Homebrew Astari Species Details

Greatly fabled for their wisdom, spirituality, and oracular gifts, the Astari are one of the most ancient races in Innaveria. These star-fallen creatures are burdened with the ability to peer into the Tapestry of Fate, a gift that allows them to gaze into the past, present, and the manifold possibilities of the future.

They are a gentle, soft-spoken, and polite people, carefully guiding kingdoms, other races, and sometimes history itself with their powers of divination.

Children of the Stars

The children of the stars are blessed with an unearthly, celestial beauty. They are a tall people, with powerful and statuesque physiques. Their hair resemble and reflect the colors of a shimmering nebula and their eyes gleam like captured starlight. Glowing marks that resemble constellations adorn their iridescent pale blue skin. These marks flare up when the Astari use their natural divination abilities or cast spells.

Astari are not born conventionally like other races - each of them has once lived suspended among the stars, watching over the world and the Tapestry of Fate. When destiny ordains that they are to serve in an earthbound form, they are flung from the sky, plunging into the earth like falling stars. They awake in their mortal coil possessing all the wisdom and knowledge they had gathered as sidereal observers.

When an Astari dies, their corpse stays for a brief period before disintegrating into flecks of starlight, returning to the sky from whence they fell.

Champions of Fate

The Astari enjoy a natural resistance to harmful magic, believed to be an effect of their marks and strong connection with fate, though they are by no means immune. It is often said that spells slide off Astari like so many drops of water.

Though the Starfallen can live for centuries, time does not manifest its passing upon their bodies, untouched by the frailties of age. However, diseases, poison, inebriation, drugs, and magic-inflicted ailments can still affect them.

The Astari are a nocturnal people. Daylight weakens their connection to the stars, blurring their vision, and causing them to feel less powerful and perceptive. When the night falls, they feel revitalized.

Peaceful Mediators

Astari are generally seen by other races as gentle, wise, and well-mannered. They are known to be extraordinarily patient and far-seeing. It is not uncommon for the Astari, especially their elders, to make decisions that at the time seem incomprehensible and ludicrous, only for such carefully-laid plans to pay off as they predicted decades or even centuries later.

The Starfallen are exceedingly polite, almost to a fault. When speaking with strangers and acquaintances, they would never refer to themselves in the first person - doing so is considered self-important, as they believe that all are but a small speck in the Grand Design. Instead they refer to themselves as "this one" or "this servant".

Most Astari are pacifists, preferring to resolve disputes through diplomacy rather than violence, unless necessary. That said, Astari will not shirk from a fight if pressed, and many mistake their peaceful demeanor for a pledge of non-violence. Even when engaged in battle, they maintain a courteous facade. It is customary for astari to say, "find serenity in the grand design" before or after they take away any life.

Astari Names

The Starfallen have two names: a face name and a soul name.

Astari remain unnamed until their mentors give them a fitting face name after proving their worth. Young and unproven Astari are all called "child" as they are considered merely aspects of a greater whole. Becoming proficient in a skill, completing a vague quest, or certain heroic actions could earn the right to a face name.

The face name is an alias that can be translated into the Common tongue. The mentor would customarily choose a face name for their student that pertains to the dominant characteristic, such as her skills, physical features, or hobbies. Occasionally, the mentor, if they're exceptional seers, might give their disciple a face name that might indicate something about their future.

The soul name is the name they have received in stellar form. It is kept for use only for those whom have won their trust.

• Face names : Laughing Crystal, Herald of Endings, Illumines the Darkness, Six Melodies, Bright Amethyst, Furious Fist, Savant of Steel, Sings by the Rivers, Shattered Mirror, Swift Arrows
• Soul names : Saros, Oberon, Orion, Themis, Callisto, Andromeda, Nyxeris, Galexia, Celeste

Astari Traits

Your Astari character has a variety of mystical abilities, owing to their connection to the cosmic forces of fate.

Ability Score Increase

Your Wisdom score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.

Darkvision

 As a nocturnal creature, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. 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.

Astral Magic

You know the Guidance cantrip. At level 3, you can cast Locate Object once per long rest. At level 5, you can cast Scrying once per long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells

Magic Resistance

Thanks to your connection to fate, you have an advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Daylight Sensitivity

Disadvantage on attack rolls and Perception (sight) checks when you or your target is in direct sunlight.

Languages

You speak, read, and write Sideric, the ancient language of prophecies. Sideric is a highly complex language, with lyrical words and a poetic grammar. You also know Common.

Exaltation

When an Astari dies, their corpse stays for 60 minutes before their body crumbles into motes of starlight as their soul attempts to rise to the sky and be among the stars once more. They call this process “Exaltation”.

Attempts to animate an Astari’s corpse would be met with resistance, and the caster must perform a concentration check (DC 10 + the Astari’s level) at the casting of the spell, and every minute thereafter to keep the Astari’s corporeal form intact.