Spellborn (5e Race)
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Spellborn[edit]
“I see now that the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.”
People born of great magical power, the spellborn are a people whose existence seemingly came from nowhere down many lineages of humans. They hold within them the magical power of the elements, fire, ice, lightning or what have you, the spellborn is a conduit for these magical powers, showing prodigious knowledge with spells and more often then not, a complete willingness to use said power.
Magic made Manifest[edit]
When you look at a spellborn, you might just think it's a human at first glance. But examining them further, you see that there's always something mystical about them. Their unnaturally colored hair, the unusual shininess in their eyes and the air of the arcane flowing around them, shows that these individuals are anything but human. The color of their eyes and hair often telling what kind of affinity they belong to. Fireborn having fiery red and orange hair and eye colors, whilst Iceborn have cold white and blueish eyes and hair for example. Most often, their eyes and hair color match, otherwise, they don't physically differ that much from any other humans.
History[edit]
When the spellborn first came to be, there was no great war, no large scale shocks or tides of reports of otherworldly beings. Just many cases of would be parents incinerated, frozen or poisoned to complete or near death. Like the elements they gain their power from, the spellborn's births are unstable, causing magical surges which more often then not kill one or both of their parents. The reasons behind these surges of magic was for the longest time a mystery, until it was discovered that many of the spellborn were born of families descended from individuals of great magical power. Wizards, sorcerers, druids or what have you, at some point, a descendant of theirs gave birth to someone who would inherit great and practically unstable magical power. Although rumor has it that not all spellborn came about like this. Some say that the spellborn were born of a mad wizard's freak experiment, that somehow ended up affecting the bloodlines of various people to the point of absurdity. Yet others see them as emissaries of natural powers, here to bring balance to the natural order of the world or bring about its end.
Attitudes and Beliefs[edit]
Due to the randomness of their births and how widespread humanity tends to be, spellborn often live their lives ostracized in most societies, just barely fitting in. Many fireborn often find solace among tieflings and halforcs, knowing all to well what it's like to be seen as demonic and monstrous. Iceborn mostly prefer seclusion amongst monks and hermits, preferring the quiet life. Thunderborn and psychicborn tend to able to live their lives almost untouched by the stigma and fear surrounding most other spellborn, due to their (mostly) normal appearance, whilst lightningborn and poisonborn are shunned by almost everyone, even other spellborn due to their almost unstable attitudes, whereas the radiantborn and necroticborn are often mistaken for aasimar most of the times and treated as such.
But regardless of having no true homeland and rarely a family of their own, adventuring comes naturally to their kind and although the spellborn are varied in both personality and attitudes across the whole plane, they all have one thing they can all agree on: they make their own destinies.
Spellborn Names[edit]
Usually spellborn use the same naming conventions as their birth parents, but often take on names that reflect their elemental affinity, either as a nickname or to replace their original names with it.
Male: Pyro, Cryo, Venum, Necros, Thom, Electro
Female: Pyra, Arctii, Fel, Aura, Psyja, Electra
Spellborn Traits[edit]
People born with extraordinary affinity with the natural and magical elements.
Ability Score Increase. One ability score of your choice increases by 2 and a different ability score increases by 1. Alternatively, you can increase three different ability scores by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Age. Spellborn mature at the same rate as humans and live around a century.
Alignment. Most spellborn have an alignment that reflects their element. For example fireborn tend to be chaotic due to their typically hotheaded behavior whilst iceborn tend towards more neutral or lawful due to their cold outlook on life. But like with any other race, there are always exceptions.
Size. Like humans, spellborn 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.
Mystical Prodigy. Magic flows through you more easily then others and has allowed you to learn it's methods early. You know one of the following cantrips of your choice: druidcraft, light, mage hand, mending, message, minor illusion, prestidigitation or thaumaturgy. Your Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma score is your spellcasting ability for it(you choose when you select this race). In addition, you gain additional spells based on your spellborn element(subrace) and they use the same spellcasting ability you chose for your cantrip.
Arcane Mind. In addition to having the power of inherent magic, your mind is also honed to learning about it. You gain proficiency in the Arcana skill.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Primordial.
Subrace. There are as many type of spellborn as there are elements, the most widely known being Fireborn, Iceborn, Lightningborn, Thunderborn, Poisonborn, Psychicborn and the rarest of their kinds, Necroticborn and Radiantborn.
Fireborn[edit]
Often hotheaded and quick to anger, fireborn are usually the most likely to take on the adventuring lifestyle, either to fulfill a selfish desire for combat or to prove themselves more then just living flamethrowers.
Their eyes and hair color are often fiery red, orange and yellowish, like the merciless flames they wield.
Flame Affinity. You have resistance to fire damage.
Fire Prodigy. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast the hellish rebuke spell once as a 2nd level spell. Once you reach 5th level, you can also cast the dragon's breath (fire only) spell once. You must finish a long rest to cast these spells again with this trait. You can also cast these spells with the appropriate level spell slots, if you have any.
Pyrrhic Rage. When times get especially rough, the fireborn get inflamed with determined rage. When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
Iceborn[edit]
Cold and often uncaring, iceborn often butt heads with fireborn due to their differing mindset brought about by their respective elements, but tend to be more rational then most other spellborns.
Their eyes and hair color are typically cold white and shades of blue, reflecting their icey nature.
Arctic Affinity. You have resistance to cold damage.
Chill Prodigy. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast frost fingers spell once as a 2nd level spell. Once you reach 5th level, you can also cast hold person once. You must finish a long rest to cast these spells again with this trait. You can also cast these spells with the appropriate level spell slots, if you have any.
Cold Calculation. Your calm and cool demeanor allows you to learn things more easily then others. You gain one skill proficiency of your choice and fluency in one language of your choice
Lightningborn[edit]
Erratic and often unpredictable, lightningborn are often the most feared and stigmatized amongst the spellborn, simply due to how dangerous and indiscriminate their lightning magic can be.
Lightningborn tend to have dark blue to grayish hair and bright blue to white eyes, reflecting the deadly bright lightning and the clouds that form them.
Storm Affinity. You have resistance to lightning damage.
Lightning Prodigy. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast witch bolt spell once as a 2nd level spell. Once you reach 5th level, you can also cast expeditious retreat once, appearing as a bolt of lightning darting about the battlefield. You must finish a long rest to cast these spells again with this trait. You can also cast these spells with the appropriate level spell slots, if you have any.
Electric Step. Your base walking speed increases to 35 feet.
Thunderborn[edit]
Keeping with their names, thunderborn tend to be loud and bombastic, often the life of the party or the biggest distraction on the field.
The thunderborn have typically pale blonde to bright gray hair and eyes of the same color, which is strange as sound doesn't really have any associated colors.
Boom Affinity. You have resistance to thunder damage and advantage on saving throws against being deafened.
Thunder Prodigy. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast compelled duel spell once as a 2nd level spell. Once you reach 5th level, you can also cast shatter once. You must finish a long rest to cast these spells again with this trait. You can also cast these spells with the appropriate level spell slots, if you have any.
Loud Distraction. Your talent for thundering noises has made you feel more in tune with rhythm and sounds. You are proficient with one musical instrument of your choice. In addition, as an action on your turn you can hone your magical affinity into the instrument and cause a scene. Until the end of your next turn, enemies within 30 feet of you have disadvantage on all attack rolls, whilst you and your allies have advantage on theirs. Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you've completed a long rest.
Poisonborn[edit]
Secretive and strange, the poisonborn are no doubt some of the most likely to cause trouble or solve it, due to their affinity with natures deadliest weapon.
Like the deadly venom and poisons they're attuned to, poisonborn typically have hair and eyes the shade of toxic, bright greens and poisonous purple.
Toxin Affinity. You have resistance to poison damage and advantage on saving throws against being poisoned.
Poison Prodigy. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast ray of sickness spell once as a 2nd level spell. Once you reach 5th level, you can also cast enhance ability once. You must finish a long rest to cast these spells again with this trait. You can also cast these spells with the appropriate level spell slots, if you have any.
Venomous Curiosity. Your affinity with poison and venom has made you very intrigued by it's effects, resulting in a habitual study of it. You are proficient with the poisoner's kit.
Psychicborn[edit]
Rational and level headed, the psychicborn don't stand out as much as other spellborn, but under that sense of relative normalcy, hides someone who can peer into and affect your very mind.
Unlike other spellborn, psychicborn usually just have natural human hair colors but their eyes can take on shades of pale whitish pink to bright pink.
Mind Affinity. You have resistance to psychic damage.
Psychic Prodigy. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast command spell once as a 1st or 2nd level spell. Once you reach 5th level, you can also cast detect thoughts once. You must finish a long rest to cast these spells again with this trait. You can also cast these spells with the appropriate level spell slots, if you have any.
Telepathic. You can speak telepathically to any creature within 30 feet of you. The creature does not need to share a language with you in order to understand you, but it must be able to speak at least one language for you to effectively communicate.
Necroticborn[edit]
One of the rarer types or perhaps just the hardest to spot of the spellborn, the necroticborn are born of the negative energies most commonly associated with the dark powers that be.
Necroticborn are distinguished by their unnaturally black hair and eyes, though sometimes they can have green eyes too and some have black, veiny lines under their bags.
Dark Affinity. You have resistance to necrotic damage.
Necrotic Prodigy. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast either inflict wounds or cause fear spells once as a 2nd level spell(you can only choose one). Once you reach 5th level, you can also cast darkness once. You must finish a long rest to cast these spells again with this trait. You can also cast these spells with the appropriate level spell slots, if you have any.
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 green.
Radiantborn[edit]
As rare as the necroticborn, the radiantborn are infused with the positive and often holy energies of the magical cosmos.
Lightborn typically have bright, light blonde to golden hair and eye colors.
Light Affinity. You have resistance to radiant damage.
Radiant Prodigy. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast either cure wounds or guiding bolt spells once as a 2nd level spell(you can only choose one). Once you reach 5th level, you can also cast heroism once. You must finish a long rest to cast these spells again with this trait. You can also cast these spells with the appropriate level spell slots, if you have any.
Radiant Recuperation. Your natural affinity with the radiant and positive energies has made your body more receptive to the healing touch. Whenever you regain hitpoints, add your Constitution modifier to the total.
Random Height and Weight[edit]
| Base Height |
Height Modifier* |
Base Weight |
Weight Modifier** |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4′ 6'' | +2d12 | 105 lb. | × (1d8) lb. |
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*Height = base height + height modifier | |||
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