Cherub (5e Race)

## **Cherub**

"IT MAY SURPRISE YOU TO KNOW. I AM JUST AS CAPABLE OF RESPECTING THAT. AS I AM OF THROWING A TANTRUM ABOUT IT."

-Caliborn, a very **(very)** Aggressive Cherub

### Physical Description

Cherubs have the appearance green skeleton-like beings, however they still possess eyes and blood, like a living creature would. They have green fangs, which are larger for the more aggressive cherubs, and have claws. They are about 8 feet tall, and weigh a couple hundred pounds, when they reach maturity, however their adolescents are around the same size as human adolescents. They have large wings, white for the more passive, and black for the more aggressive, which appear like the wings of angels.

### History

Cherubs are a race of solitary celestial beings, which are intelligent and self-aware non-terrestrial life-forms that exist in the universe. They are both carnivores and producers, able to sustain themselves with meat during maturation and on planets and solar energy as adults. Although their neurological capabilities (language, creativity, limited empathy, invention of culture) suggest they evolved as social creatures, they are an extremely asocial species due to the nature of their split consciousnesses. However, despite them previously being able to perform interstellar travel, the ones that currently coexist with the other races have seemingly lost this ability, forcing them to adapt to the ways of the common cultures.

### Culture

Cherubs have a predilection for speaking and acting in an inscrutable manner; such as through riddles, or games. They also have a tendency to consume a substance known as 'Special Stardust', which is inedible to other races, but seems to have no benefits or downsides for a cherub to consume this substance. Their culture is heavily influenced by "jujus", magical artifacts that are of great value to them and are passed down over generations. However, they also believe jujus can become cursed, at which point any person close to it or even occupying the same plane of existence will have a nightmarish life.

### Relationships

Cherubs are an extremely asocial race, as the conflict with their other half developmentally conditions them to avoid social interaction; passive cherubs fear that any interaction will only lead to further conflict, while aggressive cherubs typically shun being social in favor of harming others. Cherubs are also very territorial, taking claim of large stretches of a land as their own, with the passive cherubs typically being seen as protectors, and the aggressive cherubs typically being seen as tyrants.

### Cherub Names

Cherub names typically come from mythology, meant to usually signify either beauty, life, and compassion for passive cherubs, or death, violence, and pain for aggressive cherubs.

**Passive** **Male:** Hephaestus, Apollo, Eros

**Passive** **Female:** Calliope, Juno, Demeter

**Aggressive Male:** Caliborn, Cronos, Pluto

**Aggressive Female:** Artemis, Diana, Persephone

### Cherub Traits

Territorial skeleton-like beings, with a very anti-social nature, Cherubs are highly uncommon as adventurers, but they can make very solid ones.

***Ability Score Increase.*** Three ability scores of your choice increase by 1.

***Age.*** Cherubs can live for a very long lifespan, however their mating rituals cause them to typically die before they reach old age. They are considered mature at 18 years of age, and can live to be between 500-600 years old.

***Alignment.*** Passive Cherubs typically tend to be closer on the Good side of alignments, with Aggressive Cherubs leaning towards the Evil side of alignments.

***Size.*** Cherubs before maturity are the same height as most adolescents, however, when they reach maturity they rapidly grow, to be around 8 feet tall. Your size is Medium.

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

***Wings.*** You have large wings, granting you a flight speed of 30 feet. You cannot use this flight speed while wearing medium or heavy armor. They appear white for Passive Cherubs, and black for Aggressive Cherubs.

***Darkvision.*** You have 60 ft. of Darkvision.

***Languages.*** You can speak, read, and write Common, and Celestial.

### **Cherub Subraces**

#### **Passive Cherubs**

Passive Cherubs have more green features, with light green cheeks and eyes, and white tongues.

***Blessing of Cherubim.*** You can cast *resistance* at will. At 3rd level, you can cast *bless* once per long rest. At 5th level, you can cast *cure wounds* at 2nd level once per long rest. Your spellcasting ability for these is your highest mental score (int wis cha) after character creation.

#### **Aggressive Cherubs**

Aggressive Cherubs have more red features, with dark red cheeks and eyes, and black tongues.

***Claws.*** You are proficient in your unarmed strikes, and they deal 1d4 slashing damage.

***Fangs.*** You have large fangs, which are natural weapons. They deal 1d6 piercing damage, and have the *finesse* property.

***Powerful Build.*** For the sake of carrying capacity, you are considered one size larger.

#### **Premature**

This is less so a subrace than a cherub that has not yet reached of-age, however, this can also be a cherub that does not dominate their other half, instead continuing into maturity with them.

***Double Souls.*** Whenever you take a long or short rest, you switch from the Aggressive and Passive Cherub subraces. Both of these have their own personalities, alignments, and (typically similar) names.

***Ability Score Swap.*** For the three ability score increases you chose, that applies to one of your two personalities. The three you did not choose are increased for the other one.

### **Premature Variant**

**Note that this variant is not required for the Premature subrace, nor will all DMs allow it. Ask them first.**

Instead of just swapping score increases when you rest, if your DM permits it, you may treat both cherubs as two different characters: Different classes, different ability scores, and so on. This will not allow you to transfer some things from one to another, such as *find familiar* becoming both personality's familiar instead of just one (however DMs may choose to allow this if both have *find familiar* for ease).