Aasimar

(This race uses spells from Xanathar's Guide to Everything.)

The aasimar are those born of the gods, either parented by an angel and a human mother, or conceived through a blessing or a miracle during a time of darkness, a gift from the gods themselves. Aasimar mature at an extraordinarily rapid rate, reaching the appearance of a young human adult within their first year. Just because their appearance is mature, however, does not mean their personality is mature, and many young aasimar must be guided by a mentor to find their true purpose up until their spiritual goal has been reached. Typically, the aasimar are gifted with such a mentor upon their "birth", though some are not so lucky, and are even outright ignored by the deity that gave them life, and so they are forced to go on a journey of self-discovery to find their purpose in a world that ages without them.

As aasimar can not conceive children, and they outlive all other races due to their immortality, they often become lost in their lives, whether they have achieved their purpose or when their mentor has failed their duties. Sometimes, especially among the impressionable and childlike youth of the aasimar, they fall to a path of darkness, creating a dire circumstance for not only those around them, but for themselves. These fallen aasimar, while not explicitly turning to a life of evil, are often wrought with the hardships brought on by their isolation from the gods and their own hubris. Fallen aasimar not consumed by evil sometimes seek redemption from the gods for their betrayal to the light, and may even find the solace they seek through the acceptance from a more welcoming deity.

Redeemed aasimar are a rarity, but after the harsh experiences brought on by their previously fallen status, their hubris has given away to wisdom, and they find themselves far more mature than their younger kin. Redeemed aasimar are not as graced as they once were in their purest form, but their renewed sense of purpose has given them a better understanding of their existence as a whole, and often they seek out younger aasimar so they can be mentored properly and not fall to the darkness, or they search for those already tainted by it so they can be redeemed themselves.

As aasimar are born from a human mother, they are typically given human names fit for their native culture before the mother realizes the true nature of her child. If the newborn is recognized as aasimar, they may be given a name in honor of a celestial being affiliated with the aasimar's deity.

Protector, Scourge, and Radiant Aasimar
Shining brightly in times of darkness, the aasimar can be the light of an entire civilization, their names etched into epitaphs describing their duties in cemeteries across the world. Most people, however, are not aware of the childlike naivety and immaturity of a young aasimar, who often sees themselves as paramount to any other knight on a battlefield or any other healer in a temple. Often, however, these young aasimar are given a mentor to help shape their destinies and to fulfill their duties, lest they stray towards a path of a less desirable outcome.

Fallen Aasimar
While aasimar are expected to uphold a righteous and valiant duty, many fail to realize the true childlike naivety and immaturity of the aasimar. Such naivety makes a young aasimar easily susceptible to manipulation, and through an act of malevolence caused through their own hubris, an aasimar can be struck down by their god, finding themselves following a path of shadow and evil. These fallen aasimar lose their radiant spirits, which are replaced with a void of darkness, and the good in their heart turns to malice. Fallen aasimar are not all entirely evil, however, as some come to realize and understand their failings, and take a neutral path in hopes to restore their light.

Redeemed Aasimar
Through trial and tribulation, a fallen aasimar who is determined enough to restore their light can find the forgiveness of a good deity who need not be of their own, and through atonement, they can become a redeemed aasimar. Those that are redeemed find themselves shed of their hubris and instead filled with a sense of shame, yet they hold their heads high in this newfound redemption, and proceed to devote their lives in continuing their path of redemption by acting as mentors for those who find themselves lost.
 * Ability Scores. Wis +2, Cha +1
 * Size. Medium. Aasimar have the same range of height and weight as humans.
 * Speed. 30 feet.
 * Age. Newborn aasimar age at an extraordinarily fast pace, reaching the appearance of a young human adult within their first year. Aasimar are immortal and always look young, though oftentimes upon fulfilling their duties, the deity that granted their creation will call them to their plane of worship, which aasimar treat as an end to their lives.
 * Alignment. Redeemed aasimar have been given a second chance, and although their purity was not restored, their renewed valor gives them a clearer vision of the light. As such, redeemed aasimar are often lawful or chaotic good, and believe that their purpose is to further reclaim themselves by guiding wandering souls onto a path of honor, sincerity, and justice.
 * Darkvision. With your internal light restored, your vision can see through the dark. 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.
 * Celestial Resistance. You have resistance to necrotic damage and radiant damage.
 * Holy Redemption. As an action, you can point to a creature within 30 feet of you that you can see and cause it to take an amount of radiant damage equal to twice your level. Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
 * Radiant Bearer. You know the word of radiance cantrip. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for it.
 * wip trait. wip
 * Language. You can speak, read, and write Common and Celestial.

Falling from Grace, or Rising to Redemption
With your DM's consent, or at your DM's discretion, you can change your character to a fallen aasimar if your aasimar turns evil or begins to follow a dark path not within the foundations of their deity. To do so, replace your racial features, including your ability score increase, with those of a fallen aasimar. Additionally, if your fallen aasimar turns to good and redeems themselves, you can change your character to a redeemed aasimar, replacing your racial features, including your ability score increase, with those of a redeemed aasimar.

While becoming redeemed is a herculean effort on its own, it is not unheard of for a redeemed aasimar to slip back into darkness, permanently becoming a fallen aasimar. These fallen aasimar, referred to as "shattered aasimar" by their kin, can no longer be redeemed in the eyes of the gods, and most of the time are slain on the spot, but those that survive often become the subject of concern among the deities of justice, and so they are hunted relentlessly by servants to those gods.

As aasimar are sworn to the gods, even when they fall into the hands of darkness and evil, there is always a deity to back up their beliefs and remind them of their goals. This deity, whether one of the primary gods, a lesser deity, or a false god, makes its presence and influence known to an aasimar. Aasimar of all classes worship a patron of some kind, and their patron's alignment directly affects their own alignment. Should an aasimar ever challenge their own beliefs and alignment, their entire existence is at risk of being torn apart by an angered deity, including the deity that created the aasimar in the first place.

Appearance
Aasimar look nearly identical to humans, though their appearances may differ slightly depending on which deity is their patron. For example, an aasimar that is a patron of the Goddess of Light, Calrena, may have a glowing pale or tanned skin tone, yellow eyes, and a hair color ranging from blond to auburn, while an aasimar of the Goddess of Twilight, Junos, might have a light or dark complexion, eyes of deep blue or light purple, and raven black hair. The intensity of these physical appearances varies seemingly at random, and some aasimar features may be more subtle than others.

When an aasimar becomes a fallen aasimar, they gradually change physically, often over the course of a week, though sometimes during the span of a month, dependent on how quickly the aasimar finds themselves down the path of darkness. Their skin tone becomes ghostly and pale, their hair turns to white or black, and their eyes turn to dark or pale muted colors, with dark spots forming under their eyes. Fallen aasimar, despite their initial physicality, may begin to appear gaunt and almost corpse-like.

A fallen aasimar that redeems themselves finds that their appearance changes at a much more rapid pace, often returning to what it originally was, though their eye and hair color may shift with the likeness of the deity that accepted them. Redeemed aasimar also lose part of their youthful appearance and develop an aged complexion, seen as a toll for their atonement.

Most aasimar aren't worried about hiding their identities from most folk, as they can easily blend into a crowd, but some aasimar aren't particularly lucky when it comes to appearance, and an aasimar with snow white hair, bright purple eyes, and nearly copper skin may find herself hiding her features from others that may be suspicious. Rarely does an aasimar feel it necessary that they must hide themselves from public view, but in a region of religious conflict or pressure, or in circumstances where they would rather not be recognized for what they are, they may feel that their safety is compromised.

Champions and Wanderers
Aasimar are born into the world to serve as guardians of law and good, their patrons expecting them to strike at evil, lead by example, and further the cause of justice. From an early age, an aasimar receives visions from their patron deity via dreams. These dreams help shape an aasimar, granting a sense of destiny and a desire for righteousness, though these build up the aasimar's sense of pride, and so they are, in most circumstances, given a celestial entity to act as a mentor and offer them guidance.

The celestial agent that the aasimar can count as their guide and mentor is typically a deva, an angel who acts as a messenger to the mortal world, though the celestial entity may take on more abstract or more literal forms, wholly dependent on the god that sent forth this guide. Examples include a spiritual animal guide from the Goddess of Nature, Ae'wen, or a sentient weapon gifted by the God of Order, Zand.

While aasimar are strident foes of evil, sometimes they prefer to keep a low profile. An aasimar inevitably draws the attention of evil cultists, fiends, and other enemies of good, all of whom would be eager to strike down a celestial champion if they had the chance. Unfortunately, because of their valorous pride and self-confidence, many aasimar think that they can best the forces of evil head on, unscathed. Those aasimar either quickly learn to be wise about this overconfidence, or they quickly meet death.

When traveling, cautious aasimar prefer hoods, closed helms, and other gear that allows them to conceal their identities. They nevertheless have no compunction about striking openly at evil, and may feel compelled to drop their cover to put an end to a follower of darkness, risking not only their own lives, but the lives of others, to carry out their goal.

Aasimar have no particular place to call home, born into a human family and thrust into the cultures of the region, often overwhelmed by the vastness of it all. On rare occasions, aasimar young are abandoned by their families and left to the spoils of their surroundings, which may shape them into arrogant or skeptic wanderers, drifting from town to town in pursuit of their clouded destiny.

Conflicted Souls
Despite their celestial origins, aasimar possess free will, and while most follow their ordained path, some grow to see their abilities as a curse. These disaffected aasimar are typically content to turn away from the world, but a few become agents of evil. In their minds, their exposure to celestial powers amounted to little more than brainwashing, and their connection to the gods can leave them feeling conflicted as they are frequently placed above the mortal races.

Evil aasimar make deadly foes, the radiant power they once commanded becomes corrupted into a horrid, draining magic. After falling prey to dark temptations and an insatiable blood lust, their angelic guides abandon them, and they are left for the slaughter. A fallen aasimar that becomes the villain is a threat not only to mortals, but to the gods themselves, as evil deities manipulate the vulnerable celestials to their whim.

Even aasimar wholly dedicated to good sometimes feel torn between two worlds. The angels that guide them see the world from a distant perch. An aasimar who wishes to stop and help a town recover from a drought might be told by an angelic guide to push forward on a greater quest. To a distant angel, saving a few commoners might pale in comparison to defeating a cult of the God of Death. An aasimar's guide is wise but not infallible.

One of the greatest conflicts an aasimar faces is that of mortality and immortality. A young aasimar may find it easier to make friends with children or young adults as their personalities and mannerisms remain similar, and an aasimar may begin to forge alliances between older mortals as they themselves age and mature. Eventually, aasimar come to the realization that the end is inevitable for all but themselves, and many become reclusive, shying away from the pain that comes from losing a close friend.

Aasimar Guides
An aasimar, except for one who has turned to evil, has a link to an angelic being. That being, usually a deva, provides guidance to the aasimar, though this connection functions only in dreams. As such, the guidance is not a direct command or a simple spoken word. Instead, the aasimar receives visions, prophecies, and feelings.

The angelic being is far from omniscient. Its guidance is based on its understanding of the tenets of law and good, and it might have insight into combating especially powerful evils that it knows about. Some aasimar are unlucky enough to never receive a guide or mentor in this fashion, though their dreams are still filled with fragments of the destiny that lay before them.

As part of fleshing out an aasimar character, consider the nature of that character's angelic guide. The Angelic Guide tables offer names and natures that you can use to flesh out your character's guide.

Note to the DM: Playing an Angelic Guide
As DM, you take on the role of an aasimar's angelic guide and decide what kind of advice or omens to send in dreams. This celestial being is your chance to add special roleplaying opportunities to the game. Remember that an aasimar's celestial guide lives in a realm of absolute law and good. The guide might not understand the compromises and hard choices that mortals must grapple with in the world. To the celestial, an aasimar is a prized student who must live up to high, sometimes inflexible standards.