Comments from the Finger: As a rule, our new races should try to avoid skills and proficiencies that make your character’s traits seem totally inborn and biologically-determined. A dragonborn’s breath weapon is alright, but not all elves, for example, are born with weapon training. As a result, the avia-ra took quite a bit of reworking! I think the new version is quite a bit better in every respect.
The center of the High Solarium bore a dazzling arrangement of polished bronze and glass lenses, flickering from one streak of light at the tip of the pyramid. As we lingered, captivated by the chamber’s glow, our guide, the raven-headed Remembrancer Mose, stepped into the solarium’s centermost platform. At once, the rays that cascaded throughout the solarium met their terminus, alighting her from every angle in a blinding radiance. A trick of the light, to be sure, but one that could have fooled us into believing everything she claimed: that the Sun Above itself spoke to her and delivered a prophecy.
— Jethro Meddlit, visiting the High Solarium of the avia-ra
Ancient God-Kings
Depictions of the avia-ra can be found in the ruins of ancient cultures throughout the galaxy. Often, but not always, they are portrayed as divinity manifest: godlike travelers from the heavens. Avia-Ra travel to more undeveloped worlds as evangelists of their solar religion—the Sun Above—and remain long enough to build an enduring civilization in their wake.
Some races consider the avia-ra an ancient and wise people, committed to the tenets of their religion. Others cast them as charlatans and false prophets, who routinely prey upon low worlds and defenseless peoples. The truth depends largely on perspective, but the avia-ra themselves aren’t a monolith. Many have forsaken their faith or live agnostically, and the rest pledge varying devotion to the Sun Above.
Watchers of the Citadel
The heart of the avia-ra’s religion is the Solar Citadel, which revolves close around the Sepulcher Star at the center of the galaxy. Most avia-ra make pilgrimage to this site at least once in their lives to bask in their holy sun, which (in their philosophy) gives light and meaning to all other stars. This worship is always directed at the Sepulcher Star itself, even if they are nearer to another star or no star at all. All other stars merely act as a metaphor, a symbol, of their holy sun.
In contrast to their binary doctrines, their actual relationship to the star and the Sepulcher within it is more complicated. The Solar Citadel definitively ensures that the star remains under avia-ra control, but the being within the star—Old Un—has never spoken to the avia-ra directly. Despite the silence, the avia-ra continue to pray in reverence and make pilgrimage to the Sepulcher Star.
Deep Symbolism
Avia-Ra are inclined to view the events around them as omens of larger struggles between light and dark, good and evil, and law and chaos. All things have symbolic importance and a place in the grand allegory, even fundamentally objective things like science and mathematics.
Most avia-ra hold dreams in especially high regard, for interpreted dreams can tell the future, lend insight into the past, or provide guidance for the present. Those with the gift to interpret dreams are honored as priests in the avia-ra and given elaborate titles, such as Grand Remembrancer or Dream-Teller Most High.
Avia-Ra Names
Avia-Ra names come in two-part cartouches, with one or both parts of the name being composed of the names of ancient avia-ra heroes and great ideals.
Front Cartouche. Anubis, Apophis, Cani, Canopis, Helio, Horus, Ira, Isis, Nefer, Oculus, Terra, Verum
Rear Cartouche. Amet, Bast, Haten, Hotep, Intef, Lux, Ma’at, Mose, Omet, Osiris, Ptah, Set, Thoth
Avia-Ra Traits
Though different avia-ra families may have different bird heads, all avia-ra have the following racial traits:
Ability Score Increase. Increase one ability score of your choice by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1.
Typical: Wisdom +2, Dexterity +1
Creature Type. You are a Humanoid.
Size. You are Medium.
Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet.
Avian Eyes. You have proficiency in the Perception skill. Additionally, you have advantage on saving throws made to avoid or end the blinded condition.
Blessings of the Sun. You know the light cantrip. Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the bless spell with this trait. Starting at 5th level, you can also cast the lesser restoration spell with this trait. Once you cast bless or lesser restoration with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast either of those spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level.
Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this race).
Darkvision. The light of the sun dances in your eyes and grants you superior vision in dark and dim conditions. 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.
Zealous. When you fail an Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma saving throw, you can use your reaction to roll a d4 and add it to the save, potentially turning the failure into a success.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Avia-Ra. Avia-Ra is a language filled with soft consonants and long vowel sounds. Its written form uses the Celestial script.
Changelog from Dark Matter 1.41
- Creature type is now specified in the race description
- Ability score increases are now “typical,” not mandatory
- Blessings of the Sun now includes and improves previous spellcasting feature Sun’s Chosen
- The traits Doctrine and Avia-Ra Weapon Training have been removed
- New trait: Zealous
This is a nice update to a race that I quite like. One thing, the first bullet point of your changelog says that Creature Type is specified in the racial traits, which doesn’t appear to have happened.
Good catch, it’s fixed now!