Neryli

Remnants of a once mighty and magically advanced human empire, the Neryli are all that remain of the ancient civilization of Neryl and the Great Neryli Empire besides the ruins of its cities and sites. When Neryl fell, a secret few survivors charged with powerful wizardry fled from the surface to the deep reaches of the Gloomdeep managing to preserve themselves and their kin. Fleeing deep within the bowels of the earth, they sealed themselves away from the surface world, its inhabitants and all that was happening there.

Now, all these thousands of years later, below the deepest fissures of the earth, the descendants of the Neryli still live without anyone from the surface knowing. Thousands of years of isolation combined with purposeful magical modifications have transformed these deep Neryli into a race adapted to a life underground. However the magical modifications don’t stop there; deep Neryli continue to perform magical experiments on themselves and sometimes even alter their physical bodies to be better suited to certain circumstances and to accomplish certain tasks. All Neryli can use magic to perform such modifications since the knowledge is passed to each generation and it is a skill that is a must for every member of the race if these deep Neryli are to continue existing in the harsh and extremely dangerous environs of the Gloomdeep.

## **Neryli Traits**

**Ability Score Increase.**  Your Intelligence score increases by 2.

**Age.** Neryli physically mature at the same rate as humans but they live about 600 years.

**Size.** You are the same size as a typical human. Your size is Medium.

**Speed.** Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

**Darkvision.** You can see in dim light within 60 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 attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.

**Languages.** You can speak, read and write Common, Naresil and Undercommon.

**Spell Grasp.** You have an extra 1st level Spell Slot. If you are not a Spellcaster at level 1, then you instead gain the Magic Initiate feat, with Wizard being your class of choice.

**Marble Skin.** When you are underground or in a cave, you add your proficiency bonus to Dexterity (Stealth) checks. If you are already proficient you instead gain Expertise in this skill while being underground or in a cave.

**Magical Modifications.** You perform magical alterations on your body either by infusing yourself with parts of animals and monsters or by enhancing yourself with magic through other means. You can have 2 magical modifications, choosing one at 3rd level and one on 5th level. Choose one from the following table or roll a D30 to choose randomly (You can’t have the same magical modification twice).

**Magical Modifications Table**

***1. Spider Walker:*** You have been infused with a medium sized spider’s legs that protrude from your back. You can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check. Also, you ignore movement restrictions caused by webbing.

***2. Adhesive Filament:*** You have been infused with a spiderlike appendage that creates web. You can use your action to extend a sticky filament up to 20 feet, targeting a Large or smaller creature. Make a ranged attack roll (no roll required if the target is an object, and the roll is made with advantage if the target creature is incapacitated). On a hit, the filament adheres to anything that touches it. A Large or smaller creature adhered to the filament is grappled by you (escape DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier), and ability checks made to escape this grapple have disadvantage. The filament can be attacked (AC 12; 5 hit points; immunity to poison and psychic damage), but a weapon that fails to sever it becomes stuck to it, requiring an action and a successful DC 13 Strength check to pull free. Destroying the filament deals no damage to you. You can only have one creature grappled this way at a time and only by one stroke of filament at a time.

***3. Extended Darkvision:*** Your Darkvision increases by 30ft.

***4. Telepathy:*** You have telepathy with a range of 60 ft. Thus, you can communicate mentally with another creature that you can see within the specified range. The contacted creature doesn't need to share a language with you to understand you, but it must be able to understand at least one language.

***5. Levitation:*** You can cast the Levitate spell once per long rest without any components.

***6. Magical Knowledge:*** You can cast the Identify spell once per long rest without any components.

***7. Touch of Pain:*** You can cast the Inflict Wounds spell once per long rest without any components.

***8. Bulb of Spores:*** You have been infused with a big bulb the size of your head that once belonged to a dangerous plant. The bulb is full of spores. You can release the spores as an action. Creatures that are within 10 feet of you must make a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier). On a failure they are Incapacitated for 1 minute. At the start of each of its turns a creature can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on a success. You can’t use this ability again until after you have finished a long rest.

***9. Burrow:*** You have a burrow speed of 10 feet and you can use that speed to move through sand, earth, mud, or ice. You can't burrow through solid rock or similar substances.

***10. Tremorsense:*** You have tremor sense of 20-foot-radius around you and can detect and pinpoint the origin of vibrations within this specific radius, provided that you and the source of the vibrations are in contact with the same ground or substance. Tremorsense can't be used to detect flying or incorporeal creatures and doesn't automatically nullify someone else's Stealth. If a creature is actively hiding or using its Stealth skill within your tremorsense, you make a Wisdom (Perception) check if you're searching actively, or you use your Passive Wisdom (Perception) if you are not, against its Dexterity (Stealth) check. If your number is higher, then you know the creature's location.

***11. Extra Hop:*** You add your strength twice to your jump distance. You also have a climbing speed of 30 ft.

***12. Wings:*** You now have wings. Thanks to them you have a flying speed of 20 ft.

***13. Horns:*** You have dangerous, tough and pointed horns in your head. Whenever you take the attack action, instead of one of your attacks, you can make a horn attack using your Strength modifier plus your proficiency bonus. The damage is equal to 1d8 + your Strength modifier and does piercing damage. Whenever you take the dash action, you can do a horn attack as a bonus action. The horns count as magical.

***14. Heightened Health:*** You gain 2 extra HP for each level you have.

***15. Heightened Ability:*** You may increase one ability score of your choice by 1.

***16. Unhindered Strider:*** Difficult terrain does no longer hinder you.

***17. Empowered Weapon:*** Before you make an attack with a weapon, you can choose to magically charge your weapon as a reaction. If the attack hits, it deals an extra 1d4 force damage. That damage increases to 2d4 at 10th level. You can use this ability as many times per long rest as either your Constitution or Intelligence modifier.

***18. Luminescence:*** As an action you can make your skin provide illumination equal to that of a lantern or you can mute the glow you already have activated altogether. Once per short or long rest, as a reaction, you can emit a bright flash of light (while already illuminated). All creatures within 5 feet of you must succeed on a Constitution Saving Throw DC (8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier) or be blinded until the end of your next turn. After you use this ability, your light fades and your skin cannot shed any light until next dawn.

***19. Mind Shield:*** You have advantage against all charm effects and you have resistance to psychic damage from spells, weapons and abilities that target you specifically. You also have advantage to any roll or effect that would cause you to gain Madness (DMG p. 258).

***20. Elemental Resistance:*** You gain Resistance to one of these types of damage: Fire, Cold, Lightning, Thunder or Acid.

***21. Arcane Expertise:*** You gain Proficiency in the Arcana skill. If you are already proficient you instead gain Expertise in this skill.

***22. Thunderous Shout:*** As an action, you can make your voice sound 5 times louder. Each creature in a 15 foot cube originating from you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw DC (8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier). On a failure they take 1d12 thunder damage or half of that on a success. On a fail they also get deafened for 1 minute. At the start of each of its turns the creature can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on a success. You can use this ability once per short or long rest.

***23. Recall:*** As a bonus action, you can teleport to any spot you were during this turn. You can do this a number of times per long rest equal to your Constitution modifier.

***24. Keen Sense:*** You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) Checks that rely on one of the following three senses of your choosing: sight, smell or hearing.

***25. Forceful Magic:*** When you make a spell attack against a creature, and it hits, that creature must succeed on a Strength saving throw against your spell save DC or fall prone.

***26. Spell Absorption:*** Whenever you get hit by a spell attack you gain temporary hit points equal to the spell’s level plus 1.

***27. Bad Breath:*** You have infused special glands in your mouth that belonged to a creature known for its stench. As an action, you can release the noxious gas that is contained in said glands. Any creature that starts its turn within 10 feet of you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw DC (8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier) or be poisoned until the end of its next turn. The stench travels with you for a number of turns equal to your Constitution modifier, and disperses aftewards. A strong wind also disperses the gas. A creature that has already succeeded once in its saving throw against this effect, has advantage in this saving throw for the next minute. You can use this effect a number of times per long rest equal to your Constitution modifier.

***28. Scorpion Tail Infusion:*** You have grafted a tail of a medium-sized scorpion on your lower back. Whenever you take the attack action, instead of one of your attacks, you can use the tail to make a melee attack on a creature that is within 5 feet of you using your Dexterity modifier + your proficiency bonus. On a hit, the creature takes 1d6 piercing damage and it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw DC (8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier) or take another 1d6 Poison damage and also be poisoned until the end of its next turn. The tail counts as magical. The damage of both piercing and poison damage increases to 2d6 at 10th level.

***29. Rust Antennae Infusion:*** You have grafted the antennae of a Rust Monster on your head. As a bonus action you touch a non-magical weapon, shield or armor an enemy is carrying or wearing and force them to make a Dexterity saving throw of a DC (8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier).  In a failure, the weapon, armor or shield takes a cumulative -1 penalty. In armors and shields this penalty is inflicted on their AC. If a weapon reaches -5, an armor reaches 10 AC, or a shield reaches 0 AC, they are destroyed.

***30. Eyestalk Infusion:*** You have infused four eyestalks from a beholderkin onto your back and/or shoulders. You can see via all four eyestalks as if they were your eyes. As a result, if your normal eyes are blinded and/or removed, you can still see through your eyestalks. Whenever you take the attack action, instead of one of your attacks, you can use one of your four eyestalk rays: *1. Dazing Ray.* The targeted creature must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed until the start of your next turn. While the target is charmed in this way, its speed is halved, and it has disadvantage on attack rolls. *2. Fear Ray.* The targeted creature must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the start of your next turn. *3. Frost Ray.* The targeted creature must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or take 3d6 cold damage. *4. Telekinetic Ray.* If the target is a creature that is Medium or smaller, it must succeed on a DC 12 Strength saving throw or be moved up to 30 feet directly away from you. If the target is an object weighing 10 pounds or less that isn't being worn or carried, you can move it up to 30 feet in any direction. You can also exert fine control on objects with this ray, such as manipulating a simple tool or opening a container. You add your proficiency bonus to both the DC of the effects of the rays and the damage of the rays.