Homebrew Arcanaborn Species Details

It held the orb in its hand, as a human would hold a skull, and it pondered to itself whether it should be feeling emotion or not. The smoke within its glassy skin made a violent gust within and headed for the spellbook, glowing in the creature’s torso. Of all the floating symbols floating inside, I swear I did not see one religious. Rather, mathematical and arcane etchings floated on scraps of paper, eerily visible through its glassy skin. I could have sworn it shed a tear, don’t ask me how, but it seemed distressed.

— Grapules, The Northwind Highlanders

 

Created by Wizards, as their name proclaims, the arcanaborn walk proudly through a world that greets them with misunderstanding. Shaped by wizards in training, arcanaborn were originally evoked from spellbooks and gained conscience to become a unique race, combining the best attributes of the spells they encapsulate and their new humanoid form. All Arcanaborn are descended from a spell school and thus have differing abilities. To punish the wizards for creating life without their permission, the Gods now eternally torture them in the heavens, and thus the vengeful plight of the new race was written.

The Words which bind us

Arcanaborn maintain a glasslike humanoid shape but their internal features are often misty and flowing. Around their feet is a glowing sigil of some kind, often rotating as they walk, which can be disabled if they wish for it to. Runes tend to crawl over their glassy skin like insects, as symbols float within their misty masses and a writhing spellbook glows within them. The first arcanaborn had mists of vibrant hues matching the colors of their arcane origin, but generations of experimenting have created a more uniform appearance. Their thick smoggy mists are usually grey with flecks of colour, sometimes ranging to crimson, cyan, gold, or neon-green. They are tall but meakly built, often standing close to 6½ feet tall and weighing 100 pounds or less. Their hands and feet are humanoid, with glassy toes and fingers with a swirling arcane mist withing that flushes to where their muscles would be if they were humanoid when exercised. Arcanaborn tend to enjoy writing and poetry, and learn of the world with childish curiosity.

Divine hatred

The Arcanaborn suffer the life they have been given for one reason, to spite the gods. They must avenge their masters at all costs, and usually see clerics or paladins as evil. Otherwise they tend to be quite docile and childlike. Arcanaborn tend to inherit the traits of the person that summons them, as blood is needed to write the spell for their creation. This allows for them to be sorcerers and gain other traits through blood transfusion, such as lycanthropy. Someday the Arcanaborn hope to amass enough numbers to destroy the pantheon that tortures their creators, but many other races see this as a silly goal to have.

Arcanaborn Names

Arcanaborn have personal names given at birth, but they put the name of the one who cast them first as they know no other names. Arcanaborn have so sense of gender and so their names are neuter.

Male/female names:
Abi-Dalzim, Agannazar, Azuth, Ballant, Bigby, Dariastren, Drawmij, Drenal, Eilistraee, Ela, Elminster, Evard, Fantar, Fistandantilus, Halaster, Horizikaul, Hornung, Iggwilv, Tasha, Jonstal, Kaupaer, Keraptis, Khelben, Kord, Laeral, Leomund, Macho, Maximillian, Melf.

Arcanaborn Traits

Your arcane heritage manifests in a variety of traits you share with other arcanaborn.

Magical possession

You can possess an arcane focus if you succeed an intelligence 15 check, choosing the spells a spellcaster casts. When the spellcaster attempts to cast a spell, as a reaction while you are possessing the foci, you can swap the spell they cast with one of your own. You cannot change the target or direction of the spell and it uses YOUR spell slots. Every turn you wish to continue possession you must make another intelligence 15 check.

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

Arcanaborn are conjured, and may live naturally forever, without ageing, the eldest is 30, who knows how old they can age?

Alignment

Arcanaborn tend to neutrality, but most tend to share the alignment of their creator.

Size

Arcanaborn vary in size and weight, but most are between 4ft and 7ft tall, and weigh 160lbs on average. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Spellbourne Ancestry

You have magical ancestry. Choose one type of spell school from the table, giving you access to a first level spell. You can cast this spell as a cantrip BUT you must do (1d8 – your constitution modifier) damage to yourself every time you cast it.

Magical Ancestry

SPELL school	Spell
Abjuration	Shield
Conjuration	Unseen servant
Divination	Identify
Enchantment	Charm person
Evocation	Magic missile
Illusion	Disguise self
Necromancy	False life
Transmutation	Feather fall

Dispellation

You cannot enter antimagic fields and are incapacitated when dispel magic is cast on you

Languages

You can only communicate telepathically.