Durlanaar (5e Race)

Author: Zhenra-Khal (talk) Date Created: 6-6-2022 Status: First Draft Editing: Don't edit without discussion. Unauthorized edits will be reverted.

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The Durlanaar race is part of the Z's Blood Magic sourcebook, and uses the mechanics and features presented therein.

Durlanaar

Once a proud people pushing forward the bleeding edge of magical advancements, the Durlanaar people are, in the present, reduced to a smoldering husk of their former glory. Their thirst for knowledge and power led them down roads no other mage dare tread, and the cosmos punished them for it - Perhaps a vengeful deity, perhaps an enemy kingdom, or perhaps the karmic will of the universe itself, none among the living know for sure. But what can be sure is that the ambition of the Durlanaar was rewarded with a crippling curse, passed down the bloodline, warping their appearances and making them vulnerable beyond measure to the secrets that once were their virtue.

Ghosts of a Fallen Empire

No Durlanaar today resembles their ancestors from the old empire, save in silhouette - Pointed ears; Chiseled, angular features; Hair that grows long and thick, despite their body hair being scarce or nil. The magic they once wielded reinforced their bodies, but when it was twisted by the Blood Curse, their forms followed suit. Olive skin became ashen pale, hair of red-tipped black like a midnight bonfire became stark white, eyes of emerald, topaz, sapphire and amethyst became icy blue or pale and reddish. But the strangest of the curse's affects were those on the blood of a Durlanaar - Once crimson as that of other humanoids, now alabaster white, like fresh milk or bleached bone.

Hereditary Heresy

The folly of the old empire has left the Durlanaar weak against Hemocraft, as if the power in their veins cannot bear more than its own weight, crumbling when more pressure is applied. Their curse and their history have left Durlanaar of two general mindsets - Some believe the empire didn't know how to use Hemocraft, or its limitations, and that using it the right way can earn them another chance; Others fear Hemocraft, both because it destroyed their past and weakens them in the present, and these Durlanaar typically seek to avoid, shun, and in some cases seek and destroy, those that wield this sacred and dangerous power.

Durlanaar Traits

Durlanaar

Creature Type. Humanoid

Ability Score Increase. Strength +1, Constitution +2

Age. Durlanaar reach adulthood around 20 years of age, and can live as long as 250 years.

Alignment. Most Durlanaar tend to be good or neutral in alignment, striving to undo the sins of their fathers, or at least to avoid incurring further punishment. The rare evil Durlanaar are typically those that seek out vengeance for the suffering of their people, a sick sense of cosmic justice guiding their hand.

Size. Durlanaar typically stand between 6 and 7 feet tall, and weigh around 260 pounds, with almost no difference in build between the genders. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base speed is 30 feet.  

Darkvision: The accursed eyes of a Durlanaar are accustomed to the darker corners of the world. You can see in dim 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. 

Blood Curse. Each Durlanaar suffers from the Blood Curse that plagues their people. This gives them the following traits.

• When you rest, you cannot expend Hit Dice to heal yourself unless you can consume at least 1 pint of fresh blood for each Hit Die you expend.
• When you make a saving throw against a Hemocraft ability, you have disadvantage on the saving throw.
• Whenever a creature makes a Hemocraft attack against you, they have advantage on the attack roll.
• Whenever a creature deals damage to you with a Hemocraft ability, you have vulnerability to the damage dealt by that ability. 

Antithetical Ichor. The milky white blood of a Durlanaar is utterly destructive to any creature that doesn't possess it in their veins. Whenever a non-Durlanaar within 5ft of you deals damage to you, if you are not Uninjured, you can use your reaction to intentionally touch them with some of your spilled blood, dealing Force damage to the creature equal to one roll of your Hemocraft Die.

If a creature damages you with a natural weapon or unarmed attack, regardless of your Injury Level, this damage is dealt automatically with no need for a reaction. If you are not Uninjured and a creature grapples you or is grappled by you, or swallows you whole, they also suffer this damage at the beginning of their turn each round they maintain contact. 

Grim Psychometry. Your connection to suffering unlocks a supernatural talent for discerning the history surrounding mysterious objects or places touched by evil. When making an Intelligence (History) check to recall information about a darker past surrounding an object you are touching, or a location you are present in, you have advantage on the roll. The information gleaned often leans towards the more sinister influences of the past, and sometimes conveys visions of things previously unknown to the character on higher rolls. 

Hexborne Blessing. Every Durlanaar knows a few secrets of Blood Magic, gaining the Hemocraft feature. This grants you a Hemocraft Die, which is a d4, if you do not already possess one. You also gain a Corpse Magic range of 5ft per point of Proficiency Bonus you possess.

When you reach your 5th character level, when you Major Rend, you may roll your Hemocraft Die twice, totaling the results. This increases to 3 rolls when you reach your 11th character level, and to 4 rolls when you reach your 17th character level.

You gain access to one Basic Sacrament of your choice.

When you reach your 3rd character level, you also learn one Sanguine Rite of your choice from the Sacrament granted to you by this feature; You cannot learn a Rite if it has a Hemocraft level requirement, unless you meet that requirement.

When you reach your 5th character level, your Hemocraft Die increases to a d6. 

Sanguine Affinity. When you reach your 3rd character level, and again when you reach your 5th character level, you gain one of the following traits. You cannot select the same trait more than once.

• Cardinal Aptitude: Select two skills and/or tools you are proficient with. These are considered Cardinal Aptitude proficiencies, allowing you to Minor Rend when you make an ability check using either of the chosen proficiencies.

• Staunch The Flow: Once per round, when Rending yourself would drop you to 0 hit points, you are dropped to 1 hit point instead. Additionally, when you roll an 18 or higher on a death saving throw while under the effects of Decay or Enervation, you regain 1 hit point.

• Dark Sacrifice: You gain two Sacrifice Points. Additionally, whenever you finish a Short Rest, you regain 2 expended Sacrifice Points.

• Bloody Metamorphosis: Choose two Mutagens that do not have a level prerequisite, following the normal rules for learning Mutagen Formulae; However, you cannot craft these Mutagens unless you learn how to do so from elsewhere. As long as you are Wounded, you gain both the benefits and side effects of those two Mutagens.

• Hungry Veins: Any time you harvest a creature's essence using Corpse Magic, you regain a number of hit points equal to one roll of your Hemocraft die; This healing bypasses Enervation (But not Decay). Additionally, for each time you regain hit points from this feature, the next time you take a Short or Long Rest, you are considered to have consumed one pint of fresh blood for the purposes of expending Hit Dice.

• Expanded Hexborne Blessing: You gain access to one Advanced Sacrament of your choice. When you reach your 5th character level, you also learn one Sanguine Rite of your choice from the Sacrament granted to you by this feature, or from the Sacrament granted to your by your Hexborne Blessing feature.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Deep Speech.

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