Racial traits: 1) Ability score. +1 Strength, +1 Constitution, +1 Charisma 2) Age. Any creature of this race can potentially live forever among other mortal races only by siphoning negative emotions from mortals or by devouring souls. 3) Alignment. Neutral evil. These creatures are always evil and this aspect of their alignment can not be changed by any means. However, the follow specific brand of evil - evil against evil. Creatures of this race rarely terrorize or torment innocent creatures, because they prefer to feed on evil souls. Though, when a meal present itself, then they do not reject it no matter what alignment it is. 4) Size. Stand between 6 and 7 feet tall, with their equine bodies reaching about 4 feet at the withers. Your size is Medium 5) Speed. 45 feet. 6) Language. You can speak, read, and write Common, Abyssal, and Infernal. 7) Undead Nature. You are immune to exhaustion and you can't be poisoned. You don't require air, food, drink, or sleep. Also, you are considered as undead for abilities and spells. 8) Undead Weaknesses. You are vulnerable to bludgeoning and radiant damage. 9) Death Stomp.Your hooves are natural melee weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal ((1d8 + your Strength modifier + your Wisdom modifier) / 2) necrotic damage. 10) Equine Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push or drag. In addition, any climb that requires hands and feet is especially difficult for you because of your equine legs. When you make such a climb, each foot of movement costs you 4 extra feet, instead of the normal 1 extra foot. 11) Despair Stalker. You have ability to copy physical appearance of any humanoid creature within your field of vision as a disguise and suppress your Equine Build trait. While transformed you can not attack or cast spells, and doing so will end transformation early. You can end this transformation as an action. Lasts until you end it or until you get attacked. 12) Hunger for Despair. Emit aura to affect all living creatures within 10 feet of you. Living creatures within this aura feel unnaturally happy, optimistic and become reckless, causing them to have disadvantage on Constitution and Wisdom Saving throws. In addition, when any creature dies within area of effect of this aura, then you will be instantly healed for (1 + 0.5 your level; rounded down) HP.
Backstory. In Hades there lives horse-like creatures called Nightmares. These fiends are intelligent and cruel creatures, and their could be found in both the Abyss and the Nine Hells, however, in Hades their presence is quite unique, as well as their death. When their time of death approached, nightmares made their way to the third layer of Hades to a spot called the Hill of Bone to die. It is a massive graveyard for Nightmares, a mountainous heap of bones shaped like a giant equine skeleton when viewed from above. Permeated by an eerie silence, the only noises that could be heard were the occasional whinnies and chuffs, even when no living nightmares were present. Appearing from walls of mist, elderly nightmares occasionally cantered onto the Hill of Bone, saluting it with their heads held high. The Hill responded with its own welcome, an ear-splitting neigh that resounded up to a mile away and could drive listeners mad. When the echoes faded, the nightmare would immediately fall over dead and its skin would rot off alarmingly quickly. The enigmatic happenings on the Hill of Bones belied its true nature as the means by which nightmares achieved immortality alongside their ancient ancestors. Bones of Nightmares retain their essence, their minds and their power. Taking any bones from this place is an unforgivable crime against Nightmares. The Gray waste is also inhabited by soul larvae - creatures born out of evil souls of the mortals. These larvae are mostly used as currency in the Hades as both Demons and Devils need them. Soul larvae are usually quite helpless and can't really fight against other creatures of the Hades. Though, even these pitiful creatures have needs and desires, they can make schemes and grow. Some of them managed to evade capture and slither all the way to the Hill Of Bones. In there they devoured each other, fought for dominance, grew and attuned themselves to the surrounding area. Minds and powers of Nightmares echoing within this place eventually started resonating within soul larvae, and over long time larvae started mutating, changing into new creatures. This process was long and difficult, and it essentially went against the purpose of this place, so eventually souls of Nightmare ancestors got displeased by non-Nightmare inhabitants of this place, so they informed living Nightmares and demanded them to banish mutated larvae form this place. Several elderly Nightmares answered the call and extracted all mutated larvae from Hill of Bones, however, for some reason these larvae look especially delicious, so Nightmares didn't bat an eye to eat them. Without even knowing, these Nightmares doomed themselves for quite different "afterlife" than their other relatives. After death their bodies did not decay in a normal way, instead, they started growing humanoid upper body, which in turn decayed partially. After quite some time they became similar in appearance to centaurs and rose from the dead as new creatures. These new creatures gain ability to speak and no longer identify with their Nightmare ancestors. These new creatures had no place of their own and no name, so they named themselves and started building their own civilization.
Biology. Gray Waste Riders are technically undead as they formed out of dead Nightmares. However, as they feed on life and emotions of living creatures they can function as living creatures if they chose to. With enough feeding they can produce offspring, though exact process of doing so is unclear, as offspring of these creatures are born already matured. Gray Waste Riders are very dependent on feeding on emotions and souls, so their natural habitat (Hades) is, in fact, not an ideal place for them to exist. So, rather than staying in it most of Gray Waste Riders moved to material plane and started living among mortal races. To achieve this their natural skill to morph their own bodies to mimic mortal races was invaluable. Because of their nature and inborn ability to absorb negative emotions, they are never suspected for anything and mortals enjoy being in their company quite a lot. So, Gray Waste Riders tend to develop quite a lot of friendships with mortals, but these friendships never leads to Gray Waste Riders revealing their true forms. Even when one of them becomes a lover of another mortal creature, Gray Waste Riders keep their true form as an ultimate secret. Gray Waste Riders can reproduce with mortal races, though, their offspring are usually die in childbirth. Those who survive grow up as race of their mortal parent, but after death turn into Gray Waste Rider. Biology of Gray Waste Riders heavily depends on the amount of souls or negative emotions they manage to absorb. The more - the better. A starving Gray Waste Rider can not reproduce, becomes physically weakened and can eventually crumble into a pile of dusts. That's why most of them choose professions and occupations where they have to spend along time among as many people as possible which in turn boost Gray Waste Riders with power and allow them to reproduce.
Society. Each and every Gray Waste Rider is an individual. They do not form a special racial connection with each other, even though they can recognize each other's true form on sight. Most often they chose to abide to the laws of any society they moved to live to. However, they have one societal tradition which is followed by every single individual of this race. During event of Gloom Meet all Gray Waste Riders meet each other and other creatures of the lower planes. Like other creatures, they attend this event to do diplomacy, share information, create connections, but most importantly, Gray Waste Riders also meet up to test their own strength. They participate in three competitions against each other: 1) Running across the Hades to test who is the fastest; 2) Lifting heave rocks or even each other to test who is the strongest; 3) Several fastest and strongest of them compete in one-on-one fighting competition to test the is the most powerful. These competitions usually yields one clear victor. Victor is crowned as the most powerful member of their race and get quite a lot of respect from other Gray Waste Riders, but this position is mostly honorary and does not grant extra privileges among their race. Currently population of Gray Waste Riders is quite low and it changes very slowly. Though, there might be lots of their mortal children who will turn into Gray Waste Riders only after death. Their small population size and the fact that they hide their true forms made it so that most of mortals don't even know about existence of this race. Only very few mortals are actually aware about this race existence, because the only time Gray Waste Riders reveals their true form is the time when they need to kill somebody.
Religion. Gray Waste Riders do not have their own religion and instead chose to adopt religions of mortal races they live among. Usually Gray Waste Riders are irreligious and have negative outlook on gods. However, from time to time you can find a cleric or a paladin who immersed into affairs of mortals that they eventually got dragged into becoming clerics or paladins. Though, their true alignment does not change, so not all gods decide to share their powers with evil undeads disguised as mortals.
Guild of the Hallow Riders. Several Gray Waste Riders formed a tiny guild with other sentient undeads. This guild focuses primary on hunting down evil creatures (especially litches) and maintaining identities of sentient undeads a secret. Only members of this guild would ever consider to reveal their true forms to mortals and not to kill them immediately after doing so, because sometimes they have to work together with some other mortals and are forced to reveal their true forms. Most of members of this guild are either adventurers or outlaws, but occasionally a new Gray Waste Rider joins them who was born as a mortal but after death they turned into a Gray Waste Rider.
Mortal Children. After spending enough time among the mortals Gray Waste Rider can conceive a child with a mortal. This child in life resembles their mortal parents, but after death turns into a Gray Waste Rider. They do not retain any of their racial traits after turning, but they do retain their memories, skills and knowledge of languages. They also retain their class, however, their alignment changes to evil. Gray Waste Riders who were born as mortals usually have no idea of what happens after their death, so turning into Gray Waste Rider usually is quite shocking and sometimes causes lots of stress. Some of them become enraged and start lashing out at everyone around them, and it is up to their Gray Waste Rider parent to calm down their offspring and teach them about their true nature.
Race name: Gray Waste Rider
Racial traits:
1) Ability score. +1 Strength, +1 Constitution, +1 Charisma
2) Age. Any creature of this race can potentially live forever among other mortal races only by siphoning negative emotions from mortals or by devouring souls.
3) Alignment. Neutral evil. These creatures are always evil and this aspect of their alignment can not be changed by any means. However, the follow specific brand of evil - evil against evil. Creatures of this race rarely terrorize or torment innocent creatures, because they prefer to feed on evil souls. Though, when a meal present itself, then they do not reject it no matter what alignment it is.
4) Size. Stand between 6 and 7 feet tall, with their equine bodies reaching about 4 feet at the withers. Your size is Medium
5) Speed. 45 feet.
6) Language. You can speak, read, and write Common, Abyssal, and Infernal.
7) Undead Nature. You are immune to exhaustion and you can't be poisoned. You don't require air, food, drink, or sleep. Also, you are considered as undead for abilities and spells.
8) Undead Weaknesses. You are vulnerable to bludgeoning and radiant damage.
9) Death Stomp. Your hooves are natural melee weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal ((1d8 + your Strength modifier + your Wisdom modifier) / 2) necrotic damage.
10) Equine Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push or drag. In addition, any climb that requires hands and feet is especially difficult for you because of your equine legs. When you make such a climb, each foot of movement costs you 4 extra feet, instead of the normal 1 extra foot.
11) Despair Stalker. You have ability to copy physical appearance of any humanoid creature within your field of vision as a disguise and suppress your Equine Build trait. While transformed you can not attack or cast spells, and doing so will end transformation early. You can end this transformation as an action. Lasts until you end it or until you get attacked.
12) Hunger for Despair. Emit aura to affect all living creatures within 10 feet of you. Living creatures within this aura feel unnaturally happy, optimistic and become reckless, causing them to have disadvantage on Constitution and Wisdom Saving throws. In addition, when any creature dies within area of effect of this aura, then you will be instantly healed for (1 + 0.5 your level; rounded down) HP.
Backstory.
In Hades there lives horse-like creatures called Nightmares. These fiends are intelligent and cruel creatures, and their could be found in both the Abyss and the Nine Hells, however, in Hades their presence is quite unique, as well as their death. When their time of death approached, nightmares made their way to the third layer of Hades to a spot called the Hill of Bone to die. It is a massive graveyard for Nightmares, a mountainous heap of bones shaped like a giant equine skeleton when viewed from above. Permeated by an eerie silence, the only noises that could be heard were the occasional whinnies and chuffs, even when no living nightmares were present. Appearing from walls of mist, elderly nightmares occasionally cantered onto the Hill of Bone, saluting it with their heads held high. The Hill responded with its own welcome, an ear-splitting neigh that resounded up to a mile away and could drive listeners mad. When the echoes faded, the nightmare would immediately fall over dead and its skin would rot off alarmingly quickly. The enigmatic happenings on the Hill of Bones belied its true nature as the means by which nightmares achieved immortality alongside their ancient ancestors. Bones of Nightmares retain their essence, their minds and their power. Taking any bones from this place is an unforgivable crime against Nightmares.
The Gray waste is also inhabited by soul larvae - creatures born out of evil souls of the mortals. These larvae are mostly used as currency in the Hades as both Demons and Devils need them. Soul larvae are usually quite helpless and can't really fight against other creatures of the Hades. Though, even these pitiful creatures have needs and desires, they can make schemes and grow. Some of them managed to evade capture and slither all the way to the Hill Of Bones. In there they devoured each other, fought for dominance, grew and attuned themselves to the surrounding area. Minds and powers of Nightmares echoing within this place eventually started resonating within soul larvae, and over long time larvae started mutating, changing into new creatures. This process was long and difficult, and it essentially went against the purpose of this place, so eventually souls of Nightmare ancestors got displeased by non-Nightmare inhabitants of this place, so they informed living Nightmares and demanded them to banish mutated larvae form this place.
Several elderly Nightmares answered the call and extracted all mutated larvae from Hill of Bones, however, for some reason these larvae look especially delicious, so Nightmares didn't bat an eye to eat them. Without even knowing, these Nightmares doomed themselves for quite different "afterlife" than their other relatives. After death their bodies did not decay in a normal way, instead, they started growing humanoid upper body, which in turn decayed partially. After quite some time they became similar in appearance to centaurs and rose from the dead as new creatures. These new creatures gain ability to speak and no longer identify with their Nightmare ancestors.
These new creatures had no place of their own and no name, so they named themselves and started building their own civilization.
Biology.
Gray Waste Riders are technically undead as they formed out of dead Nightmares. However, as they feed on life and emotions of living creatures they can function as living creatures if they chose to. With enough feeding they can produce offspring, though exact process of doing so is unclear, as offspring of these creatures are born already matured.
Gray Waste Riders are very dependent on feeding on emotions and souls, so their natural habitat (Hades) is, in fact, not an ideal place for them to exist. So, rather than staying in it most of Gray Waste Riders moved to material plane and started living among mortal races. To achieve this their natural skill to morph their own bodies to mimic mortal races was invaluable.
Because of their nature and inborn ability to absorb negative emotions, they are never suspected for anything and mortals enjoy being in their company quite a lot. So, Gray Waste Riders tend to develop quite a lot of friendships with mortals, but these friendships never leads to Gray Waste Riders revealing their true forms. Even when one of them becomes a lover of another mortal creature, Gray Waste Riders keep their true form as an ultimate secret.
Gray Waste Riders can reproduce with mortal races, though, their offspring are usually die in childbirth. Those who survive grow up as race of their mortal parent, but after death turn into Gray Waste Rider.
Biology of Gray Waste Riders heavily depends on the amount of souls or negative emotions they manage to absorb. The more - the better. A starving Gray Waste Rider can not reproduce, becomes physically weakened and can eventually crumble into a pile of dusts. That's why most of them choose professions and occupations where they have to spend along time among as many people as possible which in turn boost Gray Waste Riders with power and allow them to reproduce.
Society.
Each and every Gray Waste Rider is an individual. They do not form a special racial connection with each other, even though they can recognize each other's true form on sight. Most often they chose to abide to the laws of any society they moved to live to.
However, they have one societal tradition which is followed by every single individual of this race. During event of Gloom Meet all Gray Waste Riders meet each other and other creatures of the lower planes. Like other creatures, they attend this event to do diplomacy, share information, create connections, but most importantly, Gray Waste Riders also meet up to test their own strength. They participate in three competitions against each other:
1) Running across the Hades to test who is the fastest;
2) Lifting heave rocks or even each other to test who is the strongest;
3) Several fastest and strongest of them compete in one-on-one fighting competition to test the is the most powerful.
These competitions usually yields one clear victor. Victor is crowned as the most powerful member of their race and get quite a lot of respect from other Gray Waste Riders, but this position is mostly honorary and does not grant extra privileges among their race.
Currently population of Gray Waste Riders is quite low and it changes very slowly. Though, there might be lots of their mortal children who will turn into Gray Waste Riders only after death. Their small population size and the fact that they hide their true forms made it so that most of mortals don't even know about existence of this race. Only very few mortals are actually aware about this race existence, because the only time Gray Waste Riders reveals their true form is the time when they need to kill somebody.
Religion.
Gray Waste Riders do not have their own religion and instead chose to adopt religions of mortal races they live among.
Usually Gray Waste Riders are irreligious and have negative outlook on gods. However, from time to time you can find a cleric or a paladin who immersed into affairs of mortals that they eventually got dragged into becoming clerics or paladins. Though, their true alignment does not change, so not all gods decide to share their powers with evil undeads disguised as mortals.
Guild of the Hallow Riders.
Several Gray Waste Riders formed a tiny guild with other sentient undeads. This guild focuses primary on hunting down evil creatures (especially litches) and maintaining identities of sentient undeads a secret. Only members of this guild would ever consider to reveal their true forms to mortals and not to kill them immediately after doing so, because sometimes they have to work together with some other mortals and are forced to reveal their true forms. Most of members of this guild are either adventurers or outlaws, but occasionally a new Gray Waste Rider joins them who was born as a mortal but after death they turned into a Gray Waste Rider.
Mortal Children.
After spending enough time among the mortals Gray Waste Rider can conceive a child with a mortal. This child in life resembles their mortal parents, but after death turns into a Gray Waste Rider. They do not retain any of their racial traits after turning, but they do retain their memories, skills and knowledge of languages. They also retain their class, however, their alignment changes to evil.
Gray Waste Riders who were born as mortals usually have no idea of what happens after their death, so turning into Gray Waste Rider usually is quite shocking and sometimes causes lots of stress. Some of them become enraged and start lashing out at everyone around them, and it is up to their Gray Waste Rider parent to calm down their offspring and teach them about their true nature.
If this playable character, I will play it as Lawful Good