Homebrew Calavera (Forsaken Frontier) Species Details

The Calavera were the first highly sentient race created by the wild magic of Riado Mesa, with the earliest documented Suhnan oral accounts showing evidence of their existence around 1040, roughly 25 years before the Rucho arrived in the 5 Corners. According to their own histories, the first Calavera awoke in caves built into the Riado Mesa that seemed to be manmade by some unknown people. This has led to the belief that the Calavera are actually the remnants of a much older native race that may have even predated the Suhnan. This belief was the cornerstone that founded the Church of the Ruined, the faith that now dominates Calavera culture. However, many others believe that the Calavera are simply corpses of early Suhnan explorers claimed by the chaos of Riado Mesa that have been stirred into unlife by the magic of the leylines. Whatever the truth of their origins, the existence of the Calavera has been a hot-button topic since they were first encountered, which has led to them mainly keeping to themselves in well-guarded settlements on the top of the Riado Mesa. However, as the decades have continued on, the Calavera have begun to come out of their shell more and more, and regardless of some of the opinions on their existence, it would be hard to argue that the Calavera’s contributions to the elds of magical research have been anything but astounding. The Calavera’s inquisitive nature combined with their lack of physical needs allow them to fully throw themselves into a task, which led to their invention of the Linograph, the first mechanical tool in all of the 5 Corners with the capability of tracking down the locations of leylines with a healthy degree of accuracy. This innovation has catapulted the Calavera (and by extension the entire Riado Alliance) to the forefront of the political sphere of the Forsaken Frontier, as everyone is lining up to make deals and receive a steady supply of linographs as the land rush for leylines heats up. Because of this, Calavera society has boomed with an influx of interaction with new cultures. The once isolationist Calavera have now become the wheelers and dealers of the 5 Corners, seeking opportunity and riches across the land. However, as their power over the continent’s economy grows, many worry what exactly they may do with this power, as their old enemies plot behind their backs to destroy these “abominations” once and for all.

The Calavera are, simply put, just humanoid skeletons that have been awakened by magic. They bear no memories of their former lives and still work to find concrete information on the magic that has raised them from the grave. Their dry bones can range anywhere from a stark white to stained yellowish brown color, and their lack of fresh and muscle causes most of them to have a fairly similar build, although their height can vary. Because of their physical similarities, Calavera will paint their skulls with intricate and colorful designs in order to differentiate themselves from others in their society.

The meaning of the colors and designs used in this body art is unique and personal to each Calavera, and some add to this art as they encounter potent experiences in their lives. Calavera are unable to feel the pleasures of fresh, having very dulled senses of pain & touch, though they do have infrequent heightened phantom sensations that can overcome them. They lack tongues to provide them with a sense of taste or give them a regular voice, and instead the magic that has awakened them augments the vibrations of their bodies to make sounds. A Calavera’s body is fully detachable, however a body part that is disconnected from their skull loses its prehensile ability until it is reattached. The Calavera are also effectively immortal, unable to truly die by natural causes due to the magic that has awakened them. However, they can be killed if their skull is destroyed.

The Calavera were a divisive group before the invention of the Linograph, and while this innovation has caused many groups to play nice with the Calavera for the time being, there are still many who wish for their eradication. The Suhnan believe that the Calavera are a terrible omen and that their existence shows that the earth has begun to reject the dead because her needs are not met. They have made their intentions to destroy the Calavera very clear since they first encountered the undead race, and even now their hatred is only barely covered by a thin veil of political etiquette. The Sayre pity the Calavera, thinking them to be similar to the Beastborn as an example of leylines wreaking havoc upon the world. However, due the Calavera faith of the Church of the Ruined acting as an antagonistic counterpart to the Sayre faith of Hazonen, the two races regularly find themselves at odds with one another. The Rucho, on the other hand, greatly revere the Calavera both for their mechanical and magical competence, and for their lifespans. To the Rucho, the Calavera might be the missing link between them and the Great Eureka, and they seek to study the skeletons as much as they possibly can. The Beastborn are generally on good terms with the Calavera, though they can view the skeletons as a bit haughty and uptight. The Cactoids as a whole maintain a very close bond with the Calavera, though there are some among them that believe that they live in the skeletons’ shadow and wish to separate from them to find an identity of their own.

Since they receive no pleasure from food, drink, or sex, the Calavera instead look for fulfillment through an internal purpose and experiencing the parts of life that other races may take for granted. Their love of music and arts leads to many Calavera traveling the land as performers, though they also are commonly seen as prospectors, merchants, bounty hunters, and even bandits.

The first Calavera communicated through the rattling and cracking of their bony bodies, and this serves as the basis of the Riado language. This can lead to very consonant-heavy names that can be hard to pronounce by other races, and many Calavera take on nicknames when traveling with other races to alleviate this. Example Names: Arkrk, Colack, Crnt’ch, Grnkik, K’rrik, Pak, T’mk.

Calavera (Forsaken Frontier) Traits

Bone to Pick, Darkvision, Fragile Unlife, Undead Nature

Bone to Pick

Whenever both of your hands are free, you can use a bonus action to remove one of your hands or arms. If you remove an arm, it counts as a melee weapon with the finesse property that deals 1d6 bludgeoning damage, and you have proficiency with your arm while you wield it. If you remove a hand, it counts as thieves’ tools. In either case, a limb can be reattached using a bonus action.

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.

Fragile Unlife

You are unaffected by magical healing, and instead can only be healed though hit dice, long rests or full rests. Whenever you are subjected to an effect that would deal nonmagical poison damage to you, you regain 1 hit point. Whenever you are brought to 0 hit points, you do not make death saving throws and cannot be stabilized, but as long as your skull is intact, nonmagical poison damage can return you to 1 hit point as long as you have died in the last 3 rounds. If you are at 0 hit points for longer than 1 minute and your skull is intact, you are an inert pile of bones that can be raised with spells like animate dead and raise dead.

Undead Nature

For effects targeting creatures by type, you count as undead. You also have resistance to necrotic damage, you don’t need to eat, drink, or breathe and you are immune to poison and disease. You are also unaffected by any injuries that would be inflicted to one’s skin, muscles or organs. In addition, instead of sleeping during a long rest, you enter an inactive state for 4 hours. You are still fully aware of your surroundings while in this state.