Homebrew Necromaton Species Details
References
This racial option was inspired by the Necromaton monster created by Antonio Demico AKA Pointy Hat. I freely admit the use of ideas and concepts from his work have been adapted into this one to create a racial option in the spirit of the monster statblocks that he created.
Undeath, and unlife
Necromatons are the product of a craftsman, magic, and ingenuity. While most forms of lichdom require complex rituals and centuries of suffering, a Necromaton comes fairly simple and painless by comparison. Necromatons are constructs made by a mortal craftsman to house a piece of their flesh or bone, an anchor to their soul upon their passing. These constructs can be made of any material, in any shape or form, but are always crafted directly by their intended inhabitant, and are thus bonded to them. That said, a necromaton does not last forever, for a lich of this type, to prolong their after-life, they must recharge their bodies, their phylacteries, with organic material so that their soul can continue to inhabit it. The material of this type can be from one's own corpse, or others, even still-living beings, and as such opens the possiblity of quite gracious undeath, imparting no death but one's own.
Many races, many creeds
A necromaton is simply the end product of craft, most often a craftsman's magnum opus in their lifetime so that they may strive further in unlife, as such, a necromaton can be made by any creature of any race, any lifestyle, provided they have the means to create their masterpiece. More often than not, lichdom is frowned upon, but the lines are often blurred in the case of a necromaton. Sometimes, a necromaton is the only option for a body riddled with disease, others, one might be wishing for just a few more years at the end of a long life to complete their last great work, whatever the reason, while often misunderstood, there are a great many who have turned to the creation of a necromaton for only the pursuit of their beloved craft, or the preservation of life and knowledge.
Necromaton Traits
Your Necromaton will have the following traitsAbility Score Increase
Increase one ability score of your choice by 2, and another by 1
Age
The age of any given necromaton varies widely, some have only recently come into their unlife, while others have been at it for centuries already. Being liches, the only limit on a Necromaton's lifespan is that of their phylactery.
Alignment
Necromatons can be any alignment. Though some tend towards evil to further their unlife, it isn't necessary, and many necromatons sustain their bodies with very little bloodshed all told.
Size and Speed
While the race option says the size options are medium or small, a necromaton can also be large. When large, you have a walking speed of 40ft. When medium or small, your speed is 30ft.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and two other languages of your choice.
Undead Construct
Your creature type is both Undead and Construct. As such you do not need to eat, sleep, or breathe. You can complete a long rest as long as you do not engage in strenuous activity, so as to give your mind and soul time to process the day's happenings. Over the course of a long rest, you may complete a simple tinkering project, this can be the creation of a tiny object without a great degree of complexity or cost, such as a pocketwatch or a set of simple tools.
Much like the Warforged, a Necromaton can only wear armor it is proficient in, and wearing that armor involves incorporating it into your body, therefore it cannot be forcefully removed.
Another benefit to your lichdom is an immunity to being Turned, such as with the cleric's "turn undead" feature.
Magitech Specialization, level 1
At level 1, choose up to 2 of the following options, only one of each:
- Darkvision, +60ft
- AC+1
- Walking speed +10ft
- Climb speed = Walk speed
- Swim speed = Walk speed
- +1 Proficiency
Magitech Specialization, Level 3
You have furthered your understanding of your needs, choose 1 new option from those presented, or one from the previous lists:
- Omnitool (You gain proficiency with all artisan tools, and no longer require other tool sets, eg. Smith's tools, Carpenter's tools. This does NOT include thieves' tools)
- Magic Sense (Cast Detect magic and/or Identify 3 times per day without consuming a spell slot or material components)
Magitech specialization, Level 5
Choose 1 new upgrade from this list, or take one from the previous lists:
- Arm Cannon (One of your arms can be used as a spellcannon. To use it, consume a spell slot of 1st or above. With a 1st level slot, the cannon does a magical ranged attack using your spell attack modifier, dealing 2d8 radiant or necrotic damage on a successful hit. For each spell slot above first, add 1d8 damage, adding 2d8 instead for 5th and 9th level spell slots. This can alternatively be used to fire a 30ft long, 5ft wide beam that prompts a dexterity saving throw from all targeted creatures using your spell save dc. This uses d6 progression instead of d8, and does half damage on a successful saving throw. Using the spellcannon consumes an entire action much like using a spell. The spell cannon can be used once before it needs to recharge, determined by a result of 5 or 6 on a d6 at the start of your next turn. The damage increases by one dice at level 7, and again at level 15.)
-Flight stones (Gain a flight speed equal to your walking speed, or half of your walking speed if size large.)
- Assimilate! (For a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest, you may insert organic material, be it flesh, bone, or other matter from a living, or once living being, into your phylactery, either replacing, or healing your current soul anchor. When you do so, regain hit points equal to a number of D8s totaling half of your level rounded down, then add your constitution modifier. This specialization can only be taken once.)
Magitech Masterwork, level 10
At level 10, take 1 upgrade from this list, or 2 from the specialization lists:
-Prerequisite, size large: Unstoppable Charge (2 times per short rest you may charge in a straight line between 30 and 60ft long. Any creature along that line must make a dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC or an athletics check you make. On a failure, any creature in your path takes 4d10 magical bludgeoning damage and is knocked prone, this charge also ignores any obstacles of your size or smaller, provided they are not magically reinforced or part of the terrain. On a successful save, they take half damage and are not knocked prone.)
- Specialized resistance (Gain 2 elemental resistances of your choice)
- I refuse to die again! (Once per short rest, if you are reduced to 0 hitpoints but are not outright killed, you may immediately roll up to half of your available hit dice and throw off the shadowy clutches of death once more! This masterwork option can only be taken once.)
Magitech Masterwork, Level 15
At level 15 you know your body's needs as best you can, at this level, choose 1 new masterwork option and 1 new specialization option, or 3 new specialization options, including duplicates of the level 1 options. You also now gain the option to change what upgrades are included in your body provided you have at least 1 week of uninterrupted downtime. You may have a maximum of 2 masterwork options at any given time along with 5 specializations, or up to 10 specializations with no masterwork options, as according to the previous upgrade paths. The level 1 specialization options can be taken a maximum of 2 times.
Previous Versions
| Name | Date Modified | Views | Adds | Version | Actions |
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8/16/2023 7:31:32 PM
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9
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4
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5e
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Coming Soon
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Comments
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Posted Aug 7, 2024Thank you so much, I really needed this race for a campaign but I didn’t want to spend hours converting his format to dnd and my human familiar is getting hungry so thank you and goodbye
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Posted Aug 9, 2024I'm so sorry. You should probably try to rebalance it, cuz it's a little broken last I checked. But let me know how it goes!
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Posted Mar 7, 2026Hey there! Any updates on how that campaign is going/went? :D