Rasilhi

Rasilhi'in (singular: Rasilhi) are a human subrace from the Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition 3rd party setting World of Farland. The secret rulers of the land of Ishia, Farland's analogue to Egypt, Rasilhi'in emerged when the people of that land built the city of Ushpnath, unknowingly doing so atop a nexus of powerful, primordial divine magic. This had the side effect of causing any human child born on a day sacred to one of the Ishian deities to take on a monstrous form; a human's body with the head of a beast sacred to that deity, and skin covered in fur, feathers or scales as appropriate. Initially, this was greeted with fear, suspicion and horror, but over time, they came to be seen as being blessed; living emissaries of the gods they resembled. They became the priest-kings and queens of Ishia, and fell to their own decadence; desperate for total control over Ushpnath, the only place in the world where new generations of Rasilhi'in can come into being, they fought first with politics, then with murderous subterfuge, and then finally a bloody civil war that ripped the Ishian empire apart and reduced it to a faded echo of its former glory.

But they cling to their existence, and their power. They conduct hideous breeding experiments to try and unlock the secret to their creation, but it defies them; only children allowed to come to term in the womb of a human and then born naturally on a sacred day are born as Rasilhi'in - forcing them from the womb early results in a normal human child. They are deep in the thrall of the God of Evil, Vornoth, or Vornok-ka as the Ishians know him. But a rare few potentially leave their dark homes and become adventurers.

Subraces/Stats

All Rasilhi'in have the following core traits. Their divinely influenced heritage means they age more slowly than humans, not reaching maturity until 30 years old and living for over 150 years.

Ability Score Modifiers: +1 Wisdom, +1 Charisma

Size: Medium

Speed: 30 feet

Vision: Normal

Blessed of the Gods: You can cast Cure Wounds using Wisdom as your spellcasting ability score, and have automatic proficiency in the Religion skill.

There are ten subraces of Rasilhi'in in Ishia, representing the ten gods still worshipped in that land - an eleventh lineage was driven away in the ancient spiritual-cannibalistic civil war between the Rasilhi'in. These are known by the name of their patron god, followed by the suffice "-Sihk".

Rasilhi'in of Hahtmet-ka have been touched by the god of healing and water, granting them the faces of fish (75% perch, 25% pike). These rasilhi'in gain +1 Constitution and have the Amphibious racial trait, allowing them to breathe water and air. They also have the unique racial trait "Fish-Headed", which grants them Advantage on Perception checks to avoid being surprised by visible threats, but Disadvantage on Perception checks based on hearing - they have sharp eyes that are uniquely positioned to scan their surroundings, but their lack of ears means they don't hear as well as humans.

Rasilhi'in of Padmek-ka have been touched by the god of war and ruination, granting them the faces of leopards (75%) and lions (25%). Female lion-faced Padmek-Sihk also bear manes. These rasilhi'in gain +1 Strength and have both a Bite attack (natural attack, 1d6+Str piercing) and the Keen Smell trait (Advantage on Perception checks based on smell).

Rasilhi'in of Shemzan-ke have been touched by the goddess of law and justice, granting the faces of birds (50% ibis, 30% crane, 20% owl). These rasilhi'in gain +1 Intelligence and have the racial traits High Adjudicator (Advantage on Insight checks) and Keen Sight (Advantage on Perception checks based on sight).

Rasilhi'in of Nekhbet-ka have been touched by the god of the dead, embalming and necromancy, granting them the faces of vultures (80%) and falcons (20%). These rasilhi'in have a particularly high rank in Ishia, where necromancy is considered part of the sacred rites of caring for the dead. They gain +1 Constitution and the racial traits Keen Smell (Advantage on Perception checks based on smell) and Necrophage (you are Resistant to Poison damage and can safely eat rotten or spoiled foodstuffs and liquids).

Rasilhi'in of Seket-ka have been touched by the god of deception, sorcery, lies and revenge, granting them the faces of snakes (50/50 hooded cobra or horned viper). These rasilhi'in gain +1 Dexterity and have the racial traits Hypnotic (free Proficiency in Persuasion) and Venomous (you have a Bite attack that does 1d2+Str piercing and, once per short rest, can force a bitten target to make a Constitution save against DC 8 + your Proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier or be Poisoned; they can save again at the end of each of their turns, ending the condition on a success).

Rasilhi'in of Tenlennen-ke have been touched by the goddess of foolishness and buffoonery, granting them the faces of swans. These rasilhi'in are actually tied to the original goddess of light and hope, Vornoth's sworn enemy, but even despite being forced into the perceived cosmic role of fools and jesters, they retain an underlying majesty. Tenlennen-Sikh gain +1 Charisma and the racial traits Keen Sight (Advantage on Perception checks based on sight) and Jester (free Proficiency in performance, Advantage on comedy-based Performance checks).

Rasilhi'in of Khephri-ka have been touched by the god of carrion eaters and decay, granting them the faces of vermin (50% scarab beetles, 25% scorpions, 25% spiders). These rasilhi'in are particularly reclusive, as even other rasilhi'in find them hard to look at, to say nothing of how they horrify humans, and their god's opposition to necromancy makes him anathema to Ishian culture. Khephri-Sikh gain +1 Charisma and the racial traits Patient (Advantage on Initiative checks) and Repulsive (free Proficiency in Intimidation, Disadvantage on Persuasion checks against non-rasilhi'in).

Rasilhi'in of Heshket-ka have been touched by the god of rodents, plague, famine and despair, granting them the faces of mammalian vermin (60% rodent, 40% mustelid). These rasilhi'in gain +1 Dexterity and have the traits Sneaky (free Proficiency in Stealth) and Plague-Bringer (Advantage on saves to resist disease).

Rasilhi'in of Absoket-ke have been touched by the goddess of women and motherhood; for this reason, more females are born to this crocodile-faced rasilhi subrace than males. These rasilhi'in gain +1 Wisdom, a Bite attack (1d6+Str piercing), and the Patient racial trait (Advantage on Initiative checks).

Rasilhi'in of Vornok-ka have been touched by the god of evil - or, as the Ishians believe him to be, the supreme god above all, giving them the faces of bats. Naturally, whilst this makes them highly respected in Ishia, they earn particularly intense fear and loathing outside of their homeland for their obvious connection to the god of evil. These rasilhi'in gain +1 Intelligence and +1 Wisdom, and have the racial traits Emissary of Heaven (Advantage on Charisma checks against rasilhi'in and Ishians) and Echolocation (you have Blindsight 30 feet which you lose if Deafened, and suffer Disadvantage on saves against the Deafened condition).

The Lost Rasilhi'in

During the bloody civil war of the rasilhi'in, one subrace tried to stop the madness; the cattle-faced children of Athwar-ke, Goddess of Jubilation. For this rationality and mercy, they united the other subraces against them and were driven out of Ishia entirely. They made their way to Saafsibben, the Archipelago of Pirates, where they settled down and interbred with a local tribe of ogrekin. From this strange union was born a pair of twinned races, both resembling humanoid cattle; the Asterians, touched by savagery, and the Minotaurs, who are larger and more imposing, but also naturally gentle and kindly. The twin peoples, as they call themselves, are a truly intertwined race; the two subraces can no longer interbreed with anything other than members of their own or the opposing subrace, and regardless of parentage, children will randomly be of one subrace or the other - indeed, a multiple pregnancy may very well produce offspring of both subraces! It is this interdependence that has kept the two subraces united, despite their continued moral drift; unbeknownst to them, whilst minotaurs retain their distant connection to Athwar-ke, asterians have fallen under the influence of Baphomet, who is working to subtly corrupt the race as a whole to his own worship.

Asterians and minotaurs share the following core racial traits:

Size: Medium

Speed: 30 feet

Vision: Darkvision 60 feet

Type: Humanoid AND Monstrosity

Labyrinthine Recall: You gain Advantage on checks made to determine directions and find your path, indoors and outside.

Horns: You can make a horn attack as a natural weapon, which does 1d6+Str Piercing damage for asterians and 1d8+Str Piercing damage for minotaurs.

The demon-touched asterians look more like their original rasilhi'in stock, being under 6ft tall and with foot-long horns, and like them they age slowly, taking 30 years to mature and living for over 150 years. They gain +2 Constitution and +1 Strength. Baphomet's interest in subverting the race gives them the racial trait Demonic Luck, which allows them to grant themselves Advantage to an attack roll, ability check or saving throw once per day. They also maintain the more vicious temperament of their distant rasilhi'in kinsfolk, giving them the racial trait Reckless (you can grant yourself Advantage on all your melee attack rolls for one turn, but grant attacks against you Advantage until the end of your next turn).

The more patient and kindly minotaurs are enormous, reaching heights of up to 8ft at the shoulder and with 2ft long horns, thickly muscled and intimidating despite their passive temperaments. They gain +2 Strength and +1 Constitution, and have the racial trait Bearer of Burdens, a crappier Powerful Build that lets them count as 1 size larger only for carrying, pushing and dragging capacity - just switch this out for Powerful Build, there's really no point to it. They also have the ability to make a Ram attack once per short rest, which can be done by moving at least 10 feet straight toward a target and then hitting it with their horns in the same turn; the target must then pass an opposed Strength check against the minotaur or take +2d8 damage and be simultaneously pushed 10 feet and knocked prone.