Nephalem (5e Race)

Nephalem

“	What is it with humans and their obsession with angel things called the nephili? No, we're nothing like them...	”
—Valdyva, being asked about angels

Physical Description

By Yanied

Similar in appearance to humans, nephalem are set apart from their human companions by an eerie, unnerving air of physical perfection. They share many characteristics with the humans in that their race has grown to mimic the other, although small vestiges of their angelic and demonic bloodlines show that they aren't quite what they seem at first glance. They are thin, lithe, typically well-muscled, but lean. Their bodies border on perfect in stature, though they may have distinguishing features that show what they really are. Such features could be red, gold, or silver eyes, a metallic sheen to their hair or grey-tan skin, or even stunted horns that typically hide beneath their hair or peep from the hairline.

History

In wars long past, the world was soaked not only in the blood of mortals but also immortals, ranging from devils and demons, to celestials and deities. The sanguine essence of such power was believed to be cycled back into the natural state of the world in a feedback loop. In the nephalem's case, they were born from humans who were reborn from this cycle. The energies completely changed the original being into one that was no longer human, but still appeared like it. This is thought to explain their strange bodies that emanate an unhuman aura. The nebulous case of their origin leaves for a lot of speculation, with some claiming to be reborn from dreams of dead gods, and others saying they were spawned of the Planes Below.

Attitudes and Personality

Due to their low numbers and mixed census data, nephalem are not known to have any society they call their own. Instead, they blend seamlessly with humans and therefore circulate wherever their populations reach, allowing them exposure to elven kingdoms and dwarven dynasties. Most are even raised by human families. Nephalem tend to be more worldly than the average person, seeking things like travel and new experiences. Too many races, in their eyes, do not seek to experience beyond their comfort zones to discover new things. Nephalem are thus very open to new cultures and receptive to other views. However, they are not notably excitable and actually have a very serious face on most of the time. They also have a bit of repulsion towards overtly celestial or fiendish themes and do not particularly take well to being mistaken as aasimar or tiefling.

Nephalem Names

Most nephalem live their whole lives with human names. Some who discover their strange heritage may take on a new name to mark their coming to being.

Male: Zen, Archynal, Alyp, Aeroth, Sareth, Hyrok and Saren

Female: Alyva, Maderna, Narmia, Variel, Kyreia and Rava

Nephalem Traits

Half angel, half devil.
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2 and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Age. Nephalem age at the same rate as humans during the early stages of their life, but can live to be up to 10,000 years old
Alignment. Due to the nature of their origin, nephalem often find themselves balanced between good and evil tendencies, which can make them rash and chaotic.
Size. Nephalem have the same size range as Humans. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 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.
Mixed Resistance. Thanks to your combined infernal and celestial heritage, you are resistant to both fire and radiant damage.
Fallen Blood. You can use your bonus action to manifest a frightful form of the mixed-blood inside you and invoke the primordial fear that bashes on the heads of people from their very insides. Your transformation lasts for 1 minute or until you end it as a bonus action. During it, you have advantage in Charisma (Intimidation) checks. In addition, at the end of each of your turns, each creature within 10 feet of you takes psychic damage equal to half your level (rounded up). Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
Immaculate Physique. Your body is an object of beauty for some and strength for others. You are proficient in one of the following skills of your choice: Acrobatics, Athletics, Performance, or Persuasion.
Mixed Body. While you look human, the mixture of your lineage affords you protections. You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned and diseases.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, and either Infernal or Celestial.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
5′ 0''	+2d10	160 lb.	× (1d8) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

3.50

(4 votes)

---

Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Races