Nocturnals

Singular; Nocturnal. Plural: Nocturnals.

"My mother always told me stories about monsters lurking in the darkness when I was little. Bedtime stories to scare your kids to stay in bed, but they did the reverse for me. I wanted to hunt them down, uses my shadowy form to stop these tales from happening in the first place, so people could wander the night in peace. But," the Nocturne paused once more, his smoky body almost fused with the darkness behind him, "I should have expected that folks would mistake me as another monster of the dark." - Rendon, Nocturne cleric of Twilight.

The endless night, the void of space, the endless dark below the earth. Nocturnes trace their shadowy heritage to these dark magic. These pitch-black humanoids absorb light, their form often hard to trace due to their shadowy composition. While often feared by the unknowing, these individuals are often the perfect guardians against monsters that wander in the night.

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Living Shadows

Nocturnes retain the physique from their parents, but their shadowy magic makes it hard to believe. Living darkness taints their body, generally appearing as dark smoke with some appearing as if made of ink or pure void of space. Some have this extraplanar magic marking either a part of their body or their shadow, making the latter appear at times alive. Others appear with skin made of darkness, their clothing still visible but their faces often lost behind to the night. The rarest of them are hidden behind inky darkness, theorized to be stuck between our world and the endless darkness their lineage calls home.

Spells and magical effects that produce magical light are one of the only things that reveal a nocturnes appearance underneath their shell of darkness. Opinions on this use of magic is very decisive amongst these individuals; some prefer the use so that they can avoid the mistreatment they may get from their shadowy appearance, while others see this magic as an invasion of privacy and a stripping of ones identity.

Aspects of Gloom

Nocturnes who possess a deeper understanding of their heritage to shadows can exhibit greater abilities when hidden from light. Shadows, as their names imply, can manipulate their shadowy skin in such a way that makes it impossible to strike at them correctly while they are on the move. Nightmares can channel their darkness into shapes and forms, be it for recreation or defense. Voids, nocturnes theorized to have their physical body split between the physical realm and the realm their magic resides, can slip through the tiniest of gaps so long as there is an absence of light.

Patient and Unrelenting

The life of a krystl, like all other extraplanar races, is one often bound to your lineage. Many communities may see a krystl as a beacon of protection against disaster and unwanted change, while the greedy and powerful may see them as nothing more as living jewelery or a source of magic to preserve their current luxuries.

Adventuring krystls may state their travels due to a inner push to explore, feeling a tugging sensation to quell or calm sources of unnatural change or chaos. Some may take on this path to quell the rise of an returning everchanging evil, while other's may be too late to learn their adventures have silenced flames of revolution.

Feared and Misunderstood

Due to their second skin, simple-minded commonfolks are quick to dehumanize nocturnes just like tieflings and other monstrous races. As such, many nocturnes live nomadic lives, often finding themselves to be adventurers or settling down in the northern or southern extremities of the world, where the sun sleeps for months on end. In communities that readily accept them, a nocturne may often take nightly professions, acting as spies, guards, baristas, and more.

In communities deep below ground, nocturnes are often treated as beings chosen for a higher calling. They are viewed as gifts from a higher calling, chosen ones, or signs of great future events. Travelling nocturnes are often lavishly cared for and quickly sought out to be hired, and underdwelling cities may hold a week-long festival for the birth of a nocturne.

Nocturnal Traits

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.

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Age. Nocturnals age the same as their non-nocturnal parents. Their shadows hide their aging.
Creature Type. You are Humanoid, but count as an Elemental for the purposes of being detected.
Rarity. Rare. Nocturnes are often pushed to live their lives during the night due to the fear towards their otherworldly magic. As such, they are often-time considered rarer by diurnal folks.
Size. You are Medium or Small (your choice when selecting this race).
Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet.
Blessing of the Night. You do not need to sleep. You can finish a long rest by spending 8 hours doing light activity, such as keeping watch or walking.
Home within the Dark. Whenever you would be in darkness, you can use your bonus action to take the Hide action.
Light Consumption. As a bonus action, you can turn nonmagical bright light within 5 feet of you into dim light until the end of your next turn.
- When you reach 3rd level, you can use your action to touch a nonmagical source of light, or light-source created by the *Light* spell, and extinguish it.
- When you reach 5th level, you can use your action to turn dim light or darkness within 5 feet of you into magical darkness for a minute. This darkness follows you, so long as you don't enter bright light. Creatures with darkvision can’t see through this darkness, and nonmagical light can’t illuminate it. You can see normally through this magical darkness. You can reduce dim light and darkness in this manner once, and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.
Gloom's Essence. At 3rd level, your connection to the magic that resides in you may differ compared to other nocturnes. Choose one of the following traits.
- Shadow's Grace. When you are in dim light or in darkness, you can take the Disengage action as a bonus action.
- Nightmare's Touch. You can cast the *Arms of Hadar* and *Silent Image* spells with this trait, using Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma as your spellcasting ability for them (your choice when creating your character). Once you cast either spell, you can't cast it again with this trait until you finish a short or long rest.
- Lost in the Void. When you are in dim light or darkness, you can squeeze through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide.
Superior Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 120 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.
Sunlight Sensitivity. You have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight while you are in bright light or trying to notice something in bright light.

d6	Nocturnal Characteristics
1	I was born as my siblings shadow. While we were always together, something has separated us.
2	I was the creation of an insidious cult during a ceremony that blotted out the moon for three nights. Having escaped their clutches, I know they are still on the hunt for me so that I can fulfill their final goal, with or without my desire to do so.
3	I was found by a mining group when I was a baby, many among them mistaking my shadowy skin for deep layers of soot. I have since grown accustomed to their lifestyle, wandering the echoing caverns on the lookout of dangerous creatures.
4	My mother was a survivor of a shadow attack. I know she loves me, but I know she fears that I become what she had destroyed so long ago. At times, I can even feel my shadow skin move without even realizing.
5	A mighty hero destroyed a nightwalker, and found me as a baby in its remains. That hero has cared for me since, and so I use my shadowy powers to aid others against the dangerous creatures in the shadows.
6	In my studies of creatures and magic of the night, I awoke to my studies having enveloped me. While I have grown accustomed to it, I always get the feeling my shadow-skin has a mind of its own.