Haunted By The Nagushi Image

Background: Haunted by the Nagushi

“Their blades were silent. Their eyes shone like the moon. Their dynasty bled silver—and now it bleeds through me.”

You are bound to the legacy of the Nagushi Dynasty—a once-proud lineage of silver-blooded elves and silent assassins, dragon-marked nobles and ice-shadow sorcerers. Their empire fell not by siege or sword, but by secrets and silence. Something ancient broke within them—and that fracture passed to you.

Perhaps you are the last descendant. Perhaps you were raised by survivors in hiding, or found a relic so cursed it branded your soul. Whatever the cause, the Nagushi haunt you—not just in dreams, but in whispers, reflections, and unnatural cold. Their forgotten rites live in your blood. Their enemies recognize you without knowing why. And somewhere, deep in the Void or buried under icebound ruins, something waits for you to remember what was lost… or finish what they began.

This haunting cannot be cured by magic nor drowned in steel. It is part of you now.

Skill Proficiencies:

Arcana, Stealth

Tool Proficiencies:

Calligrapher’s Tools or Poisoner’s Kit

Languages:

Elvish and Draconic

Feature: Silver Blood, Shadow Soul

You carry a spark of the Nagushi’s ancient blood magic, a mix of draconic heritage, void-touched sorcery, and lunar shadowcraft. You can always recognize other members of the Nagushi bloodline (living or dead) by aura, expression, or instinct—even if they are disguised or undead.

Additionally, once per long rest, you may invoke your bloodline to gain one of the following effects for 10 minutes:

  • Frozen Grace – Gain +10 movement speed and leave faint frost footprints. Your footsteps make no sound, even over snow, stone, or broken glass.

  • Shadowcast Memory – When you fail an Intelligence (Arcana or History) check relating to ancient magic, void phenomena, or the Nagushi, you may reroll it with advantage.

  • Lunar Brand – You can mark a creature you strike with a weapon or spell. Until the end of your next turn, you can see them through magical darkness or cover, and your next attack against them deals additional psychic damage equal to your proficiency bonus.

Equipment

  • A Nagushi family relic (tattoo, hairpin, dagger, prayer scroll, or frost-edged mask)

  • A small vial of frozen ancestral blood

  • A black silk kimono or cloak with silver-thread embroidery

  • Calligrapher’s kit or poisoner’s kit

  • 15 gp in imperial coins long out of circulation

Suggested Characteristics

Personality Traits (d6):

  1. I speak in measured tones and never raise my voice—Nagushi do not need to.

  2. I perform ancient rituals I only half remember, but they give me peace.

  3. My trust must be earned, and few ever manage it.

  4. I often dream of moonlight on blood.

  5. I feel safer in the dark than in the light.

  6. I write down everything—I fear forgetting more than death.

Ideals (d4):

  1. Honor. The Nagushi fell in shame. I will not.

  2. Legacy. I must rebuild what was lost.

  3. Power. The bloodline is power—I will master it.

  4. Redemption. I will purge the curse from our name.

Bonds (d4):

  1. I am bound to protect a child, relic, or place sacred to the Nagushi.

  2. I wear a piece of my ancestor’s armor or keep their ashes with me.

  3. I once spoke to a Nagushi ghost—and they gave me a task.

  4. I fear a vision I once received from the ancestral line… and what it means.

Flaws (d4):

  1. I speak to shadows more than people.

  2. I seek vengeance, not justice.

  3. I feel no fear—only cold apathy.

  4. I would die to protect the memory of my people… even if they never cared for me.

 

 

🌑 Haunted by the Nagushi – Mythic Progression System

📜 TIER 1 (Levels 1–5): Whispered Inheritance

You’ve only begun to feel the Dynasty’s grip.

Boon – “Blood of the Moon-Shadow Clan”
➤ As already defined. You can invoke 1 of 3 Boon effects once per long rest.

Curse – “Shadowbound Descent”
➤ Roll a DC 10 + ½ PB Wisdom save at the end of each long rest to determine if the curse manifests (choose or roll from the 3 effects).

⚔️ TIER 2 (Levels 6–10): Echoes of the First Moon

The past no longer sleeps quietly — it fights through your blood.

✦ Upgraded Boon – Twin Moon Pulse

Once per long rest, you may invoke 2 Boon effects at once, or extend one for 10 minutes.

New Effect Unlocked:

  • ☁️ Lunar Veil: You become invisible in dim light or darkness. This effect ends if you attack or cast a spell. While invisible this way, your next attack deals additional 2d6 necrotic damage.

☠️ Upgraded Curse – Involuntary Manifestation

On a failed save, the curse automatically casts a minor spell through you (no spell slot cost). Roll or choose:

  • Arms of Hadar

  • Misty Step (teleportation panic)

  • Cause Fear

  • Mirror Image (echoes protect you)

You cannot control this casting. The spell targets a DM-determined source of fear or threat — friend or foe.

🐉 TIER 3 (Levels 11–15): Nagushi’s Legacy Reawakens

You are now feared among dragons, elves, and Void cults alike.

✦ Upgraded Boon – Black Sun Ascension

You can now invoke your Boon twice per long rest, and choose from the following enhanced effects:

New Boon Effects:

  • 🌒 Icebound Soul: Gain immunity to cold. Once per long rest, you can cast Cone of Cold or Wall of Ice as a 5th-level spell (Charisma is casting stat).

  • 🩸 Lunar Binding Chains: As an action, summon a chain of shadow-ice to bind a target (30 ft range). DC 16 Strength save or become Restrained for 1 minute. While restrained, the creature takes 1d10 necrotic + 1d10 cold at the start of each of its turns.

  • 💀 Eclipse Rebirth: When you are reduced to 0 HP, you may instead drop to 1 HP, explode in a 10-ft radius for 4d8 necrotic damage, and become invisible until the end of your next turn.

☠️ Upgraded Curse – Eyes of the Ancestral Eclipse

When the curse triggers, you must roll a Shadow Madness Table (see below). These effects last until the next long rest and alter how others see or interact with you.

🌌 TIER 4 (Levels 16–20+): Last Heir of the Moon-Fall Line

You are Nagushi incarnate — a blade of vengeance or a herald of their doom.

✦ Mythic Boon – Eclipse Form (1/long rest, lasts 1 minute)

You become a walking nightmare of moonlight and shadow:

  • Flying speed 60 ft

  • Resistance to all damage

  • All weapon and spell attacks deal +1d10 cold + 1d10 necrotic

  • Ebon Echo summons cost no action

  • You can summon 2 Ebon Echoes at once

  • Creatures slain by you are immediately raised as loyal Ebon Echo minions

☠️ Mythic Curse – Black Void Recoil

You must now succeed on DC 18 Wisdom saves at the end of each long rest to resist.

If you fail twice in a row, you lose control of your character for 1d4 rounds in combat as ancestral spirits or Void voices take over.

Effects may include:

  • Casting high-level shadow/ice spells at random targets

  • Temporarily gaining extra actions, but attacking allies

  • Becoming intangible and fleeing combat to a haunted site

 

🩸 Shadow Madness Table (1d8)

d8 Shadow Madness Effect
1 Whispers of the Eclipse – You hear the ancestral voices constantly, whispering truths and lies. You have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks and cannot benefit from Inspiration. However, you gain advantage on Insight checks vs. deception.
2 Fractured Time Glimpse – Visions of a forgotten future or false past overwhelm you. For the next hour, you roll a d4 before each action: On a 1, you lose the action to the vision. On a 4, your action happens twice.
3 The Mirror Doesn’t Lie – Your reflection moves independently and attempts to kill you. Once per day, a mirror image of you (same stats) appears and fights alongside your enemies until destroyed.
4 Hollow Eyes – You see only in grayscale. All creatures appear as shadowy husks. You automatically fail all Charisma checks toward humanoids for 8 hours, but gain advantage on attack rolls against them.
5 Bleeding Moonlight – A glowing lunar wound appears across your chest. You emit dim moonlight in a 15 ft radius and can’t be hidden. While glowing, you take +1 radiant damage per hit, but your spells gain +2 to spell DCs.
6 Ebon Echo Rebellion – One of your summoned Ebon Echoes turns hostile and attempts to kill you or your allies. If you don’t currently have one summoned, it emerges anyway and uses your stats but acts aggressively.
7 Lunar Possession – You are possessed by an ancestor who believes you are the intruder. For the next 10 minutes, your voice changes, and you must roll a DC 15 Charisma saving throw to resist using any shadow or necromantic magic. Failure forces you to cast a random shadow spell.
8 Shatter the Chain – You become convinced a trusted ally is an impostor planted by the Void. You cannot be persuaded otherwise for 24 hours and have disadvantage on all rolls involving that ally. If they cast magic near you, you must succeed a DC 15 Wisdom save or attack them.
 
Feat:

Ebon Echo: Shadow Familiar of the Nagushi

A shadow of the self. A curse of the blood. A fragment of what was lost in the fall of the Nagushi.

1. Lore Overview

Those burdened by the Haunted by the Nagushi background are sometimes followed by manifestations of their fractured soul called Ebon Echoes. These spectral undead-like shadows embody fear, guilt, and cursed ancestry. Thought to be remnants of the slain Nagushi nobles or fragments of the bearer’s soul fractured by ancestral trauma and Void corruption.

The Ebon Echo silently observes, protects, or occasionally sabotages depending on the bearer’s sanity and choices. They are bound by blood and shadow, unable to pass fully beyond the mortal coil.

2. Basic Background Version (Weak Manifestation)

Stat Block

  • Creature Type: Undead (Shadow, Echo)

  • Size: Tiny

  • AC: 13 + your Proficiency Bonus

  • HP: Your level × 2

  • Speed: 30 ft. (hover)

Ability Score Modifier
STR 6 -2
DEX 16 +3
CON 10 +0
INT 10 +0
WIS 14 +2
CHA 6 -2

  • Damage Resistances: Necrotic, Psychic

  • Damage Immunity: Poison

  • Condition Immunities: Exhaustion, Charmed, Poisoned, Grappled

  • Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Truesight 15 ft.

  • Languages: Understands your languages, does not speak

  • Proficiency Bonus: Matches your character’s PB

Abilities

  • Shadow Bind (1/Rest): Tendril lash to restrain (DC 13 Strength save, restrained 1 round)

  • Wail of Regret (Recharge 6): Psychic scream, 10 ft radius, DC 12 Wisdom save, 2d6 psychic damage + disadvantage on Insight/Perception checks for 1 hour

  • Echo Meld (Passive): Advantage on Stealth in dim light/darkness; see through Echo’s eyes as bonus action

  • Shadow Reprisal: When you drop to 0 HP (not killed outright), Echo can make a shadow strike (2d6 necrotic) to a creature within 30 ft before fading

3. Evolved Shadow Familiar Version

Requirements to Unlock

  • Have Haunted by the Nagushi background

  • Complete a personal quest (retrieve heirloom, face ancestral guilt, visit Nagushi ruins)

  • Perform a Shadow-binding Ritual

  • DM approval

Stat Block

  • Tiny Undead (Shadow, Echo), Neutral

  • AC: 13 + PB

  • HP: Your level × 3

  • Speed: 30 ft. (hover), Fly 40 ft. (shadow-glide)

Ability Score Modifier
STR 4 -3
DEX 16 +3
CON 12 +1
INT 10 +0
WIS 14 +2
CHA 8 -1

  • Saving Throws: Dex + PB, Wis + PB

  • Skills: Stealth + PB, Perception + PB, Arcana + PB

  • Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Blindsight 10 ft., Truesight 10 ft.

  • Languages: Understands your languages, telepathic bond within 1 mile

  • Resistances: Necrotic, Psychic, Cold

  • Immunities: Poison, Charmed, Exhaustion, Grappled, Restrained

  • Condition Immunities: Poisoned, Frightened

Features

  • Bound to the Soul: Summon/dismiss with 1-hour ritual; cannot be permanently killed, re-summon after long rest

  • Whispers from Beyond: Advantage on Arcana, History, Religion checks related to Nagushi, Void, undead, curses. Cast Augury or Detect Thoughts once per long rest telepathically

  • Shadowmeld: Invisible in dim light/darkness unless acting; bonus action merge for Truesight 10 ft. + necrotic resistance 1 min

  • Echo Slash (Level 5+): Melee spell attack (+PB + spellcasting mod), 1d6+PB necrotic damage (2d6 at 10+), DC Wisdom save or frightened 1 round

  • Soul Anchor (Level 10+): Once per long rest, when you drop to 0 HP, stay conscious at 1 HP for 1 round (Con save DC 15 next round or fall unconscious)

  • Frozen Echo (Optional): Once per long rest, 15-ft cone 2d6 cold damage + slowed

4. Spellcasting Variant

Stat Block Changes

  • HP: Your level × 2 + your spellcasting modifier

  • INT: 12 (+1), others same as evolved familiar

  • Spellcasting uses your spellcasting ability and proficiency bonus

Spellcasting Features

  • Can cast 1 spell per turn as bonus action or reaction

  • Spell level scales with character level (1st at 5, 2nd at 9, 3rd at 13)

  • Uses your spell slots or granted slots (max 3 per long rest)

  • Spells require no verbal or material components when cast by Echo

Spells Known

  • Cantrips: Chill Touch, Minor Illusion, Toll the Dead, Frostbite

  • 1st Level: Shadow Blade, Disguise Self, Ice Knife, Mage Armor

  • 2nd Level: Mirror Image, Misty Step, Blindness/Deafness

  • 3rd Level: Major Image, Counterspell, Bestow Curse

Unique Abilities

  • Frozen Pulse (Recharge 5–6): 10-ft radius, DC Con save, 2d6 cold + 2d6 necrotic, slowed (no reactions, -10 ft movement)

  • Shadow Vessel: Once per short rest, cast one spell from Echo’s position instead of yours; single-target spells that miss don’t expend slot

  • Echoed Memories: Once per long rest, recast one spell you cast that day (uses your spell slot or once free if 1st-level)

Optional Upgrades

  • Soul Echo: Cast Revivify once per long rest through Echo

  • Void Battery: Echo stores one spell slot (1st–3rd level)

  • Phantom Shield: Cast Shield once per long rest as reaction on you or itself

  • Fragment of Vasari: Summon a shadow illusion of Vasari for 1 min (RP or mechanical boost vs. Nagushi creatures)

5. Shadow Madness Table

d8 Effect
1 Whispers of the Eclipse: Disadvantage on Perception, no Inspiration; advantage on Insight vs deception
2 Fractured Time Glimpse: Roll d4 before action; 1=lose action, 4=double action
3 Mirror Doesn’t Lie: Mirror Image fights your enemies once per day
4 Hollow Eyes: Fail Charisma checks vs humanoids; advantage attacks on them for 8 hours
5 Bleeding Moonlight: Emit dim light; take +1 radiant damage per hit; spells +2 DC
6 Ebon Echo Rebellion: Summoned Echo turns hostile using your stats
7 Lunar Possession: Possessed, forced random shadow spell cast on DC 15 save fail
8 Shatter the Chain: Distrust ally, disadvantage with them, possible attack on spell cast
 
Echoes of the Nagushi’s Curse

Prior to becoming an adventurer, your path in life was defined by one dark moment, one fateful decision, or one tragedy. Now you feel a darkness threatening to consume you, and you fear there may be no hope of escape. Choose a harrowing event that haunts you, or roll one on the Harrowing Events table.

Table: Echoes of the Nagushi’s Curse

When you fail a saving throw against your Shadowbound Curse or encounter intense ancestral or void-related stress, roll 1d8 and apply the corresponding effect. These effects reflect the deep psychological and supernatural torment tied to the Nagushi bloodline’s shadow.

d8 Echoes of the Nagushi’s Curse Effect
1 Whispers of Forgotten Blood – Haunting voices of fallen ancestors murmur to you. You have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks and can’t benefit from Inspiration for 1 hour, but you gain advantage on Insight checks to detect lies.
2 Fractured Time Rift – Your mind fractures with visions of broken timelines. For 1 hour, roll a d4 before each action: on a 1, you lose your action; on a 4, you can act twice that turn.
3 Mirror of the Damned – Your reflection animates and becomes hostile. Once per day, a spectral mirror image appears, fighting your allies for 1 minute or until destroyed.
4 Hollow Gaze of the Void – Your eyes turn shadowy and hollow. You automatically fail all Charisma checks toward humanoids for 8 hours but gain advantage on attack rolls against them.
5 Lunar Wound of the Fallen – A glowing, crescent-shaped scar appears on your body, shedding dim light in a 15-foot radius. You take +1 radiant damage from all sources but your spells gain +2 to their saving throw DCs for 1 hour.
6 Rebellion of the Ebon Echo – Your summoned Ebon Echo becomes hostile, attacking you and your allies until defeated. If no Echo is summoned, one appears anyway using your stats.
7 Possession of the Bloodline – An ancestral spirit briefly takes control. For 10 minutes, you speak with a different voice and must succeed on a DC 15 Charisma saving throw to resist casting a random shadow spell when prompted.
8 Fractured Trust – You become convinced a trusted ally is a Void impostor. You have disadvantage on all rolls involving that ally for 24 hours and must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw to resist attacking them if they cast a spell near you.
d10 Echoes of the Nagushi’s Curse
1 A monster that slaughtered dozens of innocent people spared your life, and you don’t know why.
2 You were born under a dark star. You can feel it watching you, coldly and distantly. Sometimes it beckons you in the dead of night.
3 An apparition that has haunted your family for generations now haunts you. You don’t know what it wants, and it won’t leave you alone.
4 Your family has a history of practicing the dark arts. You dabbled once and felt something horrible clutch at your soul, whereupon you fled in terror.
5 An oni took your sibling one cold, dark night, and you were unable to stop it.
6 You were cursed with lycanthropy and later cured. You are now haunted by the innocents you slaughtered.
7 A hag kidnapped and raised you. You escaped, but the hag still has a magical hold over you and fills your mind with evil thoughts.
8 You opened an eldritch tome and saw things unfit for a sane mind. You burned the book, but its words and images are burned into your psyche.
9 A fiend possessed you as a child. You were locked away but escaped. The fiend is still inside you, but now you try to keep it locked away.
10 You did terrible things to avenge the murder of someone you loved. You became a monster, and it haunts your waking dreams.
 
Spell List
Spell Level Spells
Cantrip chill touch, frostbite, minor illusion, toll the dead
1st cause fear, disguise self, ice knife, mage armor
2nd blindness/deafness, hold person, mirror image, misty step
3rd bestow curse, counterspell, major image, summon shadowspawn, vampiric touch
4th blight, greater invisibility, ice storm, phantasmal killer
 
Suggested Characteristics

You have learned to live with the terror that haunts you. You are a survivor, who can be very protective of those who bring light into your darkened life.

d8 Personality Trait
1 I don’t run from evil. Evil runs from me.
2 I like to read and memorize poetry. It keeps me calm and brings me fleeting moments of happiness.
3 I spend money freely and live life to the fullest, knowing that tomorrow I might die.
4 I live for the thrill of the hunt.
5 I don’t talk about the thing that torments me. I’d rather not burden others with my curse.
6 I expect danger around every corner.
7 I refuse to become a victim, and I will not allow others to be victimized.
8 I put no trust in divine beings.
d6 Ideal
1 I try to help those in need, no matter what the personal cost. (Good)
2 I’ll stop the spirits that haunt me or die trying. (Any)
3 I kill monsters to make the world a safer place, and to exorcise my own demons. (Good)
4 I have a dark calling that puts me above the law. (Chaotic)
5 I like to know my enemy’s capabilities and weaknesses before rushing into battle. (Lawful)
6 I’m a monster that destroys other monsters, and anything else that gets in my way. (Evil)
d6 Bond
1 I keep my thoughts and discoveries in a journal. My journal is my legacy.
2 I would sacrifice my life and my soul to protect the innocent.
3 My torment drove away the person I love. I strive to win back the love I’ve lost.
4 A terrible guilt consumes me. I hope that I can find redemption through my actions.
5 There’s evil in me, I can feel it. It must never be set free.
6 I have a child to protect. I must make the world a safer place for him (or her).
d6 Flaw
1 I have certain rituals that I must follow every day. I can never break them.
2 I assume the worst in people.
3 I feel no compassion for the dead. They’re the lucky ones.
4 I have an addiction.
5 I am a purveyor of doom and gloom who lives in a world without hope.
6 I talk to spirits that no one else can see.
 
Tags:
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DM_Nagushi
Haunted By The Nagushi Image

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