Zevite
Zevite origins are a matter of some contention. It is known that in the distant past a prophet named Zev brought his people into the Astral Plane. Some believe he did so to save his people from a terrible calamity, others that it was by force as a tyrant-king looking to create his own immortal kingdom. Whatever the case, most zevites still spend the vast majority of their extensive on the timeless Astral Plane.
Because time does not pass normally on the Astral Plane, no zevite can be born there. Instead, zevites looking to bear a child travel to other planes of existence in order for their pregnancy to progress. Such children are cared for until young adulthood before their parents return to the Astral Plane to avoid aging too drastically. Those left behind must choose whether to live their lives on the plane they were born to or follow their parents into the Astral. Rarely, a parent will stay on the plane with their child or children, even to the point of death by aging.
Zevite Traits
Characters with the zevite heritage share a variety of traits in common with one another.
Age. Zevites are considered to be adults around 19 to 22 years after their birth and can live around 120 years on planes which have normal time.
Size. Zevites stand at least as tall as average humans, although most are a head or so taller. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base Speed is 30 feet.
Emotional Telepathy. You possess the ability to speak telepathically to any creature within 30 feet of you that you can see. The creature understands your words only if the two of you share a language, though you can instead choose to communicate a single emotion at a time in place of speech.
Iron Mind. You gain resistance to psychic damage.
Ideomorphic. Due to a connection to the Astral Plane, your biology is partially shaped by perspective, manifesting in full-body markings you can cause to light up in a color corresponding to your outlook on life. Igniting your markings requires a bonus action, lasts for 1 minute, and grants creatures advantage on their Perception checks against you, (unless it doesn’t use sight for its Perception checks) in addition to the benefits below. You can end this effect as a bonus action. Choose from the following options:
Cynical. Your crimson markings grant you expertise on Insight checks but you suffer disadvantage on Deception checks.
Hopeful. Your golden markings grant you expertise on Persuasion checks, but you suffer disadvantage on Insight checks.
Stoic. Your lilac markings mean you cannot suffer disadvantage on Perception checks due to environmental effects.
You can use this trait once per short or long rest . Zevites can ultimately change the color of their markings, but this takes a true, deep shift in personal outlook and is unaffected by a mere change in mood.
Zevite Gifts
Zevites are known for their psionic potential and iron will. It’s said it’s easier to convince a mountain to get out of your path than to turn a zevite from their goal. In addition to the traits all zevites get, choose one of the following gifts.
FORESIGHT
The roiling churn of the Astral Plane presents many possibilities, giving some zevites the ability to see potential outcomes. Zevites with this gift have the following trait:
Glimpse the Future. Once per short or long rest you can spend an action to look into the immediate future and ask the Narrator whether a specific choice you intend to make in the next minute is good, bad, or neutral. The reply does not account for possible circumstances that could change the outcome, such as making additional precaution, and may be cryptic.
In addition, you may ask your Narrator to provide you with a brief vision related to a choice. Such a vision gives you insight into what may happen if you make a specific choice within the next minute, though the answer may not be straightforward. You suffer one level of strife after this vision, but do not expend your use of Glimpse the Future.
Stubborn Streak
The strong will of the zevites is well known, but some are so stubborn and set that they give their entire people a reputation for it. You have the following traits:
Unreadable. Insight checks made against you have disadvantage .
Unmoved. When you make a saving throw against a charm or compulsion effect you may choose to make a Constitution saving throw.
Unbudging. You gain expertise on saving throws against maneuvers and other effects that would result in forced movement, such as the Shove basic maneuver.
Telepathic Empathy
All zevites have a degree of telepathy, but some are more sensitive to the minds of others than most. Zevites with the gift of telepathic empathy gain the following trait:
Empathic Bond. As an action, choose one willing creature within range of your telepathy you can see to bring into contact with your mindscape. So long as you both choose to remain connected, you are able to telepathically communicate with your target across any distance as long as you are on the same plane.
While bound in this way, as long as you can see the target, you can use your reaction when they take damage to take some onto yourself. The damage after their resistances and immunities is split evenly between you and the bonded creature, rounded up, and ignores resistances and immunities you possess. Once you have used this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest .
You may only be connected to one creature at a time, but the connection lasts until you or the other creature chooses to end it, which requires no action. Initiating this bond is very taxing, and you suffer one level of strife each time you do so.
Zevite Paragon
When you reach 10th level, you are an exemplar of what it is to be a zevite, and you gain one paragon gift from the following list.
Acute Telepathy
The range of your telepathy increases; you can now use it on any creature you can see. Additionally, choose up to 7 willing creatures of at least Intelligence 3 that you can see. You and the chosen creatures can communicate telepathically with each other regardless of language and across any distance, including other planes. Any of the chosen creatures can break this bond without an action, or you can end the effect for 1 or more creatures as a bonus action. Additionally, you can become aware of how many sapient minds (of at least Intelligence 3) are within 30 feet of you, as well as their direction (but not distance), once per short rest .
Psychic Inference
Choose three from Deception, Insight, Intimidation, and Persuasion. You gain an expertise die on checks with the chosen skills against creatures within range of your telepathy, including initiative checks, which can always be Insight checks for you.
Predictive Combat
Zevites often possess some measure of prescience, and your mastery of it is made clear with your ability to predict where creatures and objects will be. Your attack rolls ignore half cover , and an area being lightly obscured does not impose disadvantage on your ability checks . You do not have disadvantage from making ranged attacks at long range.
Zevite Culture
Zevites live in the shadow of their people’s past, and often feel disconnected and loosely tethered to the people around them—a fact that makes what family they find all the sweeter and more beloved.
While you can choose any culture for your zevite character, the following cultures are linked closely with this heritage: cosmopolitan , itinerant , nomad .
There are also two new cultures to suit zevites: Children of Zev and Zevanchist . While they are not bound to use these cultures and people of other heritages may be raised within them, it is vanishingly rare to meet a zevite of the Astral Plane that is neither a Child of Zev or a Zevanchist.