Homebrew Cactus Dragonborn Species Details
Water is a currency in Nowhere, and like all currencies, it is guarded by those who understand its value better than those who need it.
I first encountered one of the cactus dragonborn three days after losing my second guide to heat exhaustion and poor judgment. I had been following a narrow canyon trail that my maps insisted once connected to an ancient dig site rumored to have been repurposed into an Edynite caravan outpost. The trail instead led to a shaded cleft in the stone, scattered with flowering desert growth far too vibrant to belong in a region otherwise defined by dust and regret. I believed I had discovered an oasis. It turns out that I had, in a sense, but not one that necessarily welcomed trespass…
The dragonborn rose from among the cacti so slowly that I first mistook the movement for wind disturbing the spines. His scales bore the color of sun-bleached sand and thorned green, each ridge sprouting needle clusters that clicked softly against one another when he shifted his weight. When he spoke, it was with the calm patience of someone accustomed to watching travelers make mistakes. He did not threaten me. He did not need to. The plants surrounding us leaned toward him as if in quiet recognition, their roots tracing paths through the cracked earth like veins leading back to a heart buried somewhere beneath the canyon floor.
When I asked how such growth survived in a place where even vultures refuse to circle, he pressed one clawed hand against his forearm and released a thin stream of water that seeped into the soil. The ground drank greedily. The flowers seemed to brighten within moments. He regarded my astonishment with what I suspect was amusement, though with dragonborn it is often difficult to tell. He allowed me to refill my canteens, though not without extracting a promise that I would carry seeds from a distant valley and return them to the canyon on my next crossing. I agreed, as refusal seemed both rude and likely fatal.
Travelers speak of these dragonborn as walking wells, though I would advise against repeating such descriptions within their hearing. They do not see themselves as reservoirs to be tapped, but as wardens of life in places where life is otherwise an intrusion. Those who approach them with knives and empty skins seldom leave with either.
Lilith - I must make a note for future visits; if a canyon blooms where nothing should grow, assume it is already claimed….
Excerpt from Dhelvouz’s Book of Lost Secrets
In the ravaged badlands of Nowhere and along the canyon walls of the White Sea, some dragonborn trace their lineage to the cactus dragons - reclusive, territorial creatures whose bodies serve as living reservoirs in a land where water is worth more than gold. These dragonborn bear the marks of that ancestry in hardened, thorned scales and a physiology adapted to relentless sun, scarce resources, and hostile terrain. Most sport wings, though few can actually fly, for many the wings are more a way of cooling off in the desert sun, pumping blood through the wings to cool the body, but some cactus dragonborn are capable of flight.
Desert Survivors. Cactus dragonborn are shaped by drought, distrust, and survival. They value patience over speed, preparation over comfort, and living things over wealth. To harm a plant in their presence is an insult rarely forgiven, and they have a special affinity for all things that grow, able to speak with flora as if they shared a common tongue.
As a Cactus Dragonborn, you have these special traits.Desert Breath
You have a breath attack as a cactus dragonborn. Select one of the following breath attacks at character creation:
Steam Blast. Your draconic ancestry grants you the ability to exhale superheated steam drawn from the reservoirs within your body. As an action, you exhale a blast of scalding vapor in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a Constitution saving throw or become blinded until the end of its next turn as the blast of heat stings its eyes. The DC of this saving throw equals 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus. At 6th level, the cone’s size increases to 30 feet.; at 11th level, the cone’s size increases to 60 feet; at 16th level, the cone’s size increases to 90 feet. You can use this feature once, regaining the ability to do so when you finish a short or long rest.
Water Jet. Your draconic ancestry grants you the ability to exhale the reservoirs of water stored within your body to create a jet of slashing water. As an action, you exhale a jet of water in a 30-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that area must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 2d6 slashing damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The DC for the saving throw equals 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus. The slashing damage increases to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th, and 5d6 at 16th level. You can use this feature once, regaining the ability to do so when you finish a short or long rest.
Desert Denizen
You are adapted to harsh life in the desert. Select one of the following ancestral traits at character creation:
Avian Adversary. While many cactus dragonborn sport wings, many of these are just for show, but for you, these wings are fully functional. You have a flying speed equal to your walking speed. You can’t use this flying speed if you’re wearing medium or heavy armor.
Solar Sustenance. Your body absorbs and stores sunlight, allowing you to endure extreme heat and prolonged exposure to harsh desert environments. While you are in direct sunlight, you gain the following benefits:
• You can use your reaction to regain hit points equal to your proficiency bonus if you have at least 1 hit point. You can use this feature to regain hit points in this way a number of times equal to your Constitution bonus, regaining all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
• You are immune to the effects of extreme heat and magically created heat that is weather or region-related.
• You cannot be blinded by bright light, including magical bright light.
Thorned Carapace. Your scales are reinforced with rigid, needle-like growths that deter predators and make close combat with you a painful mistake. When a creature hits you with a melee attack, starts a grapple with you, or touches you unwillingly, that creature must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take piercing damage equal to your proficiency bonus. The DC for the saving throw equals 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus.
Darkvision
You have Darkvision with a range of 60 feet.
Living Reservoir
Your ancestry grants you the ability to store vast quantities of water within your body.
You gain the following benefits:
- You have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks made to locate natural water sources and identify edible desert vegetation.
- You can survive for up to 30 days without drinking water before suffering any negative effects of dehydration.
- You can spend 10 minutes drawing upon your internal reserves to produce fresh water. At the end of the duration, you create up to 10 gallons of clean, drinkable water that you expel onto the ground within 5 feet of you, or into a container within your reach.
You can use this feature once, regaining the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.
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