New player race for DnD 5e
Note from Monkey: I'm realising that I'm getting a lot of crystal themed content that's starting to bundle up, maybe a future compendium down the line ?
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Hello everyone, monkey here.
Continuing on the fact the fey is awesome, here is a new race, the Crystalmind. Part of a collective without being a hivemind these strange crystal folk have one goal, gathering knowledge. Who knows why.
Crystalmind
Crystalminds are precious minerals that coalesced together to create a new life form. It is said that they came from deep within the Fey Realms, where magic is the most capricious. These beings rose to life as a community. A Crystalmind's magical force glows dimly from within each of its body crystal, shining most brightly from where the eyes of a natural humanoid would be. Very few have ever encountered Crystalminds.
Humanoid Only By Name
They differ vastly from other humanoids. They do not have a pulse or a need for food or drinks, they cannot talk, letting their complex minds roam in the emptiness around them. They do not exhibit any bodily function and do not seem to be able to procreate. Perhaps the Crystalminds that one encounters today are the last remnant of a fallen line, or perhaps they Fey magic has other surprises up its sleeves.
Society
Crystalminds are beings of higher intellect, and don’t show any human emotions. Whilst few ponder on the meaning of their existence, the majority busy themselves with arcane research. They thirst for knowledge, for no reason other than the fact the knowledge is in this world and they feel as if incomplete without it. Knowledge is to a Crystalmind what food is to a famished human. They are part of a collective, each shardmind working tirelessly to bring the tribe closer to unity. They respond to outsiders with great caution, as an outsider can bring knowledge but also danger.
Crystalmind Traits
Your Crystalmind character gains the following traits.
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence increases by 2.
Age. Crystalminds were created fully mature, and do not physically age.
Alignment. The Crystalmind race has spent thousands of years researching various knowledge. Due to this, they are familiar with order and routine and have a strong lawful bent.
Size. The average height of a crystalmind is 5'8”–6’2”. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Crystalline Body. You are immune to diseases. You do not need to eat, drink or breathe nor are you able to.
Mute Voice. You do not possess the necessary organs to speak out loud, and as such are mute. The only exception to this is for the verbal components of spell that are chanted in a low hum by the thousands of crystals that compose your body.
Telepathic Link. You can speak telepathically to any creature within 30 feet of you. The creature understands you only if the two of you share a language. You can speak telepathically in this way to a number of creatures at a time equal to your proficiency bonus.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Shard, Common and one other language of your choice. Shard is an abrupt language derived from Sylvan. Its intricacies are only know to the Crystalminds. Subclasses. The animated crystals that form the body of Crystalminds differ in their composition, giving birth to different sub races: Diamond Shards, Jade Shards, Ruby Shards and Sapphire Shards.
Diamond Shards
The sturdiest of the Crystalminds. These are amongst the most common to encounter, contrary to popular belief. Their solid body often gives them a role of guard in their society. As such you gain the following benefits:
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1.
Unbreakable Body. piercing and slashing damage that you take from nonmagical weapons is reduced by 1.
Diamond Hands. As part of a short rest you can create an unbreakable bond with a weapon you are holding. After creating that bond you cannot be disarmed from that weapon against your will.
Jade Shards
Their body is said to be able to ward off death. Some amount of the myth is true, as the crystals composing their body amplify some of their power, stalling death more-so than repelling it. You gain the following benefits:
Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
New Life. 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.
Warden of Death. You learn the spare the dying cantrip. Starting at 5th level you can cast the gentle repose spell once and can’t cast the spell again until you finish a long rest.
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