Elans
Elans are not born; they are made. Living people are selected from a pool of applicants and screened by a special elan council. Those who pass muster undergo Neomorphosis - a secret, mystical ritual in one of several hidden Elan enclaves, where they abandon their humanity for a new, arcanely energized existence. Thus, elans do not reproduce biologically, and details of the process are known only to the elan Councils. Even then, their “children” are usually already fully formed adults. Age. Elans have effectively unlimited life spans. As long as they are not destroyed, innate magic could conceivably continually energize and rebuild their bodies for a thousand years or more. Civilisation. The existence of elans is a closely guarded secret. They do not form a single, cohesive society - instead, every major civilization is infiltrated by a network of mysterious lodges and orders. Origin race. A long time ago, the creation of elans from nonhumans wasn't possible. Neomorphosis was designed to transform human anatomy, and didn’t work as intended for any other creatures. In the following ages, many versions of the procedure branched, and many original issues were resolved - thus, allowing many humanoid species to embrace this artificial immortality. However, the process is still deeply flawed - almost all physiological advantages of the original body are negated. Dwarvenorigin elans are as prone to poisons are human-origin ones, and those accommodated to elven eyes often find themselves execrating new, human-grade vision limitations. Becoming. When those who are still mortal seek the transformation to elans, they must petition existing elans for the privilege of going through the process. Elans are a secret lot in this regard, and do not publicly reveal their enclaves or places of making; the elans select new aspirants and turn away those they feel are unsuited for life as an elan. Newly created elans retain the basic memories and personalities of their previous, vulnerable lives, but lose all their previous class levels, skills, and other characteristics; a newly created elan is a 1st-level character, free to reinvent themselves. Origin of Elans This race was originally published in 2004, as part of the Expanded Psionics Handbook - which was a sourcebook for the 3.5 edition of the D&D, written by Bruce Cordell. This homebrew is a conversion and reinterpretation of Elans. Most of conscious changes or deviations from the original idea is mentioned and described in a note block. Psionics erasure In 3.5, elans were a psionic race; they got additional bonus power points (which were a kind of psionic equivalent of spell slots), and bonus ways to spend spell slots. In 5e, there is no separate psionic system; it's just a flavor of magic. Psions are spellcasters. I don't like this iteration of psionics, so I've chosen to reimagine Elans as magic-made. If your table uses any homebrew introducing psionics as a separate, nonspellslot-based system, do not use this version of Elans. Non-human Elans In 3.5, elans were made exclusively from humans. "Nonhuman elans are never created, and it could be that the ritual simply doesn’t work for any creatures but those who were originally human". I suppose the main reason for this was to keep them as race, as suppose to a templateupgreading-the-original-race. In 5e, there are no templates for playable species - and there are no apparent reasons to ban elven-or-halfling-made elans. So, parts of the lore was rewritten accordingly.
Personality. An elf does not choose elvenhood; meanwhile, every elan has forsaken their previous species and embraced this form of existence, driven by a specific purpose. This purpose often becomes a central aspect of an individual elan's personality, whether it be a thirst for knowledge and experience, a pursuit of a particular goal or dream, an insatiable ambition, an innate curiosity, a desire or necessity to shape history, specific oath, or a strong sense of duty. Unfortunately, neomorphosis does not inherently prepare or adapt the patient's mind for longevity. As the years of memories accumulate, the weight of them will overwhelm the brain — unless one finds a way to menage them. Some individuals learn complex mnemonic techniques to organize their memories, while others, following the elven model, push temporarily unnecessary memories into the depths of their subconscious, accessible only during trance. Another ones regularly "reset" their lives with a new identity, forgetting the old one, or simply pay little attention to anyone or anything. No matter the method, they must find some way - or their mind will faulter. Physical Description. Externally, elans are often unrecognizable - they retain the appearance (including visual age) they had just before neomorphosis. Any sutures, neoplasms, or deformities are almost always removed, repaired or concealed. Because the council members who make the selection of aspirants have their own biases, elans of a certain “generation” inside particular populations often share certain physical characteristics. Anatomy. Internally, the differences become more pronounced - the specifics depend on the individual, but they are always evident. Organs can be shifted, deformed, atrophied, or completely absent. Tissues never appear normal, if they can be distinguished at all. Even bones rarely remain in their original form. They are no longer living organisms; they are aberrations - forged and sustained by magic. Religions. While it's obviously setting-dependent, most of religions features heavy focus on the afterlife. Elans tend to have strong opinions about gods and religions. And, if it weren't for the secrecy surrounding these aberrations, the opposite would also be true. Names. Most elans have multiple names and titles and accumulated over the ages. Among other elans, freshly transformed ones are called by the title of Newmade; those who have lived at least a few decades after transformation have the title of Made; and after first century of new life, they acquire the title of Eternal. Those who belong to the council that chooses new elans have the title of Culler. Adventurers. Elan adventurers are often driven by the same motivation that led them to undergo the transformation. Because many effects that hurt humans leave elans unscathed, elans sometimes seem extraordinarily brave to those who don’t know their true natures. Allure of immortality In most D&D settings, the existence of some form of afterlife is acknowledged. The living have the assurance that death does not mark the end of existence. In such conditions, immortality is not an obvious goal to strive for - It is more about the refusal to depart from the material plane than about the preservation of self. Why is it a secret? Reasons for Elans to keep their existence a secret are setting-related. Maybe their existence is an affront to the gods? Maybe Neomorphosis requires a limited resources, and enclaves want to keep the grip of the selection process? Planar politics? Illithitds, or other aberrations? This might be the most important part of integrating elans into your setting - remember to discuss it with your gaming group. Balance This race is meant to be on the strong side. It's balanced against controversially strong races, such as Owlins (or any other flying race, especially Dhampires and Hexbloods), Bugbears, Custom lineage, Changelings, Githyanki, Hobgoblins, Kobolds (especially pre-Mordenkainen Kobolds), Mountain Dwarves (Tasha's rules), Plasmoids, Satyrs, Shifters, Shadar Kai, Simic Hybrids, Tabaxi, Tortles, Warforged, Yuan-ti, or race-featpowered Elves and Halflings. Implementing Elans into the setting There are several other matters that require careful consideration. Discuss and establish them with your gaming group. What is the reason for the selection? How large, and how old, is the Elan society? Is it, in any sense, a single society? How close are the bonds between Elans? Do they form any kind of parent-offspring relationships? What is so special about neomorphosis? Who developed it?
Traits Morphology Age. Elans do not age and have no upper limit to their lifespan. Each of them must find their own method of coping with hundreds of years' worth of memories and baggage. When determining the age of your character, consider the specificities of the setting. Size. You are Small or Medium (your choice). Neomorphosis maintains the fundamental body plan and does not drastically alter the subject's height. However, tissue density often undergoes significant changes, resulting in weight variations of up to 40% (in either direction). Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. This number is not dependent on size nor the original race. It is one of the initial evident outcomes of the humancentric nature of neomorphosis. Ability Score Increase Two different ability scores of your choice increase by 1. Elans are enhanced in various aspects. Aberration Your creature type is a aberration, rather than humanoid. Magic in the veins You have one addition 1st-level spell slot. You regain its when you finish a long rest. Once you reach 3rd level, you gain another one. Magic in the guts You know the following spells: Saturation, Morphallaxion, Reliferation . Since this trait stem from your ability to metabolize magic, you can treat spells above as extraordinary abilities that function in an anti-magic field and do not require components. (They still require usage of spell slots) Languages You can speak, read, and write Common and two extra languages of your choice. One of them is typically a relic from mortal life. Directly after neomorphosis, a recurrence of the critical period can be observed, which allows for the acquisition of an additional language on a native level. This is often utilized by elans to sever ties with their previous life. Esoteric spells Spells bellow have a special tag – ,,esoteric''. Such spells aren't on any spell list, and cannot be granted by any feats or features that doesn't call them specifically by name. Some esoteric spells, like Saturation, can be accesed by some setting- or plot-related means. Others, like Morphallaxion, are exclusive to one orgin (in this case – a race) Saturation 1st-level transmutation (Esoteric) Casting Time: 4 hours Range: Self Components: S Duration: 24 hours For the duration, you don't need to eat, drink, or sleep. You are still able to do these things, and can be put to sleep by magic or other usual means. Long rest. Casting this spell requires a 4 hours of meditation, similar to elven trance. This counts as light activity for the purpose of taking long rest. Esoteric. This spell is known to many desert-dwelling rangers, certain orders of paladins, and few clerics of Tyr. Morphallaxion 1st-level transmutation (Esoteric) Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you fail a saving throw Range: Self Components: S Duration: Instantaneous You receive a +4 bonus to the triggering saving throw. Reliferation 1st-level transmutation (Esoteric) Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you take damage Range: Self Components: S Duration: Instantaneous The incoming damage are reduced by 2. At Higher Levels. For each slot level above 1st, reduction is increased by 4. Special. You can cast any number of instances of this spell in a single reaction. Example. Lestibourn is hit by a monster. He would receive 12 damage. He casts Reliferation using 1st and 3rd level spell slot. 12-2-10=0. He takes no damage.