#soratami

I'm gonna miss playing my DnD character SO much, all the way from 1 to 20! So I drew a little hint at her very first outfit change after almost 3.5 years of campaign! can't wait for the final session! It's going to be so weird not playing this forcibly motherly, snooty, stressed out, immortal, living weapon, extremely strong (20 STR and 22 WIS), extremely tall, Soratami woman with PTSD and a realm to rule!

September Challenge– Days 16, 17, & 18

After finishing up with norse mythology week, I started to get really busy again in real life. And realized there was a whole theme week I’d been wanting to try for a couple years but hadn’t found the right place for

In Magic: the Gathering’s digital platform, MtG Arena, they have some digital-exclusive mechanics that I’d always wanted to try converting to D&D. These are just the first three mechanics in alphabetical order, given shape. And if you don’t know anything about Arena, then they’re just some fun 5e creatures!

He/she

Moonfolk planeswalker, UW, Kamigawa

(Image made in charat.me - her ear and face markings, which are blue, are supposed to resemble the patterns of a circuit board.)

A lifelong friend of kami, Takumi is one of the few Futurists who actively embraces kami channeling as part of Kamigawa’s future. His own bond is with the vector glider Suzu, Kami of Possibility, which manifests as holographic butterflies fluttering around him. Takumi is primarily an artificer who focuses on wearable equipment creatures (the Reconfigure mechanic) geared towards kami and their channelers to use together and augment their powers with. He’s earned a reputation as a “matchmaker” and bond counselor of sorts, sought out by mortals seeking bonds and pairs looking for advice.

Takumi spent her childhood apprenticed under the artificer Katsumasa alongside her cousin and best friend, Tameshi. Eventually Takumi split from the two, put off by Katsumasa’s exploitative treatment of kami and Tameshi’s increasing self-isolation, and studied in Sokenzanshi for a time. She missed her cousin, but it seemed that the more time passed, the larger the chasm between them grew, until they may as well have been inhabiting different planes. The words Tameshi offered were few, and he was secretive about his work to the point of obsession. Takumi would never get to truly connect with Tameshi again before the events of NEO, and his loss shook her to her core. (The scarf that she is wearing in the image is Tameshi’s.)

Art by  Randy Gallegos

What is a Moonfolk (flavorfully)?

A misnomer.

Moonfolk live in the clouds, not on the moon, and their proper name, Soratami, actually means Skyfolk. They do claim to be descended from the Moon Myojin, though.

Moonfolk are slender humanoids with pale skin and hair and big, floppy bunny ears. Moonfolk fly through unspecified means, either through the magic of Kami ancestry or because they’re actually just that lightweight. They appear to be more intelligent than humans, but there hasn’t been a study.

Moonfolk are exclusively native to Kamigawa.

What is a Moonfolk (mechanically)?

Moonfolk are Blue creatures, most of which have Flying. Size varies between 1/1 and 4/4. A significant number of Moonfolk have abilities that require returning lands you control to your hand to activate. Modern Moonfolk are frequently interested in Kamigawa’s technology, either interacting with artifacts or using cybernetics to become artifact creatures themselves. 

Can I make a Moonfolk deck?

Due to so many Moonfolk requiring the same limited cost to play in returning lands, playing a deck with multiple Moonfolk can be extremely difficult. Without some method of playing extra lands, which they don’t provide, a Moonfolk heavy deck will rapidly find that it can’t afford to continue paying for their abilities.

The other Moonfolk, while a bit more synergistic in their Artifacts Matter themes, simply don’t exist in high enough numbers. While there are a number of effective Legendary Moonfolk to use as Commanders (and I myself have a Kotori deck I quite enjoy), the synergy to build a Moonfolk deck simply doesn’t exist. Tameshi, Reality Architect rewards you for returning your lands to your hand, but White/Blue simply don’t give you enough good ways to put the lands back down other than Ghirapur Orrery. Of course, then you still run into the issue of not having enough decent Moonfolk to make a deck to begin with.

If you really wanted to force the issue, I’d suggest using Green as a secondary color. There are no Moonfolk in Green, but Ramp spells and anything that allows you to play additional lands in a turn are serious boons for a Moonfolk deck.

Is Moonfolk a good creature type?

Kamigawa’s original Moonfolk have a very clear and perfect identity, and though Neon Dynasty strongly redefined most Moonfolk, they gave a new identity to work with, and Tameshi that rewards the old one.

“Tamiyo, the Moon Sage” © Wizards of the Coast, by Lius Lasahido. Accessed at his ArtStation here

[Commissioned by @mr-w-rambles​. The soratami are a species from the Kamagawa block of Magic the Gathering, although Tamiyo here has shown up in other sets. The commissioner wanted a playable race, and kindly provided me with a document they had written for their setting--the flavor text is based on that document. That meant no flying, despite the various soratami characters almost always being depicted levitating. I found a way to give them art-appropriate flight that is also PC appropriate power levels. I hope.]

Soratami CR ½ Humanoid This woman is graceful and ethereal, her skin covered in a thin layer of white fur. Patterns of bright color decorate her forehead and long, floppy ears.

The soratami are a mysterious people, who according to their own legends descended from the moon to live in the clouds. They cannot fly naturally, but can walk on clouds and levitate for short jaunts. Soratami get between their magical cloud cities, or down to solid ground, through the use of flying barges and chariots, and these devices are highly prized by other peoples.

The soratami are a scholastic people, respecting knowledge and craftsmanship, and their society is a magical meritocracy. Almost all soratami are capable of magical feats as early as childhood, and most of them dabble in magic even if they do not focus on it as a full career. They vary in alignment as humans do, but tend towards pragmatic mindsets. Soratami are willing to use subterfuge and skullduggery in order to get ahead, and soratami ninja are rightfully respected and feared.

Soratami reach adulthood at the same age as humans, but live longer, with individuals reaching 100 as a commonplace if not slain through violence. Every soratami has pale skin and pale hair, but these do vary slightly in hue. In addition, the markings on a soratami’s forehead are as distinctive as fingerprints—individuals may add to them as they age with makeup or tattoos, or disguise them if they are criminals or in hiding.

Soratami as Playable Characters Soratami do not have racial Hit Dice, and advance by character class. A soratami character has the following racial traits

+2 Dex, +2 Int, -2 Str Soratami have nimble hands and minds, but are physically frail Medium size A soratami gains no benefits or penalties based on its size Darkvision 60 ft. and low-light vision Normal speed A soratami has a move speed of 30 feet. Cloudwalker A soratami can move along natural clouds as if they were solid ground. In the area of magical clouds, such as a fog cloud spell, they are treated as if under the effects of an air walk spell. Spell-like Abilities A soratami with an Intelligence of 11 or more gains the following spell-like abilities, using Intelligence as its casting statistic. 1/day—feather fall (self only), levitate Scholastic A soratami gains a +2 racial modifier on all Linguistics checks, plus on one Knowledge check of their choice. Languages A soratami begins play speaking Auran and Common. A soratami with an Intelligence bonus may choose between the following bonus languages: Aquan, Draconic, Elven, Giant, Senzar, Sylvan