Homebrew Vran Species Details

Vran are a innately magical people of otherworldly origin, living in the world but not entirely part of it.

Lithe and Logical

Generally they are pragmatic and analytical, but are also curious with a drive to always learn and discover the secrets of the world or explore its vast expanse. They are shorter than the Kikiiri and Bilík on average, ranging from well under 5 feet tall to just over 6 feet. They are more slender than them as well, weighing only 100 to 145 pounds.

Vranish skin colorings range from mixtures of bluish greens, to greenish browns which can be light or dark in hue. Likewise, their eye color is almost always has dark sclera with a light colored iris. Additionally, they have horns in, lieu of hair, that take any of a variety of shapes: some have a series of short horns like a crown, others have straight and tall horns like a gazelle’s, while others may never grow.

Arid Wisdom

Vran can live well over 500 years, giving them a broad perspective on events that might trouble the shorter-lived races more deeply. They are more likely to be curious than greedy and more likely to be unfazed by petty happenstance. When pursuing a goal, however, whether adventuring on a mission or learning a new skill or art, vran can be focused and relentless.

As the vast sapphire dunes of their new homeland, the vran traverse danger with careful consideration. Vran trust in diplomacy and compromise to resolve differences before they escalate to violence. But when the need arises, vran reveal a disciplined martial side, demonstrating skill with magic, and strategy.

Inquisitive Minds

Since they are so long-lived, they can enjoy centuries of exploration and discovery. Some vran enjoy exercising their martial prowess or gaining greater magical power, and adventuring allows them to do so. They are often curious about the other races and want to study them. However, one simply cannot seek to remember everything. Instead, a vran must choose where it will focus its abilities of remembrance. Whatever path is chosen, they must be entirely focused on their chosen field of expertise. If something seems unimportant to an vran it is because they have chosen for it to be unimportant. It is not a rudeness, or a lack of sympathy, it is a natural utilitarian function of how they must manage their memory across their long lives.

And so the vranish reputation for extreme levels of mastery is born. As a combined function of perfectionism and specialisation, a single vran will be far more advanced in a single skill than any one master of any other race, but their skills in other areas will naturally be lacking in the extreme. This second piece is often not so apparent to outsiders, as vran tend not to engage in activities that will require their deficient skills to be on display.

Vran Names

There is no distinction between names based on gender as vran largely do not identify as either male or female. Vranish names are typically variants on the names of ancestors or distant relatives, though some are purely new inventions. In addition, every vran bears a family name, typically a combination of Vranish words. However, most families prefer short names that are easy to sign or adopt a "name sign" to serve as an abbreviation.

Common Names: Ard, Ay, Bes, Bon, Caz, Cid, Dayn, Di, Edda 

Family Names: Ankiir, Atia, Gel, Hion, Lon, Siojin, Xilocent

Vran Traits

Your vran character has a variety of natural abilities, the result of their innate infusion with magic and the desire to understand it.

Ability Score Increase

Your Intelligence score increases by 2 and your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Age

Although vran reach physical maturity at about the same age as the kikiiri, the vranish understanding of adulthood does not come into effect until one's arcane connection becomes stable. This is accomplished through a series of mental exercises help vran maintain as much mental acuity as possible. Added to this are a series of mental ‘tricks’ they use to better solidify important memories. Indeed it is worth noting that an vran does not reach adulthood until around the time the average members of the other races have already experienced half of their own life-span (50 years). This is no accident, as it is only until this half century has passed that it can truly be tested whether an vran has learned the mental skills necessary to remember events many decades or centuries in the past. In general, a vran typically claims adulthood around the age of 50 and can live to be 600 years old.

Alignment

Vran generally believe in avoiding entanglements with other creatures and not making enemies, so they favor neutral alignments. They rarely wish others ill, and they are unlikely to take risks on behalf of others. However, the individual may choose whatever leanings they wish.

Those who tend toward law are usually sages, engineers, or investigators. Those who tend toward chaos can become clever criminals, wanderers, or traveling artificers. Vran are even tempered, and even the rebels among them are more reasonable than wild.

Size

Vran range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall and have slender builds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Superior Darkvision

Due to your arcane infused heritage, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 120 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.

True Seeing

You have advantage on saving throws against illusions.

All Sight

You know the true strike cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the detect magic spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the see invisibility spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Vranish. Vranish is a largely visual language utilizing gestural signs to communicate with verbalization used out of necessity or communicating with other races. Vranish often allows for creativity in how they communicate as it is a conceptual way of expression. Many bards learn their language so they can add Vranish songs, poems, or stories to their repertoires.