Awakened

Aberrant humans sensitive to psionics and emotions

Awakened Heritage Traits

Average Height: 165 – 188cm (5’5” – 6’2”)
Average Weight: 59 – 86kg (130-190 lb.)

Ability Scores: +2 Charisma, +2 Wisdom or Intelligence
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 squares
Vision: Normal

Languages: Common and Pars
Skill Bonuses: +2 Insight, +2 Perception

Aberrant Soul: Something in you is not of this world, so you are considered an aberrant creature for the purpose of effects that relate to creature origin.

Familiar Blood: For all race-based effects and requirements, you are considered to be a human as well as awakened.

Psionic Endowment: You gain one power point, which you can use to augment psionic powers and feats with the augmentable keyword, as if you had the psionic augmentation class feature. You are considered to have the psionic augmentation class feature for the sake of feats, paragon paths and other requirements.

Awakened Awe: You have the awakened awe background power.

Awakened AweAwakened Heritage Power
You use your psionic sensitivity to turn your own suffering into your enemies’ pain.
Encounter ✦ Psionic, Augmentable
No Action Personal
Trigger: You would spend a healing surge and regain hit points.
Effect: You do not regain any hit points. Instead, you can deal psychic damage equal to your Charisma modifier to one adjacent enemy.
Augment 1:
Effect: You do not regain any hit points. Instead, you or one ally who can see you can make a basic attack as a free action.

The key to humanity’s freedom, the awakened began to appear seemingly at random during the last century, bringing with them the gift of psionic power. It was these individuals who heard the mysterious voices beckoning them to the lands of Alm, and led their people across the seas. Although other humans later came to find the power of the soul within themselves, the inherent psionic nature of the awakened still sets them apart.

The true nature of the awakened is a subject of controversy; some consider the awakened to be the logical progression of human evolution. Others wonder if the awakened were created by outside interference—if an existing psionic race could have gifted their powers to humanity—or suspect that they are the result of an ill-conceived Overseer experiment. Some even hold them as divine beings, shepherds sent to guide humanity’s path.

Play an awakened if you want…

  • to have native empathic powers.
  • to be revered by your people, but kept at arm’s length.
  • to receive visions of the past, and the future.

Physical Qualities

Awakened come from various human stock, but beyond that they don’t share any unique physical traits. They tend to be visually striking, but not necessarily beautiful—rather unusual and interesting, compelling in ways which are difficult to describe. Most are marked in some unnatural but minor way, such as strange eye or hair colours, tattoo-like birthmarks, strangely-shaped pupils, or other quirks.

Playing an Awakened

Most awakened have in common a somewhat introspective nature. It’s difficult to grow up awakened without an acute awareness of being different; even as children, they are usually quiet and thoughtful individuals. Their psionic nature seems to grant them a kind of unnatural magnetism which is difficult to explain, but most view this as a weapon, so it rarely leads to them becoming socially adept.

Having a great sense of the emotions around them, awakened often have difficulty being at peace. A good number seek solitude even when they are well-liked, preferring the “quiet” of keeping their own company. Nonetheless, most are held by their home communities as a sign of good fortune, or at least as special being who must be treated well.

Due to this well-intentioned othering, many awakened never feel truly at home in the place of their birth. For many, the life of an adventurer is simply the natural choice. However, some also believe they feel the call that caused their ancestors to lead humanity out of Parosea. These individuals are driven and determined adventurers, striving to discover new ways to help others.

Awakened are perceived as… Ethereal, bizarre, rare, visionary, emotional, sensitive, introspective, intriguing, restless, lonely, treasured.

Names: As the human, though they may also be given a title by their community, such as “dreamwalker” or “farseer”.

Significant Revisions

1.0—Legacy version
  • 17 years ago Update Original version published for D&D 3.5e
2.0—Initial 4e version
  • 13 years ago Update Game mechanics overhauled for 4e. First 4e version published to gamebrief.wikidot.com
  • 6 years ago Update Published to original Skies of Escarnum website.
  • 6 years ago Update Replaced "Empathic Flow" power with "Awakened Awe" power.
2.1—Current 4e version
  • 5 years ago Update Moved to current Skies of Escarnum website. Various language changes; no significant rules changes
  • 3 years ago Update Added "Aberrant Origin" trait
  • 2 years ago Update Switched around stat bonuses to better balance Escarnum heritage choices