Aasimar

Aasimars are humans with a significant amount of celestial or other good outsider blood in their ancestry. While not always benevolent, aasimars 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 aasimars 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 aasimars 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
Aasimars 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
Aasimars 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 aasimars can be careful and cunning when necessary, able to put on a dissembling guise to divert the attention of oppressors elsewhere. While corrupt aasimars may be loners or may establish secret societies to conceal their involvement in crime, righteous aasimars are often found congregating in numbers as part of good-aligned organizations, especially (though not always) churches and religious orders.

Relations
Aasimars 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 aasimars 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, aasimars 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 aasimars' overly pretty words and faces. Elven courtiers sometimes dismiss aasimars as unsophisticated, and criticize them for relying on natural charm to overcome faux pas. Perhaps of all the known races, gnomes find aasimars most fascinating, and have an intense appreciation for their varied appearances as well as the mystique surrounding their celestial heritage.

Alignment and Religion
Aasimars are most often of good alignment, though this isn't necessarily universal, and aasimars that have turned their back on righteousness may fall into an unfathomable abyss of depravity. For the most part, however, aasimars favor deities of honor, valor, protection, healing, and refuge, or simple and prosaic faiths of home, community, and family. Some also follow the paths of art, music, and lore, finding truth and wisdom in beauty and learning.

Adventurers
Aasimars frequently become adventurers, as they often do not quite feel at home in human society and feel the pull of some greater destiny. Clerics, oracles, and paladins are most plentiful in their ranks, though bards, sorcerers, and summoners are not uncommon among those with a fondness for arcane magic. Aasimar barbarians are rare, but when born into such tribes they often rise to leadership and encourage their clans to embrace celestial totems.

Common Names

 * Male Names
 * Aritian, Beltin, Cernan, Cronwier, Eran, Ilamin, Maudril, Okrin, Parant, Tural, Wyran, Zaigan.


 * Female Names
 * Arken, Arsinoe, Davina, Drinma, Imesah, Masozi, Nijena, Niramour, Ondrea, Rhialla, Valtyra.

Racial Traits
Aasimars are insightful, confident, and personable. Choose one of the two options below:
 * Ability Score Increase/Skill Proficiency
 * Option 1


 * Their Wisdom increases by 1, and their Charisma increases by 2.
 * They are always proficient in the Persuasion skill
 * Option 2


 * Their Wisdom increases by 2, and their Charisma increases by 1.
 * They are always proficient in the Insight skill
 * Age
 * Aasimars mature at the same rate as humans but live a few years longer.


 * Alignment
 * Aasimars might not have an innate tendency toward good, but many of them end up there. Good or not, an independent nature inclines many aasimars toward a chaotic alignment.


 * Languages
 * Aasimars can speak, read, and write Common and Celestial. Aasimars with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following languages: Draconic, Dwarvish, Elvish, Gnomish, Halfling, and Sylvan. See the Languages page for more information about these languages.


 * Size
 * Aasimars are about the same size and build as humans. Aasimars are Medium creatures and thus have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.


 * Speed
 * Aasimars have a speed of 30 feet.

Other Racial Traits

 * Darkvision
 * Thanks to your celestial heritage, 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.


 * Spell-Like Ability (Sp)
 * Aasimars can use one 1st level domain spell once per day as a spell-like ability (caster level equal to the aasimar's class level). Please see below for details:


 * 1) Choose one good-aligned deity of your racial heritage
 * 2) Choose one cleric domain of the good-aligned deity you chose above
 * 3) Choose one 1st level cleric spell from the domain spell list of the good-aligned deity