Homebrew Foreclaimer Species Details

Foreclaimer Race

Foreclaimers are something of a mystery, as

their civilization disappeared suddenly more than

2,000 years ago. What little is known of them

has been gleaned from the ruins and artifacts of

their once-expansive empire and from surviving

lore and legends. The sudden reappearance of a

Foreclaimer would certainly cause great interest

and upheaval in the world of Ambria.

A Superior Body

Foreclaimers are distantly related to elves,

specifically Drow, and share similar features such

as pointed ears, slender physiques, and long

lifespans. However, they were taller than their

ancestors and typically stood at six to seven feet

tall. Their skin was light gray, and their hair colors

were varied pastel hues such as earthy greens, soft

blues, and muted reds.

Where they diverged significantly from elves

was in their use of technology. Foreclaimers

advanced well beyond their natural abilities

through extensive technological modification

called “augmentation.” Some researchers have

recently attributed the

Forelaimers’ acceptance

of radical physiological

changes to meddling by

the Seraphim Stella,

but the exact truth is

lost to the ages.

Ruthless

Researchers

Foreclaimers reached adulthood at the early

age of 20, and while an unaugmented Foreclaimer

could live to around 700 years old, an augmented

Foreclaimer could live up to 1,400 years. With

such an unnaturally long lifespan, they saw

events in the world differently and were able to

accumulate huge amounts of knowledge and

wisdom. Events like global catastrophes didn’t

trouble them but were instead seen as important

research opportunities. Foreclaimers would stop

at nothing to further the goal of their society: the

efficient pursuit of becoming the ultimate, perfect

form of life.

This endless pursuit of knowledge and

efficiency was the principle underlying

Foreclaimer society. They were ruthlessly curious

about the world, gathering knowledge about all of

its aspects and researching how to improve upon

them. The concept of efficiency was an obsession

to them, and this ideal guided them in every

task they undertook. People who encountered

Foreclaimers would’ve done well to flee, lest they

be captured and taken for further study or killed

if seen as a threat. There was a key distinction that

set Foreclaimers apart from other races in Ambria:

they did not possess empathy, lacking the ability

to understand or connect with the emotions of

another being. In fact, they saw the concept of

empathy as a flaw, an undesirable defect that

stifled growth.

It is unclear how the otherwise brilliant

Foreclaimers began to see empathy as a flaw.

Still, the consequences of this thinking was

clear in how they behaved. Foreclaimers

acted without mercy, as they did not value

lives in the same way as other races. This

led Foreclaimers to dull their own

ability to feel emotions further as

part of their self-experimentation,

making them exceptionally brutal and

remorseless in their interactions with

others as well as with their own kind.

3Conquerors

of the Jungle

Even at the height of its power, Foreclaimer

society remained mostly contained to a single

megacity called Soladin, which spanned the

entirety of the Bellowing Wilds during its

estimated 3,000 year reign. Their advanced

weapons and technology established them as the

apex predators of this jungle region and scared

off even the most imposing opponents. They did

not trade with other nations nor use their own

currency. Resources were distributed as needed

among the Foreclaimer citizens. Foreclaimers

provided superb care for their citizens, so long as

it did not cause a strain on resources. Outliers,

inefficient individuals, and those incapable of

contributing were exiled and left to die in the

harsh jungle on the outskirts of Soladin.

Foreclaimer society adhered to a strict

collective approach, using what they considered

a simple hierarchy. For the sake of efficiency,

they had an Emperor, although the position was

based on intelligence and expertise rather than a

bloodline. Once a Foreclaimer reached adulthood,

they had a profession assigned to them based on

their interests and aptitudes. They worked within

that profession for their entire lives, barring

unexpected obsolescence. During the twilight

years of their life, elder Foreclaimers assisted in

educating the next generation. Most Foreclaimers

chose to receive an augmentation associated with

their profession in addition to their power crystal,

which allowed them to contribute to their society

at peak efficiency.

Powerful

Augmentations

Power crystals, which store sunlight

as magical energy, were a vital element of

Foreclaimer society. For centuries the crystals

powered early Foreclaimer machines. After

considerable research and experimentation,

Foreclaimers determined that the crystals could

also power their bodies. In order to avoid adverse

effects, it was determined that augmentation

would only occur once an individual reached

adulthood. At that time, a socket for power

crystals was surgically inserted into a Foreclaimer’s

stomach, completely replacing their natural

metabolism. The use of power crystals eliminated

the Foreclaimer’s need to sleep, eat, or drink and

dramatically slowed the aging process. This new

metabolic process also maintained the body’s

fat and muscle masses at optimal levels for daily

tasks, which could be adjusted as needed.

A single power crystal could power a

Foreclaimer for up to 50 years, at which point

it would need to be replaced. The crystals could

be removed with relative ease, which could

unfortunately be abused by enemies. Once

augmented with power crystals, a Foreclaimer

relied on them for the rest of their life. During

the first hour without a crystal, a Foreclaimer

suffered terrible fatigue and stomach pains. If

unpowered for more than a day, a Foreclaimer

would lose all benefits the power crystal granted

them: they would once again need to sleep

and consume food and would experience

an accelerated aging process. To avoid such

repercussions, Foreclaimers replaced their crystals

as quickly as possible.

The longer a Foreclaimer relied on power

crystals, the worse the effects of going without

one became. If a Foreclaimer who had been

augmented with a power crystal for more than

500 years became unpowered for more than a

year, their bodies declined rapidly, significantly

weakening them. In addition, their remaining

lifespan would be reduced to a mere 100 years,

at most, whether they were re-powered or not.

Foreclaimers considered these potential downsides

an acceptable trade-off, as their power crystal

supplies were abundant.

During the power crystal augmentation

process, Foreclaimers could also choose to have

their bodies modified in one additional way.

These additional modifications normally had

to do with their assigned specializations, such

as extra strength for miners or greater speed for

scouts. Despite the remarkable changes their

bodies underwent, Foreclaimers were unable to

sustain more than one additional augmentation in

addition to their original power crystal receptacle.

Foreclaimer Traits

Foreclaimers have a plethora of abilities, some of which evolved over many years, while others are artificial augmentations they add to their bodies.

Ability score increase

Your Dexterity, Intelligence, and Wisdom scores each

increase by 1.

Alignment

Foreclaimers typically do not

possess empathy and, as such, tend toward neutral

and evil alignments.

 

Age

You reach adulthood at the age of 20

and can live up to 1,400 years if augmented

and powered by power crystals. Unaugmented

Foreclaimers have a lifespan of around 700 years.

Size

Foreclaimers are taller than their elven

ancestors, standing between 6 and 7 feet tall with

a near-perfect physique. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet

Lack of empathy

You have disadvantage on

all Deception, Insight and Persuasion checks.

Observant

You gain proficiency in the 
Investigation and Perception skills.

Efficient metabolism

You are sustained by your power crystal and do

not require food or drink. You are also unable to

sleep, do not require it to rest, and cannot be put

to sleep by magic. To benefit from a long rest, you

must spend at least four hours not moving and

doing only light activities. You remain conscious

and aware of your surroundings during this time.

You can also benefit from a short rest in half the

time typically required.

Stella’s blessing

You can cast light at will, using Intelligence

as your spellcasting ability. Once you cast

the spell, you can’t cast it again via this

trait until you finish a short or long

rest.

Language

You can speak, read, and write

Common and Stelkin. Stelkin was the ancient

language of Foreclaimers, derived long ago from

Elvish. It was a language of harsh precision, with

sharp tones and faster pacing. Outsiders who

wished to master it needed to learn an entirely

new breathing technique, as Foreclaimers avoided

taking any unnecessary breaths while speaking.

Augmentation

Adult Foreclaimers may

choose to take a single augmentation to assist

them in completing their projects more efficiently.

1. You add your Proficiency Bonus to your Initiative rolls.

2. Your base walking speed increases by 5 feet and you ignore difficult terrain movement penalties.

3. You gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet.

4. You gain a climbing speed of 20 feet.

5. You can breathe air and water.

6. Your Strength score increases by 1 up to a maximum of 20.

7. You are able to ignore the sensation of pain and your sense of touch is numbed. You gain a +1 bonus to your Armor Class.

8. You gain proficiency in Dexterity saving throws and are not easily surprised in combat.

9. You gain resistance to fire damage.

10. You become immune to diseases and the poisoned condition. Your blood is toxic, and any creature who consumes it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 hour. (The DC for this saving throw equals 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus.)