Homebrew Shardmind Species Details

Shardminds are sentient fragments of the Living Gate, which once stood at the pinnacle of the intricate lattice of the Astral Sea. Beyond that gate lay the alien Far Realm, and the gate's destruction during the Dawn War resulted in the rise of the mind flayer empire. Though the portal is closed, shardminds seek to rebuild the gate and forever cut off the Far Realm's ability to influence the world.

Shardminds are crystalline creatures consisting of hundreds of small shards of translucent green, white, red, or amber crystal assembled into humanoid form and animated by a force of pure psionic energy. Shardminds choose their forms to mimic the shapes of humanoids; some take on forms that seem more masculine, while others appear more feminine. A shardmind's animating force glows dimly from within each of its component shards, emanating most brightly from where the eyes of a natural humanoid would be. This inner light sheds dim light in a shardmind's space, but a shard mind individual can squelch the light with an instant's concentration-in order to hide in the dark, for example.

The crystalline fragments making up a shardmind's body are in constant, silent motion, almost like the circulation of blood. When a shardmind is stunned or unconscious, it might lose control of the tight mental reins that keep its body in humanoid form, a few shards slipping free into orbits around its body until the shardmind regains control.

Shard minds are living creatures only in the loosest sense. Their crystalline bodies require no sustenance, and they don't breathe. They don't need sleep, though they must still rest for six hours to gain the benefits of an extended rest. They don't have gender and don't reproduce, but the shardminds alive today aren't the same ones that sprang to life during the Dawn War. Shardminds say that the Living Gate shattered into countless fragments, and each time an awakened shardmind is killed, another one somewhere in the universe stirs to consciousness.

Shardminds are fragments of pure thought given life and substance. They are logical, emotionally distant, and naive to the ways of society in the world. Some approach life with innocent curiosity, eager to embrace the wealth of experiences the world has to offer, while others remain reserved and aloof, bearing a higher purpose in mind at all times. Though they often seem dispassionate, when a strong emotion seizes them, they experience it powerfully. For example, shardminds don’t get annoyed; they become enraged.

Although the race as a whole shares a common goal of rebuilding the Living Gate, several philosophies disagree on how to accomplish that goal. The three most important sects are the Thought Builders, the God Shards, and the Shard Slayers.

• Shardmind Characteristics: Detached, insightful, intellectual, logical, thoughtful, volatile
• Shardmind Names: Amata, Arshaka, Arwia, Balashi, Bashanu, Belessunu, Dipana, Erishti, Eshunu, Hunzu, Iltani, Ishmea, Kuaya, Kubaba, Kuri, Manishtu, Naram, Nuraya, Seluku, Tabni, Ubashu, Utua, Zakiti.

 

Shardmind Traits

Your shardmind character has the following traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Intelligence score increases by 2 and Wisdom score by 1. 

Age

A Shardmind is created fully mature, and does not age.

Alignment

fter spending so long tending their gardens and repairing The Gate, Shardminds are used to routine and order. A Shardmind is almost always Lawful.

Size

Size and shape is whatever the Shardmind desires, though it’s unlikely for them to be below 5 feet tall, and none have ever stood over 7 feet. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Living Construct

You were created to have remarkable fortitude, represented by the following benefits.

• You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned, and you have resistance to poison damage.
• You are immune to disease.
• You don’t need to eat, drink, or breathe.
• You don’t need to sleep and don’t suffer the effects of exhaustion due to lack of rest, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

Crystalline Mind

You have resistance to Psychic damage.

Telepathy

You can communicate telepathically with any creature that can understand language within 30 feet of you. The creature can understand you but can’t talk back.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Deep Speech.

Shard Swarm

As an action on your turn, you loosen your mental grip on your physical form, expanding your body into a swarm of whirling crystals filling a 20 foot sphere centered on you. Creatures you choose within the 20 foot sphere make attacks with disadvantage. You are unable to move in this form.  At the start of your next turn, you reform your body in any unoccupied space within 15 feet.  You can use this feature again after a long rest.