Shadow Dragonborn

Homebrew

Shadow Dragonborn

Her father stood on the first of the three stairs that led down from the portal, unmoving. The scales of his face had grown paler around the edges, but Clanless Mehen still looked as if he could wrestle down a dire bear himself. His familiar well-worn armor was gone, replaced by violet-tinted scale armor with bright silvery tracings. There was a blazon on his arm as well, the mark of some foreign house. The sword at his back was the same, though, the one he had carried since even before he had found the twins left in swaddling at the gates of Arush Vayem.
For all her life, Farideh had known that reading her father’s face was a skill she’d been fortunate to learn. A human who couldn’t spot the shift of her eyes or Havilar’s would certainly see only the indifference of a dragon in Clanless Mehen’s face. But the shift of scales, the arch of a ridge, the set of his eyes, the gape of his teeth—her father’s face spoke volumes.
But every scale of it, this time, seemed completely still—the indifference of a dragon, even to Farideh.
— Erin M. Evans, The Adversary

To any dragonborn, the clan is more important than life itself. Dragonborn owe their devotion and respect to their clan above all else, even the gods. Each dragonborn’s conduct reflects on the honor of his or her clan, and bringing dishonor to the clan can result in expulsion and exile. Each dragonborn knows his or her station and duties within the clan, and honor demands maintaining the bounds of that position.
A continual drive for self-improvement reflects the self-sufficiency of the race as a whole. Dragonborn value skill and excellence in all endeavors. They hate to fail, and they push themselves to extreme efforts before they give up on something. A dragonborn holds mastery of a particular skill as a lifetime goal. Members of other races who share the same commitment find it easy to earn the respect of a dragonborn.
Though all dragonborn strive to be self-sufficient, they recognize that help is sometimes needed in difficult situations. But the best source for such help is the clan, and when a clan needs help, it turns to another dragonborn clan before seeking aid from other races—or even from the gods.

ability score increase: Choose one of: (a) Choose any +2; choose any other +1 (b) Choose three different +1

age: Young dragonborn grow quickly. They walk hours after hatching, attain the size and development of a 10-year-old human child by the age of 3, and reach adulthood by 15. They live to be around 80.

Size: Medium

speed: 30 ft.

Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for your character.

race features:

Shadow Ancestry. You have a shadow dragon ancestor, granting you a special magical affinity, as shown in the table.

Shadow Ancestry

---

Dragon	Damage Type
Shadow	Necrotic

Breath Weapon. When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can replace one of your attacks with an exhalation of magical energy in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC = 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus). On a failed save, the creature takes 1d10 damage of the type associated with your Shadow Ancestry. On a successful save, it takes half as much damage. This damage increases by 1d10 when you reach 5th level (2d10), 11th level (3d10), and 17th level (4d10).

You can use your Breath Weapon a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Draconic Resistance. You have resistance to the damage type associated with your Shadow Ancestry.

Darkvision. Accustomed to a life cloaked in shadow, you have 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.

Born of Darkness. You are proficient in the Stealth skill. In addition, while you are in dim light or darkness, you can take the Hide action as a bonus action. When you do so, you can add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.

Shadowy Sting. A humanoid you kill with your breath weapon cannot be returned to life for 1 minute, except as an undead.

Shadow Dragonborn have a connection to the deepest wells of the Shadowfell and draw their powers from the elder beings that dwell beneath the dark fey territory. Some even say they are descendents of the death dragon, Null.