Otherworldly Humans of Monvesia

RETCON NOTE: This post is a revision of "Half-Elves of Monvesia," and replaces part of "Goblinoids of Prace."  "Other Races in Monvesia?" and "Languages of Monvesia" have also been revised as a result of this post.

Otherworldly Humans

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Language Analog:  By human region (see "Humans of Raviq and Prace")
Inspiration:  Accident; "But I wanna play a haaalf-eeelf!"; Eberron races

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Tainted Counterparts:  None.  All Otherworldly human races are immune to the Taint
Temperamental Association:  By human region (see "Humans of Monvesia, Part One"); no one otherworldly human is particular to any specific human culture.

For starting Alignment Points, follow the standard rules for humans; and add 1 AP im each temperament associated with the race's transitive plane.

Names:  By human region (see "Humans of Raviq and Prace"

Humans are a versatile and adaptable race. In addition to a rise in genasi births among human parents, humans are also capable of transforming into a number of races connected with the various transitive planes (also called otherworlds).  In each case, a human must become the new race in a process described below.  Once transformed, the being can no longer transform back into a human state, nor into another otherworldly state.

Among the positive side-effect of these transformations is that the human becomes immune to the Taint, like elves.  Similarly, their process to obtaining immortality is more commonly called transcendence (not ascension).

An otherworldly human may mate with a mundane or otherworldly human, and produce a child with either.  This child will be an ordinary human.  Genasi will only be born two human and/or genasi parents--not otherworldly humans.

Half-elf, half-orc, and dhampir.

Aasimar of the Empyrean

Temperamental Associations:  Altruism, Idealism, Vitalism
Languages:  local Common, Celestial

The aasimar are humans who have become bound to the Empyrean, the ethereal fire above.  The process of doing so is similar to the elfish Crossing rite:  The human must seek out a natural portal to the Empyrean, and a spell most be cast to ethereally project into that plane.  Once in the Empyrean, the human must verbally petition the Virtues to become a champion of their ideals--either as a protector to defend the weak an innocent, or else as a scourge to hunt the corrupted and evil.  If he human is found worthy, the human is transformed into an aasimar.

Aasimar traits can be found in Volo's Guide to Monsters.  Either the Protector or the Scourge sub-race may be chosen.

With DM approval, the Fallen Aasimar may be available--but only through a fall from grace, and not via initial transfiguration.

Changelings of Infinity

Temperamental Associations:  Altruism, Dynamism, Materialism

Languages:  local Common, Doppelish

Legends are told of children who stared too deeply into mirrors and fell in, becoming lost seemingly for years before falling back out again into the mortal world merely moments later.  These children were forever altered by the experience, having learned the ability to shift their faces.

Changeling traits can be found in the Eberron: Rising from the Last War.

Dhampirs of the Abyss

Temperamental Associations:  Materialism, Nihilism, Vitalism
Languages:  local Common, Uncanny

Dhampirs greatly resemble undead vampires, and are often confused for such.  Their creation and perpetuation are of prominent importance to several Nihilistic orders--ancient, independent, and metropolitan.  Humans interested in becoming dhampirs (sometimes called "half-vampires") must subject themselves to an ancient religious rite that transforms hem into grey-, blue-, or purple-skinned, cold-blooded beings.

At least two variations on the rite exist, resulting in dhampirs which somewhat different abilities: progenitors that create undead thralls, and lifedrinkers that are invigorated when they drink blood.

Dhampir traits are as presented for vampires in Plane Shift (monster statistics can be found in the Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica); progenitors are the Zendikar subrace, and lifedrinker are the Ixalan subrace.

Half-Elves of Faerie

Temperamental Associations:  Altruism, Materialism, Vitalism
Languages: local Common, Canny [Sylvan]

Okay, I get it.  Half elves are popular.  I fight against them, but players come back with good arguments.  If this is going to be a thing, I need them to be Monvesia appropriate. 

I will reiterate:  It is my opinion that the genetic difference between the humans and elves of this world make them incompatible for the sake of producing offspring.  Sure the necessary anatomy is there to try, but breeding will never be successful.  The same is true of orcs (see half-orcs, below).

To become a half-elf, a human adolescent must undergo the Crossing ceremony.  Because humans do not share the elves' fluid anatomy, only adolescents can benefit from the ceremony.  As with elves, the human will be visited by the archfey (or representatives thereof); the only choice offered to humans, however, is to remain human or become "half-elf."  

Those that choose half-elf must also pledge to serve one of the archfey courts.  Service to a faerie court does not require much effort; most often, a half-elf is merely expected to defend the elves of ones court among humans.  Once the choice is made, the ceremony is complete.  The former human is returned to the Mortal Realm as a half-elf.  

Half-elf traits are as presented in the Player's Handbook.  

With DM approval, the options made available to half-elves in the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide may also be available--with particular variant traits connected to different courts.

Half-Orcs of Limbo

Temperamental Associations:  Dynamism, Idealism, Nihilism
Languages:  local Common, Aberrant

Like goliaths, humans originate in the land of Desolation, on the other side of the known world.  There, humans and goliaths were subject to the original Taint--a psychosomatic disorder which stripped the mind of will and humanity, and transformed the body to match.  Over time, some humans proved to be resilient to this taint.  While the transformation couldn't be reversed, it could at least be halted.  Thus did the first half-orcs emerge.

Humans and goliaths fled Desolation in part to escape the Taint--but the half-tainted were not abandoned.  It was from these that the Taint spread to the Forest of Vines and later to Monvesia.  Humans continue to prove resilient to the Taint--some even testing their mettle in order to become half-orcs.

Half-orc traits are as presented in the Player's Handbook.  

Kalashtar of the Dreaming

Temperamental Associations:  Altruism, Dynamism, Idealism

Languages:  local Common, Archetypal

Becoming a kalashtar involves willingly giving up one's mind and body to serve the needs of a thoughtform--typically a personal tulpa or communal egregre.  The human is not completely lost in the process, but forever shares its reality with this second mind.

Kalashtar traits can be found in the Wayfarer's Guide to Eberron.

Tieflings of the Inferno

Temperamental Associations:  Idealism, Nihilism, Vitalism
Languages: local Common, Fiendish [Abyssal, Infernal]

Tieflings are the Infernal counterparts to aasimar.  The rite to become such resembles those of the aasimar and the half-elf.  The Vices and their fiends are less cohesive than their "good" and "neural" compatriots.  The Vices do not use the power of the Inferno to collectively transform the human; instead, one of several factions may respond to the human's petition--with he human's own vices and desires calling louder than their petition.  Any who desires the life of a tiefling is granted it, there is not test of worthiness.

Tiefling traits are as presented in the Player's Handbook.

With DM approval, the options made available to tieflings in the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide or Mordenkinen'd Tome of Foes may also be available--with particular variant traits connected to the human's personality.

... of Eternity

Temperamental Associations:  Dynamism, Materialism, Nihilism

Languages:  local Common, ...

TBD.

Otherworldly humans connected to Eternity have yet to be determined.  Instead of forcing a selection to fit this niche, I am reserving this space until I have a race that fits comfortably.  Renaming the transitive plane Eternity may give a hint at the role of such a race.   

In the past, I have mentioned that warforged are a mortal race that could connect to this plane--but this is no a human-like, half-human, or human-descended race (instead, they fill an "otherworldly race" niche tied to the functional planes like elves, neshu, and spirit folk).

Edited Nov 13/14, 2019.