New Ancestry: The Ideal

The worlds of folk and those beyond aren’t so separate. Those who lay with devils or hold old pacts in their blood may birth tieflings. Those drawn to angelic lovers or descendents to astral war may start bloodlines of aasimar. What, then, for those who dally with the many fickle spirits of the Dream?

Enter the Ideal.

Unlike the Flock, Or Are They? From impossible skin and hair colors to bestial heads, the Ideal show clear signs of the otherworldly upon them. They never seem quite “right” – or at least never look "normal". Some Ideal are worshipped. Others are feared. Some are left to starve in the street, no better than the least fortunate bastard. It all depends on one’s parentage. An Ideal favored by their spirit-parent is often tasked with some high duty or purpose. Those left to mortal care? Have the same luck as anybody else, for better or worse.

Half-Truths. The Ideal’s unique, unusual trait is very much real – a lion man’s mane is soft to the touch. Hair that’s slightly aflame can light your rolled tobacco. This sets them apart from their parents, who are often only as literal as they choose to be in any given moment. This trait inspires wonder in some and prejudice in others. Their tendencies, influenced by their parents’ natures and reputations, play a role in deciding which is which. The mortal parent plays just as strong a role in the Ideal’s appearance and temperament, leading to conflicts of similar personalities if the Ideal is raised with that parent. A rare few could be mistaken for twins, especially among longer-lived peoples.

A Role to Play. Every Ideal feels certain compulsions, often based on the nature of their parents. A child of a vestige will be obsessed with honoring their fallen parent’s memory or skills. Those born to spirits of conflict often seek or are sought by violence from a young age. Those spirits bound to passion or devotion might birth whole lines of half-divinities, spreading the stories of their patron throughout the Dream. The spirits themselves? Pay as much attention as they wish and rarely more. Neglect and keen interest are equally likely.

Ideal Names. Most Ideal share the naming conventions of their mortal parent’s culture, but are prone to taking on titles or sobriquets to suit their growing personal sagas. “The Chaste”, “The Blood Dervish”, “The Swift”, or “Of the Thousand Unpaid Bar Tabs” are just a few examples.

Ability	Size	Speed	Innate Feature(s)
Charisma	Small or Medium	30	Ethereal Sight, Spiritual Knack

Size. You are Small or Medium - usually, but not always, the same Size as their mortal parent.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Ethereal Sight. As a bonus action, you can gaze into the Ethereal plane for 60 feet from the material plane, or vice versa. You must maintain this awareness as if concentrating on a spell, and your ethereal sight lasts until released or you complete a short or long rest.
Spiritual Knack. You have a limited version of a spirit’s false form, able to create illusory melee or natural weapons that can inflict very real harm. Choose a single damage type. Regardless of the knack’s appearance, you make a melee spell attack using your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus that deals 1d8 + your Charisma modifier in damage of that type on a hit. This attack counts as magical for the purposes of overcoming damage resistances or immunities. Your false form’s damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8). You also know the prestidigitation cantrip.

Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast alter self without material components a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining expended uses after completing a long rest. You may also cast it using spell slots if you posses them. Changes you make to your form using alter self last even after the spell ends. If you choose, the changes linger until you cast alter self again, fall unconscious, or finish a long rest.

Center of Attention.

The Ideal are rare by number, but not uncommon to people’s experience. Every town or village has one – or a legend or two about one. These stories tend to be heroic, cautionary, or both. When an Ideal walks the streets, people expect something to happen. Often, that expectation is enough to create that very trouble.

Most either crave this attention or learn early on to hide as best they can.