Homebrew Cosmic Dragonborn Species Details

"I saws it, with me own eyes, streakin' across the skies like one of them shootin' stars. It landed in the field over from mine, which had a goblin problem, y'see. I saws a bright light in the next field over, then when I wents to look the next  day, all I saw was a buncha goblin skeletons and fried stick 'n' stone weapons. That was when I saws something that would make yer' head explode. 'Twas like one of yer' standard dragonfolk, but made entirely of the stars and other bright things you see at night. It looked at me, somehow gave me a smile, and took off again in a burst of light that made me go blind for 3 days. I'm tellin' ya. There's stuff livin' above us that we could never understand."

- Kaeki, the mad.

Dragons. Amongst their own kind they are considered the peak of what life has to offer us, and that may have some merit. Whatever plane of existence you preside or explore in, you'll find dragons dominating in one way or another. Be it the ongoing war between chromatic and metallic dragons on the material plane, the mithral-coated dragons battling Astral Titans in that realm between realms or the gem coated dragons with their strange psionic powers. Dragons dominate all places. It may please the more vain amongst dragonkind that they have existed since the dawn of time, dragons that fly in the darkness of space, that have been putting light into the void since time immemorial. The cosmic dragonborn are the perplexing result of these star-forging beasts having progeny.

From Beyond the Stars

Cosmic dragonborn are more than unique amongst their more base cousins. Blessed with a mind and a body spawned from ancient beings made from the fabric of the cosmos itself. They are not as physically powerful as their base counterparts, due to having less need than their other counterparts for brute force. They instead have brilliant intellects and those that dwell among mortals are often some of the greatest wizards for miles around. They also have a brilliant way with words, having spent immeasurably long amounts of time both charming and intimidating potential attackers. 

 

An Unsolvable Enigma

There is little to no explanation as to why cosmic dragonborn exist, and many even doubt they do exist. Their creators have no reason to reproduce, as from what little research there is on these star-forging beings, they are immortal. There are many theories on why cosmic dragonborn exist. Perhaps some unspeakable being from the cosmos cause one of their ancestors to bleed, causing a dragon's egg to be infused with energy from space beyond anyone's understanding. Perhaps these children of the cosmos can polymorph into humanoids, much like dragons on earth can, and these beings are the result of a love affair between celestial and mortal. Whatever the reason, cosmic dragonborn are among us now, and they have formidable prowess with our arcane arts.

Cosmic Dragonborn Names

Due to their rarity and tendency to sojourn, there is no recorded pattern with cosmic dragonborn names. Some have exotic names not tied to any known culture in our realms, some have names from base draconic clans, other have names akin to that of a dwarf or elf. It seems a cosmic dragonborn's name is a very personal one, tied to the culture they grow up in.

Cosmic Dragonborn Traits

Your background gives you traits similar to other dragonborn, with a twist from your cosmic heritage.

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma or Intelligence score increases by 2, and your constitution score increases by 1.

Age

The ageing patterns of a cosmic dragonborn are unknown, but it is assumed they inherit their ancestors endless lifespans to some degree. Cosmic dragonborn raised by other cultures have been observed to mature at the same rate of a base dragonborn. 

Alignment

Cosmic dragonborn are very unique in their alignment from individual to individual, but there are some broad patterns when it comes to alignment. Due to their celestial nature, they tend to be arrogant creatures, believing themselves above mortals. These dragonborn tend to be lawful neutral, though their vanity can lead them down the path of evil as they think so little of people that they can cause harm to others. Some others move beyond their arrogance as they immerse themselves in mortal culture, becoming paragons of virtue as they are inclined to help those less powerful than them. These dragonborn can be any good alignment, depending on how they were raised.

Size

Despite the literal galaxy sized parentage, cosmic dragonborn are not much larger than their base cousins, averaging around 7 feet tall. Being made of starlight makes them quite dense, however, weighing around 450lbs.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Born from the Stars

You have resistance to radiant damage and you do not need to breathe. You lack a traditional breath weapon, instead using a miniature version of your ancestor's star forging ability to perform wondrous feats of brilliance in battle. As an action, you can perform one of the following.

• Starfire Pulse - You launch a pulse of cosmic energy from your mouth, all enemies in a 5 by 30 ft. line  must make a dexterity saving throw or take 2d6 radiant damage, taking half as much on a success.
• Touch of Brilliance - You forge a tiny mote of starlight in your hand and throw it at a point within 30 feet of you. Each creature within a 20 foot radius of that point must make a constitution saving throw or take 2d6 radiant damage, taking half as much on a success.

The DC for these saving throws equals 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus. The radiant damage increases to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level.

You can use one of these options every short or long rest.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Celestial and Draconic. Draconic is thought to be one of the oldest languages and is often used in the study of magic. The language sounds harsh to most other creatures and includes numerous hard consonants and sibilants.