Phoelarch (5e Race)
Phoelarch
“ | No, no, phoelarch. Fee-lark. Like in fee-nix, you know? | ” |
—An exasperated phoelarch |
Physical Description
Phoelarches are tall, slender humanoids with feathers in place of hair, and their skin radiates intense heat. Their skin colors range from dark rust to gold, and their plumage can be anywhere from pale gold to bright red.
When a phoelarch dies, their body explodes in a burst of flame, and they are reborn as a phoera, a closer-yet-lesser cousin of the phoenix. A phoera's color and plumage are identical to those of their previous form.
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By Vinod Rams |
History
Phoelarches are descended from the legendary phoenix, although the exact details of how they came to exist are unknown even to them. Some speculate that the phoenix created them to combat injustice in the multiverse, as it is one being and can't be everywhere at once; others suspect that some other force created them from the phoenix.
Society
Phoelarches are rumored to have great cities on the Elemental Plane of Fire, but the curiosity and wanderlust inherent to them makes settlements unlikely for the most part. Beyond a vague preference for warmer climates, phoelarches don't often get attached to any particular place, or even terrain, and they're oddly disinterested in others of their own race. On the rare occasion that one phoelarch meets another, the novelty wears off surprisingly fast for both.
Phoelarch Names
Phoelarch names tend to be based on either birds or colors related to fire.
Male: Cardin, Carmine, Jasper, Tobias, Wren, Ignis
Female: Amber, Cerise, Griffin, Rhea, Scarlet, Saffron
Optional Rule: Rise from the Ashes
Phoelarch Traits
Humanoids believed to be descended from the legendary phoenix.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.
Age. Phoelarches mature at the same rate as humans, but live well into their second century, and phoeras live for an additional two centuries after that.
Alignment. Phoelarches tend towards chaos and good.
Size. Phoelarches are tall, generally well over six feet, but are very light in spite of this. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Consume Fire. When you would take fire damage, you can, as a reaction, take no damage instead. When you do this you gain immunity to fire damage until the start of your next turn and gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier. Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
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.
Elemental Flame. You are resistant to fire damage.
Burning Fury. Whenever you score a critical hit with a weapon attack, that attack deals additional fire damage equal to your Charisma modifier.
Languages. You can speak, read and write Common and Ignan.