Aasimar
Volo’s Guide to Monsters, p.104
Aasimar bear within their souls the light of the heavens. They are descended from humans with a touch of the power of Mount Celestia, the divine realm of many lawful good deities. Aasimar are born to serve as champions of the gods, their births hailed as blessed events. They are a people of otherworldly visages, with luminous features that reveal their celestial heritage.
Celestial champions
Aasimar are placed in the world to serve as guardians of law and good. Their patrons expect them to strike at evil, lead by example, and further the cause of justice.
From an early age, an aasimar receives visions and guidance from celestial entities via dreams. These dreams help shape an aasimar, granting a sense of destiny and a desire for righteousness.
Each aasimar can count a specific celestial agent of the gods as a guide. This entity is typically a deva, an angel who acts as a messenger to the mortal world.
Hidden wanderers
While aasimar are strident foes of evil, they typically prefer to keep a low profile. An aasimar inevitably draws the attention of evil cultists, fiends, and other enemies of good, all of whom would be eager to strike down a celestial champion if they had the chance.
When traveling, aasimar prefer hoods, closed helms, and other gear that allows them to conceal their identities. They nevertheless have no compunction about striking openly at evil. The secrecy they desire is never worth endangering the innocent.
Aasimar guides
An aasimar, except for one who has turned to evil, has a link to an angelic being. That being- usually a devaprovides guidance to the aasimar, though this connection functions only in dreams. As such, the guidance is not a direct command or a simple spoken word. Instead, the aasimar receives visions, prophecies, and feelings.
The angelic being is far from omniscient. Its guidance is based on its understanding of the tenets of law and good, and it might have insight into combating especially powerful evils that it knows about.
As part of fleshing out an aasimar character, consider the nature of that character’s angelic guide. The Angelic Guide tables offer names and natures that you can use to flesh out your character’s guide.
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Note to the GM: Playing an Angelic Guide
As DM, you take on the role of an aasimar’s angelic guide and decide what kind of advice or omens to send in dreams.
The deva, or other celestial being, is your chance to add special roleplaying opportunities to the game. Remember, a deva lives in a realm of absolute law and good. The deva might not understand the compromises and hard choices that mortals must grapple with in the world. To the deva, an aasimar is a prized student who must live up to high, sometimes inflexible standards.
Conflicted souls
Despite its celestial origin, an aasimar is mortal and possesses free will. Most aasimar follow their ordained path, but some grow to see their abilities as a curse. These disaffected aasimar are typically content to turn away frorri the world, but a few become agents of evil. In their minds, their exposure to celestial powers amounted to little more than brainwashing.
Evil aasimar make deadly foes. The radiant power they once commanded becomes corrupted into a horrid, draining magic. And their angelic guides abandon them.
Even aasimar wholly dedicated to good sometimes feel torn between two worlds. The angels that guide them see the world from a distant perch. An aasimar who wishes to stop and help a town recover from a drought might be told by an angelic guide to push forward on a greater quest. To a distant angel, saving a few commoners might pale in comparison to defeating a cult of Orcus. An aasimar’s guide is wise but not infallible.
Base Aasimar traits
- Ability Score Increase
- Your Charisma score increases by 2.
- Age
- Aasimar mature at the same rate as the race they were born to, but can live up to 60 years longer.
- Alignment
- Imbued with celestial power, most aasimar are good. Outcast aasimar are most often neutral or even evil.
- Size
- Their size is the same as the race they were born to.
- Speed
- Their base walking speed is 30′ (25′ if the race they were born to is usually slower).
- Darkvision
- Blessed with a radiant soul, their vision can easily cut through darkness. They can see in dim light within 60′ of them as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. They can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
- Celestial Resistance
- They have resistance to necrotic damage and radiant damage.
- Healing Hands
- As an action, they can touch a creature and cause it to regain a number of hit points equal to their level. Once they use this trait, they can’t use it again until they finish a long rest.
- Light Bearer
- they know the light cantrip. Charisma is their spellcasting ability for it.
- Languages
- They can speak, read, and write Common and Celestial.
- Subrace
- Three subraces of aasimar exist: protector aasimar, scourge aasimar, and fallen aasimar. Choose one of them for your character.
Aasimar subraces
Protector Aasimar
Protector aasimar are charged by the powers of good to guard the weak, to strike at evil wher,ever it arises, and to stand vigilant against the darkness. From a young age, a protector aasimar receives advice and directives that urge to stand against evil.
Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Radiant Soul. Starting at 3rd level, you can use your action to unleash the divine energy within yourself, causing your eyes to glimmer and two luminous, incorporeal wings to sprout from your back.
Your transformation lasts for 1 minute or until you end it as a bonus action. During it, you have a flying speed of 30 feet, and once on each of your turns, you can deal extra radiant damage to one target when you deal damage to it with an attack or a spell. The extra radiant damage equals your level.
Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
Scourge Aasimar
Scourge aasimar are imbued with a divine energy that blazes intensely within them. It feeds a powerful desire to destroy evil-a desire that is, at its best, unflinching and, at its worst, all-consuming. Many scourge aasimar wear masks to block out the world and focus on containing this power, unmasking themselves only in battle.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1.
Radiant Consumption. Starting at 3rd level, you can use your action to unleash the divine energy within yourself, causing a searing light to radiate from you, pour out of your eyes and mouth, and threaten to char you.
Your transformation lasts for 1 minute or until you end it as a bonus action. During it, you shed bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet, and at the end of each of your turns, you and each creature within 10 feet of you take radiant damage equal to half your level (rounded up). In addition, once on each of your turns, you can deal extra radiant damage to one target when you deal damage to it with an attack or a spell. The extra radiant damage equals your level.
Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
Fallen Aasimar
An aasimar who was touched by dark powers as a youth or who turns to evil in early adulthood can become one of the fallen-a group of aasimar whose inner light has been replaced by shadow.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1.
Necrotic Shroud. Starting at 3rd level, you can use your action to unleash the divine energy within yourself, causing your eyes to turn into pools of darkness and two skeletal, ghostly, flightless wings to sprout from your back. The instant you transform, other creatures within 10 feet of you that can see you must each succeed on a Charisma saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or become frightened of you until the end of your next turn.
Your transformation lasts for 1 minute or until you end it as a bonus action. During it, once on each of your turns, you can deal extra necrotic damage to one target when you deal damage to it with an attack or a spell. The extra necrotic damage equals your level.
Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
Aasimar parent races
Aasimar are not only born to humans. Almost any race can bring forth a blessed child, and as such the statistics for aasimar are not always representative of this mix of celestial and mortal. The rules presented here provide a number of variant options for aasimar born to several non-monstrous races.
When creating an aasimar, you can choose one of the following variant traits if you wish for the aasimar to be of a race other than human:
- Aarakocra
- You gain the Flight and Talons traits from the Aarakocra race. These traits replace the Healing Hands and Light Bearer traits
- Changeling
- You gain the Shapechanger trait from the Changeling race. This trait replaces the Healing Hands trait.
- Dragonborn
- You gain the Draconic Ancestry and Breath Weapon traits from the Dragonborn race. These traits replace the Healing Hands and Light Bearer traits.
- Dwarf
- You gain the Dwarven Resilience and Stonecunning traits from the Dwarf race. These traits replace the Healing Hands and Light Bearer traits. Additionally, your base walking speed is 25′, instead of 30′.
- Elf
- You gain the Fey Ancestry and Trance traits from the Elf race. These traits replace the Healing Hands and Light Bearer traits
- Firbolg
- You gain the Powerful Build and Speech of Beast and Leaf traits from the Firbolg race. These traits replace the Healing Hands and Light Bearer traits
- Gnome
- You gain the Gnome Cunning trait from the Gnome race. This trait replaces the Healing Hands trait. Additionally, your size is small, instead of medium, and your base walking speed is 25′, instead of 30′.
- Goliath
- You gain the Stone’s Endurance, Powerful Build, and Mountain Born traits from the Goliath race. These traits replace the Healing Hands and Light Bearer traits.
- Half-Elf
- You gain the Fey Ancestry and Skill Versatility traits from the Half-Elf race. These traits replace the Healing Hands and Light Bearer traits.
- Half-Orc
- You gain the Menacing and Relentless Endurance traits from the Half-Orc race. These traits replace the Healing Hands and Light Bearer traits.
- Halfling
- You gain the Lucky and Halfling Nimbleness traits from the Halfling race. These traits replace the Healing Hands and Light Bearer traits. Additionally, your size is small, instead of medium, and your base walking speed is 25′, instead of 30′.
- Kenku
- You gain the Mimicry, Kenku Training, and Expert Forgery traits from the Kenku race. These traits replace the Healing Hands and Light Bearer traits.
- Lizardfolk
- You gain one of the following pairs of traits from the Lizardfolk race: Swim Speed and Hold Breath, Bite and Natural Armor, or Cunning Artisan and Hunter’s Lore. The traits you choose replace the Healing Hands and Light Bearer traits.
- Minotaur
- You gain the Horns Goring Rush, and Labyrinthine Recall traits from the Minotaur race. These traits replace the Healing Hands and Light Bearer traits.
- Shifter
- You gain the Shifting trait and one Shifting Feature from the Shifter race. These traits replace the Healing Hands and Light Bearer traits.
- Tabaxi
- You gain the Feline Agility and Cat’s Claws traits from the Tabaxi race. These traits replace the Healing Hands and Light Bearer traits.
- Tiefling
- Tieflings cannot become Aasimar, as they are an opposite version of one another.
- Triton
- You gain the Amphibious, Swim Speed, and Emissary of the Depths traits from the Triton race. These traits replace the Healing Hands and Light Bearer traits.
| Parent race | Racial traits gained | Human-Aasimar traits replaced |
|---|---|---|
| Aarakocra | Flight & Talons | Healing Hands & Light Bearer |
| Changeling | Shapechanger trait from the Changeling race. | Healing Hands |
| Dragonborn | Draconic Ancestry & Breath Weapon | Healing Hands & Light Bearer |
| Dwarf | Dwarven Resilience & Stonecunning (also Speed: 25′) |
Healing Hands & Light Bearer |
| Elf | Fey Ancestry & Trance | Healing Hands & Light Bearer |
| Firbolg | Powerful Build & Speech of Beast and Leaf | Healing Hands & Light Bearer |
| Gnome | Gnome Cunning (also Size: small; Speed: 25′) |
Healing Hands |
| Goliath | Stone’s Endurance, Powerful Build, & Mountain Born | Healing Hands & Light Bearer |
| Half-Elf | Fey Ancestry & Skill Versatility | Healing Hands & Light Bearer |
| Half-Orc | Menacing & Relentless Endurance | Healing Hands & Light Bearer |
| Halfling | Lucky & Halfling Nimbleness (also Size: small; Speed: 25′) |
Healing Hands & Light Bearer |
| Kenku | Mimicry, Kenku Training, and Expert Forgery | Healing Hands & Light Bearer |
| Lizardfolk | Pick one pair: • Swim Speed & Hold Breath • Bite & Natural Armor • Cunning Artisan & Hunter’s Lore |
Healing Hands & Light Bearer |
| Minotaur | Horns Goring Rush & Labyrinthine Recall | Healing Hands & Light Bearer |
| Shifter | Shifting & one Shifting Feature | Healing Hands & Light Bearer |
| Tabaxi | Feline Agility & Cat’s Claws | Healing Hands & Light Bearer |
| Triton | Amphibious, Swim Speed, and Emissary of the Depths | Healing Hands & Light Bearer |