Raven Children (5e Race)

Raven Children

“	You're considered bizarre or eccentric. To me, it just means you know who you are.	”
—Tim Burton

Physical Description

Raven children are the spawn of fallen angels and men. They are pale humanoids that can pass for humans... save their wings and eyes. Black plumage from their angelic parent sprouts from their backs as wings. The black feathers give them the name of ravens. These large wings are easily 15-20ft long and which in shades of grey to black. Raven children are easily identifiable by their wings and their perfect black eyes, which are like pure obsidian. Raven children often have skin that is pale greyish, like stone-colored. People who have seen them report them to be cold beauties, and thus more handsome than beautiful, even females. Raven children also sprout small, conspicuous black feathers over their forearms, shoulders, back, the front of legs and back of the neck.

"Fallen Angel", unknown artist.

Unforgiven, Unbound and Unforgotten

Humans could not resist the allure of the angels who fell and lost their grace. The result of their union was children bearing these cursed black wings. People shunned them, even humans, for they did not want to be associated with these half angels born of lust and shallow attraction. Other races saw them as a forbidden creature bought to existence. Some were even brash enough to try and hunt them. Raven children came to despise their lineage and their identities.

An old myth describes the first raven children as loyal servants of Death, having reached a near death state after years of ostracization. They struck a deal with Death and joined the ranks of his reapers, claiming souls and bringing death. In return for their service, Death would offer them a life of peace, transforming them to humans at the end of their work. It is unknown if any raven children have actually attained humanity this way. However, this myth has motivated many to believe raven children truly are bringers of death. This is the reason many consider them a bad omen. Widely distrusted from the belief that they harbor bad luck and death, many raven children find themselves outcasts from society - a fact which leads many down the path of retaliating.

Society

To be the elephant in the room, to be greeted with cold glares and scared glances - this is the burden of raven children. They are never fully accepted into a society where closed minds reign. Raven children make good spies, assassins, soldiers, and bounty hunters as they enjoy working alone and have no aversion to death. Other half-breeds (half-orc, half-elf, etc.) often sympathize with raven children and connect most easily with raven children as they understand how it feels to never fit in one place. Raven children are oftentimes solitary creatures, but given the chance to prove they are more than the (literal) sum of their parts, they begin to show signs of great compassion, empathy, and love; traits that remain from their angel lineage.

Raven children delight in flight, their most well-known gift. Granted with giant wings, they form strong companionship bonds while sharing this experience with another. Despite the prejudice they suffer from, raven children rarely discriminate between races. However, any race with the ability to fly is looked upon fondly. There is one race they distrust, and that is the kenku. They find the kenku's lack of wings (and their reason for it) distasteful and would face any other individual or race which has given up their ability to fly with certain displeasure. Despite this distaste, the allure of severing their wings and joining humanity is actually quite powerful for raven children themselves. Many a raven child has been integrated into society in this way.

Raven children make small secluded gatherings of their few numbers. Too large a group and the forces of untrusting outsiders would bear down on them. Thus, they form close-knit communities amongst their little numbers. They will often distribute loads of work they obtain and support each other by splitting profits. Raven children who integrate into human societies are very amicable and eager to fit in.

Raven Children Names:

Raven children take their names from one of two places. The first is from their angelic ancestor. This may be a passed down name or an abbreviation of it. The second, and more common, is the name which raven children adopt from the society they live in, most commonly human societies.

Male: C.S. Lewis, Rafael, Duma

Female: Gabriella, Michaela, Metatron

Raven Children Traits

Raven children are often feared for their ties with death and many use this to their advantage to intimidate others.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength or Dexterity score increases by 1.
Age. Raven children take nearly twice as long as humans to mature. They reach adulthood by 20 and can live to be 200 years old, though most live for about 150 years.
Alignment. Raven children are naturally inclined to mete out justice. Many do so by following a personal moral code instead of given laws. Because of this, raven children most likely have a lawful alignment.
Size. Raven children vary widely in height and build, from barely 5 feet to well over 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. You have a flying speed of 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.
Angel Sense. You are proficient in either the Perception or Intimidation skill.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, Celestial, and one other language of your choice, usually associated with the society you live in.

Zealot

Zealots are those rare Raven Children who accept their fate and choose to uphold the same codes as their ancestors do. They practice in the ways of angels and are inclined towards good or neutral alignments for this reason. They are more likely to be a victim of fear of failure as they set their standards high and many wear masks to keep their minds clear. Zealot raven children are more likely to have lighter feathers on their wings.

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Celestial Heritage. You are resistant to radiant damage.

Avenger

Avengers make up the majority of raven children. These raven children turn against their heritage, and as a result their wings darken. They are more inclined to neutral or evil alignments for the same reason. These raven children are more shunned than their zealot counterparts, and are thus more prone to anger and violence.

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1.
Heretic's Choice. You are resistant to necrotic damage.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
5′ 6''	+1d12	135 lb.	× (3d4) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

---

Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Races