Phoenial (5e Race)

Phoenial

“	It is said that no being as majestic as the phoenix would give mere mortals the chance to get a blessing from them. I agree with that. They won't cause anything except destruction and chaos by their own will and anger. That is why some mortals dare to disrupt said will. And the results are destructive like the father and intrepid as the mother.	”
—Fragment of page 485 of Brief Manual for the Explorers of the Plane of Fire by Selenthora, the genasi.

Of all the magical beings in the multiverse, few are as revered—or as feared—as the phoenix. Ancient and unfathomably powerful, these creatures of living flame cannot be bound or subdued by anything less than a will equal to their own. Yet, on the rarest occasions, when a mortal earns not only the phoenix's trust but its love, the two may unite to create something extraordinary. The children born of such unions are known as phoenials, the ember-hearted, ash-kissed heirs to fire and flight.

Physical Description

Phoenials are difficult to distinguish from the race the humanoid parent is, but some characteristics give the edge of their origin. First of all, even among the races that are considered beautiful they are specially graced: They tend to be on the tall side of the size spectrum and they are always lighter than the weight they appear to have.

Their skin seems to reflect light just like feathers but it is specially hot and feels rough at contact. They have all the variety of skin color of their humanoid parent's race, but some of them have had skin the color of their phoenix ancestor: White, black, yellow, purple, green or red, even if the humanoid parent's race does not have those tones, although it is extremely rare, even for a race as rare as this. Even more rare are some other skin tones like orange, gray or blue. On the other hand, they usually have unnatural hair colors like violet, white, purple, green, red or orange, which is usually combined with eyes of the same color palette.

Their main characteristic is the heat. They emit heat at unnatural rates, heat that usually increases if the phoenial is under distress and goes down as it relaxes. This heat can go up enough to be a danger for their careers, as they can easily cause burns or even ignite certain materials. When they are young they are usually considered to be sick and always having a fever. It is not uncommon that their baby beds might be made of materials like metal or treated wood, so it doesn't catch fire.

Source: https://crisortega.com/ Property of Cris Ortega

History

Phoenials are exceedingly rare, and as such, they possess no kingdoms of their own and little in the way of formal recorded history. Most references to them are found not in annals or archives, but in stories—legends passed down through oral tradition, bardic song, or arcane marginalia. These tales often frame them as the children of mortals bold enough to seek union with a phoenix, usually through great acts of bravery, sacrifice, or cunning. Names like Alczar Wintercloack and Damene Argentella the Mighty appear frequently in such accounts, both already legendary figures in their own right.

These stories tend to dwell on the phoenial’s otherworldly beauty, elemental affinity, and powerful magical potential. One legend even claims that power word spells originated with a phoenial, though most scholars dismiss this as a flattering myth. Still, their association with high magic and arcane innovation persists across cultures.

In more grounded accounts, phoenials are portrayed as seekers—wandering scholars, battle-mages, and explorers driven by an insatiable thirst for knowledge and transformation. Folk tales like Red Riding Ranger and The Fire Catcher, once thought to feature dragon-slaying heroines, are now believed by some folklorists to be garbled retellings of phoenial origin myths, altered by time and translation.

What little archaeological evidence exists places their presence in the world as far back as two thousand years. Among the most notable historical figures identified as phoenials are the war-mage Serta Bardeltar, the dueling bard Krysrell “The Feather,” and Ellowas Zwyllen, a masked eldritch knight whose blade was said to ignite with a whisper.

Society

As they are raised only by their humanoid parent, depending on the society they grow they can be outcast from birth on or be helped by the rest of the community. This race tends to learn and follow rules easily, but they might bend them a little if it fits what they need. They are rarely selfish, but they also not give their trust easily. Most societies appreciate their natural beauty and their agility, so they tend to be hunters, gatherers or diplomats. They tend to have an easy time with fire magic, but their affinity to fire makes difficult for them to handle other types of it. Their ancestry also gives them an exceptional vision to see what others can't see. As they grow up, some of them are able to even channel the spirit of their fathers and create wings for themselves, although temporarily.

Phoenial Names

They usually follow the naming convention of the non-phoenix parent's race. As they grow older, they make themselves a second name. This one is the one they usually use outside of their closest circle. They sometimes adopt a new last name or use a nickname as such.

General: Ashner, Bulliren, Cinda, Estegre, Olimpia, Villor

Phoenial Traits

The children of communion with a phoenix.
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2, and your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Age. They develop like most human races but live significantly longer. You are considered an adult at 20 and can live up to 500 years. Though they eventually run out of lives, Phoenials do not die of old age, remaining youthful and radiant throughout their lifetime.
Alignment. Phoenials tend toward neutrality or lawful alignments. They are rarely evil.
Size. Phoenials range from 5 to nearly 7 feet tall, depending on their non-phoenix parent. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. 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.
Affinity to Fire. If you are hit by an attack or effect that would deal fire damage, you can use your reaction to take no damage from that attack. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all use after you finish a long rest.
Spirit of the Phoenix. As a bonus action, you can unfurl a pair of ethereal, flame-tinged wings that blaze with the spirit of your lineage. For one minute, you gain a flying speed equal to your base walking speed. You must finish a long rest before using this trait again.
Phoenixian Robustness. When reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can use your reaction to one hit dice and regain hit points equal to the roll. You can only use this feature once, regaining use after you finish a long rest.
Fiery Purification. As a bonus action, you can evoke your fiery lineage to empower your attacks. For 1 minute, all your attacks deal additional fire damage equal to your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all use after you finish a long rest.
Restless Fire. You do not sleep. Instead, you meditate deeply, remaining semi-conscious, for 4 hours a day. While meditating, you can still dream. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit a human would from 8 hours of sleep.
Languages. You know Common, Primordial (Ignan), and one additional language of your choice, typically associated with your non-phoenix parent’s heritage.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
4′ 9''	+2d12	80 lb.	× (1d4) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

4.60

(5 votes)

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