Homebrew Wanderer (Possessing Spirits) Race Details

Wanderers are beings from another plane, trapped, visiting, or exiled to this realm. Wanderers have no material bodies of their own, existing as only psychic energy in their natural state. This forces them to possess the bodies of others if they are to interact with a material plane in any way.

Typically, Wanderers will possess the bodies of the recently dead. Their psychic life force is sufficient for the body to resume normal functioning, and the initial possession is often enough to partially heal the body of wounds. It is possible for a Wanderer to possess the body of a living sentient being, but that being must agree to the possession. While its body is possessed, the mind of the living being is shunted away and unconscious for the duration. 

Wanderers tend to be curious in nature--exploring this strange new plane of existence holds a lot of interest for them. Others remain here because they have adopted causes or ideologies--they have witnessed injustice, and have decided to do something about it. Wanderers possessing bodies in a material plane of existence voluntarily have a reason for being there, and they tend to be somewhat single-minded about it. Whatever it is, it is literally their reason for being here at all. Others, trapped here against their will, might be resigned to simply living whatever life interests them.

Trying to Blend In

Because of their alien nature, and because many cultures view the possessing of the bodies of their loved ones as ranging from disrespectful to blasphemous, Wanderers do their best to try to disguise their true nature. They almost always leave the immediate area upon possessing a new body, to help ensure they are not recognized or mistaken for undead by those who knew the deceased. They also gain very little of the previous being's memories, and would be unable to answer questions and behave as the original owner of their body would behave. Many Wanderers have become talented performers and deceivers, but they know nothing of the family or friends of the body they are possessing.

Connected Life Force

A Wanderer's psychic life force is intimately connected to the body it is possessing. Wanderers feel pain, sensations, and take damage just like the original owner of the body, and Wanderers may be killed in the same way that other beings are killed (massive damage, failed death saving throws), if it is not able or is unwilling to leave the body before death occurs. A Wanderer may, on a first or second failed death saving throw of 7-10, elect instead (even while unconscious) to leave the body. If this happens, the Wanderer may not possess a new body, or telepathically communicate with another being, until it completes a long rest.

Wanderers may also voluntarily leave a possessed body at any time they are conscious. Possessing a new body in this case requires finishing a short or long rest. Possessing a new body in any case requires an action.

While not in possession of a body, it is possible for a Wanderer to communicate telepathically with living and embodied sentient beings--each being is able to understand only the thoughts the other being chooses to project, and either being may end the communication--and refuse further communication--at any time. Refusing persistent attempts at such communication from a Wanderer requires concentration as per spell casting. No attacks can be made or damage done via this mode of communication. Wanderers not in possession of a body cannot be harmed by attacks, spells, or other actions short of a Wish spell.

Classes and Backgrounds

Wanderers have access to all the classes available to other races. They can cast spells, gain proficiencies of their own, and use all the features and feats available to other races. Occasional adjustments must be made, or additional subclasses developed--explaining how a Wanderer has a draconic bloodline can of course be done, or the same benefits can be conferred with a different explanation.

Wanderers come to the material plane at any age, and many remain in specific cultures or even towns for years, so all classes and backgrounds are available to them. Perhaps a Wanderer found their way to a barbarian village at a young age, possessed the body of a young girl the moment she died, made a 'miraculous recovery', and lived in the village for another 20 years. Explain your class and background as you and your DM see fit.

Wanderer Names

Most Wanderers, wishing to avoid detection, choose names that correspond to the race or culture of the body they are possessing. Wanderers' own names are unpronouncable in any other language, although some will choose names for themselves in other languages that they carry with them from body to body. Often these names involve mental traits, quirks, or habits; other times they reflect something akin to an occupation. Examples of chosen Wanderer names include Curious, Passion, Well-Wisher, Guardian, Cautious, Scribe, Watcher, or even Book-Binder or Baker. Still others simply choose one name--often from the first race they possessed a body from, or from a body they lived in for a long time--an continue to use that throughout other possessions.

Wanderer (Possessing Spirits) Traits

Wanderers have the following benefits and features.

Ability Scores

As a being of psychic energy only, you do not have your own scores for strength, dexterity, or constitution.

What you have instead are inherent bonuses or penalties to the raw scores for each of these ability scores. This reflects your individual ability to make the most of, or the least of, a body's physical capabilities.

  • At character creation, buy, roll for, or otherwise generate your ability scores as usual.
  • For strength, dexterity, and constitution, subtract 12 from your final score (this may result in a negative number).
  • Record the result of these calculations on your character sheet. 
  • Each time you possess a new body, add these numbers to the ability scores of the body in question.
  • Example: at character creation, you determine that you have a strength score of 15, a dexterity of 12, and a constitution of 10. Subtracting 12 from each, you record a 3 for strength, a 0 for dexterity, and a -2 for constitution. When you possess any body, you add 3 to that body's strength score (maximum of 20), make no adjustment to the dexterity score, and subtract 2 from the constitution score (minimum of 8).
  • You may increase these scores like any other with ability score increases (for example at 4th level of your class).

Ability Score Increases

Your wisdom and/or intelligence increase by a combined 2 points. You may divide these up between the two scores, or increase one score by 2.

Age

Wanderers do not have to deal with the physical decay of one body. They are considered to reach mental maturity after 10 to 15 years, and their existence as a psychic life force can last as long as 1000 years. Most Wanderers who have died of old age have reported simply being 'tired', and have perhaps willingly stopped existing.

Size

A Wanderer is the size of the body they are currently possessing. Note that the body must have been that of a sentient creature, and no Wanderers have ever been found possessing non-humanoid creatures, fiends, celestials, or undead. This may be indicative of a limitation in their ability to possess bodies. (All possession of non-PC race bodies is at the DM's discretion.)

Speed

A Wanderer's speed is the default speed of the body they are possessing. Any additional speed bonuses the previous (or current) owner of the body possessed (e.g. via the class features of a monk) are not gained by the Wanderer.

All movement types available to the body through non-magical means are available to the Wanderer, including flight, swimming, and climbing.

Darkvision/Keen Senses/Trance/Sunlight Sensitivity/Etc.

Other racial abilities that are deemed to be inherent in the physical body (e.g. darkvision) will be possessed by the Wanderer. Any racial abilities deemed to be learned (e.g. elven weapon training) are not possessed by the Wanderer.

Consult your DM in each case. Some racial features, such as cantrips, are not as obvious. You DM will decide for each race and feature.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common. Your experience living among many different races has also granted you the ability to speak, read, and write 3 other languages of your choosing. 

Wanderers have their own language that you are fluent in. It is entirely a language of telepathy, including a blending of words, images, feelings, and more nebulous forms of thought. Thus the Wanderer language cannot be written, read, or spoken.

Wanderers can communicate in their own language only when disembodied. 

Spell Interactions

Certain spells will affect you in unusual ways due to your nature as a possessing psychic entity. You cannot be targeted by any spell short of a Wish spell while you are not possessing a body.

  • Banishing Smite: You are not native to this plane, but your connection to the possessed body keeps you from being banished to your home plane. Rather, in addition to regular damage, you must make a charisma save or be forced from the possessed body for 1 round. During that round, the body will function as it would without your possession--a body that was dead will crumple to the ground. A willingly possessed body will stand in a daze for the round, able to protect itself, but unable to take any action other than Dodge. You experience nothing during this round--you are disembodied, unable to communicate, and unaware of what is happening around the body. You automatically return to the body at the end of the round.
  • Banishment: As Banishing Smite, without the damage.
  • Forbiddance: You are unable to possess a body within the area of effect, or leave a body you are currently possessing that is within the area of effect.
  • Forcecage: You may leave the cage by leaving the body you are possessing, provided you succeed on a charisma saving throw. You may make a number of saves equal to your charisma modifier. A short or long rest allows you to make that same number of saves again.
  • Imprisonment: The functioning of this spell depends on the particular version of the spell chosen by the caster.
    • Burial, Hedged Prison, Minimum Containment: You are unable to pass through the barriers of the spell, even in your disembodied psychic state.
    • Slumber: You fall asleep as per the spell.
    • Chaining: You are able to leave your restrained body at any time, by the usual methods.
  • Magic Jar: You may use this spell to force possession of a body, as per the spell description, if you cast it while possessing a body. Your ability scores remain or change as per your racial description. If you wish, you may place the target's soul into the body you were in when you cast the spell, rather than in another container. If so, they are able to control the body as if it was their own for the duration of the spell.
  • Mind Blank: This spell prevents disembodied Wanderers from telepathically communicating with the target.
  • Speak with Dead: This spell has no effect on any body you are currently possessing.
  • True Seeing: This spell will reveal that the body is possessed, but there is no 'image' of what you the possessing entity are.

Healing the Body

When you possess a body, your psychic life force imbues the body, allowing you to take control of it. This action also confers some minor healing to the body. When you possess a body that has not been possessed by a Wanderer for at least 8 hours, you (the body) gain 1 hit point, to a minimum of 1 hit point. Any wounds the body suffers from are considered stable. At the DM's discretion, a body that died from a disease or infection may still be afflicted.
Brotherbock

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