Homebrew Driftling Species Details

Sometimes referred to as the Wandering Ones, the mysterious driftlings are a race of four-armed humanoids without a place to call home. Driven by an inexplicable wanderlust, they roam the planes of existence in search for home or purpose.

Planar Nomads

A nomadic race, many driftlings spend their entire lives on the move; traveling across and between planes either alone or as part of small collectives. Though some form goals to justify their nomadic lives—locating a place to call home or the pursuit of a higher purpose, for example—most driftlings are satisfied with a life of endless, aimless travel. For this reason, the god Hyrus—whose domains include travel and the veil between planes—has become paramount among driftlings’ faith.

How the driftlings’ nomadic lifestyle began is unknown, as is the place of origin of their race. Some believe they originate from a distant plane that has since been destroyed, or forgotten by time; others believe they were born amid the swirling mists of the astral sea, forged from the very essence of existence. Whatever the case may be, the truth yet remains uncovered.

While driftlings are rare to encounter, some do decide to settle down in the planes they visit—usually in places that interest them, or where they manage to find friendship or love. But while finding a home might bring them peace and satisfaction, the yearning to travel never disappears.

Shifting Guise

Though most driftlings share certain physical traits, such as an impressive height, pointed ears and four arms, other aspects of their appearances can range wildly. Some may have tails and extra eyes; others may have claws, horns or vestigial wings. The colors of their eyes and skin can vary too; some may sport odd vibrant patterns, while others appear almost monochrome.

To make it all the more puzzling, driftlings seem to naturally undergo changes in their appearances when they spend too much time in a certain plane. Driftlings who spend time in Gehenna might grow horns, have their skin take on a reddish tone or find their teeth growing sharper, for example. This phenomenon is believed to be caused by the driftlings’ innate connection to planar energies.

Driftling Names

Upon their births, all driftlings are given a birth name. However, this name is always intended to be temporary. Once they come of age, a young driftling gets to pick a new name for themselves as a form of initiation into adulthood. Most choose to name themselves after a phrase or word they find particularly beautiful. If they’ve settled down on a specific plane, they might also choose a name befitting the surrounding culture.

Examples of driftling names are: Flower, River, Sunshine, Moonlight, Star, Glimmer or Happy.

Driftling Traits

Your Driftling character has the following racial traits:

Ability Score Increase

When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one of those scores by 2 and a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. Follow this rule regardless of the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy.

The “Quick Build” section for your character’s class offers suggestions on which scores to increase. You’re free to follow those suggestions or to ignore them. Whichever scores you decide to increase, none of the scores can be raised above 20.

Age

Driftlings age at about the same rate as humans, reaching adulthood by 18, but can live for up to 200 years with relative ease.

Size

Driftlings have an average height of between 6 and 8 feet. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

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.

Extra Limbs

You possess a secondary set of arms. The secondary arms can manipulate an object, open or close a door or container, pick up or set down a Tiny object, or wield a weapon that has the light property.

Interplanar Instincts

You possess an instinctual connection to the planes. You always know which plane of existence you are on, and by spending at least 1 minute studying an interplanar portal you can accurately determine which plane it leads to. If the plane it connects to is one with multiple layers or regions, you also learn which layer or region it would lead to. Moreover, if a teleportation spell like plane shift is cast within 30 feet of you, you know the intended destination of the spell.

Rapid Acclimation

Your body can rapidly adapt to volatile energy. Whenever you would take damage that isn’t bludgeoning, piercing or slashing damage, you can use your reaction to give yourself resistance to that damage type until the beginning of your next turn.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.

Languages

Your character can speak, read, and write Common and two other languages that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character. The Player’s Handbook offers a list of widespread languages to choose from. The DM is free to add or remove languages from that list for a particular campaign.