Homebrew Satori Species Details

Physical Description

Satori are for the most part human in appearance, though their most easily definable trait, and the most obvious physical difference that sets them apart from humans, is the presence of a disembodied eye that is covered with a thick skin, and is attached to their body with several long, thick, leathery-looking cords of the same kind of skin; this strange, thick skin, though referred to as skin, is actually very rarely, if ever, of a color one would identify with skin, instead sporting colors that would be more readily attributed to scales. This eye is known as their third eye and is apparently what allows them to read minds. A satori's third eye never blinks, and usually follows the gaze of the satori's other two eyes, though it may rarely be observed looking around seemingly of its own accord. Satori tend to be short compared to humans, and their hair and eye colors vary wildly.

History

Because satori have a preference to hide away and seclude themselves, nobody is entirely certain how or when they came to exist in the world. Even the satori of modern day don't seem to know the answer, but judging by a satori's lifespan, the fact that the story of their origin has been lost by the time the current generation of satori had come to be, it can be assumed they've been around for tens of thousands of years.

Society

Satori do not have much of a society. They prefer to seclude themselves away from bustling locales, in homes, they build for themselves on mountains or, less frequently, within caverns, because their mind reading is often viewed with extreme distaste, which they can know about even if such feelings aren't expressed aloud due to the very ability in question. However, they get along well with animals, which usually can't be understood by others, so they often have many pets. Satori also still need to eat like many creatures, so they will usually send one of their more intelligent pets to make purchases in a town in their stead; those rare unlucky satori who have no pets are forced to begrudgingly show their faces in public and make the purchases themselves.

Because satori rarely leave their homes, let alone enter public spaces, interactions with them are limited, which has led to many people to start spreading legends out of fear; they are spoken of as intelligent monsters that pry into the memories of lost travellers, using the travellers' own knowledge, experiences, and fears to undermine their victims' sanity. In more recent years, these legends have begun to accumulate some truth to them through a small number of documented encounters with satori, but it's the rude preconceptions that upset the satori in the first place and cause such hostilities. Despite this, satori seem to have started opening up to public interactions more little by little, albeit very slowly; it's possible they wish to dispel the rude rumours and show that they can be nice people and get along with like any other race.

 

Satori Names

Because satori tend to live out in seclusion, they usually use names from the most prominent languages of the local creatures found native to the area they build their home in. For example, a satori who lives in a forest might have a Sylvan name.

Satori Traits

A satori's gaze seems to pierce your heart; an almost judging glare that knows all your secrets, sins, and nightmares.

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

Satori mature rapidly, though they live incredibly long lives. A satori reaches adulthood in their early teens and can live for many thousands of years.

Alignment

Satori are usually more passive by nature, and as such tend most towards neutral alignments.

Size

Satori are shorter than humans on average, ranging from 4 to 5 feet in height. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Animal Understanding

You are proficient in the Animal Handling skill

Scrutiny

You are proficient in the Insight skill.

Third Eye

You can cast detect thoughts once per long rest

Telepathy

You can communicate with another creature within 30ft of you as long as you have a language in common.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and one extra language of your choice. Like humans, Satori typically learn the languages of other peoples they deal with, including obscure dialects. They are fond of sprinkling their speech with words borrowed from other tongues: Orc curses, Elvish musical expressions, Dwarvish military phrases, and so on.