Homebrew Emberlings Species Details

General

Emberlings are old, very old.

Thought to be a race created when the planets were young, out of magma, fire and stone. They call vulcanicly active islands their homes,  but their inquisitive and friendly nature often leads them to the adventuring live.

Despite being literally walking fires, emberlings "fires" are not hot to the touch. They can be understood more as hair, though emberlings themselve consider their fire to be their soul. An emberling that is close to death will see their flames get smaller and smaller until they are but embers glinting in their obsidian colored bodies and finally nothing but ash.

Living in small wandering communities there is rarely a large gathering of emberlings, much less states, cities or empires build by them. Content instead to be wanderers you will most likely find an emberling in the middle of no where adventuring for the fun of it.

Characteristics

Emberlings are functionaly immortal. Unless killed, they technicly live forever, however precisely every 200 years in their life, their bodies remake themselves.

In a violent outburst their Flames engulfe them, consuming their current body entirely and reducing them to ash, out of which a new body is quickly formed. During this process the emberling will forget the life they lived the past 200 years, forgetting most aspects of their personally and essencially, literally, emerging as a new person. However a fraction of the memories of their past incarnations still remains and can be consulted in ritual to reveal knowledge of past lifes in small bits. This may lead to an emberling remembering faces of old foes or allies despite not knowing them or even remembering events of ages long past with no context or prior exposure to such knowledge in their current incarnation. Other then this only the ancient knowledge of their race, such as their language, culture, heritage and basic knowledge needed for survival remains after a circle begins for the emberling. This means the emberling isn't uneducated like a newborn child after a new circle is started.

Emberlings are roughly as big as a normal human, though their flaming hair reaches a bit higher into the air.  They are generally of slender build, their body is unchanging in terms of build troughout their current circle. Any muscular training therefor doesnt change their appearance, but they still gain strength. This leads to the ocassional thief thinking they found easy prey just to receive the beating of their lifetime. Emberlings weigh more then humans since their bodies are essential made from obsidian looking stone.

Emberlings do not need to eat, but they can taste and enjoy eating just for that alone. Instead they require fuel, while this might take the shape of a meal, this might as well be a dry log, some hay or really anything that burns.

Water is disliked by emberlings. While they can swim, their flames being magical in nature hence not being extinguished, their bodies are a lot heavier then other humanoids, making swimming exhausting and a lot slower then other races.

Undeath for Emberlings

Despite not really being organic, emberlings can be turned undead. These creatures, called Ashlings, are created when emberling corpses get exposed to necroticfire, effectivly rekindeling their bodies. Ashling fires burn a dark purple instead of the fivid red, orange or yellow of an emberling. Unlike flesh based undeads, ashlings gain nothing by consuming other beings, their unnatural life may only be prolonged by burning things. This means even a few Ashlings might turn a once verdant forest into a dead burning wasteland within the span of a couple of days. Unlike natural fires, the ash left behind by ashlings does not make the ground more fertile and allow for new growth. The ground is instead permanently devoid of life unless cleansed.

Emberling names

Emberlings do not have different names for different genders. Their last name reflect the number of circles they have lived.

1st to 3rd circle: shan'ra

4th to 6th circle:  shan'eir

6th to 9th circle: shan'vur

10th circle and beyond: shan'dalur

(Of course you may change these last names to suit your setting and the linguistics of your world)

Emberlings Traits

Emberlings swim slowly, may start small fires as they please, do not require food (Instead opting for any kind of fuel) and get boni on Charisma and Wisdom.

Fire touched

By nature of your being a walking talking flame you may cast Continual Flame from the evocation school once per long rest. You do not have to learn the spell, nor do you need components to cast this. The flames drop out of your fingertipps onto the object or surface you wish.

 

 

Hot tempered

Friendly and inquisitive by nature Emberlings have a natural charm about them. This and their timeless view of the world make them a pleassure to have in any party and a well of knowledge for those who which to learn from them.

Emberlings therefor start with +2 Charisma and +1 Wisdom

 

Glowing beacon

Your body emits light constantly as if you were a walking campfire. You and allies in a 10 feet radius of you are considered to be in light at all times unless a wall or an object in the way is breaking the light. For an additional 5 feet light conditions are considered to be dim. Seeing that you are bright, you can not stealth in dark places unless turning completly invisible and even in bright conditions you have -2 on stealth.

All consuming

Emberlings do not require food, but they can taste and enjoy it. Instead they need to fuel themselfes with any burning material. This can be food, but might as well be any old piece of driftwood you may find. Alcohol has no effect on you, but chemical fires, with the exception of necrotic fires, make you drunk if consumed.

Burning body

Emberlings are naturally resistant to fire damage, be it natural or magical. Their natural heat allows them to burn opponent on tough as wel as start small fires if there is kindling or anything to hold the flame around.

While emberlings can not freeze, their natural body heat even melts a bit of ice or snow around them, cold environments makes them require more fuel to keep going or they risk exhaustion.

Unarmed attacks performed by an emberling deal 1d6 fire damage instead of the usual bludgeoning damage.

Recalling the past

Recalling the memories of your past incarnations you gain bits of knowledge that might be helpfull for you on your journeys.

Once per long rest you gain advantage on 1d4 non combat checks of your choosing. You may use these advantages even when you might have disadvantage otherwise. You loose all unspent advantages on your next long rest. You may not use this skill if you have used it on your previous long rest.

To heavy to float

Being heavier then most humanoids of the same size, you swim slowly due to heavier water resistance. Your swim speed is half of a humans.

Alignment

Emberlings are friendly but energetic,  inquisitive and preffer to be always doing something. They do not form states or empires and even laws are almost an unknown concept to them. They are therefore most often chaotic good.

Age

Emberlings do not need to mature as they are incarnated with the collective racial knowledge deeply engraved. They are functionally immortal, i.e. can't really die unless killed. Instead  they enter a new incarnation circle precicesly every 200 years, loosing their personality and body shape in a violent outburst of fire before almost instantly reforming as a new incarnation.