Homebrew Abomination Species Details

With a sickening crunch, her bones broke and her flesh split. The woman screamed, her throat raw as the transformation took her, and then where once laid a woman, now laid a beast—a lurching, clawed monstrosity. I saw by the malice in its eyes that a ravenous hunger lived within its blackened soul, and all mercy had been purged. It had taken several years, and the lives of many, but I knew then I had finally created the perfect predator. This is the future of the world, the future the simic refused to give me....so I will make it my own. You, my child, are the true definition of perfection and beauty.
                                               

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     —The Illusive One, Cerberus 

Abominations are humanoids, dwarf, human or otherwise, that have been subjected to a harrowing ritual and forever changed. They may hide among society in their humanoid form, but a monster lives within the abomination, able to transform into an unrivaled predator. No two are alike, save for the unrelenting hunger that lurks within, urging them to violence. Some embrace it, others rail against the bloody cravings, but all suffer from its burden.

Eldritch Transformation

Long ago in a bygone age, a dark organization called Cerberus sought to create sheer perfection in humanity. They gathered the most powerful creatures they could find, from werewolves to trolls, and took their most potent traits. In one abhorrent ritual, one of the members fused them all together within a mortal's body. There were 100 original test subjects that underwent a variety of procedures that altered their mortal form and corrupted their soul, leaving only one survivor from the original group before the perfect serum was created. The result of the serum was the creation disfigured creature, scarred by a hundred eldritch runes, with the ability to undergo a brutal transformation—she could change into a monstrous form at will, which reflected the creatures she was wrought from.

And so the first abomination was created, named Savršen IV, and deemed perfect in the eyes of The Illusive One. Swift, strong, and with a deadly intelligence driving her viciousness.

The Beast Within

While the majority basic nature of the abomination's original race will have been wiped away, their speed and formerly known languages will remain. Although their true form remains humanoid, appearing as a human, elf, or otherwise, they lack its racial traits, and in their place have unnatural agility, strength, and cunning, along with the ability to shape change at will into a monstrous form, reminiscent of lycanthropy. Their humanoid form is likely scarred—typically by experimental wounds, or the ritual branding of sorcerous glyphs.

The monstrous form of an abomination can take many varying appearances, with each abomination created from a different combination of creatures' genetics. Some might have jagged fangs and leathery wings, others claws and a canine snout, whilst there are also those with a chitinous carapace and burrowing claws. Once you've selected your traits from the options, decide with your DM on your monstrous form's appearance. Some resemble were-creatures, whilst others are uniquely grotesque. Some are even blessed with only subtle visible changes, with the abomination still appearing mostly humanoid, although this is extremely rare.

Ravenous Hunger

The one defining trait between all abominations is the bloodlust that affects them, regardless of what form they currently reside in. Those who embrace it are inevitably evil, prowling among civilized society like a wolf among cattle. There are those that resist it, if with difficulty, eking out a living in backwater villages, or as hermits keeping themselves away from those they might otherwise harm.

A rare few abominations can, through a steel will and great effort, redirect this terrible thirst into something productive. They vent their need to rend flesh by targeting not victims, but other horrors, often keeping their true nature secret and gaining great (and ironic) repute as monster slayers. 

This hunger is not truly physical, in that an abomination does not necessarily need to eat its victims. The need is to cause pain, harm, and ultimately something's death. The hunger can be sated, but only briefly, and the longer an abomination goes without harming something, the more irritable and uncontrollable it becomes. Sometimes an abomination can go without harming a creature for weeks, while others need to strike every other day, depending on what kind of monsters they were made from, and the manner of the ritual that changed them.

Regardless, a revealed abomination is a horror to the common folk of almost every race, if only for being mistaken as a werewolf, vampire, or other known monster.

Abomination Names

Most abominations keep the name they had in their life, prior to gaining the ability to take on a monstrous form, having a name from their basic race (human, elf, dwarf, etc). Those who embrace the change may take up a moniker to symbolize their new, dark nature. Others find themselves unable to remember their name, suffering amnesia from the immense magics put upon them, and cling to the first name they're given by another.

The first complete abomination, Subject 99, was given the name Savršen IV, having reached perfection in the eyes of the Illusive One at stage four.

Abomination Traits

Your abomination will be able to choose from different traits based on their creation.

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence ability scores each increase by 1.

 

Age

Abominations live up to three hundred years after they were transformed, sustained by the unholy powers that mutated them before the dark energies fizzle out and the abomination perishes.

 

Alignment

The bloodlust that lives within all abominations drives them toward evil, but the strong-willed can maintain a neutral disposition. A rare, exceptional few can even become good.

 

Apex Predator

You have the traits of a dangerous creature. These traits only work when you're in monstrous form. Choose one of the following options:

Apex Predator	Effect
Arachni's Carapace	When you aren’t wearing armor, your AC is 13 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield’s benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.
Stirge's Fangs	You have two fangs, with which you can drain blood from a target. As a bonus action, you may make a special bite attack, where your attack modifier is your proficiency bonus, + your Strength or Dexterity modifier. If you hit, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength or Dexterity modifier and gain temporary hit points equal to the damage dealt, and you can’t use this trait again until you finish a short or long rest.
Trollish Regeneration	Roll a d6 for every Hit Die you use after your short rests. Add the result to the total health you regain.
Wereboar's Relentlessness	When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.

 

Berserk

Due to the corruption in your veins, there is a chance that you may go berserk. This can happen in one of two ways.

    • You reduce a creature to below half its maximum hit points with a melee attack you must make a DC 15 Wisdom save or go berserk.
    • You can also just choose to go berserk as a bonus action

When you have gone berserk you gain the following traits for 1 minute or until someone uses an action to end you berserk with a DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) check. You gain temporary hit points equal to twice your level. If you deal piercing or slashing damage to a creature other than a plant, construct, or undead you must keep on attacking the creature until it has died, your berserk ends or it moves out of sight. If you kill a creature, you gain 5 additional temporary hit points (these can stack together with all other temporary hit points gained from this trait). In addition, you gain advantage on your attack rolls while you have gone berserk, once berserk ends, however, you take a level of exhaustion.

Eldritch Blood

Your blood surges with eldritch power, manifesting when transformed. These traits only work when you're in monstrous form. Choose one of the following options:

Eldritch Blood	Effect
Stolen Fey Ancestry	You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed.
Troglodyte's Chameleon Skin	You have an extra +10 bonus to Dexterity (Stealth) checks if you have not moved during your turn. You lose this bonus if you move through any means, and regain it at the end of your next turn if you spend that turn hiding without moving.
Werewolf's Senses	You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.
Yuan-ti Poison Resistance	You have advantage on saving throws against poison.

Inhuman Strength

Due to your unnatural nature and monstrous abilities, you are proficient in either acrobatics or athletics.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Deep Speech. If you were turned from a mortal rather than created, you will keep your pre-transformation race languages as well.

Shapechanger

You can use a bonus action to polymorph into your humanoid form, or back into your true form, which is your monstrous form. Your statistics are the same in each form. Any equipment you're wearing or carrying isn't transformed. You revert to your true form if you die.

Due to the corruption in your blood, you can only withstand being in your humanoid form for a little while and will require at least one break per day into your true monstrous form to recoup.

 

Size

Abominations differ vastly in their height and build, but their size is always considered Medium in both your true form (monstrous) and humanoid form.

 

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet if you came into the world as an abomination. If you were turned into such a creature your speed will remain the same as your pre-transformation race.

 

Unholy Sight

Your sight goes beyond that of most mortals. These traits work when you're in either your humanoid form or your monstrous(true) form. Choose one of the following options:

Unholy SIght	Effect
Ankheg's Tremorsense	You have tremorsense to 10 feet. As an action, lasting for one minute, you can extend your tremorsense to 40 feet, twice per short rest.
Fiend's Darkvision	You have darkvision to 60 feet. As an action, lasting for one minute, you can extend your darkvision to 120 feet and pierce magical darkness, twice per short rest.
Draconic Blindsight	You have blindsight to 10 feet. As an action, lasting for one minute, you can extend your blindsight to 40 feet, twice per short rest.
Kuo-toa Ether Sense	You can sense the presence of any creature within 30 feet of you that is invisible or on the Ethereal Plane. You can pinpoint the exact location of such a creature if it's moving.

Unnatural Movement

You have unnatural abilities, allowing you to hunt your prey, no matter where it flees. These traits only work when you're in monstrous form. Choose one of the following options: 

Unnatural Movement	Effect
Cloaker's Demi-Flight	As a reaction, you glide, slowing your falling speed to 60 feet per round, and taking no falling damage. Additionally, you can always jump 5 feet higher, and 10 feet farther.
Ettercap's Spider Climb	You can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Orcish Aggression	As a bonus action, you can move up to your speed toward an enemy of your choice that you can see or hear. You must end this move closer to the enemy than you started.
Umber Hulk's Burrowing	You have a base burrowing speed of 15 feet.