Homebrew Wanderer Species Details

Bronze and aluminum blades at the ready and torches raised high above their heads, tonight's guards rotate through wary watches while the others get a chance to sleep. Some have eyes decorated with a frighteningly beautiful bioluminescence; others parse through their thoughts in a language known to none but themselves.

Though they were once known as great, wanderers are simply the wind-scattered dust of a people whose legacy has nearly faded back into the soil from which it rose. Only old gods— or what remains of them— might know the true depth of the wanderers' enigmatic history.

Eyes of the Watch

Wanderers' eyes are two or three decreasing shades of darkness whose only light comes from a pale glint or seldom-shown sclera. A little less than 1 in 5 wanderers have a pattern of faintly bioluminescent lines or dots around their eyes which can be turned on and off at will.

Among wanderers, eyes are the hallmark of beauty. Many believe that looking into a person's eyes can reveal anything from the crimes they've committed to getting a summary of their physical wellbeing. Likewise, a person who covers or obscures their eyes is to immediately be treated as untrustworthy. Blindness, whether the result of a natural defect or an injury in life, is a highly controversial topic. Some equate the ability to see with the ability to live, while others see blindness more as a rare handicap that can be circumvented with outside assistance. Whether or not the blind's eyes should be covered is also something of debate that can vary from caravan to caravan and even from family to family.

Appearance and Age

Wanderers are tall, lanky humanoids with long arms whose palms rest near their knees when in a casual stance. Wanderers' skin come in many shades of pale and light blue and their hair is typically curly and white or gray, much like the wool of sheep, if substantially less efficient at keeping themselves warm and only growing in any notable volume on top of the head and near their nethers.

Interestingly enough, these elusive people don't physically age past adulthood in the least; neither do they grow larger nor their bodies regenerate (apart from teeth, which return over the course of years). The only effect that time seems to truly have on them is psychological, and even then, a life well-suited to an individual’s personality will preserve them ever longer.

To Let Us Live

It is an unfortunate fact of life that many societies turn away or unfairly devalue the blue-skinned folk. The species gets their name from their typically nomadic lifestyle, where they travel both nations and continents alongside trusted pack animals, making much of their living from the land and trading with the settled-down peoples accepting enough make honest attempts at interaction.

Less commonly individual wanderers or small groups might manage to slip into agrarian societies for a couple of generations at a time, often at the trade of some rare knowledge or technique passed down by old oral traditions. Whether or not those people or their children stay is ultimately the decision of the powers that let them be there in the first place; if wanderers come to suspect their safety or freedom are in danger, they are quick and well-reasoned to leave.

The penultimate desire of wanderers is to be able to exist in peace; their days of glory are long over, and the species at large has come to accept that, even if the reason for their fame has been lost to history. Even comparing themselves to humans, wanderers' minds and modes of thinking are diverse and eclectic. What some species might deem strange and problematic psychological conditions are daily happenings and simple nature to wanderers. Nearly all communities are welcoming and supportive of all manner of psychological and social quirks; it can be assumed that any wanderer who has lived among others of their people has at least a basic grasp of how to deal with mental duress and any psychological trouble, though some are certainly better than others at it. 

Wanderer Traits

Possibly the very bodies of the blue-skinned folk can grant insight into who they once were.

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

Wanderers become complete adults in their late teens to early twenties and can physically live forever, but the minds of many begin to decay after 300 years.

Darkvision

You can see in dim light within 30 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. Your darkvision is unusual; instead of seeing shades of gray in darkness, you instead see in a sepia tone. You cannot make out colours in darkness.

Deft Footed

Ending the Prone condition only takes 10 ft of your movement.

Eldritch Mind

You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.

Eyes of the Watch

You may see in magical darkness as if it were dim light, but not bright light. If the magical darkness is not in contact with bright light, it must be inside the range of your darkvision for this feature to work.

Languages

You know Common, Celestial, and Primordial.

Faded Legends

You have proficiency in Arcana.

Live Forevermore

You do not physically age past adulthood, and any effect that would age you psychologically is one quarter as effective.

Size

Your size is medium. Most wanderers stand between 6 and a little over 7 feet tall and weigh around 190 lbs. To set your height and weight randomly, start with rolling a size modifier:

Size modifier = 2d8

Height = 5 feet + 10 inches + your size modifier in inches

Weight in pounds = 172 + (1d4 x your size modifier)

Speed

You have a base walking speed of 30 ft.