In the vast multiverse, there are many tales of magical decks of cards. Some are minor arcana items, while some hold vast power.

This installment of Deck of Many More Things, introduces the fateborn, a new lineage for the Tales of the Valiant roleplaying game. A lineage is like “race” in other 5E games, but it represents only your physical, inherited characteristics. Cultural and learned benefits come from your heritage. (HINT: We’ll show heritages inspired by the Deck of Many Things next week!)

Hear Tales of the Fateborn

Descendants of creatures affected and transformed by powerful magical card decks, Fateborn are a lineage unto themselves. Creatures of chance, magic, death and defiance, they are rare and wondrous to behold. They are powerful in peace, and calamitous in combat. There are currently three known Fateborn lineages. Each lineage has the same Age, Size, and Speed entries:

Age. Fateborn reach adulthood in their late teenage years and rarely live to be more than 100 years old.

Size. Your size is Medium or Small. Fateborn vary in height and weight, but most adults range between 5 feet and 6 feet tall and average around 150 pounds.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

In addition, each Fateborn lineage has distinct features.

Abjuriborn

Abjuriborn are the descendants of creatures that drew the Talon card from a magical deck of cards. Resistant to magical spells, an abjuriborn’s mere touch can destroy magical spells and items.

Arcane Rejection. Choose a school of magic. You have advantage on saving throws made to resist spells of that school. You can’t attune to any magic item that casts spells from or mimics the effects of spells from that school (at GM’s discretion).

Arcane Barrier Breaker. You can dispel arcane lock with a successful DC 15 INT (Arcana) check a number of times equal to your PB. You regain all uses when you finish a long rest. In addition, you have advantage on saves against wall spells (e.g., wall of fire or blade barrier)

Wizard Glare. As an action, you can see ongoing spell effects within 30 feet of you. If the magical effect is the result of an ongoing spell, you learn which school of magic the spell belongs to. This sense can penetrate most barriers, but it is blocked by 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your PB. You regain all uses when you finish a long rest.

Mortusborn

Mortusborn are descendants of a distant necromancer who drew a Skull card from a magical deck of cards. A malignant death spirit appeared to claim the necromancer’s life. Despairing, the dark wizard used the unique ability of a legendary artifact he possessed: he merged his mind, body, and soul with the deadly avatar. All mortusborn are descended from the creature he became.

Deathless Sight. You have darkvision to a range of 60 feet. In addition, you can see invisible or ethereal Undead within 60 feet.

Deathly Existence. You are alive, but spells and effects that detect Undead register you as undead. You have resistance to necrotic damage.

Incorporeal Step. As a bonus action, you can become incorporeal until the end of your turn. You can move through objects as if they were difficult terrain and do not trigger opportunity attacks from moving through or near hostile creatures. If you are in the same space as another object or creature when your turn ends, you take 5 (1d10) points of force damage and are ejected into the nearest unoccupied space. You can do this once until you finish a long rest.

Swordborn

Swordborns are the descendants of the warriors summoned by the Knight card of a magical card deck. They emerge from the womb fighting whatever midwife or healer helps them into the world.

Martial Instinct. You are proficient with all simple, martial, and ranged weapons. You are proficient with all types of armor and shields. When you take damage from an attack and you did not perceive the attacker before the attack hit, you can use your reaction to make an opportunity attack against the attacker if it is within reach.

Fighting Spirit. You can wield your aggression as its own weapon. You have advantage on Intimidation checks a number of times equal to your PB. This trait recharges when you finish a long rest.

Fight On. When an attack reduces you to 0 HP, you can use your reaction to spend and roll one hit die immediately. You can do this once until you finish a long rest.

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