Homebrew Doppelganger Species Details
Many cultures around the world feature terrifying stories of monsters that steal the souls of mortals to take on their appearance and destroy their lives. They whisper of the frightening, alien horror of such beings, and the pain they inflict in their wake.
The truth is much less fantastic: these legendary shapeshifters are actually doppelgangers. Doppelgangers are, by and large, lazy hedonists who harm others more out of self-centered greed than deliberate malice. They are usually created when doppelgangers, who can't be bothered to put in the effort of raising their own children, seduce and impregnate women whose children grow up to, around adolescence, become doppelgangers themselves.
Still, like all mortals, doppelgangers are capable of making their own moral choices, and occasionally one rouses itself to do more with its life than an endless sequence of cons and robberies.
Doppelganger Traits
In their natural state, doppelgangers have the build of an elf, tall and slim but deceptively strong. They are also smooth-skinned and hairless, with no obvious sexual characteristics and few obvious facial features beyond two large, protuberant, octopoid eyes. The colors and patterns of their skin change primarily with their mood.Ability Score Increase
Increases one Ability Score of your choice by +2 and another by +1
Age
Doppelgangers live until partway through their second century after "coming of age", but become mature at the age their parent race does.
Alignment
The majority of doppelgangers are neutral, being self-centered but not truly malicious. Those who favor long-term covers tend to be more lawful, those who like changing very frequently are more chaotic. However, those who have become "lost in character" can be of any alignment.
Size
In their natural forms, doppelgangers are built like elves, tall and slight. but are able to change their shape to become a creature smaller than themselves. Your size is Small/Medium.
Shapechanger
As an action, you can transform your appearance or revert to your natural form. You can’t duplicate the appearance of a creature you’ve never seen, and you revert to your natural form if you die. You decide what you look like, including your height, weight, facial features, the sound of your voice, coloration, hair length, sex, and any other distinguishing characteristics. You can make yourself appear as a humanoid or non-humanoid, but your statistics remain the same.
When you adopt a form, it must have the same basic arrangement of limbs that you have and it cannot have more than four (4) functional limbs. Wings and tails do not count as limbs and can be added or removed as you desire but do not provide a mechanical benefit.
If you transform into a quadrupedal creature, you are considered Prone until you use an action to either stand or change shape.
Your clothing and equipment are not changed by this trait. You remain in this form unless you use an action to revert to your True Form or die.
Read Thoughts
You can cast the detect thoughts spell once with this trait, requiring no material components, and you regain the ability to cast it this way when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell.
Doppelganger Instincts
You gain proficiency with two of the following skills of your choice: Deception, Insight, Intimidation, or Persuasion.
Slippery Mind
You are immune to the charmed condition.
Darkvision
You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and two other language of your choice.
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