Homebrew Darakhul Species Details

The darakhul are no strangers to darkness, and over the years, the members of the Twilight Empire deftly adapted to their new home and carved out a thriving civilization in the Shadow Realm. They have grown into a powerful force. Living flesh is scarce in the Shadow Realm, so while the darakhul still hunt the living denizens of the plane and maintain elaborate trade networks to secure living cargo from mortal lands, they have discovered that the crackling trees—an invasive species originating in Evermaw—can assuage much of their hunger, and they have learned to subsist on the bloodlike sap drawn from these trees. This practice marks them though, for the corruption inherent in the flora causes a permanent blackening of the teeth, recession of the gums, and shriveling of the flesh around the mouth. As a result, the darakhul of the Shadow Realm are much less concerned with concealing their true nature. After all, they are far from the worst things that stalk the darkness. In addition to the heritage subrace options presented in Tome of Heroes, a darakhul character from the Shadow Realm can choose one of the options below.

INTO THE BIG, WIDE, WORLD

Some darakhul venture into the wider world on the business of their empire. Maintaining their state requires envoys and ambassadors, messengers and scouts, traders and commerce, as well as knowledge of events in the surface world. These undead diplomats engage with races they might otherwise consider food out of duty to the empire and with a specific purpose. Other members of their kind, however, have no such obligations. For adventuring darakhul, those in self-imposed exile, or those who never belonged to a darakhul empire, the quest to master their own hunger, to transcend their role as predators of sentient beings, is as much a part of their journey as the current quest. These characters typically want to grow beyond their ghoulish appetites and regain some part of their former lives in the cultures and societies of the world’s surface. No one knows better than the darakhul that they can’t overcome their nature unless they confront it. But no matter how urbane or well-controlled the rare diplomat or merchant might seem to be, the prejudice of the living against the undead is powerful and visceral. Humanity views the darakhul with suspicion if not outright hostility, and it is difficult— but not impossible—for a darakhul to allay those fears.   

THE CUT OF YOUR CLOAK

A quality disguise is one of the best tools for a darakhul trying to make its way among the breathing. Almost all darakhul traveling on the surface maintain a disguise kit and a concealing outfit to match their cover identity. With a good costume, a darakhul might pass unchallenged among humans for a long time. Possibilities include the wrappings of a leper, enshrouding robes, veils, or the head-to-toe garb of the desert peoples. Each of these disguises requires appropriate details to help the deception withstand scrutiny: the right language skills along with knowledge of the region and its customs. Even a convincing disguise doesn’t explain a darakhul’s need to eat alone and behind closed doors. Darakhul can use cultural or religious requirements to justify such behavior in most situations. In cases where a costume and a cover identity are impractical, a skillful application of cosmetics and a few gold coins slipped into the right hands are often enough to make a request for privacy seem more reasonable. Ensuring a sufficient supply of raw meat is a challenge left to the darakhul’s imagination

DARAKHUL CHARACTERS

Both ordinary ghouls and darakhul arise from the infected corpses of other races. Most traits of the previous race are gone when the creature rises as a darakhul, although each darakhul carries some traits of their previous form (see the Heritage Subraces). Still, most of a darakhul’s cosmetic features, such as supple skin or a long beard, fade over time into the gaunt, skull-like face, fanged maw, and taut, gray skin of a ghoulish undead.

LOOKING ALIVE

To pass for a living creature, a darakhul needs a convincing costume, matching language and speech patterns, and appropriate mannerisms and behavior. The best tactic for most darakhul is to mimic the cultures they lived in while alive because they have a lifetime (if a short one) of knowledge to draw on. Whether it’s better to try to blend into the local culture is an open question. Someone who looks just like everyone else on the street draws less attention than someone who looks like an exotic foreigner—but a person who looks like everyone else yet acts oddly can rouse even more suspicion than the exotic stranger, especially in a crossroads of cultures where foreign travelers are common. Under normal circumstances, a darakhul with a careful disguise can move among the living without rousing suspicion. As with any ability check, dice should be brought in only when the character faces an unusual situation or a challenge. If, for example, a darakhul gets involved in a chase or a battle in a crowded city market, there’s a chance a bystander might notice the pallor of undead flesh beneath a flapping cloak or the rictus grin inside a deep hood that’s momentarily pushed back. Palace guards inspect supplicants to the Queen more carefully than an innkeeper or a merchant inspects customers. If rumors get around that there are murderers, monsters, or darakhul loose in the city, everyone is more alert. In those situations, the GM can call for a Charisma (Deception) check and either compare it to the NPC’s passive Perception score or make an active Wisdom (Perception) check for the NPC. Opposed checks should be reserved for those times when an NPC intently scrutinizes the character or is already suspicious. If a group of NPCs is involved, it’s best to make one check with advantage for the group instead of one check per NPC

 

Darakhul Names

Ghouls tend to keep their first names from their time among the living. Their surnames, however, tend to be granted or chosen by the newly arrived darakhul after the Crossing (their passage into undeath). These are sometimes the name of a patron, lord, or lady, or a name used within the legions of the empire or within a particular faith. Some common lineage names are provided below. Some names are most common in the priesthoods while others are from the legions. Outside of those areas, surnames often celebrate particular affiliations in the trades or mark a tie to a founder of particular note. Because of this naming custom, different darakhul can end up with the same surname due to being chosen by the same patron, being part of the same temple, being the spawn of another darakhul, or some other similar circumstance. Ghouls created outside the influence of the Twilight Empire might take on surnames related to their personal goals, keep their original surnames if attempting to regain some semblance of their previous life, or forgo a surname to avoid ties to the past, a church, or a patron.

Darakhul Surnames of the Priesthood: Al-Mot, Al-Qaan, Akma-aldan, Bloodtide, Vardeson.

Darakhul Surnames of the Legions: Bonecracker, Ivory, Maggot, Mortus, Reaver, Secondus.

Traditional Darakhul Surnames: Blackwater, Bloodborn, Calva, Canis, Carver, Corvan, Dawnbinder, Demonfinder, Edlest, Fuligin, Ghost, Gnollfeeder, Hunter, Jaeger, Miner, Orcandus, Osseor, Ravenfeeder, Shadowsmith, Strigator, Styxdrinker, Tanner, Umbro, Unsated, Verskull, Vespertan, Whispersen, Wormsong, Wraithcaller.

Darakhul Traits

In the lightless depths beneath the ground, an empire of devouring ambition grows and plots and dreams.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Darakhul, and a language associated with your Heritage Subrace

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 1.

Age

An upper limit of darakhul age has never been discovered; most darakhul die violently.

Alignment

Your alignment does not change when you become a darakhul, but most darakhul have a strong draw toward evil.

Size

Your size is determined by your Heritage Subrace

Speed

Your base walking speed is determined by your Heritage Subrace.

Darkvision

You can see in dim light within 60 feet as though it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray

Hunger for Flesh

You must consume 1 pound of raw meat each day or suffer the effects of starvation. If you go 24 hours without such a meal, you gain one level of exhaustion. While you have any levels of exhaustion from this trait, you can’t regain hit points or remove levels of exhaustion until you spend at least 1 hour consuming 10 pounds of raw meat.

Imperfect Undeath

You transitioned into undeath, but your transition was imperfect. Though you are a humanoid, you are susceptible to effects that target
undead. You can regain hit points from spells like cure wounds, but you can also be affected by game effects that specifically target undead, such as a cleric’s Turn Undead feature. Game effects that raise a creature from the dead work on you as normal, but they return you to life as a darakhul. A true resurrection or wish
spell can restore you to life as a fully living member of your original race.

Powerful Jaw

Your heavy jaw is powerful enough to crush bones to powder. Your bite is a natural melee
weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. When you hit with it, your bite deals piercing damage
equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike

Sunlight Sensitivity

You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct
sunlight

Sunlight Sensitivity

You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct
sunlight

Undead Resilience

You are infused with the dark energy of undeath, which frees you from some frailties that plague most creatures. You have resistance to necrotic damage and poison damage, you are immune to disease, and you have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or poisoned. When you finish a short rest, you can reduce your exhaustion level by 1, provided you have ingested at least 1 pound of raw meat in the last 24 hours

Undead Vitality

You don’t need to breathe, and you don’t sleep the way most creatures do. Instead, you enter a dormant state that resembles death, remaining semiconscious, for 6 hours a day. While dormant, you have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep.