Homebrew Dreamchild Species Details

I had all but given up on having a child, being the only one of my kind in this city since my parents had passed. But I still dreamt of being a father: raising a small tabaxi, teaching them my family's culture and history, finding their true name together and helping them grow into a person.

Then one day when I awoke she was there. A perfect little cub already crawling around my blankets. Sure, she doesn't seem to be able to move as well as a tabaxi should, and her claws a little stunted, but when I look into her eyes I see my mother's fiercness and my father's comfort. She is the child of my dreams and that's all you and I need to know.

— Whispers Of Snow On The Shore, Tabaxi Outlander

Born from Dreams

Dreamchildren are the consequence of miracles: the combination of passionate dreams of parenthood, a nearby source of powerful or untamed magic, and a lost soul in the care of a benevolent passing god. Limited research has been undertaken into the origins and true reasons for dreamchildren's existence, as the families they appear to are so fulfilled by the miracle of their creation that they avoid questioning 'why'. Many different gods are praised as a result of a dreamchild's creation.

As the design of dreams, dreamchildren do not always appear as newborns. Instead, whatever stage of childhood is imaged the strongest in the dream-parent's dream will be the age the dreamchild first awakens to. According to records, the oldest a dreamchild has ever first appeared as was as a 6 year-old human boy. The dreamchild reportedly had memories of a happy and dreamlike upbringing up to that point.

In Their Image

While largely resembling their flesh and blood families, dreamchildren are not of their parent's blood. Instead they are their most fervent wishes given form. In most respects dreamchildren are indestinguishable from their family's kin, but where a race is specialised to their ancestral environments and cultures, dreamchildren will tend to stand out more as they are instead designed to survive the world of dreams.

Each dreamchild appears, at a glace, to be directly related to their parent/s whose dreams brought them into being, with recognisable inherited features and markers. As races vary in size, so too do dreamchildren, always taking after their parent. Dreamchildren tend to live an average lifespan for their imaged race.

Shared Ambition

Dreamchildren are easily affected by dreams of ambition from those they live with. As a result, dreamchildren tend to be ambitious and more likely to seek out adventure and fulfilment than the original dreamers. It is a constant struggle for dreamchildren to idenfity and understand which of their goals and dreams originate from others, and which ones are their own. Others simply avoid questioning their desires and focus entirely on achieving them.

Another by product of their dream-natures is a dreamchild's ability to imagine being better at a skill than they normally are. This affects reality for a short time and actually improves their skills for a short time! Wish you were better at cooking so you can make waffles? A dreamchild can.

Dreaming names

Appearing to all posible races, it is almost impossible to identify a dreamchild by their given name, as they are usually given names that are linked to their region’s culture or to the naming traditions of their ancestors.. They are however often given auspicious names due to their miraculous origins. Once they learn of their true natures, dreamchildren may also choose a 'Dreaming name' that relates to who they are in the world of dreams. These names are expressed as visions or feelings and are never written or spoken.

Dreamchild Traits

Despite their varied appearances, Dreamchildren are borne into the waking world with the following traits.

Always dreaming

You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

Dreamstuff

By focusing your imagination, you can dream a bit more skill into reality. When you make an ability check that uses a skill, you can roll a d6 immediately after seeing the number on the d20 and add the number on the d6 to the check. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Ability Score Increases

Three ability scores of your choice each increase by 1.

Age

Dreamchildren can live as long as their family's race can be expected to, generally living longer than the race's average.

Alignment

Dreamchildren tend toward no particular alignment. They are often the products of their upbringing.

Size

Dreamchildren are the same size as their dreaming parent.

Speed

Your base walking speed is determined by your size (S - 25, M - 30, L - 35)

Language

You can speak, read, and write Common and one extra language of your choice. Typically this is the language of a dreamchild's family, though they might have picked up a language from passing dreams

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