The Dreamborn by

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# The Dreamborn

**"I don't really know whose dream I was."**

*A child with pink skin, slightly enlarged eyes, and hair that began dissolving towards its ends like fizzy water spoke.*

*"But if their dream had me, it must have been really sweet." She giggles, but self-consciously feels at her truly odd hair.*

*Another child, with floppy ears akin to a doe, along with skin that turns jet black from his neck down to his fingertips, hums in thought. "Do you remember what it was like? Like, to- I don't know- wake up? When you were dreamt or whatever?"*

*The girl pauses and replies slowly. "...I don't think so. It was kinda hazy. Like when you wake up when you don't want to, and you just wanna stay in bed, y'know?"*

*The boy nods. "Yeah..." The girl looks at him. "What'd it feel like? To have the Dream Light shine over you, I mean?"*

*He takes a moment to recollect. "I don't know, really...I was just sleeping one night, after my momma put me to bed...and it was like, ah-...like someone lit a fire? Only it was, like, in the sky, and it wasn't normal fire, it was-..." He trails off and stumbles over his words, trying to find any that could accurately describe what he saw.*

*The girl nods, putting a hand on his shoulder, her fizzy hair waving about. "Yeah. It does that..."*

*The girl waits, looking towards a distant tree, before tentatively asking, "So...do you ever...y'know...feel like going back? To- y'know- your parents- your- your normal life, I mean." She pushes her fingers together as she lays back on red grass.*

*The boy thinks for a moment. "...Not really. I mean, I guess I kind of miss them. But that was a while ago. I've found a new family. I...like it here."*

*The girl's cheeks flush a dark purple for a moment, and both children's gazes return to the sun setting just over the horizon, as they share a quiet moment.*

*The boy's fist raises up, without looking over at the girl. "Buddies forever?"*

*The girl looks to his fist. She gives a forlorn smile, and joins his fist with her own. "Forever."*

▬ Cedron Almns, *My Dreamscape Experience*

___

The Dreamborn are native to the Dreamscape; an unknown, hazy plane of infinite wonders, full of beauty and the impossible alike that's thought to be connected between the Far Planes and the Feywild. Rarely, a Dreamborn may find their way outside their forever changing home of dreams, willingly or otherwise. Without fail, the Dreamborn remembers nothing of their life in the Dreamscape, but can normally remember what they did frequently, who they met, important or lasting impressions, etc. Sometimes a Dreamborn may dream of their previous life in the Dreamscape.

### The Dream Light
The Dream Light is a large blue aurora borealis that scarcely appears in the Prime Material's night skies. Whenever it briefly appears, as rare as that is, even rarer still one or more Dreamborn may be left behind, with no recollection of how they arrived or where they came from, yet with perfect clarity on who they are and what they did in the Dreamscape.

Should a particularly talented dreamer native to the Prime Material be exposed to the Dream Light and continue to pursue frequent and passionate dream journeys, they may transform, whether they wish to or not, into a Dreamborn.

### All Flavors, All Sizes
Dreamborn are incredibly varied, much more so than almost any other race in the multiverse. Their skin colors range from every color of the spectrum, their voices can be high-pitched, as deep as a horn call, warbling and alien-like, or practically anything else someone could dream up. They typically range from 3-7 feet tall on average, and some can partially look like regular members of a mundane race. Most however, are exotic and are immediately apparent to be Dreamborn one way or another. Some have flames or icicles for hair, some glow like a lamp, and some are able to freely change their appearance. Truly, there is no limit to the sheer breadth of Dreamborn, because there is no limit on the number of dreams the mundane races can have.

### Tends to the Extremes
Dreamborn have many different traits to be born with, with some Dreamborn even rarely appearing with new traits! What's noticed more than anything else among Dreamborn though, is that they usually lean to at least some form of extreme, but usually several. A Bask of Nature Dreamborn could be either very nurturing and protecting, like an archetypal forest guardian. Or, he could be scornful of his plant-like nature, and seek to annihilate all home-grown vegetables! Whatever the case, even Dreamborn with the same traits are more often than not unique, due to the pathways that have been both opened and shut because of their traits, and which paths they have chosen to go down in their life.

### The Nightmares
A Nightmare is a Dreamborn who is born from a nightmare rather than a dream, or is the end result of a Dreamborn succumbing to a desire for great wickedness. Nightmares are rarer still than Dreamborn, but the latter is thought to be the former's main prey in the Dreamscape. Nightmares must feed off of dreams to survive, as without them, they starve. What they take however, they also give in horrible, vivid nightmares that plague that creature's sleep for the rest of the night, and lingers in their mind for a time afterward. Nightmares also have unique abilities from Dreamborn, including the rare ability to put one to sleep. It is because of these reasons that Nightmares are almost always viewed with distrust by the few who know what they are, but some Nightmares feed off of lesser creatures, and/or work to earn their peers' trust. Such Nightmares are not common.

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### Dreamborn Names

Many Dreamborn who awaken do not have a name. It is common for these Dreamborn to name themselves, but some have been known to simply wander through the Dreamscape and be given a name or nickname by other Dreamborn because of their actions or their appearance. Such an occurance only happens if that Dreamborn does not have a name, and the naming Dreamborn(s) know this. Dreamborn names are known to be as exotic or as mundane as they come.

***Male Names:*** Arnhem, Angus, Illithorn, Jax, Charles, Isaac, Anathanamonzori, Anlaw, Ostima, Kojan, Zora, Igor, Mehmut, Elmar, Walahfrid, Hypatia, Tycho, Chibudem, Ruben, Adil, Aristokles

***Female Names:*** Mitzy, Willow, Layla, Jezabelle, Kaemaemaelola, Anna, Zeila, Annabeth, Milana, Lenora, Hana, Medeia, Soili, Lacey, Iahel, Ustinya, Klara, Rhianu, Yolotl, Luningning, Sladjana

***Given Names:*** Thorn, Red, Money, Zip, Brains, Shifty, Goon, Red Moron, Buss, Bad Temper, Shieldcracker

### Dreamborn Traits

Dreamborn are wildly varied, due to the volatile nature of how they are created.

***Ability Score Increase.*** Two different ability scores of your choice increase by 1. One ability score of your choice increases by 1.

***Age.*** Dreamborn have been either touched by the Dream Light, or were born from a dream within the Dreamscape. Generally, the ones born from dreams have been known to live past 800, though the ones changed by the Light have their maturity rate slowed significantly. It is not uncommon for an originally human Dreamborn to live upwards of 300 years, depending on when they were altered.

***Alignment.*** Dreamborn are wildly varied. They all typically tend towards a chaotic alignment due to the Dream Light's influence on them if they have been transformed, or the nature of being born into the Dreamscape encouraging a day to day, free thinking mindset.

***Size.*** Dreamborn vary wildly in shape and size. Most can range from below 3' tall, to well over 7'. Your size is Medium.

***Speed.*** Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

***Dream Ancestry.*** You cannot be put to sleep against your will by any means, except by Nightmares. If you can see a creature, you innately know whether that creature is a Dreamborn or a Nightmare.

***Creative Mind.*** You gain proficiency with one artisan's tool of your choice, or one musical instrument of your choice.

***True Dreamer.*** While you are dreaming, you can freely lucid dream and control the environment as per the Dream spell. True Dreamer cannot be used if a Nightmare is in your dream. Additionally, when you sleep you may Dreamreach. Dreamborn will always dream when they sleep, but Dreamreaching is a step further - to partially fuse your consciousness with the essence of the Dreamscape. Follow the Dreamreach table at the end of this document for more information.

***Trait Tree.*** Being a Dreamborn, you have been altered by the Dream Light, or have been born from a dream. Because of this, your appearance and abilities are wildly variable. You have 7 trait points, to pick from the different Traits below. Some Traits or effects may require a target to make a saving throw. The DC for these saving throws is equal to 8 + your Proficiency bonus + your Wisdom or Constitution modifier (Your choice when you first create your Dreamborn).

***Languages.*** You can speak, read, and write Common and Dreamspeak.

Dreamspeak is impossible to understand by conventional means. It can be deep horns, warbling or like bubbling liquid, a completely gutteral or even alien-sounding language that doesn't exist. Truly, it's the speaker making whatever consistent sounds they want to. Those who understand Dreamspeak *understand* it, regardless of what noise is actually being made. Likewise, the written form can range from scribbles, to horrifying drawings, to abstract art, to a written language that doesn't exist - if you see it, you *understand* it. It is because of this that Dreamspeak is nearly impossible to learn.

### Mundane Traits
These traits are more common in Dreamborn and the mundane races. They can range to your size, what you are proficient with, and many other useful talents.

#### Enhanced Survival
Your body has evolved to the point where you no longer require some basic needs. You can select this Trait multiple times, but you must select a different option each time.

***Breathing.*** You no longer need to breathe. This Trait costs 3 trait points, and is mutually exclusive with Amphibious.

***Nurishment.*** You no longer need to eat or drink to survive, but you may still ingest edibles if you wish. This Trait costs 2 trait points, and is mutually exclusive with Nightmare.

***Sleep.*** You now only need to sleep for 4 hours a day. This Trait costs 1 trait point.

#### Ingenuity
Either through life in the Dreamscape or your own personal experiences, you hold valuable knowledge, gaining proficiency in a tool, skill, or language. You can select this Trait more than once, up to a maximum of 4 times.

***Language.*** You become fluent in one language of your choice. This Trait costs 1 trait point per language.

***Skill.*** You become proficient with one skill of your choice. This Trait costs 3 trait points the first time it is picked, and 2 points for every skill chosen after that.

***Tool.*** You become proficient with one tool, gaming set, or musical instrument of your choice. This Trait costs 1 trait point per proficiency.

#### Mobility
Your body is adjusted to the various types of terrain you may encounter, both in the Dreamscape and in the Prime Material. You may select this Trait more than once, but you must choose a different option each time.

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***Climbing.*** You have a climb speed equal to your walking speed. This Trait costs 2 trait points.

***Swimming.*** You have a swim speed equal to your walking speed. This Trait costs 2 trait points.

***Walking.*** Your walking speed is increased by 5 feet. This Trait costs 2 trait points.

#### Powerful Build
In your dream, you were strong; suited for a purpose.

You count as one size larger for determining your carrying capacity and the weight that you can push, drag, or lift.

This Trait costs 2 trait points.

#### Resistance
Your Dreamborn heritage has made you resistant to a specific type of damage. Pick one damage resistance from the following options. You can select this Trait more than once, up to a maximum of two times.

***Rare.*** You gain resistance to Radiant or Thunder damage. This option costs 2 trait points.

***Uncommon.*** You gain resistance to Acid, Cold, Lightning, or Necrotic damage. This option costs 3 trait points.

***Common.*** You gain resistance to Fire or Poison damage. This option costs 4 trait points. If you pick poison, you can spend 1 additional trait point to gain advantage on saving throws against poison.

#### Small
You stand between 2'5 and 4' tall. Your size is Small. You can move through another creature's space so long as they are a size larger than you. Your speed is reduced by 5 feet.

This Trait is free, but can only be chosen when you first create a Dreamborn.

#### Tough
Being a Dreamborn is a difficult existence, especially in the Dreamscape. You have a body that's used to that.

When you choose this Trait, your hit point maximum increases by an amount equal to your level. Every time you gain a level afterwards, your hit point maximum increases by 1.

This Trait costs 5 trait points.

### Dream Traits
These traits cast a Dreamborn into a more unique light than what is found with the mundane races. Whether it be from being eternally blessed with flame, bioluminescence, changing your appearance, or many others.

#### Aether Trace
Your form is slightly ethereal, like a ghost. Perhaps your hair floats as if you were underwater, or a part of you glows faintly.

As an action, you can float up to 2 feet off of the ground, and maintain a limited form of hovering. Hovering can't protect you from fall damage and difficult terrain still affects you as it normally would, but you can otherwise ignore small terrain hazards like caltrops or ball bearings. While hovering, you emit a constant sound which is known as your Echo, and you leave an ectoplasmic trail that fades after 1 minute. Your Echo emits a faint noise audible 10 feet away from you.

If you have no darkvision from any source, you gain 30 feet of darkvision. If you would ever get darkvision with a greater range than 30 feet, you use the new effect instead.

This Trait costs 2 trait points. By spending 1 additional Trait point, you may choose one of the following spirit types to associate with.

***Ghost.*** Accustomed to areas others would consider spooky or haunted, you are able to blend right in with other undead souls - and the living.

Once per long rest as an action, choose a medium or smaller nonmagical object within 5 feet of you. You and everything you are wearing that isn't magical are sucked into it and you are considered to be possessing that object. A creature within 5 feet of you can perceive your likeness around the object if they succeed on an Investigation check. A spell or effect that detects the presence of Undead detects you. You perceive from the object, you can speak, your game statistics are unchanged, and you can move 10 feet per turn by rolling or floating. You can cause visual or auditory phenomena from your object, like a painting's eyes following someone, a skull that cackles and moves its jaws, or something similar. Undead creatures cannot detect you unless they see you move or they hear you speak. The only action you can take is to exit the object.

You can stay within an object a number of hours equal to your Proficiency bonus before you're ejected, or until you take any damage.

***Spirit.*** Your body is more adjusted to the immaterial, and you embrace your ghostly heritage.

When you choose to float, you instead gain a magical flying speed of 20 feet, and you no longer leave a trail or have an Echo. At the end of your turn, you safely float downwards at a rate of 60 feet per round if you are higher than 5 feet from a solid surface.

***Phantom.*** You remain unseen to those foolish enough to traipse in the dark.

Once per long rest as an action, choose a number of creatures equal to your Proficiency bonus within 30 feet of you to mark. As long as you are within darkness or dim light, you become invisible to those creatures but not to any others for up to 1 hour. If any marked creatures move more than 30 feet away from you at any point, Phantom ends at the end of your next turn. While Phantom is active you have no Echo and you leave no trail when floating. You can make harmless sensory phenomena appear to marked creatures, like cold breathing down their neck, demonic faces in the dark, and so on. If you end your turn in bright light, if the duration passes, or if you attack or cast a spell, Phantom ends. If you have the Kindled Flame Trait, you can extinguish your fire while using this ability.

####  Amphibious
Whether you were born of an aquatic dream, or the Dream Light forced such a fate upon you, you are attuned to the sea. Perhaps you now have gills, fish-like scales along your body, or take on more characteristics of underwater life.

You can freely breathe underwater, and you can communicate basic ideas to beasts that can breathe water. They can understand the meaning of your words, but you have no special means of understanding them in return. Additionally, you automatically gain the Mobility (Swimming) Trait at no extra cost, and you no longer suffer any negative effects from being underwater in combat.

This Trait costs 3 trait points, and is mutually exclusive with Kindled Flame.

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#### Anomalous Transference
Your mind opens to the possibilities of enhanced communication.

You gain a special form of Telepathy with a range of 60 feet from you. This Telepathy allows you to communicate in a one way manner to a creature that you are aware of. The words that are telepathically spoken are in your voice.

A creature must have an Intelligence score of at least 5 to understand the basic concept or idea you are trying to get across to it. Furthermore, if a creature you can see within 60 feet of you has any form of Telepathy, the space around their head shimmers.

This Trait costs 3 trait points.

#### Bask of Nature
Your form is the product of nature itself. Perhaps you have leaves for hair, or plantlife grows all over your body. Maybe instead you have sections of bark for skin or horns.

You can spend 1 minute touching a natural surface, such as a tree or some soil, concentrating during this period as if concentrating on a spell. After this minute, you can shift your perspective anywhere along any natural surfaces that connect to the original point that you touch within 100 feet of it. This method puts your sight and hearing as if they were on that point, and you are blinded and deafened to your own senses. You can maintain this connection for up to 10 minutes before you must restart the process.

You also gain a basic ability to speak to plants. They understand the meaning of your words, but you have no special means of understanding them in return. Furthermore, spending at least 1 hour in direct sunlight throughout the day or consuming or absorbing 2 litres of potable water in that same amount of time counts as sufficient nurishment for that day. Doing half of both is also sufficient.

This Trait costs 2 trait points, and it is mutually exclusive with Kindled Flame, and Frozen.

#### Born Bright
You have been gifted with a rare trait, that many Dreamborn crave. You can freely create light from your person, whether it be from your palms, your orifices, or some harmless effect, like a halo.

As an action, you activate Born Bright. While it is active, you may shed bright light up to 15 feet away from you, and 15 additional feet of dim light. Alternatively, you can focus and direct your light. Doing so shines it directionally in a 30 foot cone of bright light, with an additional 30 feet of dim light. This light can be whatever color you wish, and you may dim, turn off, or switch between wide and focused on your turn using a bonus action.

You can create a harmless effect of light immediately on your person, such as a halo floating above your head, or as if you were basking in light. The effect cannot extend further than 5 feet away from you.

This Trait costs 1 point. You can spend 1 additional point to double the range of Born Bright.

#### Dreamborn's Scrutiny 
Your eyes are evolved in some way. Whatever the case, you have the eyes of the Dreamborn, and you may be considered an oracle, fortune teller, or keen authority figure.

You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern colors in darkness, only shades of grey. Additionally, you may enter a period of intense focus to concentrate on what you perceive. As an action, you activate Scrutiny, which lasts for 1 minute. While it's active, even if a Nightmare is under the effects of Conceal Terror, you see them for what they truly are. Additionally, you can choose to gain advantage on an Investigation or Perception check, which consumes Scrutiny.

Scrutiny may be used once, recharging on a short or long rest.

This Trait costs 2 trait points. Spending 1 more trait point gives you the Oracle ability.

***Oracle.*** As an action, you can read a willing creature's personality. You see two unique shades of colors around their head. Revealing a creature's aura consumes Scrutiny.

Primary aura colors:

* **White** for good, pure, or kind
* **Grey** for neutral, polite, or reserved. If the target creature is immune to divination magic or effects similar to the detect thoughts or scrying spells, then Scrutiny will only reveal this color.
* **Black** for evil, destructive, or manipulative

Secondary aura colors:

* **Red** for hot-headed, temperamental, or easily frustrated
* **Yellow** for cowardly, fradey-cat, or constantly anxious
* **Green** for close friendship, deep trust, or very honest
* **Blue** for jealous, materialistic, or highly picky
* **Purple** for conceited, cocky, or invariably bragging

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#### Frozen
Your form is freezing cold, whether it be your entire body, ice crystals that have formed to become your hair, or some other part of you.

As an action, you breathe over or touch an object that you can comfortably hold in both hands. Your breath or touch chills the object, stopping degradation (as in chilling food so it does not spoil), or you can extinguish a campfire-sized non-magical flame within 5 feet of you. Alternatively, you may attempt to chill an object no larger than a 2 foot cube. To do so, you must spend at least 1 minute with physical contact with the object to chill it with the same effects as described previously. This cold lasts for 8 hours, or for 1 hour if in prolonged heat, and you can only freeze a number of objects equal to your Proficiency bonus at one time.

Furthermore, once per long rest, you may attempt to completely freeze a nonmagical object that you can comfortably hold in one hand. Over a period of 10 minutes, you must maintain physical contact with the object you are freezing, and concentrate, as if concentrating on a spell. At the end of these 10 minutes, your cold completely chills the object to the point where hard ice covers most of its surface. This can either turn the object very hard like a rock, or it can turn the object brittle enough that you can smash it apart, your choice when you begin freezing it. This cold lasts for 1 hour.

You are also naturally adapted to extremely cold climates, as found in Chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master's Guide.

This Trait costs 2 trait points, and is mutually exclusive with Bask of Nature and Kindled Flame.

#### Higher Calling
Your very body radiates celestial or unique heritage. Perhaps your skin is gold, or even a light silver. Maybe your eyes are also gold or white, and you have a flawless complexion and a beautiful body. Whatever the case, it's immediately apparent that you are of divine providence.

When you complete a long rest, choose Guidance or Thaumaturgy. You can cast that cantrip until you complete a long rest.

Additionally, you can cast Augury once per long rest without requiring material components.

This Trait costs 2 trait points.

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#### Kindled Flame
Some area of your body is permanently awash in flame, or so hot it appears to be the color of molten steel. This could be the top of your head, the entirety of your hair, or it could be a large section of your skin.

You have two states, Burning and Dimmed.

You are also naturally adapted to extremely hot climates, as found in Chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master's Guide.

This Trait costs 2 trait points. This Trait is mutually exclusive with Amphibious, Bask of Nature, and Frozen.

#### Predator
You are naturally suited to deal with danger. Perhaps on your tail are vicious spikes, or you have claws on both your hands, or you have sharp horns which you gouge or ram into an enemy, or even large fangs.

You gain two natural weapons. Your natural weapons deal 1d4 piercing, slashing, or bludgeoning damage (your choice when you first pick this Trait, and you can make each weapon a different damage type), plus your Strength modifier. Your natural weapons have the Light and Finesse properties, and you are proficient with them.

This Trait costs 2 trait points. By spending 1 more point, the damage die increases to 1d6, and at 6th level, your natural weapons count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to non-magical attacks and damage.

#### Shifter
You have the ability to change your appearance on the fly, whether it be from changing your clothes, your facial features, body type, or voice.

When choosing this Trait, you must decide on some unique aspect of your appearance to be your Signature. This could be your favorite hat or helmet that you always wear, a a symbol of your house, or even your unique eyes, and so on. As an action, you Shift, which allows you to change your body type as long as it stays humanoid, along with allowing you to increase or decrease your base height up to 3 feet taller or shorter (minimum of 2 feet tall, maximum of 8 feet), and increase or decrease your base weight by 100 pounds (minimum of 30 pounds, maximum of 350 pounds). Any non-Shifted piece of clothing or gear does not Shift with you. You can add new clothes, change your facial features, and even your voice. However, your Signature must be readily visible somewhere on your person no matter what your Shifted appearance may be. If at any point your Signature is hidden from view, you Shift back into your normal appearance.

If your Signature is destroyed or lost, you must choose a new one in order to Shift. A Shifted piece of you cannot be separated from your body, so a Shifted hat would be glued to your head.

Shifting also permits you to morph your face or other body parts into various apparel, to either make yourself look like a scarecrow with hay sticking out you from various parts, or creating a unique mask that covers your face. You cannot Shift to make a weapon, like claws or a sword arm. The exception is if you have the Predator trait. With it, you can change your natural weapons and even hide them. A creature who listens to a fake voice you produce can deduce your voice is disguised with an opposed Investigation check against your Deception check.

If a creature or magical effect can perceive a creature's true form, such as with Truesight or Dreamborn's Scrutiny, then they can perceive a Shifted Dreamborn's true form. Additionally, if you have Traits which give physical characteristics such as Frozen or Kindled Flame or Aether Trace, their effects must be visible even if you Shift. This is because these traits are a part of you, and they cannot be freely hidden with the exception of Predator.

You can Shift a number of times equal to your Proficiency bonus, recharging on a long rest. While Shifted, you can return to your true form as an action, which does not cost a charge of Shift. Being forcefully Shifted to your true form depletes all charges of Shift. If you die or take damage while Shifted, you revert to your true form.

This Trait costs 4 trait points.

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## Becoming a Nightmare Dreamborn
It is possible for a Dreamborn to transform into a Nightmare and vice versa, but Nightmares changing is extraordinarily less common. When a Dreamborn walks a path of wickedness and evil, or if he truly wants to at any point, he will begin to notice a gradual change in the way he thinks. First, he will generally think of other sentient, non-Nightmare creatures as prey. Then, he will find that when he sleeps, he does not dream anymore. After that, he will begin to crave contact with sentient creatures, especially when they are asleep. Soon after that, physical changes will begin to occur, where the Dreamborn will begin to take on a more wicked appearance. This is the point of no return, where a Dreamborn must begin to recover and atone for their choices, or they will become a Nightmare.

After the physical changes, a Dreamborn will begin seeking out a sentient creature who is asleep. He will feel an intense craving for that creature's dreams, but he won't be able to access them. Instead, he will kill that creature, and that creature's dream essence will begin flowing to the Dreamborn. When this happens, there will be a snap in the Dreamborn's head, and he innately realizes that he is now a Nightmare as he basks in the delicious nectar of dreams now flowing through him.

He gains the rare, powerful tools of being able to put Dreamborn to sleep against their will, and how to siphon their dreams. These are what make Nightmares especially dangerous. Of course, instead of all of this, Nightmares can also be born, just like Dreamborn - they're just born from nightmares instead of dreams, and start with all of this knowledge and these tools innately.

### Playing a Nightmare
Playing a Nightmare is similar to playing a vampire. You will have to regularly find sentient creatures to feed off of, or you will eventually starve, and begin to die. However, you also gain a few boons to help you with that, including more trait points, and special abilities that are exclusive to Nightmares.

You aren't focused on creating, so you don't get any musical or artisan proficiencies, and you also lose the ability to Dreamcraft.

### Nightmare Traits
Nightmares are wicked deviations from Dreamborn, sowing misery wherever they go.

***Ability Score Increase.*** Two different ability scores of your choice increase by 1. One ability score of your choice increases by 1.

***Age.*** Nightmares mature similar to Dreamborn, but if they are consistently well-fed, a Nightmare can very well live forever.

***Alignment.*** Nightmares are rarely good. They are capable of good feats, but most are evil as they consistently bring terror to those around them for survival.

***Size.*** Nightmares vary in size similar to Dreamborn.

***Speed.*** Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

***Nightmare Ancestry.*** You cannot be put to sleep against your will by any means. If you can see a creature, you innately know whether that creature is a Dreamborn or a Nightmare.

***Nightmare Vision.*** Your eyes pierce through the darkest veils; it is superior to even creatures of the night. You can see in dim and dark light within 30 feet of you as if it were bright light. In dim light or darkness, the colors you see are in differing shades of black and white.

***Trait Tree.*** As a Nightmare, you are generally more powerful than a Dreamborn. You have 10 trait points, to pick from the different Traits a Dreamborn has access to, in addition to having access to an exclusive trait tree available only to Nightmares.

***Living on the Sparks.*** As a Nightmare, you cannot gain sustenance from water or regular food. Instead, you must drain the dreams of sentient creatures, and survive by maintaining your Sparks, which is your stored dream energy.

You have a maximum number of Sparks equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1) + your Proficiency bonus. When you complete a long rest and you haven't siphoned dreams from a sentient creature since your last long rest, you lose 1 Spark. When you have 0 Sparks, you begin to starve. After every 4 hours you gain 1 level of exhaustion, and suffer an amount of Necrotic damage equal to your level that cannot be reduced.

When you gain a Spark, you remove one level of exhaustion, and you gain an amount of HP equal to your level. Additionally, when you have your maximum number of Sparks, you do not age.

***Black Siphon.*** As an action, you target a sentient creature that is unconscious that you can see within 5 feet of you. Over 1 minute, you implant your siphons into the creature's mind. When complete, you begin siphoning their dreams, and during this process, the creature cannot wake up until you remove your siphons, or if it takes any damage not caused by Black Siphon. For every minute you siphon dreams from that creature, you gain a Spark. If the target ever moves further than 5 feet away from you, or if you lose sight of the target, Black Siphon immediately ends. Removing your siphons is a free action.

While you drain the target of their unique dreams and experience the wonders of them, the gap is filled by the creature's subconscious fears, doubts, and insecurities - corrupting their mind with a bubbling, stewing nightmare. That creature loses the benefits of a long rest for that 24 hour period.

A creature can give a number of Sparks equal to its Intelligence modifier (minimum of 2), after that it will not give off any more Sparks, and it will gain a level of exhaustion for every minute that it is further drained.

If a creature dies after being drained of all Sparks they have while your siphons are implanted, you gain a number of temporary Hit Points equal to your level or double your Proficiency bonus, whichever is higher.

\pagebreak

If Black Siphon is used on a creature affected by Dread Slumber, that creature sleeps for 1 hour instead of 1 minute. If Black Siphon is used on a Nightmare, it is similar to consuming ash instead of a dream. A Nightmare gives one Spark regardless of its Intelligence modifier, and in doing so it has one of its own Sparks stolen. As soon as this happens, the other Nightmare awakens and your siphons are ripped from its mind.

A creature with an Intelligence score of 4 or lower has low quality dreams, which are unfit for proper consumption. These creatures will only give a maximum of one Spark, and that Spark will only last for 1 hour. Creatures with an Intelligence score of 16 or higher have delicious, succulent dreams which no Nightmare could ever get enough of. When you would gain 1 Spark from these creatures, you gain 1 extra Spark.

***Dread Slumber.*** As an action, choose one creature with a CR or level of 5 or less that you can see within 30 feet of you. The target creature must make a Wisdom saving throw.

It automatically succeeds if you or your companions are hostile to it, and it has disadvantage if it is not aware of your presence. If the creature has a CR of 1/8th or lower and is incapacitated or not aware of your presence, it automatically fails the saving throw.

If the creature succeeds the saving throw, nothing happens, and it is not aware you attempted to use this ability on it. If it is a Dreamborn, it realizes a Nightmare is in the vicinity. Other Nightmares automatically succeed on the saving throw. If the creature fails the saving throw, it immediately falls asleep for 1 minute. The target wakes up if it takes any damage, or if another creature uses its action to shake that target awake.

Dread Slumber can be used once, recharging on a short or long rest.

***Dreamreach.*** When you sleep, you may wish to Dreamreach. Nightmares do not dream, but they yearn to, and turn to Dreamreaching as the only way they can now. Follow the Dreamreach table at the end of this document for more information.

***Languages.*** You can speak, read, and write Common and Dreamspeak.

### Nightmare Trait Tree
This trait tree is available only to Nightmares. It gives them further flexible options for draining the dreams of sentient creatures, and to remain hidden among the Dreamborn.

#### Conceal Terror
To keep the sheep in line, you must hide your true form, and blend among the crowd.

As an action, you activate Conceal Terror. Choose a Dreamborn appearance. That is what you turn into, and you cannot change it later unless you have the Shifter Trait. While Conceal Terror is active, other Dreamborn cannot recognize that you are a Nightmare, but other Nightmares can see you for what you really are.

There are a few select Dreamborn who possess the talent to see through this disguise, by using Dreamborn's Scrutiny. Conceal Terror lasts for a collective number of hours equal to your Proficiency bonus. As an action you can drop your disguise, returning to your true form. This allows you to eke out more disguise time by dropping your form when you don't need it.

This Trait costs 2 trait points.

#### Long-range Siphons
Your Black Siphon has evolved, and made it easier to drain the unsuspecting.

When you activate Black Siphon, you can choose to use Long-range Siphons. If you do, Black Siphon now has a range of 30 feet, and requires you to concentrate, as if concentrating on a spell. You must still maintain line of sight to the target, but if they are moved 5 feet in any direction from where they were when you began siphoning them, if you and the target are ever further than 30 feet apart, or if you lose sight of the target, Black Siphon immediately ends.

This Trait costs 2 trait points.

#### Marrowleech
Not all Nightmares prefer siphoning dreams from slumbering creatures. Some are born with a darker, more sinister hunger. Such Nightmares are referred to as Marrowleeches, and are typically more bestial, demonic, or alien in appearance or behavior than their brethren. To every Marrowleech Nightmare, the brain and the heart are without question the best parts to consume.

Humanoid, beast, and fey corpses have a number of Sparks to give equal to their Constitution modifier, increasing or decreasing by 1 per size category difference, with tiny creatures giving no Sparks (all creatures except tiny give a minimum of 2). If the target creature died while being siphoned of their dreams or if it gave any Sparks within 1 hour before it died, it gives no Sparks via consumption. Whenever a Spark is gained from one creature's corpse, it loses a Spark it can give by any means until it has none left. For every 24 hours that pass since that creature died, it loses 1 Spark to give. Choose one beast, humanoid, or fey corpse within reach. You consume that corpse, with varying rates of ferocity and gluttony dependent on your needs.

Only one effect can be active at a time.

***Only a Taste.*** You consume something small - a few fingers, the ears, an eyeball, etc. as an action. Only a Taste snatches up to 1 Spark.

***Rip and Tear.*** You consume a larger portion of the creature - a limb, internal organs, etc. This can take up to 10 minutes for a Medium sized creature, doubling or halving the time required for greater or smaller sized creatures. Rip and Tear snatches up to 2 Sparks, and you may choose one of the following benefits, which last until your next rest: Gain +5 to your walking speed when in combat or in a chase, or gain advantage on your next melee attack that's made with intent to kill.

***Feast.*** You ravenously consume the entirety of the creature's corpse - bones are picked clean. This takes 30 minutes for a Medium sized creature, doubling or halving the time required for greater or smaller sized creatures. Feast snatches up as many Sparks as the corpse can give, and you gain temporary Hit Points equal to your level or double your Proficiency bonus, whichever is higher. Additionally, you gain the Apex Predator trait for 1 hour.

***Apex Predator.*** You gain advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks, and your melee weapon attacks deal an additional 1d4 damage. You are also immune to any diseases or illnesses that the creature you are consuming had.

This Trait costs 3 trait points.

\pagebreak

#### Nightbringer
You can freely modify others' perception of their environment as you deem fit.

As an action, you can apply one of the following effects. You can have up to 2 of these effects active at one time.

- Choose any number of nonmagical lights, including flames, within 30 feet of you that you can see. You make those light sources tainted light. You can instantly or slowly douse a source of tainted light, and you can change the color of tainted light within 60 feet of you as an action. If you have any Trait that creates light, such as Born Bright or Kindled Flame, you can also have that light be tainted light. Tainted light burns for however long you wish it to, until a creature puts it out as an action, or until you move greater than 100 feet away from it. You can also light a small fire within 5 feet of you as an action, and the flames you create radiate tainted light.

- You can make the air around you in a 30 foot radius cold enough that most creatures would develop goosebumps and their breath would fog, but not cold enough to otherwise have a perceptible or harmful effect on the environment or other creatures. Alternatively, you can target one creature, and have only that creature feel this effect.

- You can force any number of creatures within 30 feet of you to make a Wisdom saving throw. A creature who failed the save begins to hear constant whispering all around them just out of earshot, and perceives all bright light as dim light, with dark phenomena moving in and out of their periphery vision until the end of their next turn. A creature is not aware that you made them make a saving throw, but they are made aware of your general direction if they are affected.

If a creature is being affected by at least one of Nightbringer's effects, such as hearing whispers, feeling the cold, or fully within any tainted light, as an action as long as you can see the creature, you can spike the effects it's feeling and cause it to have disadvantage on the next Wisdom saving throw it makes before the end of its next turn. Once you use this ability, you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.

This Trait costs 3 trait points.

#### Spark Efficiency
You have learned how to more efficiently streamline your Sparks' outputs.

Your Spark limit increases by 1. When you would gain 1 or more Sparks and are 1 off from capping at your maximum, you instead gain 2 Sparks.

Additionally, when you have 0 Sparks, it takes 8 hours to receive 1 level of exhaustion and damage equal to your level, instead of 4 hours.

This Trait costs 1 trait point.

\pagebreak

## Supplemental Content
Some of these content options are not strictly for Dreamborn, meaning you can use them however way you see fit for non-Dreamborn characters. However, the prerequisites must be met before you can choose them, and it will be assumed that you are playing a Dreamborn character when discussing what is possible with this content.

## Feats
If your GM allows feats as found in Chapter 6 of the Player's Handbook, your Dreamborn character has access to the following feats.

### Essence Evolution
*Prerequisite: Dreamborn*

Some Dreamborn have been known to be blessed by the Dream Light, or even shown favor by entities from the Dreamscape. These are typically heroes, important figures, or someone who is destined for great things.

When you choose this feat, increase an ability score of your choice by 1, and you immediately gain 5 Trait points.

## Backgrounds

### Fabled Author
*Prerequisite: Intelligence score of at least 10 or higher, and the ability to read and write in at least one language*

You have found, or created a journal depicting your adventures and the creatures that you encounter along the way. You have a studious and perceptive mind, one which needs to have a dose of curiosity, a sprinkle of bravery, and a dash of adventure.

Whether you want to keep this journal to publish it like the great wizards and adventurers of old to serve as a warning and a guidebook to newer adventurers, or you wish to publish it strictly to make money off of your adventuring exploits, or even to keep it for yourself for some more secretive purposes, it is up to you.

**Skill Proficiencies:** Investigation, Perception

**Tool Proficiencies:** Cartographer's Tools, and Calligrapher's Tools

**Languages:** One of your choice

**Equipment:** An Exotic Journal, a writing instrument (does not have to be a traditional pen), ink material (does not have to be traditional ink), traveler's clothes, and a belt pouch containing 10 gold pieces.

#### Feature: Your Exotic Journal
You have in your possession an Exotic Journal. This Exotic Journal can be of up to a maximum of 200 pages long, and if you run out of pages on your Exotic Journal, you can either make or buy a new one, and continue recording in the new Exotic Journal. The materials required to make or buy a new Exotic Journal are 5 gold pieces. It can be designed and look like anything you want, within reason. Its primary uses are to record notes and things that may have transpired, and to describe and/or illustrate creatures or phenomena that you have personally seen. It may also be used as an adventuring journal or diary.

Each page on your Exotic Journal is blank, until they are filled in with what is known as an article. You start with 1d10+your Investigation bonus articles (maximum of 10). An article is an illustration and description of a creature or phenomena such as a stone golem, the Feywild's time warping capabilities and its other effects, or the weaponized magical blood mist created by an evil cult, just to name a few.

To add more articles to your Exotic Journal, you must observe a target for at least 1 minute. A target is a creature or a phenomena. At the end of this minute, you must make a special Investigation or Perception check known as an Observation check, with the difficulty depending on the creature and your own experience. The base DC to accurately gain insights to a creature is 15. If the creature that you're studying's Challenge Rating is different from your character level, the GM must note the difference and consult the Observation Recording Difficulty table:

| CR Level Difference |Observation Recording Difficulty |
|:---:|:-----------:|
|  -5  | Any creature with a Challenge Rating less than -5 gives the entirety of their stat block and illustration on a successful Observation check. |
|  -1 to -4  | Decreases the Observation Check DC by 1. |
|  0  | The base DC, 15. |
|  1 to 4  | Increases the Observation Check DC by 1. |
|  5  | Any creature with a Challenge Rating greater than 5 gives a -5 to the Observation Conclusion table. |

If you succeed on your Observation Recording check, your GM rolls a Conclusion check in secret, which is a d20 + your Investigation modifier. He then consults the Observation Conclusion table. The concept of stats like Armor Class and Hit Points do not exist in your character's world, and so information gained in articles are conveyed as if they were written in character. For example, to convey that a dragon has high AC, an excerpt in the article could read "And so, Ser Brocke fired his arrow and would have hit true, if not for the dragon's near-impenetrable scales! Focus on these highlighted weak spots if possible to harm one!". You may only make one successful Observation check per long rest.

#### Observation Conclusion Table

| d20  | Results |
|:---:|:-----------:|
|  1 or less | While studying the creature or phenomena, you have greatly misinterpreted it or made a serious lapse in logic. You learn a piece of information that is potentially harmfully incorrect, such as stripping to your underwear in front of a beholder will force it to serve you, or that throwing yourself into the Elemental Chaos while wearing a certain material will grant you great power, just to name a few. The GM chooses what information is learned. |
|  2-9  | You gain 1 insight about the target. |
|  10  | You gain 2 insights about the target. Insights could be the creature's Armor Class, its Hit Dice, damage resistances, immunities, or vulnerabilities, a Stat's modifier, a special effect like a Troll's regeneration power and how to counter it, just to name a few. |

\pagebreak

| d20 | Results |
|:-------------:|:---:|
|  11-19  | You gain 1d4+1 insights about the target. |
|  20-25  | You gain insight to the creature's Armor Class, Hit Dice, damage resistances and immunities, and 2d4+2 other insights, if any. |
|  26+  | With perfect clarity, you study this target and denote it to the last final detail. You gain the entire stat block of the relevant creature or phenomena. |

When studying a creature, it will only give the average of that creature's species. At your GM's discretion, you may record sufficiently unique creatures, as opposed to the average of the creature's species. Additionally, your GM could rule that some effects are innately hidden or difficult to guess, and only by seeing that effect can you record it, such as a spellcaster's list of spells. You can also make an Observation check on a dead creature, but the time required to study it takes 10 minutes, you must have had an encounter with another living creature of its kind before, and you must be within touching distance of the corpse. You have advantage on your Observation check when studying a corpse, but suffer a -5 to the Conclusion result.

If you see certain abilities or traits being used by a creature or phenomena, you can also automatically add them to its article without requiring a check, such as one of a Beholder's eye rays' effects, or that a mimic can shapeshift into any object it wishes.  If you have an inaccurate reading on a creature or phenomena and if you personally see that that recording is proved wrong, you can change it later to make it correct. You are not forced to believe insights which you may feel are inaccurate; they are theories and hypotheses, nothing more.

### Magic Items

**Spark Gourd**

Common. Requires attunement by a Nightmare, but does not occupy an Attunement slot.

This round-shaped jug gradually stylizes itself and morphs to fit the personality of the Nightmare who is attuned to it. Any Nightmare traveling far from plentiful dreams should always carry with him a Spark Gourd.

As an action, you can deposit or withdraw any number of your Sparks from or into this gourd. It can hold a maximum number of Sparks equal to half of your Proficiency bonus rounded up, +1. When targeting a creature with Black Siphon, you can instead choose to drain Sparks into your Spark Gourd.

\pagebreak

### Dreamreaching
Dreamreaching is the process of connecting to the Dreamscape on a level that the mundane races are not capable of comprehending. It is to become one and all, while also reducing one's self to a micro-speck, across the planes of dimensions. One can have a positive experience, and return from Dreamreaching with something valuable to show for it. Or, one can witness something so terrible he never even thought it possible, and be that much worse off.

Although Dreamreaching is technically considered dreaming, few Dreamborn who are comfortable with their lives try the prospect more than a handful of times. You are essentially risking your well-being, sometimes permanently, for an equally alluring positive experience, one which can also permanently help you. However, the risk is great, and once you begin the process of Dreamreaching, it is impossible to back out halfway. Some Dreamborn have been known to fall into a catatonic state, never to wake up again. Others have gained insight into the future, and become great warriors, or wealthy nobles.

One thing is clear among all cases: Dreamreaching is not fully understood even by those who use it. It is a dangerous power, not to be used at every single opportunity.

<div class='descriptive'>
 
 ##### Creator's Note
 It might be tempting to look at a few of the rewards of Dreamreaching, and have the inner gambler in you scream to take your chances. But some abilities have inherent ramifications that may make it difficult for your GM to control the pace of the game the way he sees fit, not to mention making it impossible to play your character anymore.
 
 Thus, you should discuss with your GM if he is comfortable with allowing you to Dreamreach at all. For all intents and purposes it can be considered a variant rule, one which does not affect the Dreamborn too much if it is removed from the PC's use. Also consider, if he disallows or allows it for you, if NPC Dreamborn can Dreamreach. That way, he is able to plan for an outcome if he pre-rolls the dice before the session. Alternatively, if he does allow Dreamreaching, discuss some possibilities of what may or may not happen if you roll a certain number, or simply ban certain numbers if you roll on them, and just roll again. However, be careful when doing this, because if most of the risk is taken out of Dreamreaching, leaving only the positives, then your players might always want to do it, as there would be no downsides comparative to the boons.
 
 Remember, this race is intended to bring fun to your table! If your players or DM aren't comfortable with Dreamreaching, as it can take up time and is incredibly risky to use, take their opinions into account and have fun!
 
 </div>
 
<div style='margin-top:100px;'></div>

### Dreamreaching Rules
When you sleep, you may announce that you are going to Dreamreach. When you do so, your consciousness is pulled from your physical form, and your body begins to faintly glow. At this point, you cannot turn back; you must complete your reach.

It is strongly advised that the GM is the one who does the Dreamreach roll. This is to prevent PCs metagaming, and to cement the fact that some of these options do not have immediately apparent effects, but that is not to say that they are positive. You are also encouraged to Dreamreach for a reason; such as trying to look for a long lost friend, or the answer to an important question. The GM is also encouraged to describe the type of dream you have based on why you Dreamreached, while incorporating the outcome that he rolled on the Dreamreach table into the dream as well.

Some outcomes in the Dreamreaching Table have symbols. These symbols are defined in the Dreamreaching Legend. Other outcomes do not, and do not include a time limit. If an outcome does not specifically address a time limit, that outcome lasts for a minimum of 24 hours.

Dreamreaching's outcomes can stack together, but unless specifically addressed, they cannot stack multiples of the same outcome. It simply extends the time limit by 24 hours if such an effect occurs. If an outcome does not have a time limit, and it does not have the ╩ symbol, then when you are first made aware of that outcome, you can decide if you want it to last forever, or just for a certain amount of time, like 7 months. You cannot change how long it lasts after the fact, so choose wisely. The exception is if you were to roll the same outcome again, you can get rid of it by having it last only 24 hours.

Some outcomes do not have a symbol or time limit associated with them, but have a unique effect. These are likely outcomes driven by roleplay, or happen only once or are triggered by a specific event.

All outcomes are subject to the GM's discretion, and some specifically call for his input on something. This means your Game Master has great latitude in determining the effect of some of the outcomes.

#### Dreamreaching Legend
Several symbols appear next to some Dreamreaching outcomes. This table explains what each of them mean. If more than one symbol appears next to an outcome, it means all of them are in effect for that outcome.

| Symbol  | Meaning |
|:---:|:-----------:|
|  ╩  | This effect cannot be modified or extended, it only lasts for 24 hours or whatever time limit is described in the outcome|
|  ◊  | x |
|  ◉  | x |
|  ⊕  | x
|  ℷ  | x |
|  ⋇  | x |
|  ⅄  | x |
|  ≵  | x |

\pagebreak

| d100  | Dreamreaching Table | 
|:-----------:|:-----------------:|:---:|
|  1  | Your reach has led you to a terrible conclusion, one which has very likely spelled your doom. Roll on the Catastrophic Misreaches table. |
|  2  | Your reach has revealed a terrible nightmare of existence, and stripped your essence, leaving you lesser than you once were. You permanently lose the Trait that has the highest trait point cost. If there are two or more Traits that are equally high, you roll a die for which one to remove. You can pick the lost Trait again if you gain more Trait points.| 
|  3  | ╩ If the PC hears their name, they petrify for 1d4 rounds. |
|  4  | PC loses 1d2 feet in height (minimum of 2 feet tall), their clothes & armor change to still fit them afterwards. |
|  5  | The tip of the PC's thumb can be harmlessly lit like a candle. |
|  6  | ╩ PC cannot exit through a door or entrance the same way they entered. |
|  7  | PC thinks "They" are after them. Whoever "They" are. |
|  8  | PC gains an imaginary friend who tells them to kill everyone they meet. |
|  9  |  Scarecrows become the PC's worst nightmare. |
|  10  | Whenever the PC rolls a 20 on a 1d20, they are compelled to shout “[PC's name] strikes again!” |
|  11  | PC's body teleports 1 mile in a random direction; stone replica appears in his/her place. |
|  12  |  PC grows fur on their entire body. |
|  13  | PC suddenly recalls a past life where they were a destitute beggar who died, with no one to miss them. |
|  14  | PC can bathe in moonlight, and is squeaky clean the morning after. |
|  15  | Roll on this table twice. You can choose which of the two results to take.|
|  16  | Moonlight makes the PC look like a decomposing corpse. |
|  17  | ╩ PC sprouts a singing venus fly trap on their shoulder that sings when the PC is happy. |
|  18  | ╩ PC agrees with everything, even if it doesn't make sense, or is contradictory. PC’s personal beliefs are unaffected. |
|  19  | PC thinks any form of eating meat is a crime against nature. |
|  20  | PC suddenly feels as though they are being remembered by a future life. |
|  21  | The PC suddenly becomes aware of a dragon's treasure horde, the only problem is that the dragon knows that the PC knows. 
|  22  | PC grows a beard that is 2 feet long. If it's removed in any way, it grows back overnight. |
|  23  | PC cries at the sight of flying birds, because it's such a beautiful metaphor for their soul. |
|  24  | ╩ PC's mouth becomes a set of 4 tentacles, each 2 feet long. |
|  25  | PC has an intense need to narrate their actions/feelings and surroundings. |
|  26  | PC’s dreams are replaced with visions of killing someone they haven't met yet. |
|  27  | ╩ For the next 1d4 days, every time the PC removes any head gear, a white rabbit appears from underneath it. It is a normal rabbit. 01-50% Male, 51-100% Female. They will mate and produce offspring normally (Maximum of 10 rabbits at a time). |
|  28  | ╩ PC learns to understand the next language they hear that they don't currently know. |
|  29  | PC's skin is burned by moonlight. While in moonlight, you take 1d4 Radiant damage per 6 seconds. |
|  30  | Roll again, the next living creature the PC touches receives the effect. |
|  31  | PC suddenly remembers they really, REALLY needed to do something, but for the life of them cannot remember what it was. |
|  32  | PC constantly sounds like a grandma, using the terms "pooky" and "schnookums" regardless of the situation. PC pinches cheeks too. |
|  33  | PC’s dreams are replaced with visions of being a hunted animal running from poachers. |
|  34  | PC is now continuously tempted by demons in their sleep. |
|  35  | PC is compelled to devour the next corpse they come across. |
|  36  | ╩ PC learns to understand the next language they hear that they don't currently know. |
|  37  | PC is able to get reliable directions to well-known places from snails. (They speak very quietly though.) |
|  38  | PC recently took an inviolable vow but can’t quite remember it. (GMs choice) |
|  39  | PC enjoys a good meal consisting of brains. They also gain very small memories from the brains they consume. |
|  40  | PC irrationally hates fungi. (Stomps on them when they see them.) |
|  41  | PC can no longer answer a question truthfully. |
|  42  | PC can’t help but smile and giggle quietly to themselves at the misfortune of others. |
|  43  | During the next full moon, the PC is accosted by undead tax collectors until dawn. |
|  44  | ╩ PC's whistling attracts birds en masse. |
|  45  | PC's blood becomes a flourescent light blue, and glows in the dark. |
|  46  | PC’s dreams are replaced with visions of being a wizard on the run from authorities, having discovered a terrible secret. |
|  47  | PC is poisoned. (GMs choice of poison) |

\pagebreak

| d100  | Dreamreaching Table |
|:---:|:-----------:|
|  48  | When the PC's blood leaves the PC, it floats around like wax inside a lava lamp. |
|  49  | ╩ Any animal the PC touches gains human-like intellect and speech as long as they're in contact. |
|  50  | PC is lectured by angelic figures about decency every night in their sleep. |
|  51  | PC's skin becomes soot black. |
|  52  | PC's dreams are replaced with visions of being a beautiful mermaid viciously devouring the bodies of sailors. |
|  53  | Whenever a PC enters a building for the first time, it will eject them forcefully. |
|  54  | ╩ PC is now a particularly enjoyable stalking target for invisible stalkers. However, harming the PC would ruin the sport. |
|  55  | ╩ Whenever the PC closes their eyes, they see the last place where they used to live as it currently is. |
|  56  | ╩ Ethereal strings appear to be attached to the PC’s limbs and head, that extend upwards for a foot before trailing off. |
|  57  | PC can bring any one creature with a CR of 5 or less they've killed back to life. It will become permanently hostile to the PC regardless. |
|  58  | PC is only able to enter rooms through dramatic actions. |
|  59  | PC can read books by flipping through them quickly. |
|  60  | PC learns one mundane song that they can play on any instrument. |
|  61  | PC now has an exceptional talent for making appropriately sized hats for animals that are size Small or smaller. |
|  62  | ╩ By rubbing their hands together fast enough, the PC can generate enough sparks to start a campfire. |
|  63  | PC is haunted by the ghost of everything they slay. |
|  64  | The next wild mundane animal the PC sees, becomes domesticated to the PC. |
|  65  | Whenever the PC witnesses a spell being cast, they are compelled to rate it on a scale of 1-10. |
|  66  | PC's dreams are replaced with visions of being a virtuous ascetic nurse taking loving care of the sick, eventually dying of the sickness themselves. |
|  67  | PC becomes obsessively hygienic. |
|  68  | PC grows animal horns. (GMs choice of moose, rams, etc.) |
|  69  | ╩ PC's voice of reason becomes an invincible squirrel that no one else can see. |
|  70  | ╩ Anyone around the PC is pulled into the PC's dreams whenever the PC is asleep. |
|  71  | Vines grow over the PC whenever they're asleep. They rapidly decay when the PC wakes up.|
|  72  | PC suddenly recalls a past life where they were an animal being worshiped in ancient times. |
|  73  | ╩ PC can remember their name, and that's about it. |
|  74  | ╩ PC's hair, if any, turns white in the presence of magic. If already white, it turns a deep shade of red. |
|  75  | PC’s dreams are replaced with visions of being an enormous force of pure evil slaughtering innocents. |
|  76  | PC is detected by Detect Undead. |
|  77  | ╩ Wildlife brings the PC food periodically. |
|  78  | It snows whenever the PC is sad. |
|  79  | It rains whenever the PC is sad. |
|  80  | ╩ PC can teleport from the bottom of any named freshwater lake to the bottom of any other named freshwater lake that they've visited at least once. |
|  81  | ╩ PC's mouth is stuck in a permanent smile. |
|  82  | PC suddenly recalls a past life where they were a beautiful princess who lived an affluent, and uneventful life. |
|  83  | PC's shadow smokes as if it's on fire. |
|  84  | The next creature that the PC kills is personally escorted to the afterlife by a powerful being. |
|  85  | Flip a coin. On heads, the PC's voice rises higher than it used to. On tails, it lowers from what it used to be. |
|  86  | ╩ If the PC touches a plant, it glows in the dark for 10 minutes. |
|  87  | ╩ Any door the PC tries to open instantly locks itself. (Can still be picked.) |
|  88  | PC’s dreams are replaced with visions of being the last priest in a forgotten order. |
|  89  | ╩ PC no longer blinks. Anyone who stares too long into the PC's eyes will hear a Gregorian choir chanting louder and louder before passing out. |
|  90  | PC's blood harmlessly becomes sand. |
|  91  | ╩ Any weapon the PC holds is able to talk, and is normally very eager to do so. |
|  92  | ╩ All fire that burns within 30 feet of the PC turns to the color of their choice. |
|  93  | ╩ PC knows the market value of any humanoid as a slave that they see. |
|  94  | PC looks like a ghost when they are in the rain. |
|  95  | ╩ Whenever the PC is left alone in a building, the building burns down. |
|  96  | ╩ PC's dreams are replaced with visions of an ancient temple, where something important has been sealed away. |
|  97  | ╩ PC goes down one size category. (With no stat change.) |
|  98  | ╩ PC goes up one size category. (With no stat change) |
|  99  | Your reach has granted you a blessing of the Light; you immediately gain 3 Trait points to spend on any Trait(s) of your choosing.  |

\pagebreak

| d100  | Dreamreaching Table |
|:---:|:-----------:|
|  100  | Your reach has led you to a profound conclusion, one which serves to benefit you in an incredible fashion. Roll on the Extraordinary Reaches table. |

### Smaller Tables
These are more specific tables, which require you to roll again if you rolled a certain number in the original 1d100 Dreamreach table. These often have unique or extraordinary effects, some of which can potentially disrupt a game session. Because of this, it is fine to perhaps call a temporary break, or even pick it up next session, when you have developed a plan to deal with the result a player may have rolled.

| d4  | Catastrophic Misreaches  |
|:---:|:-----------:|
|  1  | Your reach pulls you to Vanaia, the First Nightmare, First Great Sleeper of Darkmill. She plucks your consciousness from the Dreamscape, and devours you whole. Your body is left behind to sleep until death, and both divine intervention and the magic of a Wish spell cannot restore you, unless a creature is within 30 feet of Vanaia to make the wish. Vanaia gains all of your memories, and will always be able to watch and know the precise locations of the people who were most important to you, and all sentient creatures who were within 100 feet of you when you Dreamreached, from then on until the day that they die in such a manner where there is no chance of resurrection. |
|  2  | Your reach has melded your consciousness with that of another creature somewhere in the Prime Material or Dreamscape. That creature was just in the process of dying, and you experienced the sheer terror and empty coldness that enveloped it in an excruciatingly painful, traumatizing ordeal. You can no longer personally kill or even stomach having other creatures die near you. Doing so puts such strain on your body that you fall unconscious and collapse into a coma that lasts for 1d4 hours. Additionally, you have permanent disadvantage on all attack rolls.|
|  3  | Your reach takes you to Unghpim, Sleeper of the Deepfire Mountain. He corrupts your mind with ferocious, unending rage, and your alignment changes to Chaotic Evil. As soon as you wake, flames sprout all over your now evil-looking body and you go on a murderous rampage to kill every living thing you see for 1d6+4 (minimum of 7) days. During this rampage, you gain a size category, creatures you kill burst into flames, your melee attacks deal an additional 2d6 fire damage, you gain resistance to nonmagical weapon attacks, you have immunity to Fire damage and have advantage on all saving throws vs magic, you immediately gain 50 temporary Hit Points, you no longer need to sleep or consume food or drink, and at the start of each of your turns, you regenerate 10 Hit Points, which can only be negated if you have taken Cold damage the previous turn. At the end of your rampage, your alignment and body returns to normal and you remember everything that you did. |
|  4  | Your reach has pulled your consciousness directly to the Limbo River, and submerged you within its depths. There, you see every wrong choice you've ever made and will make. You see the people you've wronged, the sacrifices you've had to make, your insecurities, flaws, failed accomplishments, and many more. You experience this over and over again, and your perception of time slows to an infitesimally slow crawl. You slip into a vegetative state when you finally return to your body, and only the magic of a Wish spell or a personal contract on someone else's part to Hetu, Sleeper of the Limbo River in the Dreamscape can pull you out of this coma. |

\pagebreak

| d4  | Extraordinary Reaches  |
|:---:|:-----------:|
|  1  | Your reach has infused an extraordinary boon with your Dreamborn essence - immediately gain 7 trait points to spend on any Trait(s) you desire. You may also completely change your appearance and/or lose all of your previous Traits, and in doing so, your Traits' trait point costs are refunded, allowing you to create an entirely new Dreamborn or a Dreamborn with new Traits.|
|  2  | Your reach has imbued your body with a fraction of the Dreamscape's pure essence - you have glimpsed true perfection, but it is quickly fading from your memory. For the next 72 hours, you automatically succeed on all attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks. Additionally, choose one skill. You permanently gain proficiency and expertise with that skill. |
|  3  | Your reach pulls you directly to the Light, and you partially fuse with it. In doing so, you glimpse the truth. You know the best course of action that would benefit you in the most positive possible way. This will depend entirely on your GM, but such examples could be which fighter to bet on in a cage match to win one thousand platinum, how to kill an incredibly powerful being, or where to find a magical artifact of ancient power and the best way to extract it, just to name a few. |
|  4  | Your consciousness has brought you to **/~1~^?**. You cannot remember why, but **}1+^?** gave you the privilege of returning to your previous life. The next time you would die, or if you simply want it to any point, time resets to the previous day when you first woke up, and you have all the memories of what lead up to your death or the point where you decided to rewind, yet nothing else knows that this happened, not even gods or Great Sleepers. This power even negates Vanaia devouring your soul. Or, you could permanently join **/~1~^?** and leave your physical body behind. Everyone needs company, after all.|

### Nightmares who Dreamreach
Although Nightmares do not dream, they are still capable of Dreamreaching. Several effects only take effect while you dream, and if a Nightmare were to roll those effects, that effect instead lasts a maximum of 24 hours, and that Nightmare is capable of naturally dreaming during that same period. It is because of this that some Nightmares are more inclined to Dreamreach, to have a chance of gaining the privilege of dreaming.

However, they still suffer any effect that a Dreamborn normally would, including any Catastrophic Misreaches.

\pagebreak

# Credits

###### The Dreamborn was created by The Last Raccoon.

Many thanks to the following people who helped balance and fine-tune the Dreamborn with me: Omegasization, Jesse, and Deadman.

This document uses the wonderful Draco theme, created by Draco.

## Changelog

### Version 1.9
* Reworked Aether Trace (New ghostly subtypes to choose from)
* Reworked Dreamborn's Scrutiny (Moved the aura reading ability into a trait point paywall and switched some other things around)
* Slightly buffed Higher Calling (Now has a Featherfall spell effect, and reduced the cast time of Augury to 1 minute)
* Buffed Dread Slumber Nightmare ability (now recharges on a short rest)

### Version 1.8.1
* Completely reworked Higher Calling (The Judgement Exchange mechanic has been removed, and instead you get wings that can slow your fall)
* Slightly changed Istrallyian Novice (Blessed Warmth now gives advantage on diseases, and gives temporary hit points)

### Version 1.8
* Reworked the Dreamscape to be a mysterious and unknown place in the background, and put more emphasis on the Dreamborn
* Reworked the Dreamborn's fluff and lore to support this change
* Revisions to things across the whole document
* Changed the base traits of the Dreamborn (Dream Ancestry slimmed up. True Dreamer is the amalgamation of Dreamreaching and Talented Dreamer.)
* Nerfed Anomalous Transference (Can no longer communicate images)
* Nerfed Bask of Nature (No longer gives advantage when speaking to plants)
* Redid some wording on Frozen
* Reworked Higher Calling (Now introduces the Judgement Exchange mechanic)
* Nerfed Shifter (Reduced charges of Shift to your proficiency bonus to make it more in line with new changes, and added worn gear restrictions)
* Nerfed Nightmare base traits (Black Siphon's damage and buffs from killing the target and Dread Slumber's scaling)
* Fixed typo with Conceal Terror
* Slightly changed Istrallyian Apprentice (Promenade now gives 1d4 to a saving throw)

### Version 1.7
* Reworked and streamlined the background Fabled Author
* Reworked Shifter and added the Signature mechanic

### Version 1.6
* Reworked and renamed Dream Energy Apprentice and Novice to Istrallyain Apprentice and Novice.

### Version 1.5
* Slightly nerfed Aether Trace, along with some minor changes
* Slightly nerfed and buffed Born Bright
* Reworked Dreamborn's Scrutiny
* Nerfed Dream Energy Apprentice
* Nerfed Dream Energy Novice
* Slightly nerfed base Nightmare trait Nightmare Vision
* **Changed opening descriptions of the Dreamborn and edited flavorful descriptions throughout the document**
* Properly implemented Dreamspeak, the Dreamborn's unique language
* Nerfed Frozen and added durations to its freezing effects
* Buffed Kindled Flame
* Tuned Nightmare base traits Living on the Sparks and Black Siphon to a more risk/reward playstyle.
* Added Marrowleech Nightmare trait

\pagebreak

### Version 1.4
* Made widespread changes across the document to both Dreamborn and Nightmare trees, to Traits like Aether Trace, Dream Energy novice and apprentice, Shifter, Kindled Flame, Conceal Terror, Nightbringer, and Spark Efficiency
* Made minor changes to Black Siphon and Dread Slumber
* Added the Draco Theme

### Version 1.3.2
* Added Dream Energy Apprentice trait
* Added Dream Energy Novice trait

### Version 1.3
* Added additional features to Bask of Nature and Amphibious
* Added Fabled Author, Hetu's Contracted, and Whiteroot Citizen backgrounds, needs to be further implemented
* Added Dreamborn Disclaimer and additional Dreamscape info page

### Version 1.2
* Implemented the early version of Dreamreaching, will be further refined
* Added a Feat you can take known as Essence Evolution
* Anomalous Transference trait point cost reduced to 3 from 4
* Small now reduces your movement speed by 5 feet, and clarifies you can move through larger creatures' spaces
* Clarified that effects that allow a creature to perceive a shapeshifter's true form allow them to perceive that Shifters, while Shifted, look "off", and if you have other Dream traits which give a physical characteristic, you cannot hide them by Shifting
* Dreamborn's Scrutiny now allows you to see that a Shifted Dreamborn has altered their form. Additionally clarified that you can only see through Conceal Terror and Shifter while you use Scrutiny
* Clarified that with Aether Trace, it only affects your own body and what you're wearing, and that you do not gain any damage resistances while you are incorporeal

### Version 1.1

* Added additional features to Kindled Flame
* Added a concentration effect and clarified that you can only freeze nonmagical objects to one of Frozen's features
* Updated word formatting across the document
* Dreamreaching has been removed, pending further revisions
* Clarified that returning to your true form while Shifting does not cost a charge
* Added Bask of Nature Trait
* Added Aether Trace Trait
* Born Bright now only costs 1 point