Shadowborn Lineage
Some people are born with an innate connection to the Plane of Shadow, touched with a mighty darkness from which they cannot be separated. Perhaps their parents traveled the dark plane at a pivotal time, or they were born beneath a black moon — or maybe fate just decreed this dark connection.
Some societies see shadowborn as bad omens or dangerous harbingers, signs of some imminent calamity or incursion from the shadow plane. Rarely, their affinity for darkness is seen as a boon — a shadowborn might be pressed into duty on the night watch, or be tasked with hunting nocturnal predators. But more likely they are hounded out of polite society and kept on the fringes.
Bearers of the Dark
Shadowborn are enigmatic and unsettling. Their skin and eyes are shifted towards black, white, or grey hues, often with an unnatural pearlescence. Their hair is usually black and often possessed of a wispy texture. A shadowborn's fingers and toes can be elongated, almost claw-like. Their garments favor dramatic contrasts of black and white, and many shadowborn obtain tattoos in similar styles — perhaps because such striking color contrasts are needed to be visible on the Plane of Shadow.
If an adventurer dares travel to the Plane of Shadow, they may find shadowborn to be crucial allies. In that permanently-benighted dimension, shadowborn feel at home in a way no other mortals can. They can slink between pools of night unseen, and can hide from the Plane's predators as needed.
Creating Your Character
When you create a Shadowborn character, select an existing species in your campaign world as your parent species. You have that species's size, speed, and superficial physical traits.
Ability Score Increase
You use your parent species's Ability Score Increases (up to a maximum of 3 points). You may freely move 1 point of those increases to another score of your choice, as long as that does not push an Ability Score Increase above a +2.
Type
You are a Humanoid.
Age
You have the same lifespan as your parent species.
Alignment
Shadowborn have no universal alignment tendencies. They may be thought of as aligned with evil, but this is largely prejudice at work; nothing in the Shadow Plane's touch predisposes a creature to any moral view.
Size
Your size is the same as your parent species (either Medium or Small).
Speed
Your base walking speed is the same as your parent species (either 30 or 25 feet).
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and 1 other language of your choice.
Darkvision
You can see in din light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Necrotic Resistance
You have resistance to necrotic damage.
Shadow Skulk
As a bonus action after you take the Hide action in dim light or darkness, you can turn invisible for 1 minute. You become visible again when you attack, cast a spell, or enter bright light.
Wings of Night
As an action, you can teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied area of dim light or darkness you can see and immediately take the Hide action. Once you teleport in this way, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
Feats
General Feats
Shadow Magic
You learn to call upon the shadow that is your birthright. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You learn one cantrip, one 1st-level spell, and one 2nd-level spell of your choice, which all must have the shadow magic tag. You can cast each of these spells without expending a spell slot. Once you cast either of these spells in this way, you can't cast that spell in this way again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast these spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level. The spells' spellcasting ability is the ability increased by this feat.
- You gain darkvision out to 60 feet. If you already have darkvision, its range is instead increased by 30 feet.
Species Feats
The following are options for feats which can be selected only by Shadowborn characters.
Angel of the Dark
Your attunement to the darkness gives you literal wings of night. When you use your Wings of Night feature, spectral black wings erupt from your back, giving you a 30-foot flying speed for 1 minute. While you are in dim light or darkness, this flying speed increases to 45 feet. When a hostile creature moves within 10 feet of you for the first time while your wings are manifested, it takes necrotic damage equal to your proficiency bonus.
Eyes of Night
Your eyes have become even more attuned to the dark, able to penetrate it utterly. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Intelligence or Wisdom score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- Your darkvision increases to 120 feet, and you are able to see in magical darkness.
- You learn the spell darkness, with Constitution as your spellcasting ability. You can cast it one time, and once you do, you can't cast it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast it using any spell slots you have of 2nd level or higher.
Appendix 2: Spell Sources
Spells used are available in these collections, all of which are free to use and reference for any purpose.
- Spells That Don't Suck is a set of spells by Omega Ankh and somanyrobots, creating replacements for problematic spells contained in first-party WotC materials. These are marked with SDS.
- So Many Spells is a set of wholly original spells written by somanyrobots. These are marked with S.
- Kibbles' Casting Compendium is the complete set of spells written by KibblesTasty. These are marked with K.
Changelog
v0.2
- Added duration to Angel of the Dark
v0.1
- Rough Draft
Credits
Shadowborn Lineage created by somanyrobots Discord | Patreon
Art
- Author of Shadows by Alex Brock, © Wizards of the Coast LLC
- Shadewing Laureate by Igor Kieryluk, © Wizards of the Coast LLC
Background Stains
Includes spells from Spells That Don't Suck by Omega Ankh and somanyrobots, which is licensed CC-BY and available here.
Includes spells from Kibbles' Casting Compendium 2.0 by KibblesTasty Homebrew LLC, which is licensed CC-BY and available here.
Fan Content Policy
- This work is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
