Starling
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Starlings are a playable race unique to the Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition setting of Planegea, and no there not the setting's designated bird people.
Not quite elemental, not quite angel, starlings resemble humans with glowing skin, eyes and hair, strange and glamorous to behold, beautiful, ageless, and otherworldly. They dwell in the Sea of Stars, and emerge from it during Planegea's night, arranging themselves in a complicated, political cosmology and spending the night hours in dance and gossip until the night's end approaches. Then it's time for the Dawn Duel, when the starlings fight to see which of them will be the last one standing, and have the honor of shining the brightest of all, becoming the Day-Star and illuminating the world for the next twelve hours. Normally, those defeated during the Dawn Duel plunge back into the Sea of Stars and rest there until it's time for the next cosmic dance... but, every so often, a starling who is defeated in the Dawn Duel somehow falls to the harsh, unforgiving landscape of Planegea instead.
...It's unclear how much of this is literal and how much is metaphorical, but in a nutshell: starlings are star-themed fallen angels. Stranded in an unfamiliar world, the starlings must struggle to survive and adapt; whilst all initially seek to find a way to return to the heavenly realm from which they fell, none have succeeded so far, and so most in the end settle for a life as a sorcerer, chanter or gatherer.
Mechanically, starlings have the following traits:
- Ability Score Increase: +2 Charisma, +1 Dexterity
- Size: Medium
- Speed: 30 feet
- Glow: Your flesh and hair shed dim light in a color of your choice out to a radius of 5 feet minimum to 20 feet maximum, and you can alter the radius of this glowing aura as a bonus action. You can't turn the light off, but you can block it with a layer of clothing.
- Light-Footed: You apply double your normal Proficiency bonus to all Performance checks made to dance.
- Starry Vigil: If the stars are visible, you can choose to stargaze instead of sleeping. Doing so allows you to remain alert and aware of your surroundings whilst still gaining the benefits of completing a long rest. It also grants you Advantage on your next Arcana check or Nature check that is related to the stars, constellations or weather.
- Pure Energy: As a bonus action, you can become incorporeal whilst moving 10 feet. If you end this pseudo-teleport inside a solid object, such as a creature or inside a wall, you are pushed back the way you came until you enter an empty space large enough to contain your body, taking 1d10 Force damage for every 5 feet you were pushed backwards. You can use this ability once per short rest.
- Dazzling Touch: Once per short rest, you can spend an action to unleash a focused burst of light from your hand into the eyes of a creature within touching range. The creature must pass a DC (8 + your Charisma modifier + your Proficiency bonus) Constitution save or be Blinded until the end of your next turn.