in silhouette, a Cinderborn can usually pass for human. A given Cinderborn might have some features reminiscent of their original body (pointed ears from an elf, a stockier frame and thick hair from a dwarf, small hands and feet from a halfling, exceedingly large eyes from a gnome, and so on).

Cinderborn have no conscious memory of their previous life, but may encounter flashbacks or sudden déjà vu, in addition, they know all of the languages their previous self did, but doesn't have their proficiencies or most of their skill points, due to their body being rebuilt and reformed.

Many Cinderborn are outcasts, and some go insane, seeking to spread their misery. Despite this, there have been documented stable, functional societies populated mostly by Cinderborn.

Cinderborn Physiology

Cinderborn are somewhat odd, considering their outward appearance, as they are not harmed by water, unless they ingest it, in which case they can be harmed quite severely. Their central ember creates a field of heat hot enough to cause water to evaporate, however, the heat miraculously dissipates outside the cavity, simply warming the air around them slightly, this has the effect of preventing any water from getting into their chest cavity, allowing them to swim or submerge in water without fear of going out, similarly, their magical ember prevents weakness to cold climates. If the Emberheart of a Cinderborn is ever removed, in spite of temperatures upwards of 3000 degrees existing within the cavity, the Cinderborn may have up to three days to live, with strength decreasing slowly. If, within that time, a Cinderborn can produce a ruby worth 1000GP, they may use it to reform their Emberheart, preventing their death and restoring their strength. likewise, if an extinguished Cinderborn has a Emberheart placed in their chest, whether it was their original or not, they can then reanimate to their previous strength.

CINDERBORN BACKGROUNDS

Cinderborn may sometimes inherit the background of their body, but not always.

Commonly, Cinderborn are ostracized or hated by the community of their body, due to the nature of their creation. This can lead to them having the backgrounds of Criminal/spy or Nomad.

Cinderborn Names

Cinderborn often use the naming conventions of the people among whom their body was raised, or assume it's name. They might later assume distinctive names to capture their new nature, such as Flame, Ember, Coal, Ash, Spark, and Warmth. 

In Beta!

Cinderborn Traits

Your Cinderborn character has certain characteristics in common with other Cinderborn.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Ignan.

Ability Score Increase

Your mind has forgotten, yet your body still holds remnants of your past life. You may increase you WIS, CHA, or INT by 1, your DEX or STR by 1, and any other stat by 1.

Age

Cinderborn mature at about the same rate as humans and reach adulthood in their late teens, starting from when they transform. They live for quite a while, often up to 300 years.

Alignment

Often under mental strain or isolation, Cinderborn tend toward the Chaotic alignment

Size

Cinderborn adopt the stature of their original body, although it does equalize quite a bit. you stand anywhere from 4 feet to over 6 feet tall. Your size is Small to Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Flame Affinity

You begin with the cantrip Produce Flame, and starting at 4th level, you may cast Flame Blade once per day. any flame your produce cannot provide you sustenance.

Darkvision

Your eyes have been reformed by the ember, you now have darkvision to 30 ft.