Aasimar

Just as half-elves are the result of the union between elf and human, aasimar are the result between a human and celestial bonding on an intimate level. Generally, kind and working toward weal rather than woe, these typically good aligned beings seek to help those in need and right wrongs.

Celestial Bloodline

Literally speaking, not all aasimar have parents that are of celestial origin. Some instead have ancestors that were in fact celestial in nature yet the bloodline did not codify until their birth.

Regardless, with the blood of angels running through their veins, aasimar are a unique species in any world, half in the heavens and half consigned to an all too hard and unforgiving ground.

Subtle Differences

It is not always obvious when one encounters an aasimar, as each carries a different but unique trait from its celestial parent. Some are born with metallic skin while others have hair that may be thin and almost feather-like in appearance. Shimmering eyes of gold or a slight radiance in the dark are typical of aasimar decent, yet there is no one defining trait that calls out to others that the offspring of a celestial being is in their presence.

Always An Outsider

Aasimar are rare in the extreme and there are no known communities where they gather in sufficient numbers to set up even the semblance of a society.

Born to their human parents, they will adopt the society that surrounds them. Always adaptable, they are capable of quickly blending into different surroundings as long as those surroundings do not go against their core nature.

Trust But Verify

Aasimar tend toward lawful and goodly alignments, as their celestial parents had, however that is not always the case. More than one aasimar has promoted themselves and their celestial heritage in order to gain benefit for themselves and their nefarious schemes. Just like all other races, their upbringing and their desires play just as much a role in their actions as their heritage does.

Wanderlust

“I am always at home, for home lies here.” is a common saying with the aasimar as they hold their hand to their chest. Never finding a home and always questing for something, the aasimar people as a whole are itinerant adventurers who will travel to the farthest reaches of the land in search of a destiny or some place to call their own.

Aasimar Names

Aasimar come by their names from their parents and the naming can be as random as the first thing that came to their mind or something with ancestral meaning. This would be their true name. As an aasimar comes to know their true heritage, it will often seek out is celestial parent and use them as the template for their traveling name.

Male Names: Aliban, Corrinith, Daamen, Innatoth, Marrinan, Selamain.

Female Names: Belaana, Dresina, Genneth, Tiana, Wendethelas

Racial Traits

Your aasimar character, like its human and celestial parents, has an assortment of inborn abilities taken from each side of its family tree in a unique fusion.

  • Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom and Charisma are increased by 1 each.
  • Age. Although the blood of celestials pass through your veins, you age as your human parents did. You will reach adulthood in your mid-teens and unless you employ magical means will probably not live to see a full century.
  • Alignment. Aasimar tend to be kind creatures and as such gravitate toward goodly alignments. That is not to say that there are not evil aasimar out there. Those that follow dark paths though are extremely rare.
  • Size. You follow your human parents in this aspect as well in that you are no taller or smaller than the average human. Ranging in height from barely 5 feet to well over 6 feet tall, you will always be a Medium sized creature.
  • Speed. One of your parents may have fleet aspects due to their wings, yet you are bound to the mortal coil and the ground. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
  • Senses. Thanks to your celestial heritage, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. 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 (you have darkvision 60 ft.)
  • Celestial Legacy. Just as your parent could withstand punishing blows, so can you to a limited degree. You have resistance to radiant damage.
  • Radiant Flux. Imbued with the celestial power of your ancestors, you can in a small way manipulate that when you are healed or are healing. If you have healing abilities you can add your proficiency bonus to the amount of healing you do from healing spells and attempts. If you do not have access to healing spells, when you are healed by others you add your proficiency bonus to the healing you receive.
  • Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one other normal racial language of your choice.

Subrace

You must choose from one of the three available subraces of aasimar. They are child of the deva, child of the planetar, and child of the solar.

Sub-Race: Child of the Deva

One of your parents or distant relatives was actually a celestial deva. Your skin has a slight hue of silver about it and in the right illumination, your eyes glimmer as though they were the surface of a mirror. Your lithe figure can spring into action at a moment’s notice when required, which it often is.

  • Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1.
  • Angel’s Cloak. Like your parent or descendant, you too can take on the form of other beings for a brief time. When you reach 3rd level you may cast alter self once per long rest.
  • Bludgeoning Resistance. If you are cut you will bleed like any normal human, yet it seems as though damage from maces and the like do not hurt you as much. You gain partial resistance to bludgeoning damage.

Sub-Race: Child of the Planetar

A powerful planetar is part of your bloodline and has imbued you with its endurance and stamina. Not only that, but your skin has a slight greenish cast to it and not a hair upon it.

Finally through the gift of your parent or ancestors you possess a limited ability to achieve stealth only the elves dream of.

  • Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1.
  • Stealth of the Angels. Your planetar parentage has granted you the ability to cast invisibility (self only) once per long rest upon reaching 3rd level.
  • Piercing Resistance. Blows from a club cause you painful bruises like any other, yet arrows seem to bounce off your tough and resilient skin. You gain partial resistance to piercing damage.

Sub-Race: Child of the Solar

The powerful blood of a solar runs through your veins from a parent or ancestor. Regardless you feel the siren call to battle and your muscles tense in anticipation of swinging your weapon. The scion of the solar’s eyes simmer with an intense inner heat that is seen in darkened conditions and your skin has an almost copper hue to it.

  • Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score is increased by 1.
  • Never Disarmed. You are never without a weapon, even if your physical one is taken from you. Once you reach 3rd level you can cast spiritual weapon once per long rest using the spellcasting ability of your class as the bonus to damage. If you do not have a spellcasting class then it is simply +1.
  • Slashing Resistance. Your coppery skin may bruise, yet it never fully opens itself to a bared blade. You gain partial resistance to slashing damage.

Celestial Lineage

Eternal Radiance

Within you lies the heart of an angel and a glimmer of its celestial power. With this fragment of your ancestral power you can harness your internal light to pierce the darkness or as you grow into your heritage, use it to defend yourself.

  • When you begin your adventuring career you can kindle the flame of your radiant power, allowing you to cast light once per long rest at 1st level.
  • The radiant power within you continues to grow and at 5th level you can use it to befuddle your enemies. You may cast faerie fire once per long rest.
  • At 9th level you can harness the full radiance within you, allowing you to cast daylight once per long rest.

Tradeoff: Using your internal radiance takes its toll on other powers that depend upon your celestial connection. You lose the use of the Radiant Flux ability.

Bane of Liars

The slightest waver in a creature’s voice lets you know that it speaks a falsehood. As you grow and learn this ability rivals that of your celestial ancestor, giving you the ability to detect even the most vague of wordsmithing.

  • At 1st level, you gain proficiency in the Insight skill.
  • Liars should be wary of you once you reach 5th level, as you gain advantage to Insight checks, and keep your proficiency as well.
  • Detecting the falsehoods of others becomes as second nature as it is to your celestial ancestor. At 9th level, you gain the ability to cast detect lies once per long rest.

Tradeoff: Your ear may be better at hearing the lies of others, however exposure to such a constant stream of tainted words dulls your inner light. You lose the Radiant Flux when taking Bane of Liars.

Wings of Angels

You feel lighter than air when you call forth your ancestral wings. Most aasimar do not have wings, however you were blessed with them, albeit for a limited time per day. Perhaps one day they shall stay with you and you will not be limited in how long you can kiss the clouds.

  • At 1st level, your body feels lighter and through sheer force of will you can force yourself into the sky for short distances. Once per long rest you may cast levitate (self only).
  • At 5th level, your true bloodline is revealed to all as feathered wings erupt from your back. Until you practice and learn to use them effectively, you can cast fly once per long rest.
  • At 9th level, your wings are as much a part of you as your legs, and you may use them freely with a fly speed equal to your current walking speed.

Tradeoff: Although you have the power of flight (eventually), other aasimar traits are not as developed. You lose both Celestial Legacy and your subrace spellcasting ability when taking Wings of Angels.

Partial Resistance

Some races are inherently harder to hurt with certain damage types, yet at the same time, making them fully resistant or invulnerable to those damage types at lower levels can be unbalancing to the game.

Partial Resistance is the ability of some races (or creatures in the case of monsters) to have some resistance to a damage type, yet not automatically take half damage per the standard rules. Instead, the race or creature can ignore 1 point of damage per character level of damage from that particular type. In the case of monsters, partial resistance gives them the ability to ignore 2 points of damage type for each hit die they possess.

Celestial Lineage

Just as not all humans are created equally, nor are any of the other races presented in these tomes. Lineages are quirks that occur within a race that make this particular permutation different than others of the same race. There is always give and take with a lineage however in that the race may gain some new ability or power but at the same time something that is normal for the race is taken away. This is called a tradeoff.

An example in the real world are those with red hair. 1 out of 1,000 have red hair. The tradeoff is a reduction in the chemicals in their skin that protects it from sunlight. Redheads tend to burn more easily in direct sunlight and have fairer skin, often with blemishes (some say decorations) called freckles.

Lineage’s have one unique difference however, they grow with the character. A lineage is taken at 1st level, however as they gain experience the bloodline evolves, becoming much more.

A lineage is not always an advantage. It is simply different.

Aasimar Racial Equipment

Celestial Elixir

Potion, uncommon

Price 100 gp/vial.

Said to be made from the tears of devas (although in fact it is actually highly purified holy water) this effervescent liquid boosts the natural radiant energy in each aasimar, allowing them to use their one of their radiant subracial powers an additional time each day.

Using celestial elixir more than once a day allows an additional use of the aasimar’s subrace spellcasting power, however it also causes 1d4 Constitution damage once the power is used and you cannot use it again until after a long rest.

Celestial elixir, when used against undead works in all ways as holy water but it inflicts 6d6 damage.

Angel’s Bow +1

Weapon (longbow), very rare, requires race (aasimar) or class (paladin)

You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon.

This beautiful weapon is made of a flexible yet resilient ash etched with feathers and sigils of various goodly gods. Knocking an arrow to this bow causes the sigils to flicker with white light up and down its length when held by either a holy warrior (paladin) or one of the celestial born creatures known as aasimar.

Shimmering arrows flung from this weapon have advantage on attack and when they strike, your enemy takes an additional 1d6 radiant damage per attack.

Ring of Heavenly Light

Ring, rare, requires race (aasimar or other celestial bloodline), requires attunement

Burnished white gold woven into intricate designs of feathers wraps around this heavy ring, marking it as something truly special when found. When worn by a member of the celestial races (or their offspring) their darkvision range is doubled and they may cast daylight centered on themselves once per long rest.

Aasimar Racial Spells

Radiant Shield

3rd-level evocation

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: V, S, M (feather from a celestial wing)
Duration: 10 minutes

A shimmering nimbus of light surrounds you for the duration, shedding bright, and almost blinding light in a 20-foot radius, with dim light for additional 10-feet. Once activated this spell you cannot dismiss radiant shield and it must continue until the duration expires.

The brilliance provides you with a light shield which grants you resistance to necrotic damage.

In addition, whenever a creature within 5 feet of you hits you with a melee attack, the shield erupts with a dazzling flash. The attacker takes 2d8 radiant damage from the light shield. Radiant Shield should be added to the cleric, paladin, sorcerer, and wizard spell lists.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

5th Edition Races - Aasimar by Fat Goblin Games. Copyright 2015. Author Troy Daniels, Artist Rick Hershey, Layout Troy Daniels and Rick Hershey.

This is not the complete license attribution - see the full license for this page