Homebrew Dvati Species Details

The Dvati are a race completely comprised of identical twins. The soul of a Dvati is said to have been so powerful that a single mortal coil could not contain it, and thus, the gods split them in twain so they could survive.

Twilight Children

Each pair of Dvati twins share one soul between them, as they are one being split into two bodies. Despite this, twins can have different personality traits from one another, sometimes resulting in twins that are opposites. Regardless of their personalities, Dvati twins are two sides of the same coin and they never disagree for long. A debate or rivalry between a set of twins is always in the pursuit of balance and understanding.

The Dvati resemble Elves in some ways, often being mistaken for children of Drow or Shadar-Kai. They are slender in body with large pointed ears, dark eyes that lack irises, and four-fingered hands. Their skin tones typically mimic those of Human and Elven races, with the rarer, more reclusive enclaves producing unnaturally pale or dark complexions. Though each set of twins varies in appearance, all twins are utterly identical, sharing the same voice, facial features, exact hair and skin tone, accent, and so forth.

A Bond At Any Cost

The special bond between Dvati twins is far beyond that of siblings from other races. They share skills, knowledge, feelings, memories, and all other aspects of a soul's experience in life. When one twin is separated from the other for too long, the other twin is overcome with worry and longing for their other half. These feelings are so powerful that if one twin dies, the other's connection to their soul begins to slip away, until it too perishes. Dvati twins suffer in separation. A Dvati that has a deceased twin will either long to join them in death or desperately seek any possible way to revive their other half.

Scattered Colonies

Dvati are too few in number to claim their own sprawling kingdoms and empires. Instead, they build small settlements in out-of-the-way areas where few trouble them. In rare cases, a small Dvati colony arises in a city controlled by another race. These colonies are usually separated from the rest of the city by walls or carefully arranged buildings that leave only one or two entrances to a Dvati neighborhood. While Dvati appreciate other folk, they prefer peace, quiet, and solitude when they attend to their works.

Wanderlust and Curiosity

Dvati adventurers are rare, as most of them prefer simple lives of contemplation, honest work, and fellowship. Sometimes a Dvati feels a deep sense of wanderlust. Bored with the often repetitive existence of their colonies and settlements, young Dvati strike out in search of new adventures. Some of these Dvati are fascinated by other folk and wish to learn more about them. Others study philosophies that require the Dvati to seek out new experiences. Dvati rarely adventure for material wealth or accolades, as such things have little value to a Dvati aside from their pragmatic uses.

UNNERVING DUALITY

Dvati get along well with most other races, as their ability to understand and appreciate different perspectives leads them to accept the differences in others with open minds; However, this is not always returned. Most humanoids find a Dvati's appearance — particularly their unwavering eyes — slightly unnerving. Dvati are acutely aware of this, and many of them wear hooded cloaks around strangers. Outcast Half-Orcs and Half-Elves sometimes find homes in Dvati communities.

Of all the races, Elves mingle best with Dvati. Dvati respect the Elves' long-term view of history, their art, and their culture. Elves see Dvati as fascinating creatures with a welcome appreciation of intellectual and artistic concerns.

Dvati Names

A Dvati's name in its native tongue is almost impossible for a non-Dvati to speak or clearly understand, as both twins in the pair must speak at the same time to properly pronounce it. Thus, most Dvati that work with other folk adopt names that they either make up or take from other languages. The Dvati usually takes two names, one for each twin, although sometimes the Dvati forgets which twin has which name. A Dvati sees themselves as an undivided pair, but they understand that other races may find that confusing. Dvati twins tend to prefer similar names with distinct sounds.

Male Names: Olon and Alax, Targren and Talon, Xephon and Xephar.

Female Names: Esmerra and Esandra, Lia and Kira, Poldra and Eldra.

Dvati Traits

Dvati are a strange race of humanoid creatures found in small enclaves scattered throughout the world and across the planes. All dvati are born identical twins, with the pair sharing a single soul between them. Dvati lore holds that their souls are so powerful that a single, mortal vessel is too weak to contain them. Thus, their minds occupy two bodies.

Ability Score Increases

When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1.

Alignment

Many dvati pairs tend toward lawfulness, as a result of their inherent cooperation.

Age

Dvati mature at the same rate as humans and live just as long. Both twins usually pass way from old age on the same day at the same time.

Size

Dvati have the same range of height and weight as humans. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Twins

A 'single' dvati is a pair of creatures that share a single soul. They are inextricably linked, and can no more exist separately than a human can exist without his heart. In spite of having two bodies, dvati twins perform as a single character, with the following differences:

Actions Each twin has their own action, but share their bonus action and reaction. Only one action can between the two can be a spell.

Attack Both twins can use their main action to attack, but only one can use their bonus action. Should you take a class that gains extra attacks, one twin may use that extra attack.

Spellcasting The twins share their spell slots and can only focus on one concentration spell at a time, however only one twin needs to focus to maintain it. When casting a concentration spell you choose which twin is focusing on it. When casting a spell, either dvati can provide the spell components, and the spell can originate from the twin of your choice.

Class Abilities The twins share any class ability slots, and are treated as one creature where effects are concerned.

Magical Effects  If a spell or magical ability affects one dvati twin, such as charmed, it affects them both, unless that spell or ability affects hit points or if the two twins are further than 100 feet apart, in which case, it affects each twin separately.

Conditions A condition, such as being poisoned or grappled, affects only one twin, even if imposed by a spell.

Hit Points Due to their unique connection, the twins share the same pool of hitpoints and together have the same number of hit points as one human of the same class. If one is hurt, the other feels his twins pain but only takes damage once.

Armor Either twin has their own AC.

Linked Souls

As long as both twins are on the same plane, they can send messages to each other telepathically and can empathetically sense the other's emotional state. Each twin knows when the other takes damage. They also have a general sense of the direction that the other twin is in if they are separated. 

Dvati twins can communicate with each other using half the words and twice the speed of other creatures, even in combat.

Two Sets of Eyes

You have proficiency in the perception skill.

Twin Fate

Twins make separate death saving throws. If one twin becomes stabilized, both become stabilized. If a twin dies, the surviving twin loses their Twins, Two Sets of Eyes, and Linked Souls racial trait until the deceased twin is returned to life. Each long rest after their sibling is killed, the surviving twin must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or suffer one level of exhaustion. These exhaustion levels cannot be removed by anything except a Wish spell or until the deceased twin is returned to life, at which point all exhaustion levels are immediately lost. 

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and one extra language of your choice.