Lepidian
Origin & Overview
Born of the Feywild's chaotic, shimmering energies, Lepidians embody metamorphosis and freedom. Sometimes called "butterfly folk" by mortals, they have a natural affinity for raw magic and nature's shifting winds. Curious and deeply emotional, they often venture beyond their native forests to discover the wonders of the Material Plane, guided by instinct and a fascination with beauty.
Fleeting Beauty
Lepidians feel their emotions with dizzying intensity, treating each day as an entire lifetime. They prize art, poetry, and sensory experiences above all else. They dress in spider silk, woven fabric, or delicate petals that leave them free to move in flight. Though peaceful by nature, they will fiercely resist oppression, drawing on their aerial agility and the hypnotic magic of their wings.
Fey Appearance
A Lepidian has an extremely light skeletal structure and delicate humanoid features. Their most majestic feature is, of course, their pair of enormous wings, whose patterns and colors vary endlessly—from a monarch butterfly's vivid orange and black to a moth's emerald hues and moonlit sheen. Two long, sensitive antennae rise from their forehead, moving with their emotions, and fine, silky down sometimes covers their shoulders or neck.
Lepidian Names
Lepidians receive a larval name at birth, but choose a new, permanent name at the moment of their metamorphosis. Their names are often soft and melodic, evoking wind, light, or flowers.
Names inspired by forests and the heavens: Zéphyr, Phalène, Nectar, Aurore, Monarque, Chrysalis, Soie, Éphémère, Myrtil, Morpho, Nymphale, Liane.
Racial Traits
Your Feywild heritage has endowed your body with unmatched aerial grace.
You have the following racial traits.
Ability Score Increase. Increase one of your ability scores by 2 and a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1.
Age. Lepidians spend the first few years of their lives in a protective larval form before weaving a cocoon. They emerge as adults at around 5 years old and generally live to 60 or 70.
Size & Weight. Your size is Small, and you stand between 60 and 90 centimeters tall. Your light skeletal structure and insect body give you a featherweight build of around 20 to 30 kilograms.
Variant: Size & Weight. With your DM's permission, your size is Tiny, and you stand between 20 and 30 centimeters tall. Your very light skeletal structure and insect body give you a featherweight build of around 5 to 10 kilograms.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 9 meters.
Creature Type. You are a Fey.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Sylvan.
Delicate Wings. Your majestic wings give you a flying speed of 9 meters. You cannot use this flying speed while wearing medium or heavy armor.
Sensory Antennae. Your antennae detect minute changes in air currents. You have proficiency in the Perception skill.
Choose one of the following two origins:
- Night Lepidian:
Beguiling Dust. As an action, you can beat your wings powerfully to release a cloud of shimmering scales in a 3-meter radius around you. Each creature of your choice in this area must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus) or be charmed by you until the end of its next turn, hypnotized by the colorful, dizzying patterns of your dust.
You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
- Day Lepidian:
Illusory Dust. The air around your wings refracts light to create mirages. You know the minor illusion cantrip. In addition, starting at 3rd level, you can release a dense cloud of reflective scales to cast mirror image on yourself, without material components. Once you cast mirror image with this trait, you must finish a long rest before you can cast it this way again. You can also cast mirror image using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level.
Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells (choose when you select this race).
