Aasimar
Aasimar are humans with a significant amount of celestial or other good outsider blood in their ancestry. While not always benevolent, Aasimar are more inclined toward acts of kindness rather than evil, and they gravitate toward faiths or organizations associated with celestials. Aasimar heritage can lie dormant for generations, only to appear suddenly in the child of two apparently human parents. Most societies interpret Aasimar births as good omens, though it must be acknowledged that some Aasimar take advantage of the reputation of their kind, brutally subverting the expectations of others with acts of terrifying cruelty or abject venality. “It’s always the one you least suspect” is the axiom these evil Aasimar live by, and they often lead double lives as upstanding citizens or false heroes, keeping their corruption well hidden. Thankfully, these few are the exception and not the rule.
Physical Description
Aasimar look mostly human except for some minor physical trait that reveals their unusual heritage. Typical Aasimar features include hair that shines like metal, jewel-toned eyes, lustrous skin color, or even glowing, golden halos.
Society
Aasimar cannot truly be said to have an independent society of their own. As an offshoot of humanity, they adopt the societal norms around them, though most find themselves drawn to those elements of society that work for the redress of injustice and the assuagement of suffering. This sometimes puts them on the wrong side of the law in more tyrannical societies, but Aasimar can be careful and cunning when necessary, able to put on a dissembling guise to divert the attention of oppressors elsewhere. While corrupt Aasimar may be loners or may establish secret societies to conceal their involvement in crime, righteous Aasimar are often found congregating in numbers as part of good-aligned organizations, especially (though not always) churches and religious orders.
Non-Human Aasimar
Not all Aasimar are descended from humans. Aasimar can be born of any intelligent race, though human Aasimar are the most common. Aasimar of other races usually exemplify the ideals of beauty and skill as seen by their base race. For example, Halfling Aasimar are small, beautifully proportioned, and display exceptional grace. Half-orc Aasimar are slightly larger and stronger than ordinary orcs, with tough skin and metallic claws and tusks—they are likely to be neutral rather than evil, but still display aggression and incredible combat prowess. Less common humanoids, such as Lizardfolk, Catfolk, Tengu, and others, can also produce Aasimar, though given these races’ exotic appearance, members of the more common races may have trouble telling such Aasimar apart from their kin.
It should be noted that while any creature that breeds with a celestial may give birth to half-celestial offspring, only humanoids can give birth to Aasimar. Thus, while it’s possible to encounter a half-celestial dragon, unicorn, or griffon, any children of such creatures would be either half-celestials or normal members of their race. (And just as often, these less conventional half-celestials are sterile.) When discussing half-celestials and Aasimar, it’s important to distinguish them from both true celestials (angels, azatas, agathions, etc.) and simple celestial creatures (creatures with the celestial template, which are themselves denizens of the good-aligned Outer Planes but similar in many ways to their Material Plane counterparts). Most Aasimar also have a difficult time getting people to grasp distinctions between celestial types, with common folk erroneously grouping all such beings together as “angels.”
Non-human Aasimar have the same statistics as human Aasimar with the exception of size. Thus a Halfling Aasimar is Small but otherwise possesses the same statistics and abilities as a human Aasimar—the difference is purely cosmetic. Non-human Aasimar do not possess any of the racial abilities of their base race. However, they are usually raised in the same cultural context as other members of their base race, and thus generally adopt the same fighting style as their peers, use the same types of weapons and armor, and study the same skills.
Relations
Aasimar are most common and most comfortable in human communities. This is especially true of those whose lineage is more distant and who bear only faint marks of their heavenly ancestry. It is unclear why the touch of the celestial is felt so much more strongly in humanity than other races, though it may be that humanity’s inherent adaptability and affinity for change is responsible for the evolution of Aasimar as a distinct race. Perhaps the endemic racial traits of other races are too deeply bred, too strongly present, and too resistant to change. Whatever dalliances other races may have had with the denizens of the upper planes, the progeny of such couplings are vanishingly rare and have never bred true. However, even if they generally tend toward human societies, Aasimar can become comfortable in virtually any environment. They have an easy social grace and are disarmingly personable. They get on well with half-elves, who share a similar not-quite-human marginal status, though their relations are often less cordial with half-orcs, who have no patience for Aasimar overly pretty words and faces. Elven courtiers sometimes dismiss Aasimar as unsophisticated, and criticize them for relying on natural charm to overcome faux pas. Perhaps of all the known races, gnomes find Aasimar most fascinating, and have an intense appreciation for their varied appearances as well as the mystique surrounding their celestial heritage.
Table: Aasimar Ages
| Adulthood | Intuitive | Self-Taught | Trained | Middle-Aged | Old | Venerable | Maximum Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 years | +1d4 years (16-19 years) | +1d6 years (16-21 years) | +2d6 years (17-27 years) | 35 years | 53 years | 70 years | 70 + 2d20 years |
Table: Random Height and Weight
| Gender | Base Height | Height Modifier | Base Weight | Weight Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 5 ft. 2 in. | +2d8 in. (5 ft. 4 in. - 6 ft. 6 in.) | 100 lbs. | +2d8 * 5 lbs. (110-180 lbs.) |
| Female | 5 ft. 0 in. | +2d8 in. (5 ft. 2 in. - 6 ft. 4 in.) | 90 lbs. | +2d8 * 5 lbs. (100-170 lbs.) |
This table is for Human Aasimar. For non-human Aasimar, leverage the base race's random table as desired.
Standard Racial Traits
- Ability Score Modifiers: Aasimar are insightful, confident, and personable. They gain a Racial Bonus to Wisdom and Charisma.
- Size: Aasimar are Medium creatures and thus have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
- Type: Aasimar are outsiders with the native subtype.
- Base Speed: Aasimar have a base speed of 30 feet.
- Languages: Aasimar begin play speaking Common and Celestial. Aasimar with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following languages: Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Gnome, Halfling, and Sylvan. See the Linguistics skill page for more information about these languages.
- Celestial Resistance: Aasimar have acid resistance 5, cold resistance 5, and electricity resistance 5.
- The Negotiator: Aasimar have a +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy and Perception checks.
- Darkvision: Aasimar can see perfectly in the dark up to 60 ft.
