Extraterrestrial Being (5e Race)
Extraterrestrial Being
"It is not so much about what time is, but why time isn't." - famed Extraterrestrial philosopher
Physical Description
Extraterrestrial beings are similar to ancient arthropods, with lobster-like tails and limbs folded against their bodies, compound eyes on short eyestalks, and a chitinous silver-black shell; however, the mouth resembles that of a carrion crawler, and along its sides hang short stinging tentacles.
History
Long ago, before other intelligent design and therefore any concept of time, the extraterrestrials came. They went to worlds with the necessary chemicals for life, and kick-started it. Their technology was amazing, with lightning crossbows and spaceships of the grandest design.
You came here for a purpose. Do you remember it? Perhaps. But one thing is certain: your subconscious will drive you to do it, and you cannot leave until you do. You may gain starting equipment. It may be weapons, or you may have thought those unnecessary, and brought only your trusty mechanical mount and some scanning tools.
Society
They are ancient and powerful, learned but chaotic. They travel light-years in huge cruisers, their descendants arriving at their destination, or they travel in small spaceships which can project wormholes. Wars often occur over philosophical ideals or politics, but to them, physical resources are to be shared, to avoid inconvenience. Organized duels take place over mates or other prizes.
You know people may be startled by your appearance, so you often don holographic disguises. You may have left your mate and hatchlings behind, or you may not have any. You are trained to see what is there, not what is visible.
Extraterrestrial Names
Good luck pronouncing these.
Male: Ipkbcxjl, Hytjixxkvjl, Opqzjl, Kndrilkjl, Krditljl, Xzcijl (used like "Bob" in English), almost anything else with hard clacking sounds that ends in "jl"
Female: Korasxzlim, Ymmzdrlim, Krzrklim, Xzcylim (Female version of Xzcijl), Krduuristhlim, etc. (must end in "im" or "lim")
Extraterrestrial Traits
Unusual and intelligent timeless beings from across the stars.
Ability Score Increase. You get a +2 Intelligence and a +1 Constitution ability score increase.
Age. Extraterrestrials live up to 512 years.
Alignment. Tend towards chaotic alignment.
Size. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 15 feet. You swim at a base speed of 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.
Alien Magic. You know the Ray of Frost cantrip. At level 8, you can cast Hunger of Hadar with this trait, and regain the ability to do so after a long rest.
Stinging Tentacles. Instead of making a melee attack, you can make two melee weapon attacks with your stinging tentacles. The attack modifier is your Dexterity modifier + your proficiency bonus. On a hit, you deal 1d4 poison damage and the target must make a Constitution saving throw. The DC is 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus. On a failed save, the target is paralyzed until the end of its next turn. After you hit with your tentacles, you must finish a short rest before you can attack with them again.
360-Degree Vision. You can see in all directions at once, meaning surprising you is difficult.
Holographic Disguise. As an action, you can create a holographic disguise. You must have seen a member of the race that you want to disguise yourself as to use this ability. When you are using a holographic disguise, you must make a Charisma (Deception) check for each creature you interact with, contested by their passive Wisdom (Perception) check. If they win the contest, they are aware of some deception, and must make an Intelligence (Investigation) check. If they succeed on this check, they are aware of the nature of the deception (that is, someone in disguise.) If they succeed by more than 5, they know you are the source of the deception. If you try to disguise yourself as a specific person, roll d20. Subtract 2 if you have not seen the person in real life or in an accurate (and accurately painted) statue or painting. If the final result is less than 16, creatures who are well-acquainted with the person you are disguised as automatically win the initial contest. If it is less than 11, creatures who have recently interacted with the person automatically win. If it is less than 5, creatures who have seen the person automatically win, and if it is 0, the disguise is useless. After you use this ability, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again. Putting on a disguise you already created only takes a bonus action, and after one is used, you must finish a short rest before using it again.
See What's There. As an action, you can use your training to see invisible things, as well as reveal disguises. When this is used, all invisible or disguised creatures in the area must make a Charisma saving throw. The DC is 8 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus. On a failed save, you are able to see the creatures as if they were not invisible or disguised. After you use this ability, you must finish a short rest before you can use it again.
Alien Speech. For the first 6 weeks of adventuring, you do not speak the common tongue or any earthly tongue. After that time, you may choose to learn the common tongue or one language spoken by a member of your party. This only applies on the character's first adventure in a campaign.
Languages. You speak your own tongue and the Deep Speech.
Random Height and Weight
Base Height | Height Modifier* | Base Weight | Weight Modifier** |
---|---|---|---|
6′ 3″ | +0.4 inches | 100 lb. | × (2) lb. |
*Height = base height + height modifier |
Starting Equipment
You start with the following equipment:
Lightning Crossbow Mimics the hand crossbow in every way, except that it deals lightning damage.
Mechanical Mount A vehicle which you and you alone can ride, size and weight of a llama but carries much more weight. Travels at base speed of 12 feet, flies at base speed 6 feet.
Take these with or instead of normal class options. May exchange weapons for +1 melee weapons, or discard them altogether. Any time mounts are required or available for a class, take the Mechanical Mount instead. You cannot own both a hand crossbow and a Lightning Crossbow.
Suggested Characteristics
When creating an Extraterrestrial character, you can use the following table of traits, ideals, bonds and flaws to help flesh out your character. Use these table in addition to or in place of your background's characteristics.
d8 | Personality Trait |
---|---|
1 | I don't understand the concept of "time." |
2 | Human idioms are very confusing to me. |
3 | I tend to randomly switch languages for no reason. |
4 | I recognize technology for what it is, confusing those who believe it is magic. |
5 | I see more connections than the average human. |
6 | I see little purpose in petty human squabbles. |
7 | I am very inquisitive about humans. |
8 | Roll again |
d6 | Ideal |
---|---|
1 | Self-Justifying Curiosity: I will find out everything there is to know about Earth, and to Niflheim with the consequences! (Chaotic) |
2 | Learning: I shall study these humans, and share secrets with them, for all deserve learning. (Good) |
3 | Secret-Keeping: If you've said "I'm actually," you've said too much.(Any) |
4 | Conquest: I shall reach my goals by force if I must - and it appears I must. (Evil) |
5 | Observation: The way to learn is through observation.(Any) |
6 | Self-Preservation: I do what helps me and my race, not some alien hominids! (Neutral to Evil) |
d6 | Bond |
---|---|
1 | I must complete my mission, no matter the cost. |
2 | I miss my mate and hatchlings every day I spend on this lonely rock. |
3 | Something terrible happened to most of my race. I do what I must to save them. |
4 | I came here hunting down the space criminal that killed a family member. |
5 | My loyalty is to the leader of our world. |
6 | This world must be taught true knowledge at all costs. |
d6 | Flaw |
---|---|
1 | I feel little for humans, and often put myself in positions where they might die. |
2 | I can't remember my past or my mission, so I often go to unnatural measures to discover it. |
3 | I often get angry when humans look down on me. My race saw them when they were molecules! |
4 | I can't help wanting to kill humans, for that is my mission. |
5 | Generally speaking, humans can't help wanting to kill me, because of my strange appearance and obvious power. I resent them for it. |
6 |
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