Homebrew Awakened Undead Ghost Species Details
Life After Death
Throughout the ages, the speculations and experiences of cultures have long pondered existence after death. It is the one certainty that all living things must face. But for some, death is not the end. In the worlds that are rife with myth and magic, where gods still wager their domains with mortals souls, death can be a release, a trap, or even a transition. Undeath can mean a whole new existence. It can be the path chosen of a megalomaniacal wizard in order to continue their pursuit of arcane powers. It can be the curse of a life of misdeeds, by purpose or by misadventure. It might simply be the bad luck of being in the graveyard where a necromancer has chosen to raise an army, or by the whim of a god with grand designs.
Most cultures fear death. The sight of the undead is one that brings revulsion, terror and rebuke. While there are many ways one might slip out of the bony clutches of death, a return to life rarely means a return to the life once lived. There are many barriers beyond the fears of mortals; the awakened undead can find themselves far from their homeland, or in a time where the life they knew, even their homeland, no longer exists. The awakened undead feel this separation palpably. This is why most undead are rarely seen in the company of the living. When the awakened undead choose to interact with the living, or try to make a life within the borders of civilization, they will often go to great lengths to hide or disguise their true nature. Fragrant perfumes or pungent ointments are used to mask their decaying odours, and they will hide their corpses in heavy cloaks and hoods of cloth or illusion.
While the physical nature of the awakened undead can be dependant on both their previous form and the method of their return, they all share a single trait. Blood no longer pumps through veins, and a heart no longer beats in their chest, if they still have one. They are animated by necrotic energies, which sustains them - and that undying light can be seen flickering and burning in their eyes - or where their eyes used to be.
The Cost of Immortality
The benefit of undeath is a nearly immortal existence. Time no longer ravages the undead, and age is no longer a concern. Ailments and disease can no longer touch them - the condition of undeath makes one immune to many of usual causes of death. Some no longer feel any pain, and others no longer even have a body, their incorporeal form now unfettered by the constraints of the physical world.
But that longevity always comes at a price. For some, it might mean being raised into a life of mindless servitude to a dark necromancer; or cursed by some dark creature, driven by unnatural hungers for the souls or flesh of the living. In some cases, their undeath was brought on by a cruel or brutal death, or driven by unfinished business so important that it defies eternal rest. Be it by choice or curse, this transformation to the unliving may sap away strength or speed, or fragment the mind.
For the awakened undead, their past is foggy and confused. Memories that drive and motivate them may be crystal clear, but details of their own history may have faded along with their flesh. Homelands, friends and family long forgotten, this can cause immense distress for them. This inability to recall facets of their old life may be frustrating, even infuriation - driving some to madness. For others, it is just another point of disconnection with the old, and a reason to forge ahead into their new existence.
For those born into servitude, awakening may come at the death of their dark master; or as the result of a curse being improperly cleansed or lifted. For them especially, but like all undead, the first moment of sentience as a necrotic creature can be confusing, and deeply unsettling.
Grave Markers
The freshly undead may behave similarly as they did in life, but the trauma or the return can exacerbate those traits.They are often singularly focused on the reason for their undeath, and can't be swayed from a course of action, even if it is an unsuccessful pattern of behaviour. Resting awakened undead may find themselves mindlessly performing tasks they once performed in life: A skeleton miner might take up a pick and begin chipping away at stone walls. A ghostly noble might act out the final moments of the ball they attended before the died. The revenant of an old guard might post up a sentry position beside the nearest doorway.
There are potentially other quirks and ghostly manifestations that may follow the awakened undead back from the beyond. The air around them may be several degrees colder than the environment, or cold spots may randomly occur in their presence. Odd sounds or whispers might escape their dreamless minds and haunt the areas they now inhabit. Startling Illusions of long dead family members or other memories may manifest.
Optionally, you can work with your DM to add one of these manifestations to your character.
Undead Manifestations
| D8 | QUIRK |
|---|---|
| 1 | Candles, torches and lanterns occasionally flicker out in your presence, within 30 feet. |
| 2 | A vision of a family member, friend or pet sometimes appears briefly at a distance, flitting through the shadows. |
| 3 | Odd sounds haunt your presence. It could be anything; the sound of a child's laugh, the rattle of chains, faint whispers or some other harmless, quiet noise. |
| 4 | If you have to recover more than half your hit dice on a short rest, the air temperature within 30 feet of you drops to below freezing. |
| 5 | Those around you can smell reminders of your past life; the salt sea air of a sailor, fresh bread from a baker, or something to that effect. |
| 6 | The language you spoke in life is long dead; When you are resting, you mutter your side of old conversations you had in life, but are unaware you are doing so. |
| 7 | Vermin have a habit of taking up residence in your corpse, and will take flight from you when startled. |
| 8 | Unsecured objects may move of their own volition if you remain in an area longer than 12 hours. Drawers open, books fall off shelves, or decorative trinkets relocate themselves. |
Ghost
The spirits of the departed can linger after their mortal death when there is some important unfinished business, or be summoned into servitude by powerful necromancers. The unfinished business of ghosts can take many forms; protecting loved ones, guarding a valuable item, or revenge upon an old enemy. An awakened ghost might find that the death of their master has released them from service, or the business they've left unfinished in life may take them far and abroad to complete, or they simply cannot find their way into the afterlife, and have embraced their new undead existence.
Ghosts are ethereal, glowing with spectral light. While ghosts still have substance, it is that of an energies and particles closely resembling that of a gaseous form. Ghosts have limited abilities in interacting with the physical plane - they can move small objects and interact with creatures and items. Ghosts tend to maintain a reflection of what they looked like in their past life; wearing armor or clothes they died in, having a spectral reminder of weapons or jewelry they once wore, but these are little more than manifestations. They also will bear the scars of their death - obvious and twisted marks that the living often find deeply disturbing. A ghost who once drowned might be caked in seaweed and spectral sea creatures that crawl on their form, or a murdered soul might have gaping wounds that always appear to be bleeding.
Note: This race is based on the Awakend Undead race made by SilentAegis. The only things changed are that stuff like the immunities and other feature now actually work.
(i can't link it because else DnD beyond won't let me publish this because of external links)
Awakened Undead Ghost Traits
Awakened Undead Traits Your awakened undead character has the following traits. You count as an undead creature for all spells and abilities that affect the undead. Undead Nature You are sustained by the necromantic energy that raised you from death.Your body is no longer affected by disease, poison or the poisoned condition. You don't require air, food, drink, or sleep. You have advantage on saving throws against exhaustion, but you do still need rest. Instead of sleeping, when you take a long rest, you enter an eerily still period of inactivity of at least 4 hours a day. During this period, you do not sleep or dream; you are not rendered unconscious, and you can see and hear as normal. Undying Vigor You are sustained by necrotic energy, which makes you resistant to necrotic damage. As undead, you can't be healed by conventional spells such as cure wounds, nor do you have the bodily means to ingest and gain the benefits from potions of healing, or consuming the products of spells such as Goodberry or HeroesUndead Nature
You are sustained by the necromantic energy that raised you from death.Your body is no longer affected by disease, poison or the poisoned condition. You don't require air, food, drink, or sleep. You have advantage on saving throws against exhaustion, but you do still need rest. Instead of sleeping, when you take a long rest, you enter an eerily still period of inactivity of at least 4 hours a day. During this period, you do not sleep or dream; you are not rendered unconscious, and you can see and hear as normal.
Undying Vigor
You can gain or regain hit points through a short or long rest, or magically through the following spells: Aid, Aura of Vitality, False Life, Life Transference, Negative Energy Flood, Regenerate, Vampiric Touch, or Wish.
Past Life
Your size, height, and base walking speed remain same as the original race, but you lose any special movement speeds such as swimming or flying. You retain your skill and tool proficiencies, and any language you spoke in life. You can retain your personality and alignment, and memories of your past life, though they are often incomplete and hazy.
Note: If the speed your previous speed isn't showing as an option you have to set it manually in the sheet. (click on the walking speed in the top middle and customise it there.)
Ability Score Changes
Your Strength score becomes 7. Your Charisma score increases by 3, to a maximum of 20.
Note: I couldn't figure out how to set the strength score to 7, so you will have to do that manually. (Go to character builder, click on Abilities, scroll down a bit until you see the bottom of the strength calculations, write 7 in the overwrite score part, now make sure you put it on strength and you're done)
Disembodied Existence
You gain resistance to acid, fire, lightning and thunder damage, as well as attacks from non-magical bludgeoning, piercing and slashing attacks. You are also immune to cold damage. It is also impossible to grapple you, knock you prone, or otherwise restrain you. You can still manipulate objects, open unlocked doora or containera, stow or retrieve an item from an open container, or pour the contents out of a vial. Although you may appear as though you have the equipment you had in life, you can't wear or gain benefits of armor, wield weapons, or activate magic items, or carry more than 10 pounds.
Ethereal Sight
You exist on the border between the Ethereal Plane and the Material Plane. Because of this, you can see 60 feet into the Ethereal Plane when you are on the Material Plane, and vice versa.
Spectral Movement
Your spectral nature means you are always floating, or flying. You gain a fly speed of 50 feet.
Incorporeal Passage
You can move through other creatures, objects and non-magical physical barriers as if they were difficult terrain. You take 1d10 force damage if you end your turn inside an object. If you end your turn inside a physical barrier, you take 2d10 force damage and are ejected to the nearest free space.
Withering Touch
You might appear to attack with your hand, or what looks like a sword or axe, but the effect is always a Withering Touch. Your weapon attacks are replaced with this feature, and your unarmed strikes now deal necrotic damage. As an action, you make a melee touch attack and deal Necrotic damage equal to 2d6 + your Dexterity modifier. This damage increases to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level.
Horrifying Visage
Each non-undead creature within 60 feet of you that can see you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw equal to 8 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus or be frightened for 1 minute. If the save fails by 5 or more, the target also ages 1d4 × 10 years. A frightened target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the frightened condition on itself on a success. If a target's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the target is immune to this feature for the next 24 hours. The aging effect can be reversed with a greater restoration spell, but only within 24 hours of it occurring.
Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or a long rest.
Etherealness
You can move to the Ethereal plane to bypass barriers and obstacles on the Material Plane with ease. As an action you can enter the Ethereal Plane from the Material Plane, or vice versa. You remain visible on the Material Plane while in the Border Ethereal, and vice versa, yet you can't affect or be affected by anything on the other plane.
Possession
You can target one humanoid that you can see within 5 feet of you. The target must succeed on a Charisma saving throw equal to 8 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus or be possessed by you; you then disappear, and the target is incapacitated and loses control of its body. You now control the body, but this doesn't deprive the target of awareness. You can't be targeted by any attack, spell, or other effect, except ones that turn undead, and you retain your alignment, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. You otherwise use the possessed target's statistics, but don't gain access to the target's knowledge, class features, or proficiencies.
The possession lasts until the body drops to 0 hit points, you end it as a bonus action, or you are turned or forced out by an effect like the dispel evil and good spell. When the possession ends, you reappear in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the body. The target is immune to your Possession for 24 hours after succeeding on the saving throw or after the possession ends. You cannot use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
Previous Versions
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5/8/2023 7:08:15 AM
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