Homebrew Accursed Species Details

Bound by a goal or an objective, an Accursed is a creature that has been resurrected by means beyond comprehension. Accursed have unfinished business on the Prime Material plane, and are willing to join forces with the living who may have similar or aligning goals. However, an Accursed may choose to hide the "undead" aspect of their being.

Purpose-driven Immortality

Bound by your goal, you have been bought back to life by means beyond your comprehension, even more unknown than basic resurrection. You have been given a single purpose for your Resurrection. This is not without a cost, however. As an Accursed, you hear indistinct voices and screams in your head, as well as feel intense, tormenting pain at all times. If your current body, also known as a vessel, is destroyed, or you die again, you experience all the pain tenfold, as well as leave behind a soul that cannot move, thus binding you for eternity to the Prime Material Plane. In addition, if the forces that bind you believe you have not made any progress towards your goal, Madness overtakes you. To relieve yourself of this living hell, you must complete your life goal. 

While your life goal may not be obvious at first, you technically have an eternity to figure out the purpose as to why you were bought back from the dead.

The Undying

While an Accursed does not die, they can certainly be killed. Upon "death", the Accursed's soul leaves its current vessel, and can be collected by anyone, whether in it be in a flask, phylactery or other container. While without a vessel, your movement is set to 0, and you cannot take any type of actions. For more information, see the "Accursed Soul" racial trait.

Undead Appearance

When initially becoming Accursed, you keep the appearance of your previous vessel's age, features, and any scars (including the ones that may have lead to your unfortunate demise). Depending on what race you were before your passing, you keep the same racial features as before, as well. However, you will cease to age completely when occupying a vessel.

Accursed Traits

As an Accursed, you take on the Traits of your current vessel.

Ability Score Increase

Your ability scores are based on your current vessel.

Age

Your age is based on the vessel you are currently occupying. However, as an Undead, your body will completely cease to age or grow.

Alignment

Risen are naturally Lawful Evil, as they will complete their task by any means necessary. They will stop at nothing to achieve this curse.

While this may be true for most, Accursed can actually be any alignment, adapting to what they see fit to obtain their goal.

Size

Your size is the same as your current vessel.

Speed

Your speed is based off of the speed of your current vessel.

Unnatural Regeneration

As an undead being, you gain immunity to being charmed, poisoned or exhausted. However, you are vulnerable to any kind of healing, as well as Divine magic. If you are bought down to 0 hit points from healing (such as a Potion of Healing, or the Cure Wounds spell), you remain conscious at 1 hit point. Any attempts to heal you while you are making a unconscious results in an instant death, and your soul being released from its vessel. You can only regain your full hit points by taking a short-rest.

Your undead body grants you immunity to poison, as well as immunity to being charmed, poisoned or exhausted.

Accursed Soul

If an Accursed has failed three Death Saving Throws, their soul is left as a floating orb that can be collected, and transferred into another vessel by others. While they retain all their memories and experience, they can only be transferred back into a vessel that meets the following requirements:

1. The vessel must have died within the last 24 hours
2. The vessel must be that of a humanoid creature
3. The vessel cannot have been previously occupied by an Accursed Soul

If the vessel meets the specified requirements, the soul may be transferred into the new vessel by placing the soul above it. Upon entering the new vessel, the Accursed gains the traits and the racial features of the vessel.

Darkvision

As an Undead creature, you have unnatural vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in non-magical darkness within 60 feet of you as if it were fully illuminated. Anything beyond your 60 foot range is natural illumination.

Haunted

While you can take a short rest to regenerate yourself, you cannot take a long rest, as resting for long periods of time causes Long-Term Madness. The effects are chosen by the DM.