Phoelarch (5e Race)

This content deviates from 5th Edition standards. Its use could dramatically alter campaigns, take extreme care.

Caution - Here there be monsters! This content intends to provide a different experience, or goes beyond the scope of the anticipated subjects and situations, than the 5th Edition rules were intended to handle. Some portions of the content below may not be what you expect from traditional game content. When implementing this content, DMs and Players should read over all the information carefully, and consider the following specific notes of interest:

The Rise from the Ashes optional rule, which can be applied starting at character creation, could potentially derail a campaign, make a character underpowered, and/or make a character overpowered.

Phoelarch

“	No, no, phoelarch. Fee-lark. Like in fee-nix, you know?	”
—An exasperated phoelarch

Physical Description

Phoelarches are tall, slender humanoids with feathers in place of hair, and their skin radiates intense heat. Their skin colors range from dark rust to gold, and their plumage can be anywhere from pale gold to bright red.

When a phoelarch dies, their body explodes in a burst of flame, and they are reborn as a phoera, a closer-yet-lesser cousin of the phoenix. A phoera's color and plumage are identical to those of their previous form.

By Vinod Rams

History

Phoelarches are descended from the legendary phoenix, although the exact details of how they came to exist are unknown even to them. Some speculate that the phoenix created them to combat injustice in the multiverse, as it is one being and can't be everywhere at once; others suspect that some other force created them from the phoenix.

Society

Phoelarches are rumored to have great cities on the Elemental Plane of Fire, but the curiosity and wanderlust inherent to them makes settlements unlikely for the most part. Beyond a vague preference for warmer climates, phoelarches don't often get attached to any particular place, or even terrain, and they're oddly disinterested in others of their own race. On the rare occasion that one phoelarch meets another, the novelty wears off surprisingly fast for both.

Phoelarch Names

Phoelarch names tend to be based on either birds or colors related to fire.

Male: Cardin, Carmine, Jasper, Tobias, Wren, Ignis

Female: Amber, Cerise, Griffin, Rhea, Scarlet, Saffron

Optional Rule: Rise from the Ashes

Optional Rule: Rise from the Ashes A phoelarch's relationship to the phoenix is made clear not only by their appearance, but by the events that follow their death. When a phoelarch dies, the following traits come into play: Death Throes. When you die, your body disintegrates and explodes in a massive fireball that covers a 20-foot radius. Each creature in the area that was hostile to you must make a Dexterity saving throw. The DC for this saving throw equals 8 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus. Roll 1d8 for each level you have; a creature takes that much fire damage on a failed save, and half as much damage on a successful one. Phoera Rebirth. When you die, your Death Throes leave behind a chrysalis in the shape of a small black glass egg. After four days, the egg hatches, and you are reborn as a phoera, a Small bird reminiscent of a phoenix, retaining your memories and personality. Your base walking speed becomes 20 ft, and you gain a fly speed of 60 ft. You lose any tool, weapon or armor proficiencies you had, and gain proficiency in your bite and claw attacks, which each deal 1d6 piercing damage. You lose your Death Throes and Phoera Rebirth traits. Apart from these changes, your statistics, traits, and features remain the same, and you retain your ability to speak. The next time you die, your body smolders into ashes. A phoera egg can be used to bring the dead phoelarch back with a resurrection spell (but not the raise dead spell), but not once it has hatched. A gentle repose spell or similar effect can delay its hatching. Once it has hatched, nothing short of a wish spell can return the phoera's former body to them.

Phoelarch Traits

Humanoids believed to be descended from the legendary phoenix.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.
Age. Phoelarches mature at the same rate as humans, but live well into their second century, and phoeras live for an additional two centuries after that.
Alignment. Phoelarches tend towards chaos and good.
Size. Phoelarches are tall, generally well over six feet, but are very light in spite of this. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Consume Fire. When you would take fire damage, you can, as a reaction, take no damage instead. When you do this you gain immunity to fire damage until the start of your next turn and gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier. Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
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.
Elemental Flame. You are resistant to fire damage.
Burning Fury. Whenever you score a critical hit with a weapon attack, that attack deals additional fire damage equal to your Charisma modifier.
Languages. You can speak, read and write Common and Ignan.

References

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