Tatsumi

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Tatsumi Info

Along the lowland, nutrient-rich lakes and bubbling freshwater streams that branch throughout the Yokai Realms, the twin peoples of the tatsumi make home. With a meticulously charted history that stretches across aeons, the tatsumi’s ancestors are said to be the seed from which all dragons and dragon-folk sprung forth into the world. A hardy, bipedal, industrious folk, they are renowned for their colourful, moon-blessed scales and powerful builds.

Twin Chapters

Whereas some races display obvious sexual dimorphism—females being larger, males being more colourful—what separates the two categories of tatsumi is experience. All tatsumi are born as nishikin, aquatic fish-folk with an appearance not dissimilar to the revered koi. After a moment of life-changing significance—for example, a great tragedy, achieving a lifelong goal, or a moment of epiphany—that tatsumi undergoes an overnight transformation. Much as a koi fish becomes a koi dragon when the latter leaves this world, a ryūjin emerges from this metamorphosis. A physically and physiologically different creature stands in the nishikin’s place, with the features and magic of their draconic ancestors fully realised.

Half-Remembered History

The difference between the two morphs of tatsumi is most poignant in matters of tradition and record-keeping. Nishikin keep detailed records of their own peoples, including ryūjin who live with them. However, of the ryūjin who leave, little is known.
Curious wanderers, ryūjin have no cities, libraries, palaces, or temples; those who leave tatsumi communities seek to forge their own destinies. A pair of ryūjin may travel together for a time, form a close connection, and raise a family of nishikin children, but they typically part ways once the young are old enough to set out on their own adventure. A servant to their whims and the hands of fate, the story of no two ryūjin is the same.

Tatsumi Traits

Feature Description
Ability Score Increase Your Dexterity, Constitution, and Wisdom scores each increase by 1.
Age Tatsumi mature rapidly, reaching adulthood by the age of 14. They go on to live for about two centuries.
Anatomy You have two arms, two legs, and a tail.
Size You are Medium. Tatsumi stand between 5 and 7 feet tall.
Speed Your walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a swimming speed equal to your walking speed.
Creature Type You are a Humanoid.
Amphibious You can breathe in both air and water.
Subrace The two main morphs of tatsumi found in the Yokai Realms are nishikin and ryūjin. All ryūjin were once nishikin, so they are more like stages of development than true subraces. Choose one of these subraces.
Languages You can speak, read, and write Common and Aquan.
Koi Dragon Colour Each tatsumi is born with its own unique colouration. In tatsumi folktales, one’s primary colouration holds special significance. Your primary colouration also impacts your Slumbering Dragon trait as a nishikin, and your Heartening Breath and Innate Magic traits as a ryūjin, based on the table below.

Primary Colouration

Colour Ability Score Associated Class
Red Strength Sorcerer
Gold Dexterity Druid
Black Constitution Warlock
Silver Intelligence Wizard
White Wisdom Cleric
Blue Charisma Bard

Nishikin

All nishikin possess a roiling heart of warmth and power within. Usually, this inner strength acts invisibly, a well of energy that drives a nishikin onwards with incredible longevity and vitality. In moments of great endeavour, however, the slumbering dragon awakens and briefly manifests as a tangible ally and guide. On rare occasions, nishikin who undergo transformative experiences of great euphoria or tragedy can even metamorphose into an actual dragon: a ryūjin. This transformation is not a certainty; many nishikin never metamorphose, but for those that do, it is accompanied by a change in perspective and mindset—an evolution of outlook as well as form.

Restless Ambition

The diligence of the nishikin is legendary, their history overflowing with tales of explorers, hunters, crafters, and teachers who dedicated their lives to their pursuits. Nishikin hurl themselves into new experiences, dangers, and passions with alarming fervour, rarely entertaining more than one pursuit at a time and focusing solely on its mastery before moving on. The life of a nishikin is often an exhausting one, an endless trail of passion and dedication. From birth until death, nishikin struggle to tolerate rest or relaxation for any length of time.

Nishikin Traits

Feature Description
Nishikin Moonblessed While bathed in moonlight, you can use a bonus action to spend a number of your Hit Dice equal to your proficiency bonus. Roll those dice and add your Constitution modifier; you regain hit points equal to the total. If this healing restores your hit points to maximum, any surplus healing is gained as temporary hit points. Once you use this trait, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.
Nishikin Powerful Build You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Nishikin Slippery You have advantage on ability checks and saving throws made to avoid or end the grappled condition on yourself.
Nishikin Slumbering Dragon You can draw upon the bubbling energy you carry within to empower yourself. When you make an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw using the ability associated with your primary colouration, you can use your reaction to add 1d6 to the roll. You can use this reaction after rolling the d20, but must decide before the outcome is determined. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a short rest or long rest.
Nishikin Draconic Metamorphosis When you reach 7th level, or when you undergo a significant moment of personal achievement or loss (at the GM’s discretion), you can choose to metamorphose into a ryūjin. Your level, class, and other game statistics remain the same, aside from your subrace. You replace your subracial traits from this race with those of the ryūjin, and your ryūjin colour is the same as your nishikin primary colouration. This transformation is one-way and can’t be reversed by any means short of a wish spell.

Ryūjin

Ryūjin are closely related to nishikin, having transformed from the aquatic fish-folk into a new, draconic form. Although such a metamorphosis is seen as transcendent and incredible by many outside races, ryūjin are not revered or elevated above their nishikin family in their own society; in instances where they live together, they live harmoniously.

Body Altered, Mind Transformed

The life of a ryūjin is often shaped by a search for new meanings, perspectives, and opportunity. For many, this means a path of joyful travel and exploration, but for others, it may mean the start of a family, or adopting a position of counsel among their nishikin kinsfolk. Ryūjin are widely noted as being significantly more relaxed than their nishikin counterparts, willing to pause and watch the world go by, unburdened by the nishikin’s ceaseless pursuit of growth and change.

Ryūjin Traits

Feature Description
Ryūjin Cloudstep As a bonus action, you can conjure a small cloud under your feet. You gain a flying speed equal to half your walking speed for the next 10 minutes. Once you use this trait, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.
Ryūjin Heartening Breath You can use your action to exhale a warming, spiralling burst of magical energy in a 30-foot cone. You and a number of creatures of your choice in that area up to your proficiency bonus can add 1d4 to attack rolls, as well as to ability checks and saving throws that use the ability associated with your primary colouration for 1 minute, or until you lose concentration (as if concentrating on a spell). 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.
Ryūjin Innate Magic You learn one cantrip of your choice from the spell list of the class associated with your primary colouration. Your spellcasting ability for this cantrip is the ability associated with your primary colouration.
Ryūjin Sunblessed While in sunlight, a warm, bubbling vitality thrums through you, giving you advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the frightened, paralysed, or stunned condition on yourself, or against being put to sleep.