Homebrew Afterimage Race Details

In an instant, I was born.
In an instant, I knew the entirety of my existence.
In an instant, I understood my purpose.
In an instant, I returned to the Void.

That was how it was supposed to be,
Until that accursed mage bound me here.
Now I wander, drawn to the Void for eternity,
Afraid to enter the one place I truly belong.

— An Afterimage's testimony of how they came into being

An Afterimage is a pale copy of another creature, usually existing for only a moment and often dismissed by others as illusions or tricks of the eyes. On rare occasions, however, they are bound to the mortal plane, whether by magic or some accident of the universe, and become unaging shades, forced to exist indefinitely against their will, knowing that it is their purpose in life to die but unable to overcome their fear of the Void and end their own lives, desperately seeking some purpose to justify their existence.

Faded Doppelgangers

Afterimages are as diverse as the races that create them, appearing as dim shades of the creatures or people they were born from. They are non-distinct to the vision, appearing blurry or blending into the background of one's vision unless they are focused on, and they often appear desaturated and grayscale. When trapped into a continued existence, they tend to mimic the mannerisms and personality of the being they copy, despite remembering nothing of their "real" counterpart's life. Normally, their lifespan is only a single instant; however, when forced to exist for longer, they become unaging beings that know no illness, and cannot die unless killed.

A Momentary Existence

Despite being relatively common and extremely diverse in their forms and mannerisms, it is unthinkably rare to encounter an Afterimage for long enough to hold a conversation. Their existence is a blissfully short one, taking place entirely within a single instant, in which they fully understand their one purpose in life - to be consigned to the Void. Though they have no culture, as their lives are too fleeting to interact with their fellows, they collectively view the Void as a powerful and benevolent god, both creating them and accepting them in an instant as a momentary flash of reality passes them by.

However, should they be wrested from this process and forced into a continued existence, they begin to fear the very god they worship, sure that they have unwittingly incurred the wrath of the Void to be cast out in such a manner. They become torn between wanting to go home to the Void, and fear of leaving behind their mortal existence only to be rejected and cast out into total non-existence. This constant battle of purpose is likely to drive them mad, unless they are able to find a purpose for which to exist, in order to distract themselves from the fact that they should not. Unfortunately, this can never truly fulfill their craving for meaning and purpose, and as they are unable to age and die naturally, suicide is often the only permanent remedy to be found.

Natural Poets

Afterimages that have been bound to the mortal plane have a notable attachment to poetry and verse, born in part from the natural tempo of their short natural existences and in part from their innate desire to appease the Void, which song is a natural reflection of. Most afterimages speak in verse and stanza of some kind, with each preferring their own specific brand of poetry; everything from limericks to haikus has been observed in their speech patterns. They have a natural disposition towards becoming bards, finding purpose in entertaining others with their songs and stories, just as they claim they were created to entertain the Void.

Afterimage Names and Biology

Afterimages see little use in names, as their existence in the mortal plane is normally too short to allow interaction with other beings such that a name would be required. If they are pressed to choose one, however, they will tend to pick names befitting of the fleeting existence they desire, such as "Shade of a Tree" or "Gust of Wind". A particularly vengeful Afterimage may also choose to take on the name of its creator, if they are able to learn it, out of spite for their entrapment. They generally make no distinction of gender as they do not reproduce, preferring to remain neutral on the matter, though they will typically choose to state the gender of their creator if pressed. They are capable of having physical relationships with other races, but have no particular drive for or attraction to it.

Afterimage Traits

Though extremely rare, Afterimages are as diverse as the races that create them. They tend to take on traits of their source race, forming a pale imitation of the person they unwillingly mimic.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity increases by 1.

Age

Afterimages do not age, and live indefinitely unless killed.

Alignment

Afterimages tend towards Neutral alignments.

Size

Afterimages vary wildly in size and shape based on their creators. Your size is that of your source race.

Speed

Your base walking speed is that of your source race.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice, within the list of languages your source race is eligible to learn.

Illness Immunity

You are unable to become sick or diseased, and have resistance against all poisons.

Maddening Existence

You have disadvantage on saving throws against madness.

Faded Visage

You tend to fade into the background unless directly focused on, allowing you to go relatively unnoticed in many situations. You have proficiency in Stealth.

Racial Inheritance

You tend to mimic the physical traits of the race you were created from. You may choose one racial trait of your source race to apply as your own, on top of your natural racial traits. Any racial traits your chosen trait relies on for its definition (such as Breath Weapon requiring Draconic Ancestry for Dragonborn) will be applied as well. If you have a source subrace, your chosen trait must be applicable to that subrace. The following racial traits may not be copied by this ability:

• Age
• Alignment
• Size
• Speed
• Languages