Godtouched Lineage
Godtouched come in as many forms as there are planar forces to reckon with. They can spring from any ancestry and culture, and the reasons for their existence are multitudinous. What they do have in common is each of them is connected to an alien power - most often an elemental plane, but sometimes a deity, a mighty elemental lord, or even a powerful local spirit. Despite the name godtouched, the influences that warp their heritage are varied.
The source of this connection can vary. Perhaps a godtouched is the direct descendant of a genie, or their ancestors were exposed to a powerful source of elemental energy. Maybe their bloodline was blessed by a strange god, or they were born under a particular omen. However it occurs, a godtouched is always marked, visibly different from their peers.
A godtouched's experience of the world varies based on the level of prejudice they experience. Sometimes they are viewed as cursed, intrinsically evil, and shunned accordingly. In other realms, they may be lauded as heroes or saints. Regardless, their appearance and abilities always set them aside — they are visibly different, and this defines their experiences.
Altered Heritage
While godtouched vary wildly in their presentation and abilities, they always share a few key traits in common. They gain a certain level of resilience, with their mortal bodies strengthened by outside influences. They usually, though not always, are resistant to the powers that made them. And they typically have some minor magical faculties, allowing them to manipulate the forces that changed them.
Creating Your Character
When you create a Godtouched character, select an existing species in your campaign world as your parent species. You have that species's size, speed, and superficial physical traits.
Ability Score Increase
You use your parent species's Ability Score Increases, but may freely move 1 point of those increases to another score of your choice, as long as that does not push an Ability Score Increase above a +2.
Type
You are a Humanoid.
Age
You have the same lifespan as your parent species.
Alignment
Planetouched can be of any alignment, with experiences and perspectives as varied as any other kind of creature.
Size
Your size is the same as your parent species (either Medium or Small).
Speed
Your base walking speed is the same as your parent species (either 30 or 25 feet).
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and 1 other language of your choice.
Sanguine
Sanguine godtouched are changed by a dark power - whether a god of blood, an immortal vampire, or some other extraplanar influence focused on the vital force of life. They often struggle to exist in normal societies, carrying powers others cannot understand, and tempted to draw on malign influence.
Sanguine godtouched often have skin and hair of snow-white, coal-black, or reddish hues. Their eyes are nearly always red, ranging from jewel-like crimson to pale pink. Their features can be elongated, predatory, with skin that seems to be stretched taut over their bones, and teeth and fingernails just a little too pointed for comfort.
Thickened Blood
You can call upon your heritage to strengthen yourself when your blood is spilled. As a reaction to taking piercing or slashing damage, you can grant yourself resistance to that damage. You can do so once, regaining the ability after a short or long rest.
Magic in the Blood
You know the blood boltK cantrip. At 3rd level you learn the blood transfusionK spell and at 5th level you learn the blood divinationK spell. You can cast blood transfusion and blood divination each once with this trait, regaining their use after a long rest. You can also cast either of those spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level.
Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this lineage).
Wasting Hex
You can afflict your enemies with a dreadful curse that limits their ability to heal themselves. As a bonus action, you can force one creature you can see within 30 feet to make a Charisma saving throw (using the same spell save DC as your lineage spells). On a failure, the target only recovers half the hit points they normally would from any effect that restores hit points or grants temporary hit points. This curse lasts 1 minute, and the target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns to end the effect.
You can curse a creature in this way once, regaining the ability after finishing a long rest.
Transfusion
You can lend others a portion of your own life force. As an action, you can touch a creature and expend a number of hit dice up to your proficiency bonus to restore the same number of the target's expended hit dice.
You can restore another creature's hit dice in this way once, regaining the ability after finishing a long rest.
Urban
Urban godtouched see their essence marked by a great city. They nearly always are born in the heart of a metropolis, their souls entwined with the city's own. Their differences almost always set them apart, though others' opinions may range from "gutter scum" to "destined to save the city" (occasionally both). They carry an affinity for their home's least obtrusive residents, rats and other vermin, and find themselves with a preternatural ability to navigate even the most mazelike districts.
Urban godtouched typically have skin in grey or brownish hues, with eyes in similar but more vibrant hues — deep browns, glittering golds, or shimmering white. They often have a miasmatic presence, leaving trails of grime wherever they touch, or carrying an odor like a refuse pile just before the rot starts.
Disease Resistance
You have advantage on all saving throws to resist diseases.
Street Magic
You know the message cantrip. At 3rd level you learn the disguise self spell and at 5th level you learn the locate object spell. You can cast disguise self and locate object each once with this trait, regaining their use after a long rest. You can also cast either of those spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level.
Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this lineage).
Urban Tracking
When in cities, you can add your proficiency bonus to all Wisdom (Survival) checks.
Darkvision
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 discern colors in that darkness only as shades of brown and gray.
Whispers Among the Whiskers
You have a limited ability to communicate with the emblematic inhabitants of all great cities: rats. You can relay simple ideas to them and understand some of their gestures. You gain advantage on all Wisdom and Charisma checks to interact with rats.
Candy
While other godtouched are influenced by divine forces or powerful entities, the enigmatic candy godtouched are changed by a plane of whimsy and joy. Their blood is infused with delight, blessed by a force that seeks to entertain and enthrall mortals. They have much in common with the fey, though they are in many ways stranger and more mysterious.
Candy godtouched are by far the most varied in appearance. Their skin can be sugar-white or any of a range of pastel hues, and their hair can similarly encompass any color (though it is often fluffy or strawlike in texture, akin to spun sugar).
Charm Resistance
Your affinity for delightful and alluring effects gives you an equal ability to resist them. You gain advantage on all saving throws against being charmed.
Tempting Magics
You know the friends cantrip. At 3rd level you learn the goodberry spell and at 5th level you learn the suggestion spell. You can cast goodberry and suggestion each once with this trait, regaining their use after a long rest. You can also cast either of those spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level.
Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this lineage).
Alluring Treat
You are able to conjure an irresistible snack, which bends the will of a creature who consumes it. As an action, you can create a small candy or other piece of food, which you can throw up to 30 feet. Creatures of your choice starting their turns within 30 feet of the treat must make a Wisdom saving throw or find themselves drawn to it, treating all movement away from the treat as if over difficult terrain.
A creature can choose to end this effect for all creatures by eating the treat as an action, immediately making a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, it has disadvantage on its next save against being charmed for 1 minute. After you create an Alluring Treat, you can't create another until you finish a long rest.
Otherworldly Delights
As a bonus action, you are able to sacrifice some of your essence to create a restorative candy for others to enjoy. You can expend any number of hit points up to your proficiency bonus when you create the candy. When a creature consumes it, they gain temporary hit points equal to twice the hit points you spent.
The candy lasts 1 minute after you create it, and disappears at that time if not eaten. Only one creature can have temporary hit points from this feature at a time. Once you've created an Otherworldly Delight, you can't create another one until you finish a short or long rest.
Appendix: Included Spells
Blood Bolt
Transmutation cantrip (blood magic)
- Classes: Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: S, M (a drop of your blood worth at least 1 hit point, which the spell consumes)
- Duration: Instantaneous
You transmute a drop of blood into a crimson dart and launch it at creatures within range, making a ranged spell attack. On hit, the target takes 1d6 piercing damage and 1d6 necrotic damage.
The piercing and necrotic damage increase by 1d6 at 5th level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th level (4d6). The blood consumed also increases when the damage increases at 5th (2), 11th (3), and 17th (4).
Blood Transfusion
1st-level necromancy (blood magic)
- Classes: Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: S, M (a splash of your blood worth 5 hit points, which the spell consumes)
- Duration: Instantaneous
You infuse a creature you touch with life divested from the blood used in the material component of the spell, causing the target to regain twice the hit points expended.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the amount of hit points consumed by the spell increases by 5 (and the amount of hit points restored increases by a corresponding amount).
Blood Divination
2nd-level divination (blood magic)
- Classes: Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: S, M (a drop of your blood worth at least 2 hit points which the spell consumes, and another creature's blood)
- Duration: Instantaneous
You can drop a single drop of your blood into a bloodstain or sample of another creature's blood while casting this spell to created a magical resonance. This tells you the creature's current condition (if it is alive, wounded, or dead), its creature type, its general distance from you (nearby, distant, or far away), and its general direction.
If the blood is more than 24 hours old, the spell becomes more difficult, and you must pass DC 10 spellcasting check to gain any information, with the DC increasing to 15 if the blood is more than a week old, and 20 if the DC is more than a month old.
Changelog
v0.5
- Corrected attributions
v0.4
- Remembered a usage limit on Wasting Hex
v0.3
- Actually rememebered to take out point values
v0.2
- Added Spells Appendix
v0.1
- Rough Draft
Credits
Godtouched Lineage created by somanyrobots Discord | Patreon Commissioned by Seita
Spells
Blood Bolt, Blood Transfusion, and Blood Divination by KibblesTasty
Art
All art © Wizards of the Coast LLC
- Birgi, God of Storytelling, by Eric Deschamps
- Underworld Connections, by Yeong-Hao Han
Background Stains
Licensing
Based on races and rules from Elemental-Touched by A Tiny Living Room, which is licensed CC-BY and available here.
Includes spells from Kibbles' Casting Compendium 2.0 by KibblesTasty Homebrew LLC, which is licensed CC-BY and available here.
Fan Content Policy
- This work is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.