Deepspawn (5e Race)

Deepspawn

If one were to map all the planes of creation, the far realm is that maddening un-place off the edge of the paper. Occasionally its strange dimensions intersect with reality, giving birth to aberrations that make a mockery of flesh and spirit. When permitted to be molded by the dreams of mortals, something akin to a humanoid is spawned.

Deepspawn have dissociative morphologies culled from the self-image of living things; from pond-life to animals and humans. Adventuring Deepspawn are vaguely humanoid but may have multiple eyes, eyestalks, pseudopods, tentacles, chitin, mandibles and other photobiology. Their flesh might resemble the stuff of the material plane, but when wounded they might bleed fluid, color, sound, or an ooze of microorganisms.

Deepspawn have no discernible genders. Those that are able to reproduce might do so by asexual budding or sporing, by impregnating other living creatures, or through other incomprehensible means.

Attitudes and Beliefs

Creatures tainted and born by the far realm are often seen as being chaotic, or evil. The truth is that they are largely uncaring, or oblivious to the nature of life on the material plane. Adventuring Deepspawns are more coherent in their interactions and are able to forge relationships with sentient creatures, but are usually Unaligned. Deepspawn are often kept to the fringes of history, appearing in texts and recountings as monsters infiltrating societies for their own nefarious means... though more often than not, they were simply hated for their horrific appearances and alien existence.

Deepspawn Communities

Their strange appearance always alienates them and often frightens communities into shunning them. Some Deepspawn have a strange, insidious force of personality that at its strongest can dominate groups of humanoids, with cults forming around them.

Whilst a Deepspawn's goals are often incomprehensible, alliances can be made where those goals coincide with those of other races.

Deepspawn Adventurers

Deepspawn favor the warlock, mystic or bard classes. Three sample Deepspawn adventurers are described below.

Azsh Azar is a Deepspawn great old one pact warlock. It was spawned when Gulach Azar, the violet eye, squirmed into the material plane and burst into a thousand buds. All the buds transformed into aberrant monstrosities, with the exception of one that became Azsh. It remains in contact with the pseudo-spirit of Gulach, from whom it receives its spells.

Skorraw is a Deepspawn mystic. It is the three-dimensional shadow of the sentient plane of the Squamous Garden as it intersects reality. It delights in mutating time and space with a mere thought, and quests to gain mastery over psionic energies.

De'Valf is a Deepspawn bard of whispers and the son of the Lord of the Discordant Harps. He seeks to produce new, impossible harmonics and is somewhat inconsiderate about their effects on his traveling companions' sanity.

Roleplaying a Deepspawn

When creating a Deepspawn adventurer, here are a few points to consider.

• To be a weird entity from the far realm.
• To understand that your character may not be accepted by the mortal populace.
• To be aware that your character may find certain concepts or practices alien themselves.

Deepspawn Names

As with their society, Deepspawn will take names from their host culture and are often named by their parent (assuming their survival of the union or birth).

Names: Eg-kr, Gnegotu, Lehu, Llanyi-zho, Lol-kib, Rus-cyiarusts, U'ibolen, Ushar-lamiho, Y'haligh, Zamatthammon

Deepspawn Traits

As a child of the horrific and non-Euclidean denizens of the far realm, you have a number of aberrant features.
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Age. Deepspawn often outlive their mundane kin by centuries or even millennia due to the otherworldly nature of their being.
Alignment. Deepspawn are often neutral, but many trend towards chaotic or evil as they progress through the millenia.
Size. Deepspawn generally range from just over 5 feet to more than 7 feet in height and weigh 100 to 260 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet, you have a 20 feet climb speed.
Darkvision. 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.
Aberrant Mind. The fears and lulls of this world are alien to you. You are resistant to psychic damage and are immune to being charmed or frightened.
Aberrant Form. You can breathe air and water, and you gain a swim speed equal twice your walking speed.
Tentacles. You have several tentacles that you can control allowing you to hold and interact with multiple objects. You have advantage on ability checks to grapple creatures. You cannot make attacks or wield weapons with this trait.
Telepathy. You can communicate mentally with other creatures that know at least one language within an 80-foot radius. Creatures doesn't need to share a language with you but unless they have telepathy themselves they can only receive and respond, but can't initiate or terminate a telepathic conversation.
Deep Magic. You know the Mind Sliver cantrip. Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the Dissonant Whispers spell with this trait. Starting at 5th level, you can also cast the Detect Thoughts spell with it. You may use this trait to cast Dissonant Whispers and Detect Thoughts a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain uses when you finish a long rest. You can also cast either of those spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level. Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this race). None of these spells require spell components when you cast them with this trait.
Languages. You can speak, read and write Common and Deep Speech. Deep Speech doesn't have a script so it isn't written but spoken. The language sounds like the slow grinding of words upon each other with a ponderously slow cadence and a grating intensity that flares into heat from time to time when social friction becomes the greatest.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
4′ 8''	+5d6	80 lb.	× (1d6) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

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