Homebrew COSMIC SHADE Species Details
Born from the endless night sky, Cosmic Shades descend upon the world inside blazing balls of celestial fire. When they strike the ground, they rise with no memory of who—or what—they once were. Identity, shape, purpose… all burned away in the fall.
Disoriented and drawn instinctively toward life, a Cosmic Shade seeks out the first sentient being it encounters on the verge of death. In a moment of desperate cosmic instinct, the Shade takes that creature’s form. It absorbs fragments of their memories, habits, and mannerisms, wearing their identity like a newly crafted shell.
To others, a Cosmic Shade seems familiar—recognizable, even comforting.
But something is always… wrong.
A stare held too long.
A gesture too precise.
A wound that bleeds starlight.
Beneath the disguise lies a humanoid silhouette woven from the night sky itself—a void filled with drifting stars and swirling darkness. Two perfectly circular white-ring eyes float in the blackness, and an unnaturally wide grin houses gleaming, razor-like cosmic fangs.
Their false form is fragile.
When the Shade suffers great injury or emotional distress, the disguise fractures, revealing the cosmic horror beneath.
COSMIC SHADE Traits
Cosmic Shades are celestial-fall beings born from the night sky itself. When they descend, they strike the world in a blaze of starfire, arising without identity, memory, or form. Drawn instinctively to life, a Shade mimics the first dying sentient it encounters—absorbing echoes of their appearance, mannerisms, and nature. Though they pass as the living, their bodies are hollow shells shaped around a cosmic core. Beneath the disguise, a Shade’s true form is a silhouette of swirling starlight with circular void-eyes and a fanged cosmic maw. When wounded or distressed, fragments of this true nature break through, often reflecting traits of the creature whose likeness they adopted—such as horns, a tail, or other racial features. Cosmic Shades feel an unnatural pull toward other beings touched by the stars—celestials, void creatures, astral beasts, and others forged by cosmic forces. This resonance may draw them to allies or towards danger, but it is always there—an echo calling them home.Ability Score Increase
Cosmic Shades gain a +2 bonus to one ability score of their choice and a +1 bonus to a different ability score of their choice.
Creature Type
You count both as a Humanoid and an Aberration. You are affected by any ability that targets either creature type.
Void Body
Your body is sustained by cosmic force rather than mortal biology.
• You do not need to eat, drink, or breathe.
• You do not feel physical damage.
• You have advantage on saving throws against the frightened condition.
Hollow Disguise
You perfectly imitate the appearance of the dying creature you first encountered. You copy its voice, mannerisms, and physical traits.
You gain proficiency in Deception.
If you fall to half hit points or lower, or are examined by truesight, fragments of your true cosmic form break through the disguise.
Echo of the Fallen
You inherited faint skill echoes from the being whose form you mimic. Choose one of the following skills to gain proficiency in:
Insight, Perception, Survival, Athletics, or Stealth.
Cosmic Reveal
As a bonus action, you reveal your true cosmic form for 1 minute. During this time:
• Your eyes become glowing white rings, and your maw reveals rows of stellar fangs.
• Creatures of your choice within 10 feet that can see you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or become frightened until the end of their next turn.
• Your spell attacks and weapon attacks deal an extra 1d6 psychic damage.
After you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
Void Sight
Void Sight.
Your eyes hollow into cosmic wells when you enter your Void Form. The world fractures into silhouettes and drifting shadows, allowing you to see through any darkness—mundane or magical—out to 60 feet. Shapes appear as void-white outlines carved into the dark.
Feral Predator
Your Void Form awakens a predatory instinct that reacts violently to the presence of your own kind.
This trait only activates if another Cosmic Shade within 30 feet is also in Void Form.
When this happens, you become attuned to their void-energy and instinctively view them as prey.
While this condition is met:
-
You have advantage on melee attack rolls against Cosmic Shades that are currently in Void Form.
-
Whenever a Cosmic Shade within 10 feet drops below half its hit points, you can make one unarmed strike (claw or bite) as a bonus action against it.
-
This attack deals 1d6 + Strength modifier slashing or piercing damage.
-
-
You automatically sense the presence of any Void-Form Cosmic Shade within 15 feet, even if hidden.
Drawback — Predatory Drift.
While Feral Predator is active, you have disadvantage on Charisma checks made to interact with any Cosmic Shade, and you cannot willingly end aggression toward a Void-Form Shade unless no such creatures remain within range.
This whole effect immediately ends if no other Cosmic Shades around you are in Void Form.
Comments