Shardmind-Gr7mm (5e Race)

Author: Gr7mm Bobb (talk) Date Created: 14May2015 Status: In Progress needs fluffing Editing: Clarity edits only please

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Shardmind

Shardminds are sentient framents of the Living Gate, which once stood at the pinnacle of the intricate lattace of the Astral Sea. Beyond the gate lay the alien Far Realm, and the gate's destruction during the Dawn War resulted in the rise of the mind flayer empire. Though Ioun's power holds the portal closed, shardminds seek to rebuild the gate and forever cut off the Far Realm's ability to influence the world.

Medium sized humanoid shaped collection of crystals.

Shard minds are crystalline creatures consisting of hundreds of small shards of translucent green, white, red, or amber crystal assembled into humanoid form and animated by a force of pure psionic energy. Shardminds choose their forms to mimic the shapes of humanoids; some take on forms that seem more masculine, while others appear more feminine. A shardmind's animating force glows dimly from within each of its component shards, emanating most brightly from where the eyes of a natural humanoid would be. This inner light sheds dim light in a shardmind's space, but a shard mind individual can squelch the light with an instant's thought in order to hide in the dark, for example.

The crystalline fragments making up a shardmind's body are in constant, silent motion, almost like the circulation of blood. When a shardmind is stunned or unconscious, it might lose control of the tight mental reins that keep its body in humanoid form, a few shards slipping free into orbits around its body until the shardmind regains control.

Shard minds are living creatures only in the loosest sense. Their crystalline bodies require no sustenance, and they don't breathe. They don't need sleep, though they must still rest. They don't have gender and don't reproduce, but the shardminds alive today aren't the same ones that sprang to life during the Dawn War. Shardminds say that the Living Gate shattered into countless fragments, and each time an awakened shardmind is killed, another one somewhere in the universe stirs to consciousness.

Aware and Unworldly

Shardminds are fragments of pure thought given life and substance. They are logical, emotionally distant, and naive to the ways of society in the world. Some approach life with innocent curiosity, eager to embrace the wealth of experiences the world has to offer, while others remain reserved and aloof, bearing a higher purpose in mind at all times. Though they often seem dispassionate, when a strong emotion seizes them, they experience it powerfully. For example, shardminds don't get annoyed; they become enraged.

Although the race as a whole shares a common goal of rebuilding the Living Gate, several philosophies disagree on how to accomplish that goal. The three most important sects are the Thought Builders, the God Shards, and the Shard Slayers. See below for more information about each philosophy.

Pieces of the same.

Shardminds are as varied as any other race. Here are a couple examples for different schools of thought for the shardmind.

Thought Builder

You seek to create a new Living Gate and to imbue it with the psionic power necessary to keep the influence of the Far Realm at bay. The sect is prominent in the planar metropolis of Hestavar. Most members of the Thought Builders are dedicated to Ioun. They tend to be unaligned or good.

God Shard

You believe that each shardmind must seek to acquire as much personal power as possible. Since you are a fragment of the Living Gate, your own power is the force that keeps the Far Realm from destroying the universe; each shardmind, in fact, is a fragment of divine power and carries a responsibility to nurture that power. Most God Shards are unaligned and revere no deity.

Shard Slayer

You believe that when a shardmind dies, its animating life force returns to the site of the Living Gate, where it shores up the universe's defenses against the Far Realm's intrusion. Thus, you seek to kill as many shardminds as possible, starting with the adherents of other philosophies. As a precautionary measure, you also seek out fragments of the Living Gate that have not yet awakened to sentience, and you destroy them as well, hoping to reduce the number of shardminds that will exist in the future. Most Shard Slayers are evil, and many are devoted to Vecna.

Shardmind Names

Most shardminds awaken with the knowledge of their own name, the very thing that gives the fragment of the gate an essence of identity.

Male Names: Arshaka, Balashi, Bashanu, Eshunu, Hunzu, Kuaya, Kubaba, Manishtu, Naram, Seluku, Ubashu, Utua

Female Names: Amata, Arwia, Belessunu, Dipana, Erishti, Iltani, Ishmea, Kuri, Nuraya, Tabni, Zakiti

Shardmind Traits

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Creature Type. Humanoid

Ability Score Increase. Intelligence +2, Wisdom +1

Age. Being an awakened piece of the living gate the shardmind's life expectancy has not been determined.

Alignment. Shardminds are the remnants of the living gate that held the far realm accessibly seperate. They are very driven in their goals while their methods vary. A shardmind is more commonly found with a respect for life but little regard for the effects of either order or chaos.

Size. A shardmind ranges between 5'9" to 6'2" and weighing in at about 180 to 230lbs. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.  

Construct Rest. Instead of sleeping, you enter a sleep like state. You need to remain in it for only 4 hours each day. You do not dream; instead, you are fully aware of your surroundings and notice approaching enemies and other events as normal. After resting this way, you gain the same benefits a human does from 8 hours of sleep. to spells and effects that cause sleep. 

Crystalline Mind. You have resistance against psychic damage. 

Resonance Frequency. You have disadvantage against spells and effects that deal thunder damage. 

Living Construct. Even though you were constructed, you are a humanoid. You are immune to disease. You do not need to eat or breathe, but you can gain the benefits of consumables if you wish. 

Shard Swarm. As an reaction to an effect that would cause you damage that you're aware of, your body breaks apart into thousands of shards moves 30 feet and reforms. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks. You must finish a long rest before you can use this ability again. 

Telepathy. You can communicate telepathically with any creature within 60 feet of you that understands a language, they cannot reply with your telepathy.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write common and one additional language

References

‘Fluff’ and general descriptions are from www.dndawokenheroes.wikia.com/wiki/Shardmind and www.dungeonanddragons.wikia.com/wiki/Shardmind

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