Homebrew Couatlfolk Species Details

Divine caretakers of purposes from long ago, once lost to time but now reborn, Couatlfolk are humanoids created in the images of Couatls. Created by the worshippers of the old benevolent god lost to time, they are spotted even fewer and farther between than their origin species. Yet, as each new one is created or born, each one is given an inherited or brand-new righteous purpose, awaiting the fulfillment of property.  In comparison to their ancestors, though, Couatlfolk are more outgoing and seek others with a similar nature to help them.

They are secretive individuals in a world full of danger and threat, seeking to protect, guard, and care for a purpose. They have no strict society among themselves except to follow their path for law and good, and the few that do involve themselves in lives with others seek to further their benevolent purpose.

Feathered and Scaled

In their true form, Couatlfolk appear reptilian, though more snakelike, inheriting the traits from their couatl ancestors. As humanoids created by the magic of couatls and based off of them, they have scaled skin with tufts of feathers on their body.

Couatlfolk can vary from individual to individual, but all of them have a bluish-teal to green set of scales, sometimes mixed in with feathers, that covers the majority of their body along with massive, bright sunset colored wings with feathers of red, orange, yellow, or even more. Some variations of these colors can take place, such as sunset scales or blue and green feathers. Feathers of various kinds can be clustered on their body along with horns, hair, or claws, but the coloration and location all vary from each individual.

All also tend to have a long coiling tail, whether with or without legs. Some can have a humanoid lower body, some have digitigrade legs, and some even inherited a long snake tail as their lower body itself.

Sustenance Freedom

As creatures free of the need to eat, drink, or breathe, Couatlfolk can spend as much time as they please in the air, from hours to weeks. Some prefer the freedom that flight gives them, the ability to soar the skies until their purpose is shown to them, or to find rightful beings they can guide and protect. With their large wingspans and array of feathers, they can float freely in the sky for as long as their wings can carry them. Others can travel into the deep dark of the caves below, slithering in the cracks, traveling to observe the lesser-helped kobolds who live in the caves.

Regardless of where they travel, where it be land, sky, or even above the sea, these beings have no need for material sustenance. While disease, age, and external forces may take their lives, they still seek to fulfil their purpose to the very end. Even if they can enjoy the more finer details in life, they have no need to do this unless it helps accomplish their goal in any way, or if they have already fulfilled their purpose, any form of way to benefit those pure-hearted around them.

Secretive and Disguised

As an elusive and benevolent species, Couatlfolk are more than likely to be hunted down by those who seek to impair their purposes, use them for their own nefarious schemes, or even just for the magical properties of their scales and feathers. 

Due to this, many Couatlfolk adapt the use of a humanoid disguise. Unlike their origins of the Couatl, they have only adapted to the use of a singular humanoid disguise. While these disguises may slowly evolve with a purpose over time, they no longer have the ability to turn into various humanoids or beasts of their will. This single humanoid form is adapted to them, based off of their true form's features, such as the face shape, structure, and their overall general appearance, yet changed to be a disguise completely different from them. They can vary from each individual being; some may choose to keep their wings in their disguise but with a different form and appearance, while others may choose to hide them completely. Some with a snake-like body may choose to give themselves legs while some choose a snakelike appearance. Sometimes a small bit of their true form can be seen in their disguise, whether it be feathers or scales. Regardless of what they disguise as, they cannot be evil or do acts against their purpose even if disguised as a being that would do so, and still retain the statistics of their true form with minor variations.

They will use almost any non-violent, non-evil force possible to keep themselves disguised from any strangers, especially if they do not know the true intent of whoever is in front of them. Any way to hide the secret of its existence with non-threatening words is a method they will take. Though, in rare cases if a Couatlfolk finds a person or a group of people that they deem as just or benevolent enough for its goal or goals, they could possibly let their form slip and reveal to them what they truly are. Otherwise, if they are revealed without this feature, they will distance themselves from the place of discovery if any evil intent is suspected to be used against them or those related to them due to this.

Great Purpose

Couatlfolk live a life for one purpose, in quite a literal sense. Most of the time, a Couatlfolk will spend their life observing, either within the skies of the Elemental Plane of Air or within the Material Plane. Some seek to live more normal lives, but with a purpose. Some run charities, orphanages, anything to benefit the good of a city if their purpose is fufilled. For those still seeking, an adventure awaits them. Any feeling that they could do an action to protect, guide, watch, or create, they will follow this path, as long as it doesn't stray from the path of good. Treasure nor glory is what these creatures seek, the bettering of others, whether in physical form or in mind is what draws them out from hiding, secrecy, and the eventual longing for centuries of purpose to be fulfilled.

These people seek good in a lawful sense, and it is extremely rare if not impossible for them to be evil. Any form of one corrupted by the darkness is another Couatlfolk's guiding purpose, to bless into good, convince them for the betterment, or in exceptionally rare and dark cases, gather to exterminate the darkness that threatens their secrecy and befouls their purposes to bring betterment to the world.

 

Couatlfolk Traits

As an Couatlfolk, you have immense resistances paired with extreme drawbacks. As a result, Couatlfolk can be complicated to learn to use and playing this requires special consideration by your DM.

Celestial Heritage

Celestial Heritage. Your Celestial heritage gives you the visage of a Celestial, and if a spell such as Detect Evil and Good is used, the user can sense that there is a Celestial within range; however, they cannot spot out your exact location. You are still a Humanoid for all spells such as Hold Person, though.

Radiant Soul. You are resistant to Radiant damage 

Divine Protector. You were born to be a divine protector and follow the path of which you were granted at your creation. You are heavily penalized for attacking the innocent (in the cause of your purpose) and doing any act that counteracts your divine right. Against any beings who have not wronged or attacked you, your allies, or the people you help, you have disadvantage on all attack rolls against them.

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.

Disguise

Disguise. As a rare being, you have the ability to disguise yourself as a different humanoid form to avoid being hunted. This humanoid form is granted to you and cannot change appearances to mimic someone else. If your humanoid form does not have wings, you cannot fly. Your humanoid form must still follow the rules of your true form, all equipment will be worn by your second form, and you may not use it to commit evil acts. Upon dropping to 0 hit points, your disguise will fade and you will revert to your true form. In a similar manner, you are intensely trained to disguise your thoughts and have a natural affinity to hiding facts about yourself on surface-level thoughts.

True Form. Your true form emits bright light in a 10 foot radius and a dim light for an additional 20 feet in the darkness. This light can be blocked by an opaque object as it emits from your scales and feathers, not the air. This fades away if you are in sufficient light or invisible/camouflaged. You have disadvantage on stealth checks that rely on sight in your true form.

Ability Score Increase

As a being whom seeks to serve a specific purpose, you have trained your mind or social skills to help you attain this.

Choose your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma score to increase by 2, and one unchosen score of these three increases by 1.

Age, Ancient and Few

A Couatlfolk can live for ages without sustenance, even surviving without air, but these creatures can die of disease or the passage of time. A Couatlfolk can sense its end up to a century beforehand, but it has no insight into the manner of its demise.

In comparison to Couatls, these created beings cannot live for as long, but still much, much longer than an average human for an unspecified amount of years.

They mature at the same age as humans do, though afterwards, their aging process is much, much slower.

Size

Couatlfolk vary in height from 5 to 7 feet tall. They have lightweight bodies with hollow wing bones to sustain flight, though others can be heavier from an increased scale density. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Flight

Flight. You have a flying speed of 40 feet. To use this speed, you can’t be wearing medium or heavy armor.

Fangs

All Couatls have fangs that can be used as natural weapons, which you can use to make an unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d4 + your Dexterity modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. The target must succeed on a DC (10 + Your Proficiency) Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute.

At 7th level, Until this poison ends, the target is unconscious. Another creature can use an action to shake the target awake. The target also wakes up upon being attacked. This poisoning feature may only be used a number of times equal to you Proficiency Bonus, recharging on a long rest.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Celestial