Homebrew Duskrise (HD) Species Details
While the vast, vast majority of residents of the Hourglass Desert are migrants and interlopers from other planes, there exists a small community of natives. They're not shy, but their small numbers (only a few hundred total) make interactions with them in any meaningful capacity quite rare. They tend to gravitate towards the outskirts of other small communities, joining in for a while before moving on, engaging with the residents in a friendly manner then leaving them as if they were never there at all. Their nature is reflected in their monument of pilgrimage, the Tower of Dusk, that wanders the desert unchained just as its people do.
These people are called the duskrise.
Twinkling in the Dark
Elemental in creation, they resemble humans whose alabaster skin both glitters in the sunlight and glows faintly in the darkness. They never sleep, comfortable and active in both the day and the night, and their eyes are sharp as glass. All duskrise are universally youthful and beautiful, even (or especially) to other races.
Peregrines
Nomads by nature, and ephemeral in their desires, the duskrise wander from settlement to settlement over the seasons in search of novel experiences. They are more often seen in the Sunrise Realm than the Sunset Realm; the pelandrian are stuffy and the inventors are exciting. Having existed for so long alone in their realm, any lifeforms other than their own are subjects of endless fascination.
Emotionally Connective
Cavorting with other races isn't just a fleeting fancy. The duskrise have a peculiar method of maintaining their numbers. They have no children. The very concept is alien to them. Instead, every duskrise is functionally immortal.
While they can be killed through regular means, no duskrise for millennia has known the touch of old age. Once per season, a duskrise undergoes a ritual where it falls into an 8-hour stupor, waking up as a younger version of themselves. Some of their memories fade during there juvenation process, but these memories slowly return over the next few years. When a duskrise is rejuvenated in a form it likes, it will usually stay in that form for about a decade.
When it is time to rejuvenate, a duskrise seeks out strong emotional connections with other beings. This often takes the form of love, but it can also be intense boiling hatred, deep platonic friendship, a long-running mentorship, or other methods of connection. The duskrise will request (or steal) an object of personal meaning to this person and take it along during the rejuvenation process. While rejuvenating, the duskrise takes on some of the traits of that person, physically changing its body to match their adaptive traits. For this reason they almost always try to form a connection with someone from a race other than their own.
Of the four hundred duskrise in existence, about fifty contain the DNA of pelandrian, a little under a hundred possess the DNA of humans, less than a dozen are pure duskrise, and the rest are of other assorted races.
Duskrise (HD) Traits
As a Duskrise you have the following traitsAbility Score Increase
Your Charisma score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Age
You have lived for thousands of years. Duskrise don't show signs of aging, so it may have been anywhere from one day to one decade since the last time you rejuvenated.
Alignament
Duskrise are universally chaotic in nature and temperament.
Size
Duskrise have about the same range of heights as humans do. Your size is Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Luminous Skin
As a bonus action, you can activate the effects of your luminous skin for ten minutes. While active, your skin glitters and glares, giving you disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks and imposing disadvantage on ranged attack rolls made against you. Additionally, your skin gives off bright light in a 10 foot radius and dim light in a 10 foot radius beyond that. Once you have used this trait, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Nomad
You suffer no negative effects from forced marches, and you have advantage on saving throws to resist gaining levels of exhaustion.
Wandering Trance
Duskrise don’t need to sleep. Instead, they wander slowly, as though they are sleepwalking, for 4 hours per day. While wandering, the duskrise moves about 5 feet per minute, either in a straight line or in a wide circle. After wandering in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep, including gaining the benefits of a long rest.
Racial Adoption
In addition to your regular traits, you have one additional trait based on the race you last connected with. Suitable races are included below.
Aarakocra.
While your luminous skin is active, you have a flying speed of 30 feet.
Dragonborn.
You have a dragonborn's breath weapon. Once you have used your breath weapon, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.
Dune Orc.
Once a turn while your luminous skin is active, you can move up to your speed toward an enemy of your choice that you can see or hear without expending movement. You must end this move closer to the enemy than you started.
Duskrise.
You can use your luminous skin twice instead of once before you must finish a short or long rest to use it again.
Dwarf (Any).
You have resistance to poison damage, and you have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned.
Elf (Pelandrian).
You can cast misty step innately. Once you have used this trait, you must complete a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Elf (Other).
You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.
Gnome (Any).
While your luminous skin is active, you have advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saves against magic.
Genasi (Glass).
While your luminous skin is active, as are action when you are hit by magic missile or a spell of 3rd level or lower that requires a ranged attack roll, you can roll a d6. On a roll of 4-6, you are unaffected.
Half-Orc.
When you are reduced to 0 hit points and not killed outright, you can choose to drop to 1 hit point instead. Once you have used this trait, you must complete a long rest before you can use it again.
Human.
One ability score of your choice (other than Charisma) is increased by 1.
Tiefling.
You have resistance to fire damage, and you know the [spell[thaumaturgy[/spell] cantrip.
Other.
The DM chooses one trait for you from the chosen race, roughly on the same power level as the other options.
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