Standard Draelish Template
There are currently three generic Draelish templates one can play as in the world of Vaxus, with each one focusing on different playstyles and traits that a Draelish may exhibit. The one featured here, called the Standard Draelish, is considered the default choice and is designed around a balance between Essence and Martial features.
Talent: Carnivorous Stomach
Gameplay Traits
- Ability Score Increase. Draelish are known for their Strength and Constitution, exerting great physical force and having high resilience at the cost of lower flexibility. You increase your Strength and Constitution ability scores by 2 each, but you decrease your Wisdom ability score by 1 if you are Neyun (Female) or your Dexterity ability score by 1 if you are Deskan (Male).
- Creature Type. You are a Draelish. You also have the Humanoid tag for any prerequisite or effect that requires you to be Humanoid.
- Size. Your size is Medium. Draelish are taller and heavier than other humanoids, standing well over 6 feet tall and averaging over 250 pounds.
- Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
- Languages. You can speak, read, and write Draelik as your Native Language and you know one Trade Language that you and your GM agree is appropriate for your character. You also know Ketalik, which counts as an Ancestral Language for you (Click here to see a breakdown of the different languages encountered throughout Olum).
- Core Affinity. You have resistance to the damage type associated with your Core Affinity.
- Affinity Attribute. You have a special trait based on your Core Affinity.
- Natural Warrior. Choose one trait listed below to represent a Draelish's battle-ready natural instincts.
- 1. Natural Weapons. You can use your claws or tail to make unarmed strikes. When you hit with your claws, the strike deals 1d6 + your Strength modifier slashing (if you are Deskan/Male) or piercing (if you are Neyun/Female) damage instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. If you are using your tail, you deal bludgeoning damage.
- 2. Weapon Training. You are proficient with one simple or martial weapon of your choice. Click here for a list of Draelish weapons in addition to the normal weapons listed.
- Of Scale and Might. Choose one trait listed below to represent a Draelish's hardy nature.
- 1. Draelish Toughness. Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level.
- 2. Natural Armor. You have tough scales and a covering of scutes. When you aren't wearing armor, your base AC is 13 + your Constitution modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield's benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.
- Essence Wielder. Draelish wield the powers of creation in their most destructive forms, utilizing them for combat and, if crafty, other uses as well. You gain a number of Essence Charges based on your proficiency bonus, and can use them to activate one of the abilities listed below, sharing the same charge pool. You regain all expended charges on a long rest. The DC for your Essence Wielder abilities is equal to 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus.
- Essence Exhalation. You breathe out Essence given form, sending out a wave of destructive energy. Starting at 1st level, as an action, you can expend one Essence Charge to exhale destructive energy in a shape determined by your Core Affinity. All creatures within must make a saving throw according to your Core Affinity, taking 2d6 Affinity damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one. The damage and area increases as you grow stronger (see the table below).
- Essence Volley. You exhale bursts of destructive energy in a slightly more controlled manner, trading area-of-effect for range. Starting at 3rd level, when you take the Attack action on your turn, you can expend one Essence Charge to replace one of your attacks to exhale a bolt of condensed Essence at one target within 30 feet of you, with the range increasing as you grow stronger (see the table below). The target must make a saving throw according to your Core Affinity, taking 2d6 Affinity damage on a failure. The number of bolts you can exhale for each Attack increases when you reach 5th level (2 bolts), 11th (3 bolts), and 17th level (4 bolts). You can direct the bolts at the same target or at different ones, making a separate saving throw for each bolt.
- Curse of the Shr'keldar. You have disadvantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened by Wands.
Roleplay Traits
Below are additional traits called Talents and Restrictions that are used when playing as a Draelish or Wildling. Designed to be more roleplay-centric in order to inspire the use of lore when problem solving, players and GMs are encouraged to go beyond these traits when playing or planning an encounter by using their knowledge of the world. When playing as a Draelish, you must choose at least two Restrictions of your choice. You can also pick up two Talents of your choice for each additional Restriction you pick up beyond the initial two. Restriction: Bloodlust- If you are surrounded by enemies while in combat and no other ally is within 90 feet of you, roll a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, your mind becomes tunnel-visioned, causing you to forget all other priorities and instead solely focus on eliminating all enemies around you. This effect ends if all enemies are defeated. Alternativly, someone can shake you out of this condition by using an action. When they do so, you make the Wisdom saving throw again with advantage, ending it on a success.
- You have a harder time squeezing into smaller spaces (the Squeezing rules can be found in the PHB, page 192). You must spend 4 extra feet for every foot when moving inside a space that requires you to squeeze. If you are wearing heavy armor, you fail to move into the space unless your GM has you make an ability check or saving throw (the GM determines the DC).
- You have an innate resistance to change, especially when it comes to innovating technology or moving away from old customs. You have disadvantage on any ability check that involves understanding new forms of magic, tinkering with advanced machinery, or when convincing another Draelish to change or completely disregard a long-held tradition or way of life.
- Though you are naturally good at regulating your body temperature and can run with an extra burst of speed, you are not as efficient when traveling over a long period of time. You have -1 Stamina Points but when you dash, you can move an extra 10 feet.
- If you are a Kasniska/Sankara and are in relative proximity to a Sankara/Kasniska, make a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, you feel compelled to either disregard them completely, act haughty or spitefully, or become angry.
- You gain disadvantage on all Charisma saving throws when you haven’t been around another Draelish or clan in more than a month. If you roll a critical failure on any Charisma saving throw while the Restriction is active, you immediately gain this Long-Term Madness for the next 1d10 hours: "The character feels compelled to repeat a specific activity over and over, such as washing hands, touching things, praying, or counting coins, especially in regards to a familiar activity." If you are without contact with another Draelish or clan for over a year, it is considered Indefinite Madness unless cured.
- If you are made to repeat a task or activity over and over again against your will, such as mining stone or some other type of manual labor, you must succeed on a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw or continue to repeat the task or activity as if you were under the Suggestion spell, up until 8 hours. You can repeat this save at the end of every hour or until you take damage. If you critically fail this saving throw, the lasts indefinitely until you take damage or have the effect removed by a spell or other effect that can end a curse, such as by the Greater Restoration or Remove Curse spells.
- Due to your unconventional form (such as having additional appendages, a tail, or wings), armor costs and weighs 1.5x more than normal when made to fit you. Armor already made to fit a standard-sized humanoid must be resized to fit you, costing 0.5x its base value to adjust it to your physique.
Talent: Carnivorous Stomach
- You can eat cuisine that others may find unappetizing or difficult to stomach, including bugs and raw meat (but not rancid). You have advantage on Constitution saving throws made to stomach unsavory meals or poisoned foods and drinks. [Draelish have no qualms about eating the flesh of other creatures, though it is generally frowned upon to eat the flesh of a sentient, especially that of another Draelish. Typical Draelish meals include spicy curry, savory snacks such as salted bugs, or pungent, meaty stew.]
- Essence fills you, protecting you from the Wilds and its interference with your Aspects. If there is at least one Draelish in the party, the first Wild Surge accrual is skipped, and if the entire party is composed of Draelish, Wild Surges take twice as long to accrual. [It is notoriously difficult for Hearts to travel across vast stretches of land or sea without encountering adverse effects, with most travel between the Northern and Southern Continent being nigh impossible because of it. Draelish, on the other hand, have far less difficulty.]
- You can detect the direction of any area infused with Essence within 6 miles of you, and you can identify the potency (if it is a Spring, Pool, or Hotspot) when you are within 3 miles of it. If you are a Draelish, you only need 4 hours of sleep in order to gain the benefits of a long rest when you are within this area and a clan is not already present.
- You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing if you are trying to detect the distance and/or direction of a large seismic activity such as an earthquake, volcano, tsunami, large thunderstorm, an approaching army, a roaring waterfall, or other sources that emit infrasound.
- Your eyes absorb light better than other creatures, allowing you to see in dim light or near but not total darkness. If there is a source of light emitting at least 5 feet of bright light nearby (within the same room, battle map, or general area) that you have direct line of sight to, even if it is dark within your immediate area, you can see normally out to a range of 30 feet. This vision doesn't penetrate magical darkness.
- If you would take Exhaustion due to a spell, a magical effect, or natural circumstances, you can choose to make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw with advantage. If you pass, you do not take a level of exhaustion, regardless of the initial effect or natural circumstance. Once you use this ability, you cannot do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
- If you have natural weapons, such as a beak, fangs, talons, or claws, you can use them as makeshift tools, such as when digging or carving. You gain half proficiency when making an Ability Check when using your natural weapons if it makes sense to use them in the scenario provided.
Rook Commission by Cookie (Michal Niewiadomy)
Behind-the-Scenes: This is the first Draelish template I made for TTRPG gameplay when I first started creating the Draelish. Though many others have now since been created for 5e and beyond, this version of them was inspired to be Tales from Vaxus's spiritual successor to 5e's original dragonkin design.
Variant Templates
This page features the default Draelish that you can play as in Vaxus. Below are various other Draelish Templates that you can play as. Generic Affinity-specific- Gust of Relu Template
- Wave of Gana Template
- Tremor of Kish Template
- Thorn of Nemun Template
- Flame of Duras Template
- Heat of Het Template
- Terror of Tejet Template
- Fist of Patuk Template
- Gaze of Zinu Template
- Might of Mejul Template
- Curse of Sedrak Template
- Power of Januris Template
- Free of Form Template
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