Promised individuals look mostly like members of their original species, but are set apart for a greater destiny. Sometimes they seek out that destiny, sometimes they avoid it, sometimes it seeks them out, and sometimes they work to thwart it. Such an individual could shape the future alongside the divine beings who have left their mark on them…or turn against those divine beings altogether.

Some Promised live openly as members of their societies, with natural tendencies towards positions of leadership and authority. Others are regarded with such suspicion that they rebel against that society, or remove themselves from it altogether. No Promised has ever been able to outrun their destiny completely; those who try to cast off their mortal coils are denied death on their own terms, or soon restored to life afterwards. To be Promised is to be involved, whether you want it or not – and nobody will prepare you for it.

Promised are rare individuals among any race. There seems to be no genetic component to whether or not an individual is Promised; one can appear from a long line of otherwise ordinary people, and there are no recorded instances of Promised starting families with each other, let alone producing offspring.

The playable species Aasimar and Tiefling are removed from the game. In their place, this template can be added to any remaining playable species.

Meta: This template is mostly taking the two published species and gluing them together to create an expanded list of choices at various levels. Some of the names have been changed for thematic purposes. It is based on a premise that angels and devils are really made from the same stuff, and there is no well-defined objective boundary between the two concepts.

You are the same creature type as your base species.

You retain the size, height range, and weight range of your original species.

You retain the base walking speed and any other speeds of your original species.

Instead of your species’ normal ability score bonuses, you may choose one of the following options:

• +2 Charisma, +1 Intelligence
• +2 Charisma, +1 Wisdom
• +2 to one ability score, and +1 to a different ability score
• +1 to three different ability scores

In your younger years, you grow and mature at the same rate as any member of your species. Once you reach adulthood, your aging slows somewhat to give time for your divine destiny to unfold. Your maximum age increases by a factor based on your base species, with shorter-lived species seeing greater proportional gains.

Species	Original maximum	Factor	Promised maximum
Dragonborn	80	6	160
Dwarf	400	3	600
Elf	800	1	930
Firbolg	500	2	660
Genasi	120	5	220
Gnome	500	2	660
Half-elf	200	4	330
Half-orc	75	6	150
Halfling	170	4	280
Human	100	5	180
Veiz	85	6	170
Vodshi	75	6	150

Because of your divine destiny, or perhaps in spite of it, you have strong opinions on issues of ethics and morality. How and when you express those opinions is up to you. Your alignment may not be true neutral. Work with your dungeon master to choose an alignment which fits your divine destiny; this need not match your alignment.

Perhaps benevolent beings have blessed you with keener senses to root out wickedness, or malevolent forces wish you to navigate easily in shady spaces. Either way, you have darkvision. 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. In darkness you cannot see color, only shades of grey.

If your base species already had darkvision, its range extends by up to 30 feet, to a maximum of 120 feet.

You retain any other senses and situational modifiers to the Perception skill granted by your base species.

You are proficient in the Religion skill, plus one of the following:

• Deception
• Intimidation
• Persuasion

This replaces any permanent skill proficiencies normally granted by your base species.

You may still use any temporary skill proficiencies granted by your base species.

Your divine progenitors do not want you to be deterred from seeking and achieving the destiny they have in store for you. Choose one of the following conditions:

• charmed
• frightened

You have advantage on saving throws to avoid or end the condition upon yourself.

If you have any other situational modifiers to saving throws from your base species, this replaces them.

Choose one of the following types of damage; you gain resistance to it. If your base species is resistant to any types of damage, this resistance replaces it.

• fire
• necrotic
• radiant

You know one of the following cantrips, which you can cast at will. Your spellcasting ability for the cantrip is Charisma.

• light
• message
• thaumaturgy

You can speak, read, and write any and all languages of your base species, plus one of the following languages:

• Celestial
• Infernal

After the abilities below are activated, they may not be used again until you finish a long rest. Your spellcasting ability for these effects is Charisma.

Choose one of the following options at 1st level. If the effect duplicates a named spell, you may also cast the spell using an available spell slot.

Refresh

As an action, touch a creature and roll a number of d4s equal to your proficiency bonus. The creature regains hit points equal to the total rolled.

Avenge

As an action, make a melee spell attack against a creature you try to touch. On a hit, roll a number of d4s equal to your proficiency bonus. The target takes damage equal to the total rolled, of the type you innately resist.

Obey

You may cast command. Your may affect a number of creatures equal to the lesser of half your level or your proficiency bonus, minimum 1 creature.

Choose one of the following options at 3rd level. If the effect duplicates a named spell, you may also cast the spell using an available spell slot of 2nd level or higher.

Ascend

You transform your appearance and temporarily gain functional, spectral wings for 1 minute. If you already have a flying speed, it increases by 15 feet for the duration of the transformation; otherwise, you have a flying speed equal to your walking speed. Until the transformation ends, once per turn when you deal damage to a target with an attack or spell, you may deal extra damage equal to your proficiency bonus of the type you innately resist.

Befuddle

You may cast blindness/deafness.

Chasten

You may cast hellish rebuke as a 2nd-level spell. The type of the damage inflicted by the spell matches the type you innately resist, but in all other mechanical respects the spell functions as written.

Enrage

You transform your appearance as divine energy pours out from you for 1 minute; it is particularly prominent around your face and head. For the duration, you shed bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet. While you are transformed, at the end of each of your turns, each creature within 10 feet of you takes damage equal to your proficiency bonus of the type you innately resist. Until the transformation ends, once per turn when you deal damage to a target with an attack or spell, you may deal extra damage equal to your proficiency bonus of the type you innately resist.

Horrify

You transform yourself to appear deeply unsettling for 1 minute. Creatures who are not your allies within 10 feet of you must succeed on a Charisma saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or become frightened of you until the end of your next turn. Until the transformation ends, once per turn when you deal damage to a target with an attack or spell, you may deal extra damage equal to your proficiency bonus of the type you innately resist.

Soothe

You may cast lesser restoration.

Choose one of the following options at 5th level. If the effect duplicates a named spell, you may also cast the spell using an available spell slot of 3rd level or higher.

Mystery

You may cast darkness.

Revelation

You may cast daylight.

Ignorance

You may cast silence.

A Promised always bears obvious markers of divine interference in the circumstances of their birth, that cannot be easily disguised with clothing or cosmetics. Their eyes tend to be solid colors with no visible sclera or pupils. Here are some suggestions for the obvious signs:

• antlers, horns, or other protrusions from the head
• skin tone obviously not natural for the base species
• lower legs and feet resembling a feathered or hooved animal
• a tail that reflects their mood
• downy, scaly, chitinous, or furry skin

Many Promised have several subtler signs as well. Here are some suggestions for the subtler signs.

• ghostly, feathered, reptilian, skeletal, butterfly, or bat-like winglets
• one extra or one missing digit on hands and/or feet
• a faint halo of colored light that may reflect their mood
• a prophetic birth mark that resembles an ornate tattoo
• teeth unusual in number, shape, or prominence
• unsettling dietary preferences or requirements
• disembodied voices that only they can hear
• odd pitch or timbre in the voice

None of the changes in appearance should provide any mechanical bonuses or penalties. Clever players may find ways to leverage their character’s appearance in social situations, with the DM’s permission.