Homebrew Diascift Species Details

“Stare deep into the world before you as if it were the void: innumerable holy ghosts, buddhies, and savior gods there hide, smiling. All the atoms emitting light inside wavehood, there is no personal separation of any of it. A hummingbird can come into a house and a hawk will not: so rest and be assured. While looking for the light, you may suddenly be devoured by the darkness and find the true light.”

-Jack Kerouac

 

 

 

Rare, beautiful, fleeting, and mysterious; the Diascift exist as beings trapped between their mortal coil and as listless spirits. It's not fully known how the Diascift came into being, some believe it's a curse, others believe it more natural, and the most common belief is that they are natives to the ethereal plane that have found a way to become mortal. Whatever the case may be, the Diascift are found here and have strange quirks that put them in an unusual place in the world. Biologically speaking the Diascift share many physical traits with humans and a few other humanoid races, but it's not their actual physical traits that make them different, but rather lack of certain traits. Diascift, no matter their build, have a shockingly low weight averaging from 30 lbs for the more petite and 100lbs for bulkier Diascift. Diascift as well don't seem to be wholly material, their bodies at times seem slightly translucent, and even when they interact with objects, their flesh sinks slightly into whatever they touch before they get a solid grip. Other oddities of the Diascift is their almost cloudy eyes which flicker with an other worldly essence, and how some of their hair seem to almost be drifting and floating as if submerged in water. 

Diascift culture is scattered and they have no large community to call their own. The largest known group of Diascift is in a section in the city of Cressence found in Atellim. With no larger community, Diascift often adopt the culture of whomever is the majority people of where they live. Living near a human city or town, they adopt their way of life, same for Elven cities, Dwarven towns, and all other civilized races. Despite their adoption of other races cultures, the Diascift are often seen by other peoples as cursed specters or wandering spirits, usually getting uneasy looks and superstitious rumors about them. Many of their social problems tend to stem from the Diascift's unique perspective on the world. Often the Diascift have trouble discerning the mortal plane from the ethereal plane, making certain social nuisances a bit difficult for Diascift to understand. Such as the distinction between someone who is alive and well should be treated very different from someone who may have passed. It also doesn't help if the Diascift tread on some people's feelings about their deceased loved ones who may still be with them as a spirit that the Diascift is in contact with right there. Even still a direct line to help some troubled souls rest easy is something that people can rely on a Diascift to help them with. The Diascift may wander the world aimlessly with no true home to call their own, but when they do find a place to call their own, a Diascift will reliably be there time and time again to lend a partially intangible hand.

Diascift Traits

Your Diascift character gets the following traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma score increases by 2, and your Intelligence score increases by 1

Age

Diascifts mature at the same rate as humans and typically live more than a century, with rare exceptions of longer lived Diascift.

Alignment

Many Diascift have no true tendency towards good or evil, order or chaos. The live like true lost souls and have no definite view on the world so they tend towards neutral.

Size

Your size is medium. Diascift look physically similar to humans, the major difference is that their weight is generally low, even for the Diascift that appear overweight.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Ethereal Vision

The line between the material and ethereal is blurred for you. Unable to distinguish from the two you can see that which is not normally perceptible to many people. You have Truesight up to 10 ft and can see into the ethereal plane as a result.

Ethereal Jaunt

Using your connection to the ethereal plane you can as a bonus action; briefly leap in to the ethereal plane and move normally. At the end of your next turn you come back to the plane of existence you're on in the nearest unoccupied space. If no unoccupied space is available within that range, you appear in the nearest unoccupied space (chosen at random if more than one space is equally near). This ability fails if you are already on the ethereal plane.

While on the Ethereal Plane, you can see and hear the plane you originated from, which is cast in Shades of Gray, and you can't see anything more than 60 feet away. You can only affect and be affected by other creatures on the Ethereal Plane. Creature that aren't there can't perceive you or interact with you, unless they have the ability to do so.

 

You regain the use of this ability after a long rest.

Incorporeal Dodge

Your body is not wholly physical and you can control your ghostly qualities to, when an enemy makes an attack roll against you; as a reaction you can dissociate partially and gain resistance to all damage (except psychic and force) until the beginning of your next turn.

 

You regain your use of this ability after a long rest.

Hard to Posses

Your spirit and body are almost one in the same, thus whenever a creature forces you to make a Charisma saving throw, you have advantage on the roll.