Homebrew Amal'Zun Species Details

Amal'zun are a spirited cousin race to the lizardfolk, similar in shape and size but with completely different coloration (ranging from orange to dark red or even black), disposition and preferred environment. Unlike the lizardfolk, who have a more limited range of emotions than other races, Amal'zun are empathetic, but also prone to emotional swings.

 

The Great Schism

In the late days of the Age of Storms, when the empires of the Elder races were crumbling, the cunning Sess'inek began to plot the rise to power that the lizardfolk people rightly deserved. He reached out to like-minded gods in the Maztican and Outcast pantheons and began to weave a dark alliance that would, in time, consolidate Akeyi under lizardfolk rule.

 

Cassiopeia, one of the Outcast deities, was approached by Sess'inek given her portfolio of Lore, Fate and Spiders, but in her wisdom she rejected his offer and instead prophesied to him that defeat would come to him wreathed in the chains of his own making. And in her cunning, Cassiopeia warned another fellow Outcast, Joramy, goddess of Fire, Emotion and Communication, of Sess'inek's plans, then sat back and allowed Fate to take its course.

 

Joramy had never favored the lizardfolk given their difficulty with emotion, but she despised this cold and calculating attempt to subdue others under a brutal regime of blood, and reached out to the lizardfolk people to give them a chance to escape their future before it was too late. Kiltzi, a Maztican deity of Love that wished to oppose the bloodthirsty plans of some of her fellow Mazticans, crafted an obsidian dagger and secretly gave it to Joramy so that she could sever any blood magic that attempted to hold back a lizardfolk that wished to renounce their previous gods.

 

The Crossing of the Blood Ocean

Joramy led a portion of the lizardfolk in Akeyi across the perilous Blood Ocean to the deserts of Indoria, where she felt her power was strongest. As a demigoddess, she could not do much for the lizardfolk, but she could manifest physically on certain special occasions, and she could grant them small boons as well.

 

These lizardfolk renounced the Draconic language of old and embraced Primordial instead. In that tongue they called themselves Amal'zun, "Those By Flames Reborn".

 

In Indoria, the Amal'zun chose the harshest places of the desert, those other races avoided, and prided themselves in their ability to survive it with only the fiery blessings of Joramy and their own relentless drive to thrive. Those blessings, while they allowed the Amal'zun to endure the heat and dryness and gave them control over flames and mirages, also fueled their ability to feel emotions, pushing them to the other side.

 

Where lizardfolk kill because they must, consume what they kill with little to no taboo and make use of bones and leather with great practicality, Amal'zun have markedly different approaches. Some tribes avoid killing save in self-defense and have a diet that is heavy on hardy desert plants, supplemented by the flesh of dangerous monsters that they hunt because they present a danger to themselves and other races. These Amal'zun refuse to kill harmless animals, especially taking care not to harm herbivores, and are known for taming the wild beasts of the desert to serve as pets and mounts.

 

Other Amal'zun, instead, are fueled by pride and arrogance, and believe that survival in such a harsh land belongs to those who deserve it. These tribes are known for raiding and granting "final mercy" to those they perceive as weak and undeserving of the resources they've gathered. Conflict between tribes of Amal'zun is common, as well as with other races, and while it does not always boil over into violence, it's definitely not unheard of.

 

The Flames Within

Amal'zun are very devoted people, and Joramy, despite her low power compared to most other deities, has thrived thanks to their worship. Every Amal'zun undergoes a ritual when they reach maturity that awakens their ability to Enfire. This is known as "flamedrinking" and is administered by a priest of Joramy by means of a chalice with a flaming concoction that the young Amal'zun must drink and trust that it shall not burn them. It is believed that this was their first ritual upon reaching Indoria, the origin of their name, and the means by which Joramy granted them their first boon.

 

Amal'zun are divided into two castes, which become apparent after the ritual of flamedrinking. When an Amal'zun drinks the flames and they find fuel in the Amal'zun's soul, they ignite on a spiritual level, turning them into a Flameborn. Flameborn do not receive any major physical changes, but their eyes lose their iris and pupil and become a uniform orange. When they Enfire or cast spells, their eyes glow in orange or red for the duration. Flameborn, being more in tune with the primal fire, tend to be priests, leaders, teachers and healers, as well as those who tend to the tamed animals, if they have any, and the precarious farms and gardens they can maintain in the desert.

 

When an Amal'zun drinks the flames and they find fuel in the Amal'zun's body, they create a number of physical changes, turning them into a Hardskin. Hardskins grow slightly taller and bulkier, and their scales harden to the touch and darken a few shades. When they Enfire, the space between the scales of Hardskin Amal'zun lightens and glows very faintly, as if lit from within. Hardskin, being better at physical labor, tend to be warriors, workers, builders and those who perform the physical tasks needed by the tribe. They are also the ones that watch over children and the elderly, as they are the most suited to defend them.

 

The Grand Return

After Joramy took a portion of the lizardfolk to Indoria, Sess'inek's plans took a setback of several hundred years, but he persevered nonetheless, and during the Age of Power, the Federation of Serasza coalesced as Sess'inek's dark alliance incorporated the ambivalent gods and overcame the opposition of the others. This lasted for a great part of the age, before their slaves rose up to overthrow their tyrants. It was then that Sess'inek remembered Cassiopeia's prophecy and realized she had known all along that his plans would reap nothing but catastrophe.

 

Kiltzi, once the pantheons fell into chaos after the fall of Serasza, called for Joramy's aid to restore order and prevent more death in Akeyi. Joramy, honoring her debt to Kiltzi, waited until she was able to manifest to the Amal'zun on one of their sacred holidays, and asked for volunteers to return to their ancient homeland. While most Amal'zun were ready to give their lives for their deity, she only took half of the population and guarded their second voyage across the Blood Ocean, even using Kiltzi's obsidian dagger to personally slay a leviathan sent by a vengeful Sess'inek.

 

When the Amal'zun returned to Akeyi, there was an unprecedented culture clash that, at the start, added even more chaos and disorder to the continent. To the lizardfolk, the Amal'zun were thoroughly alien, and viceversa. However, as time went on, the Amal'zun proved themselves a force of order and stability in a continent that had been torn by blood and sacrifice, and they remain there to this day.

 

Amal'zun Names

An Amal'zun chooses their name as part of their preparation for their flamedrinking ritual. While they are children, Amal'zun are called by terms of endearment, or by the Primordial equivalent of "kid". Once they commence the ritual, the priest asks the Amal'zun "What is your name?" and the Amal'zun speaks out the name they have chosen for themselves. After that, the priest exclaims, "Then drink, and by flames be reborn!"

 

Amal'zun names are usually in Primordial and are compound words joined by an apostrophe that express something about the person. Amal'zun do not make gender distinctions when naming themselves.

 

Example Names: Amal'jan ("Through Fire I Triumph"), Amal'ar ("In Fire I Thrive"), Bal'ar ("In Battle I Thrive"), Cora'mor ("Upon The Sands I Walk"), Cora'vem ("Against The Sands I Fight"), Dar'jan ("For My People I Triumph"), Dar'oma ("My People I Protect"), Tara'vem ("My Tribe's Enemies I Fight"), Zara'vem'ar ("Fighting Against Fate I Thrive").

 

Amal’zun Traits

Your amal’zun character has the following traits:

 

Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 1.

 

Age: Amal'zun reach maturity by 18 and usually live to a maximum of 70 years old.

 

Size: Amal'zun are tall creatures, usually standing between 5 and a half to 7 feet tall. Hardskins tend towards the taller side, while flameborn tend to be shorter. Your size is Medium.

 

Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

 

Alignment: While Joramy is a good-aligned deity, she also encourages independence and forging one's own moral compass, leading Amal'zun to exhibit a wide variety of alignments and a slight tendency towards Chaos.

 

Enfire: You can use your action to kindle the flames within, causing ethereal flames to wreath your arms and shoulders and empower your strikes against your foes. Your transformation lasts for 1 minute or until you end it as a bonus action. While in this form, once per turn on each of your turns when you deal damage with a spell, ability, or weapon, you may add an additional 1d6 fire damage to one target of that spell, ability, or attack. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest. The damage of this trait increases to 2d6 at 12th level and 3d6 at 18th level. 

 

Darkvision: You can see dim light as bright light and darkness as dim light within 60 feet. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

 

Desert Born: Being born of the desert has allowed the Amal'zun to naturally adapt to the arid conditions. You automatically succeed on saving throws against the climate effects of extreme heat, as described in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Effectively, when exposed to temperatures at or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit with no access to drinkable water, you do not need to make Constitution saving throws against exhaustion. 

 

Languages: You can speak, read and write Common and Primordial.

 

Subrace. You may choose from one of the following subraces: Flameborn or Hardskin.

Flameborn

Flameborn amal’zun are heavily respected when born. They often grow to be high priests, which the race as a whole hold in high regard. 

 

Ability Score Increase: Your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Pulpit of the Flame: You know the produce flame cantrip. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast the silent image spell as a 1st-level spell; you must finish a long rest in order to cast the spell again using this trait. Once you reach 5th level, you can also cast the flame blade spell as a 2nd-level spell; you must finish a long rest in order to cast the spell again using this trait. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Spirit Guidance: You gain proficiency in the Religion and Survival skills.

Hardskin

Hardskin amal’zun are destined for the life of a warrior. Their bodies toughened by the desert, they become the perfect soldiers, vanguards and guardians. 

 

Ability Score Increase: Your Strength score increases by 1.

Arms of the Desert: When you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach for it is 5 feet greater than normal.

Tones of the Earth: While standing on unworked earth or sand, you may tap the ground, sending a coded message to any amal’zun within 200 feet. Any amal’zun can understand this message perfectly while within range, but only a hardskin amal’zun is trained to respond in kind. 

 

Amal'Zun Traits

Huh

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 1.Your Strength score increases by 1.

 

Age

Amal'zun reach maturity by 18 and usually live to a maximum of 70 years old.

Size

Amal'zun are tall creatures, usually standing between 5 and a half to 7 feet tall. Hardskins tend towards the taller side, while flameborn tend to be shorter. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Alignment

While Joramy is a good-aligned deity, she also encourages independence and forging one's own moral compass, leading Amal'zun to exhibit a wide variety of alignments and a slight tendency towards Chaos.

Enfire

You can use your action to kindle the flames within, causing ethereal flames to wreath your arms and shoulders and empower your strikes against your foes. Your transformation lasts for 1 minute or until you end it as a bonus action. While in this form, once per turn on each of your turns when you deal damage with a spell, ability, or weapon, you may add an additional 1d6 fire damage to one target of that spell, ability, or attack. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest. The damage of this trait increases to 2d6 at 12th level and 3d6 at 18th level. 

 

Darkvision

You can see dim light as bright light and darkness as dim light within 60 feet. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

 

Desert Born

Being born of the desert has allowed the Amal'zun to naturally adapt to the arid conditions. You automatically succeed on saving throws against the climate effects of extreme heat, as described in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Effectively, when exposed to temperatures at or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit with no access to drinkable water, you do not need to make Constitution saving throws against exhaustion. 

 

Languages

You can speak, read and write Common and Primordial.

 

Arms of the Desert

When you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach for it is 5 feet greater than normal.

 

Tones of the Earth

While standing on unworked earth or sand, you may tap the ground, sending a coded message to any amal’zun within 200 feet. Any amal’zun can understand this message perfectly while within range, but only a hardskin amal’zun is trained to respond in kind.