Homebrew Ocrasach Sídhe, The Heart-Hungry Species Details

“ You want me to tell of the pain that is hidden in pleasure, the fang that’s concealed by the lip, that kiss that draws a blossom of blood, the joys that wrench the heart Godwards— paltry is the passion that never makes us shudder. True love partakes of terror. ”

— Dante, Paradiso, trans. Jacob Rabinowitz

 The Feywild is home to many fantastic peoples of all sorts, some far more dangerous than others. Strange in their beauty and possessing myriad talents enough to draw stray eyes or unwary hearts, the ocrasach sídhe are a predacious variety of fey that are known to feed on the passions and life force of mortals— drawn to the essence of creativity, they encourage and feed the fires in their potential prey before disappearing entirely once they've drained a mortal for all they're worth. It's a transient life, avoiding repercussions for their feeding and seeking out the newest, most talented target to devour.

Tantalizing Beauty

Though thought of as feminine entities in folklore, the ocrasach sídhe possess two forms that can present in all shapes and sizes. When they appear to those they might potentially target, they're strangely lovely— not conventional beauty, but instead nothing short of striking.

Marked in similarity only by their prominent fangs that they can never quite hide, they otherwise are predisposed to having having vitiligo or albinism, heterochromia, crooked teeth, hooked noses, etc.; traits and even flaws combining to make individuals so visually stunning and unique they tend to linger in the mind long after they've exited view.

Their true form is far more alien. Flawless, smooth skin and perfectly symmetrical faces lend them a haunting uncanniness that is undeniably fey in nature. Their animal-like eyes are unnerving, bright and clear, almost glowing regardless of environmental lighting where they sit in their sockets and almost hypnotic to behold.

Their too-many-jointed bodies have an air of malnutrition regardless of their actual build and are quite frail, relying on their prey being coaxed into allowing them close enough to feed with their honeyed words and sharp, vampire-like fangs.

Dark hair and pale eyes are common, but not a hard and fast rule, and their appearances in both forms are more or less static and cannot be shifted like that of a changeling though they can be changed by the means available to humans.

Parasite's Plight

Fey are known for unusual lifespans and the Heart-Hungry are no different. Ocrasach sídhe age quickly, very few have ever been spotted when they would still physically resemble children, with five of their physical years passing for every one for a mortal, until they reach their physical prime of maturity and physical beauty. At which point, they cease aging altogether — a fully fledged predator, ready to feed and endowed with the curse that marks all of their kind: a ceaseless hunger for life that gives them their moniker, Heart-Hungry.

They can eat food and consume drink, but it only sates a surface craving and cannot sustain them. They require a steady supply of food and longer one goes without feeding, the quicker they wither, growing exponentially more violently desperate and undiscerning in their prey as they careen towards a swift and painful demise. 

Whether due to being captured to protect those they would devour, or lack of access to prey, or being forced to lie low just slightly too long to avoid detection: the hand of another or starvation eventually gets them all, first, one way or another. As such, the true potential lifespan of an ocrasach sídhe is unknown.

Wicked Appetite

Every ocrasach sídhe is born with a hunger. This hunger claws at them constantly from the inside out, and can only be eased by the consumption of that which gives another being life and drive. Puncturing the skin of their prey to drink with their sharp fangs, they draw free more than just mere blood: creative drive and passion, strong emotions and even precious memories.

The ocrasach sídhe are true parasites that cannot live without draining another. Monsters, in the eyes of anyone with common sense.

This hunger is very difficult to suppress and must eventually be sated or else the fey will perish. Only able to be sustained by creatures that can feel, thus leaving animals by and large off the table. This may not always result in the death of their prey, and in fact doesn't need to when granted a willing source, but many ocrasach sídhe kill to avoid being discovered.

Alongside blood, your character is likely to have a favored peculiarity for which they choose their quarry. Roll on or choose an option from the Heart-Hunger table to determine what tempts your character to feed.

D6	NATURE
1	Creativity
2	Memories
3	Strong positive emotions
4	Strong negative emotions
5	Inspiration
6	Passion

 

Creatures of Old Laws

Bound by the rules of the fey more strongly than most others, there are a handful of restrictions that prevent them from asking out of The Heart-Hungry can flatter and omit details, and even weave pretty words around the truth, but they cannot lie.

They benefit from the power of another creature's true name and are magically compelled by the use of their own, and are bound to always repay a debt that they owe without fail. Considering their nature, as a means of self-defense, ocrasach sídhe often travel alone and travel often to avoid being bound or discovered against their will.

Despite this, they can often blend in surprisingly well with humans — well-learned in their culture and picking up important cues other fey might miss from lives spent among mortals to seek out their meals. The ones who cannot learn to play human for even a short time generally don't last long.

Heart-Hungry Names

Guided to protect their True Name for the power it holds over them, the ocrasach sídhe are known to take a thousand names that aren't their own, and quick to abandon any moniker that becomes too significant. Their true names are precious to them, and unlikely to be granted to anyone short of a lifelong friend. The names they take in the meantime are often varied, borrowing from whatever most appeals to their sensibilities. It isn't uncommon for them to take vaguely artistic names.

 

Ocrasach Sídhe, The Heart-Hungry Traits

As an ocrasach sídhe, you have the following racial traits.

Creature Type

You are a Fey.

Size

You are Medium or Small.

Speed

Your walking speed is 30 feet.

Magic of the Hungry

You know the friends cantrip.

Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the charm person spell with this trait. Starting at 5th level, you can also cast the borrowed knowledge spell with this trait. Once you cast charm person or borrowed knowledge with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast either of those spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level.

Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this race).

Draining Bite

 In order to procure your meals, your fanged bite is a natural weapon, which counts as a simple melee weapon with which you are proficient. You add your Charisma modifier, instead of your Strength modifier, to the attack and damage rolls when you attack with this bite. It deals 1d4 piercing damage on a hit. When you are feeding off another character, you deal additional psychic damage equal to your level. While you are missing half or more of your hit points, you have advantage on attack rolls you make with this bite.

When you attack with this bite and hit a creature that isn't a Construct or an Undead, you can empower yourself in one of the following ways of your choice:

• You regain hit points equal to the piercing damage dealt by the bite.
• You gain a bonus to the next ability check or attack roll you make; the bonus equals the piercing damage dealt by the bite.
• You gain proficiency in one of that creatures' proficiencies that you do not share until your next long rest.

You can empower yourself with this bite a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.