Aasimar bear within their souls the light of the heavens. They are humans descended from beings with a touch of the power of Mount Celestia, the divine realm of many lawful good deities. Aasimar are born to serve as champions of the gods, their births hailed as blessed events. They are a people of otherworldly visages, with luminous features that reveal their celestial heritage.
Aasimar have a place in the world to serve as guardians of law and good. Their celestial ancestors expect them to strike at evil, lead by example, and further the cause of justice. From an early age, an aasimar receives visions and guidance from celestial entities via dreams. These dreams help shape an aasimar, granting a sense of destiny and a desire for righteousness.
Each aasimar can count a specific celestial agent of the gods as a guide. This entity is typically a deva, an angel who acts as a messenger to the mortal world.
While aasimar are strident foes of evil, they typically 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.
When traveling, 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. The secrecy they desire is never worth endangering the innocent.
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.
A deva lives in a realm of absolute law and good. The deva might not understand the compromises and hard choices that mortals must grapple with in the world. To the deva, an aasimar is a prized student who must live up to high, sometimes inflexible standards.
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.
d6 | Name |
---|---|
1 | Tadriel |
2 | Myllandra |
3 | Seraphina |
4 | Galladia |
5 | Mykiel |
6 | Valandras |
d6 | Nature |
---|---|
1 | Bookish and lecturing |
2 | Compassionate and hopeful |
3 | Practical and lighthearted |
4 | Fierce and vengeful |
5 | Stern and judgmental |
6 | Kind and parental |
Despite its celestial origin, an aasimar is mortal and possesses free will. Most aasimar follow their ordained path, but 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.
Evil aasimar make deadly foes. The radiant power they once commanded becomes corrupted into a horrid, draining magic. And their angelic guides abandon them. 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 Orcus. An aasimar’s guide is wise but not infallible.
Aasimar are born from human parents, and they use the same naming conventions as their native culture.
Aasimar share certain traits as a result of their celestial descent.
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma ability score, both current and maximum, increases by 2.
Age. Aasimar mature at the same rate as humans but live a few years longer.
Speed. Your base speed is 30 ft.
Low-light Vision. Blessed with a radiant soul, your vision enhances even the smallest light. You can see in dim light as if it were bright light, and an additional 30 ft into darkness as if it were dim light.
Celestial Resistance. You have resistance to necrotic and radiant damage.
Aasimar features. Roll twice on the special feature table and once on the special appearance table.
Language. You know Common and Celestial.
In addition to the common Protector Aasimar, some Aasimar become touched by darkness, turning into fallen aasimar. Choose one of them for your character.
Protector aasimar are charged by the powers of good to guard the weak, to strike at evil wherever it arises, and to stand vigilant against the darkness. From a young age, a protector aasimar receives advice and directives that urge to stand against evil.
Radiant Soul. Starting at 3rd level, you can use your action to unleash the divine energy within yourself, causing your eyes to glimmer and two luminous, incorporeal wings to sprout from your back.
Your transformation lasts for 1 minute or until you end it as a bonus action. While transformed, you have a flying speed of 30 ft, and once on each of your turns, you can deal extra radiant damage to one target when you deal damage to it with an attack or a spell. The extra radiant damage equals your level.
Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
An aasimar who was touched by dark powers as a youth or who turns to evil in early adulthood can become one of the fallen-a group of aasimar whose inner light has been replaced by shadow.
Necrotic Shroud. Starting at 3rd level, you can use your action to unleash the divine energy within yourself, causing your eyes to turn into pools of darkness and two skeletal, ghostly, flightless wings to sprout from your back. The instant you transform, other creatures within 10 ft of you that can see you must each succeed on a Charisma saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or become frightened of you until the end of your next turn.
Your transformation lasts for 1 minute or until you end it as a bonus action. While transformed, once on each of your turns, you can deal extra necrotic damage to one target when you deal damage to it with an attack or a spell. The extra necrotic damage equals your level.
Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
d72 | |
---|---|
Build | |
1 | Well-muscled |
2 | Slender |
3 | Unusually tall |
4 | Beautifully proportioned |
5 | Graceful |
6 | Unusually light |
Ears | |
7 | Pointed |
Eyes | |
8 | Amber eyes |
9 | Holy symbols in pupils |
10 | Catlike |
11 | Iridescent |
12 | Glowing eyes, enough to read by like candle |
13 | Eyes resemble a starry night sky |
14 | You never blink |
Face | |
15 | Baby-faced |
16 | Perfect porcelain face |
17 | Unearthly beauty |
18 | Glowing arcane letters on your forehead |
Hair | |
19 | Metallic |
20 | Turns silver in moonlight |
21 | Appears as if gravity has no effect on it, causing it to wave freely. |
22 | A distinct lock of silver hair on your head. |
23 | You have no natural body hair. |
24 | Animated |
25 | Heatless flames |
d72 | |
---|---|
Hands | |
26 | Fingerprints look like holy symbols |
27 | Digits are extra long |
28 | Always cool and dry |
29 | Glowing palms |
30 | Leave contrails |
Reflection | |
31 | Halo can be seen in reflections or by creatures with truesight |
32 | Wings can be seen in reflections or by creatures with truesight |
Shadow | |
33 | Animated |
34 | Bright |
35 | Winged |
36 | No shadow |
Skin | |
37 | On sunny days, skin sparkles in the light, as if dusted with glitter |
38 | Blue-tinted skin |
39 | Golden skin |
40 | Silvery skin |
41 | Skin looks and feels like smooth white marble |
42 | Pearl-like with dim glow |
43 | Skin glitters in the dark |
Smell & Taste | |
44 | Sweat breath like incense |
45 | Floral breath |
46 | Sweet scent |
47 | Taste like delicious sweets, even a kiss |
48 | Sweat of fine perfume |
d72 | |
---|---|
Voice | |
49 | Musical |
50 | Unusually high |
51 | Echoes dramatically |
52 | Unusually low |
53 | Serene |
54 | Words you speak aloud seem to be heard mentally |
55 | When you sing, a faint chorus joins you on the wind. |
56 | Melodic laugh |
Other | |
57 | Small feathered non-functional wings on ankles |
58 | No body hair |
59 | Flatulence is sweet angelic music |
60 | Your feet smoulder on unholy ground and feel hot |
61 | Lion or ox-tail |
62 | Unusual temperature |
63 | Sexless, no genitalia, sexual characteristics or interest |
64 | Glowing halo, enough to read by like candle |
65 | Celestial runes glow randomly across your body |
66 | Always look clean |
67 | Androgynous |
68 | Never need to go to toilet or flatulent |
69 | Clothing billows even without wind |
70 | Don’t sweat |
71 | Softly glowing blood and tears |
72 | Roll twice more on this table |
d30 | Special Feature |
---|---|
1 | You can drink a flask of holy water to heal 1d6 hit points. |
2 | Once you’ve reached adulthood you stop aging and will never die of age. |
3 | If you stand atop a grave and meditate for 10 minutes, you learn the name of whoever lies buried below and get a general sense for what plane their soul has departed. |
4 | You feel sick to your stomach when you first come within 30 ft of a fiend. This gives you the poisoned condition, lasting 1 minute. You cannot be affected again for 10 minutes. |
5 | If you die, your body can never be reanimated as an undead creature. |
6 | Your tears are iridescent or glowing, and have the ability to cure disease. This functions as the lesser restoration spell. You can use this feature once per day. |
7 | Your skin has almost a metallic sheen and allows you to gain sustenance from sunlight. Standing in direct sunlight for half an hour nourishes you as though you had just eaten a hearty meal. You still need to drink water. |
8 | If your body is placed on consecrated ground and prayers to your deity are recited continuously for 24 hours, you return to life as if by a raise dead spell. This ability works 1d4 times in your lifetime. |
9 | Your kiss invigorates others. Once per day, you can kiss a creature to reduce its exhaustion level by one, as if you had cast a greater restoration. |
10 | You can subsist entirely on honey and wine. |
11 | Glowing sigil on palm. As an action, you can touch a creature and cause it to regain a number of hit points equal to your level. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest. |
12 | You can urinate holy water once a day. |
13 | Bronze skin that grants an unarmored AC equal to 12 + Dex mod. |
d30 | Special Feature |
---|---|
14 | Light emits from eyes illuminating a 30 ft cone. |
15 | Can make a golden mask appear on face at will to hide identity. |
16 | Alcohol and other poisons tastes and smells vile. |
17 | Babies stop crying when you get close and lost children often find their way to you. |
18 | People with dark secrets feel faintly guilty around you. |
19 | Impurities in water clear up when you touch it. |
20 | You are never been bitten by mosquitos, ticks or any other normal insects. |
21 | You can turn water into wine by breathing over it. |
22 | Desecrated places feel hot under your feet; desecrated items are hot to the touch. |
23 | Rain seems to run off you without actually soaking you or any items you wear. |
24 | You can instinctively tell if a written contract presented to you have deceptive intent. You notice the overall malice of the author hiding within the handwriting and parchment, but must use your own wits to discover the precise catch. |
25 | If you take ten minutes to attune to a location where a worship service was held in the past day and night, you can hear pieces of the worship service that took place. |
26 | If you touch the face of a dying enemy, you get advantage on checks made to convince them to release information you seek. |
27 | You always know the direction and distance to the nearest place of worship. |
28 | You never misspell or make grammatical mistakes in your writing. Your handwriting is swift yet flawless. Even your signature is charismatic. |
29 | Any string instrument you play is instantly tuned to perfection. |
30 | If you ask a direct and honest question, people are made visibly uncomfortable by telling you a lie or hearing one being told. |
Aasimar approach some classes is a bit different than other races. When you select one of these classes, it is modified as follows:
When creating bombs you can add some of your essence in the form of your bodily fluids, such as saliva, to the concoctions. If you do, half the damage dealt with the bombs is radiant damage if are a protector Aasimar, and necrotic if you are a fallen Aasimar.
As an Aasimar barbarian, you may add your rage damage whenever Radiant soul or Necrotic shroud deals damage to a celestial, fiend or undead.
You can sing for 10 minutes to put any number of willing creatures to sleep. Any creature that falls asleep to the sound of your song is protected from spells and effects affecting dreams, such as nightmare, for the duration of a long rest.
In addition you get the Language of the gods trait.
As a bonus action, you can issue inspiring chants or terrible challenges in the Celestial tongue.
Choose a number of creatures equal to your Charisma modifier within 60 ft that can hear you. Each target has advantage or disadvantage (your choice) on the first attack roll or ability check it makes before the start of your next turn.
You can give this oration a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Your mount shares your Celestial resistance trait.
If you have the light cantrip, you can manifest it as a halo centered above your head. Once while manifesting this halo, you can choose to have advantage on a Charisma ability check. You regain the use of this ability after a long rest.
A cursed Aasimar is in a constant struggle between his heritage and curse. While transformed, you can spend a transformation to gain an additional use of Radiant soul or Necrotic shroud.
If cursed with the chosen archetype, this will aways come in the form of the Radiant soul trait. If you have another archetype, this will instead be the Necrotic shroud form.
Non magical insects never bite or sting you unless magically compelled to do so, or if you attack them first.
An Aasimar can not become a Feyblood. If your Fey heritage is stronger, you will be born a regular human instead.
A skilled fighter can easily defeat a ten times stronger, but unskilled brute. It is not how hard you hit, but the precision of your strikes.
Select Strength or Dexterity. Whenever the Fighter class description mentions your ability modifier for this ability, you may instead use that modifier +3 or your proficiency bonus, whichever is lower. This also applies to attack and damage rolls using this ability.
You make this choice at level 1 and it cannot be changed later.
In addition you have access to the Celestial Knight archetype.
You have the might of Mount Celestia behind you as an Inquisitor. While working for a common cause, you receive the power you deserve.
Whenever the Inquisitor class description mentions your Wisdom modifier, you may instead use this modifier +3 or your proficiency bonus, whichever is lower. In addition, you may use the same modifier instead of Strength or Dexterity when attacking.
You make this choice at level 1 and it cannot be changed later.
Fighting evil is in your blood and you will not easily be stopped. You must fail four death saves before dying.
An Aasimar is still also a human, and as such, good at adapting their knowledge and skills to whatever obstacle they face.
Whenever the Professional class description mentions your Wisdom modifier, you may instead use this modifier +3 or your proficiency bonus, whichever is lower.
Just as human, the Aasimar ranger is ready for anything that he might face in nature, and if by chance he would not be, he adapts and survives.
Whenever the Ranger class description mentions your Wisdom modifier, you may instead use this modifier +3 or your proficiency bonus, whichever is lower. In addition, you may use the same modifier instead of Strength or Dexterity when attacking.
You make this choice at level 1 and it cannot be changed later.
Because of their connection to Mount Celestia, Aasimar have a tendency to be drawn towards the lawful direction. This coupled with their tendency to face foes directly generally makes them not suitable as rogues.
You can spend a sorcery point to consecrate a spell that deals fire damage. If you do, half of the fire damage is instead radiant damage.
An Aasimars natural charisma and human heritage make them well suited to swashbuckling.
Whenever the Swashbuckler class description mentions your Intelligence modifier, you may instead use your proficiency bonus.
Aasimar consider themselves already beholden to a patron, the celestial being which is their heritage, so making a pact with another, potentially evil being, is out of the question. Fallen Aasimar on the other hand is a whole other thing, where a potential patron might even be the reason that the Aasimar is fallen in the first place.
Protector Aasimar cannot be Warlocks.
If you are a fallen Aasimar, whenever the Warlock class description mentions your Charisma modifier, you may instead use your proficiency bonus. In addition, you learn an additional cantrip.
Whenever the Wizard class description mentions your Intelligence modifier, you may instead use your proficiency bonus. You may only do this if you are literate.