Homebrew Xel’vani Species Details

Origins of the Pact

The Xel’vani are not an accident of creation—they are the result of a rare and dangerous accord.

In an age long before mortal history, the gods and the demon lords reached a temporary understanding. Both sides sought to prove the superiority of their philosophies: divine order and restraint, or demonic freedom and ambition. Neither could claim victory through war alone, so they chose a different battlefield.

Together, they forged a new people—beings who would carry both ideals within a single soul. The gods shaped their forms with intention and symmetry, granting them four arms to embody perfect coordination and discipline. The demons infused them with hunger, drive, and the will to surpass all limits.

Thus, the Xel’vani were born—not as servants, but as a living argument. Their black sclera marked them from the beginning, a sign that they were never meant to belong fully to light or darkness, but to walk the line between.

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The Unending Path

From the moment of their creation, the Xel’vani were given no kingdom, no purpose beyond a single truth: To strive.

Xel’vani believe existence itself is a journey of constant refinement. Strength, skill, knowledge, and control are not goals—they are milestones. To become stagnant is to fail both their creators.

This philosophy is known as The Unending Path, a way of life built on challenge and growth. Every Xel’vani seeks trials:

• Mastering multiple weapons at once
• Pushing body and mind beyond natural limits
• Studying both divine teachings and forbidden lore
• Testing themselves against worthy rivals

To a Xel’vani, comfort is a trap, and ease is a slow death of the spirit.

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The Fourfold Form

Their four arms are more than physical traits—they are sacred symbolism.

Each pair represents a different aspect of their nature:

• Discipline and Control 
• Ambition and Impulse

A Xel’vani trains to act with all four in harmony, striking, thinking, and reacting as one unified whole. This pursuit of perfect coordination mirrors their deeper goal: mastering the opposing forces within themselves.

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Culture of Challenge

Xel’vani society has little tolerance for complacency. Status is not inherited—it is earned through demonstrated growth. Storytelling, ritual combat, philosophical debate, and personal trials all serve as measures of progress.

Common cultural traits include:

• Trial Bonds: partnerships formed through shared hardship
• Rite of Four Strikes: a ceremonial duel testing precision and control
• Path Journals: personal records of challenges overcome and lessons learned

Failure is not shameful—but refusing to rise after failure is.

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Wanderers by Nature

Few Xel’vani remain in one place for long. They are natural travelers, leaving their communities to seek new trials in distant lands. Many become adventurers not for glory or wealth, but because the world itself is the greatest proving ground.

A Xel’vani who has seen too little of the world is often viewed as unfinished.

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Relations with Other Peoples

Other races often misunderstand the Xel’vani’s relentless drive.

• Some see them as disciplined warriors or enlightened seekers
• Others view them as restless, never satisfied, or dangerously intense

Xel’vani, in turn, judge others not by morality, but by effort. They respect those who strive to improve—regardless of alignment—and dismiss those who settle into comfort.

Xel’vani Traits

The Xel’vani embody the balance of divine discipline and demonic ambition, shaped by a pact that forged your kind as seekers of constant growth, you gain the following traits

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 1, and your Dexterity score increases by 1.

Age

Xel’vani age like humans until maturity, but live much longer lives. They are considered young until they reach the age of 50 and live until they're around 400 years old.

Size

Xel’vani are taller than most, standing around 7 feet tall. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Omnidexterous

As a Xel’vani you have a pair of extra arms that can be used in multiple ways.

While in combat:

• When you wield a weapon with the versatile property, you gain the benefit of wielding it as a two-handed weapon and can wear a shield and/or a weapon with the light property in you other two hands.
• You gain advantage on grapple checks and rolls to end the grappled or restrained conditions on yourself.
• You are able to use somatic spells while wielding weapons or a shield as long as long as two of your hands are free.
• At 3rd, level you gain the ability to make a secondary action or bonus action but these must be things you can do with your other hands.
• At 5th, level you gain the ability to make a second reaction.
• At 12th, level you can make both a secondary action and bonus action instead of just one.

While outside of combat:

• Advantage on climbing checks when using all 4 arms to climb.
• Advantage on sleight of hand checks (having more hands makes it harder for observers to keep track of them all).
• Your carry capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift is doubled.
• At 3rd level, you gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed.
• At 5th level, you gain the ability to hang upside-down along ceilings as long as two of your hands are free, leaving your other hands free to act normally.

Xel’vani Weapon Training

You gain proficiency with Scimitars.

Abyssal Body

You have resistance to poison damage and have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Celestial, Common, and Infernal. Additionally you can speak 1 other language of your choice.