Yotarmi (5e Race)

Yotarmi

“	From ashes we were born, in ashes we shall die.	”
—An Ancient Yotarmi Leader

Physical Description

The yotarmi are a race of people similar in shape, size, and physiology to humans, but are noticeably distinct for their ash-gray skin. Their eyes are a pitch, colorless black, hinting at the fact that all among them are blind. Nails end in sharp points, and are similarly jet black. Their typically-silky hair can a shade of either this same pitch black or a stark white.

A typical yotarmi will reach adulthood between the ages of 17 and 21, at which point it is normal in their culture to craft a gold-colored mask for itself. This mask is typically worn for the rest of the yotamri's life, hiding its eerie black eyes and jagged teeth.

History

Yotarmi were once islanders resembling humans, elves, or some mix of the two. They were an isolated people living deep in the ocean on a tropical, volcanically active isle. A now-infamous volcanic eruption drenched the isle in ash. It is unknown what supernatural influences might have been tied to this ash, but after the islanders were buried under it, they emerged as something far less human. Even among yotarmi, this origin has become something of a myth shrouded in mystery. All among them do believe their race was once normal humans, however.

Society

This isolated, tightly-knit race tends towards xenophobia. Although they have fishing vessels and have been seen on islands outside their own, long-distance sea travel is believed to be beyond their capabilities.

As they are born blind and their race lives in isolation, their homes are often in dark areas safe from potential threats.

Yotarmi culture is filled with what others might see as murderous violence, but as what they see as a prideful sport. Among them, their greatest "game" is the hunting and killing of sentient beings outside their own race, and few conquests are greater than a successful murderous rampage. It is false to believe yotarmi think less of their prey; no, the fact these creatures are as intelligent and capable as the yotarmi themselves is what provides the thrill. Rivalries, feuds, and conflict in this sport and others are common among yotarmi, but despite their seemingly violent and competitive tendencies, they never outright kill or even injure their own kind, and overall are surprisingly orderly.

The more rivals a yotarmi family has, the nobler it is considered in their culture. The leader of any given family is usually the most powerful or accomplished male, and rival males are known to compete over females.

Yotarmi Traits

A race of blind, prideful, and violent humanoids with ashen skin.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Age. A typical yotarmi can live to be as old as 300.
Alignment. Although yotarmi are tightly-knit and follow tradition, they kill for fun. As a whole they have a tendency towards lawful evil.
Size. Yotarmi range in height between 6' and 7'6". Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 35 feet.
Blindsight. Your people have evolved to hunt with sharpened hearing, smell, and other senses. You have blindsight out to a range of 30 feet, but are blinded beyond this radius.
Claws. In place of a normal unarmed strike, you can attack with the claws on your hand if your hand is unoccupied. On a hit, this weapon deals slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier.
Cinder Breath. As an action, you can exhale a 15-foot cone of smoldering ash. Each creature in this cone must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the start of your next turn. The DC for this saving throw is 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.
Death Burst. If you die, a cloud of ash bursts from your corpse, filling the air in a 5-foot radius. This lasts for 1 minute or until wind disperses it. Any creature which starts its turn in this cloud or walks through it is affected as if by your cinder breath.
Languages. You can speak Yotarmi, which is an oddly esoteric blend of both Common and Elvish. You can speak both languages in a heavy, difficult-to-understand accent, but you can only read or write Yotarmi.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
5′ 10''	+2d10	190 lb.	× (1d4) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

Suggested Characteristics

When creating a yotarmi character, you can use the following table of flaws to help flesh out your character. Use these table in addition to or in place of your background's characteristics.

d6	Flaw
1	I lost the trial to become leader of my tribe and cannot marry my rival's daughter (or wife).
2	I lost my prey and I am still searching for it. It was a male/female (pick race) and it escaped me.
3	My family is the lowest of the low, and we always lose out to our rivals.
4	I fell in love with my prey and he/she escaped me.
5	I am married to my rival. He/she is leader of the tribe.
6	I am bad at hunting and my prey always escapes me.

---

Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Races