Homebrew Trapped Spirit Species Details

Imagine if a ghost's essence was trapped in or connected to a physical object. The object becomes the main body of the spirit, and they are trapped within it. However, despite losing the freedom of things like possession of the living, ghosts are still crafty. They can reach beyond the object they are confined to, while still being attached to it. They could make their object-body float as they once did, or perhaps tether other nearby objects to them like magnets. However they were trapped will depend upon the spirit- if they angered someone enough to be cursed, if they fell to this fate by their own failed magic, or something else entirely. Just as with many ghosts, their personalized traits may rely heavily upon what they were when alive- human, elf, etc.- but the one trait shared by all the trapped spirits is this: if their tethered object is destroyed beyond repair, they will fully perish. 

The Mind Without The Body

The essence of a living being is how their experiences shaped them- the languages they learned, the magic they knew, the weapons they mastered. Depending on what a Spirit once knew in life, they are likely to keep their specialties in death. They will have to relearn their strongest magic in their new form, and will have to reacquire any powerful weaponry they once mastered, but the basics of what they once valued remain with them. The Ability Score Increases this race receives will depend upon what race they are the spirit of, and their alignment may depend upon it as well.

Vulnerability vs Freedom

A Trapped Spirit may tether inanimate objects to their being, essentially creating a new body of other objects- much like a homemade enchanted suit of armor.  This can help to protect the true object the spirit is tethered to from harm, by encasing it in a body, but it comes at the cost of losing movement speed and losing range for their ghostly hands to reach.
On the other end, a Trapped Spirit may simply float its tethered object around, leaving its range for interaction with other objects open much farther, and keeping their "self" invisible, aside from the object they're connected to. However, the free movement and great range a Trapped Spirit is granted by this comes at the cost of being more vulnerable to attack- should their object be harmed, so shall their spirit, and if their object is irrecoverably destroyed, they shall perish completely.

A Spell Or A Curse?

Most spirits in this form end up this way through a mistake they made before they died, or while they wandered as a free spirit. Magic Users with immense power enacting revenge by casting a curse on the soul of a living being, or a Wizard trapping what they believe to be a dangerous ghost, these are some of the common scenarios that lead to a Trapped Spirit's existence.

Trapped Spirit Traits

Many Spirits will have abilities dependent upon what they were before they died, however there are some spirit-exclusive traits that all Trapped Spirits share.

Ability Score Increase

Whatever your Spirit was before they died, be it Tiefling, Human, Elf, etc., their ability score's increase is determined by what they were in life.

Age

As a ghost, you are not held back by the limitations of flesh and physical bodies- therefore, you are ageless. 

Alignment

Despite being dead, most Trapped Spirits remain aware and sentient, rather than being feral or thoughtless. Therefore, their experiences in both life and undeath can wildly vary depending upon who they used to be, and their alignments can be anywhere.

Size

The size of a spirit itself means very little when it's confined to an object of a different size. Most objects used to trap spirits are small, such as lockets, small stones, or hand mirrors- but should a Trapped Spirit use its power to create a body larger than just the object it's confined to, its size can vary from tiny to medium.

Speed

Depending upon a spirit's body or lack thereof, there are two movement options for a Trapped Spirit. However, the base movement speed for a Trapped Spirit is 35 feet.

Languages

Whatever languages a spirit knew when alive, it knows when it is dead. Dependent upon the race the character was when living.

Condition Immunities

A spirit's body cannot be made to fall under certain conditions. Trapped Spirits are immune to: Poisoned, Exhaustion, and Deafened. 

Ghostly Sight

A Trapped Spirit, due to lacking a typical physical body, may have heightened senses. Trapped Spirits may have access to either Blindsight or Truesight.

Spiritual Reach

Spiritual Reach allows a Trapped Spirit to interact with the world around it. Within 15 feet of a Trapped Spirit, they may:
-Tether a small object to themself, keeping it attached to their being
-Grab a small-to-average size object
-Grab onto something, living or inanimate, and pull themself to it

Tethered Body or Free Spirit

A Trapped Spirit may create a "body" for itself using tethered objects around itself, creating a makeshift armor. A Trapped Spirit may also keep its object free of any tethered objects, leaving it open. Both of these options carry positives and negatives.