Homebrew Duskscale Species Details

The Tale of the Good Shadow Dragon. 

Fleeing from dark elves who wanted to subjugate her Glimora the shadow dragon climbed higher and higher through the winding tunnels of the underdark. She was wounded from trying to fight them when they invaded her lair after she had refused to join with them. She believed she had lost the drow that hunted her and doubted they would follow her this far. Glimora transformed herself into a dwarf noticing that these tunnels looked carved and recently. She heard mining in the distance and followed it hoping to get help for her wounds. 

Limping toward the sounds of mining, Glimora planned to hide among them till she healed and then simply go on her way to find a new lair away from the world.

The dwarves saw her and rushed over concerned and Glimora warned them of a drow party that had wiped out her mining group.

Then the drow attacked.

The dwarves formed ranks knowing they were in the underdark they were prepared for an attack. The drow though, were a hunting party prepared to kill a dragon. Demons were summoned and the dwarves were falling to the poison arrows of the drow. Glimora had never really cared much for dwarves or any race really she just wanted to stay out of such petty things. These dwarves had helped her though, she had brought the drow on them.

Glimora began to change and grow returning to her shadow dragon form. She leaped onto the demon and her teeth and shadowy breath rent it apart. The drow had not realized a shadow dragon would hide among dwarves of all people and they scattered before her. 

As the drow fled Glimora turned to the dwarves who maintained ranks as they faced what they thought was a very evil dragon. Glimora sighed and lay down still wounded from being hunted and from fighting the demon. She looked at them and told them she had no desire to fight them and simply wanted left alone. 

One Dwarf came forward, Karso Duskbeard was his name and he was a mighty Paladin. Seeing that this strange dark dragon was truly not evil he offered Glimora a spot with his small clan. The Duskbeard clan were great risk takers, there delves went deeper then any other clan. They had a stronghold and Glimora joined them happy to sit and guard their treasure in exchange for peace.

Karso and Glimora spent much time together and thus the Duskscale were born.

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Appearance

Glimmering black scales cover most of the duskscale. They tend to be close to human size but much stouter due to the dwarven heritage. They have a short tail that they can move stiffly. To their delight and to the delight of their dwarven allies they retained the ability to grow the beards that dwarves are famous for. Duskscale take great pride in their beards.

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Dwarven Pride

 While they are clearly a very different race most, duskscale still look toward their dwarven allies as brothers and look at themselves as still very dwarven. They respect the traditions of their clans, tracing their ancestry back to the founding of their most ancient strongholds in the youth of the world, and don’t abandon those traditions lightly. Part of those traditions is devotion to the gods of the dwarves, who uphold the dwarven ideals of industrious labor, skill in battle, and devotion to the forge.

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Duskscale Traits

Your duskscale character has an assortment of inborn abilities, part and parcel of duskscale nature.

Duskscale Resilience

Your shadow dragon heritage gives you resistance against necrotic damage.

Breath Weapon

You can use your action to exhale destructive energy. As a duskscale you deal necrotic damage in a 15 foot cone requiring a constitution saving throw.

When you use your breath weapon, each creature in the area of the exhalation must make a saving throw. The DC for this saving throw equals 8 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus. A creature takes 2d6 damage on a failed save, and half as much damage on a successful one. The damage increases to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level.

After you use your breath weapon, you can’t use it again until you complete a short or long rest.

Scaly hide

Your tough scaly skin gives you increased defense AC +1

Draining Bite

Using your action you can bite onto an enemy within 5 feet of you this counts as a grapple and the enemy can make a strength saving throw to not be bitten.

Bite deals 1d4+strength damage and heals you for half the damage rounded up.

Ability Score Increase

Your strength score increases by 2, constitution score increases by 1 and charisma increases by 1.

Age

Duskscale mature much slower then humans, They are not considered an adult until they reach 100. On average, they live about 500 years.

Alignment

Most Duskscales are Neutral, mostly wanting to be left out of conflicts . They tend toward good though, with a strong sense of fair play and a belief that everyone deserves to be left alone if they want to be. They are very loyal to their allies and attacking a fellow duskscale will result in the might of all the duskscales defending them.

Size

Duskscale stand between 5 and 6 feet tall and average about 150-250 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

Accustomed to life underground, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Tool Proficiency

Being closely allied with dwarves you have been raised and trained to take pride in your crafting.

You gain proficiency with the artisan’s tools of your choice: smith’s tools, mason’s tools or jeweler’s tools 

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Draconic and Dwarvish.