Homebrew Azakana Species Details
Azakana are remnants of souls too powerful or determined to fade into the afterlife. Unlike other undead, they retain a physical form, maintained not through necromantic magic, but by an unyielding emotional connection to the living world. This anchor—whether love, vengeance, guilt, or other means—binds them between realms, granting them a unique blend of mortality and undeath.
In appearance, Azakana closely resemble their former selves, though their connection to death is apparent. Their eyes may glow with an otherworldly light, or their skin might appear pallid or slightly translucent. Some Azakana bear physical marks of their death—scars, wounds, or ghostly auras that hint at their true nature. Each Azakana has their own unique mask bound to their face at the point of resurrection. The mask represents who they truly were in their past life.
Emotion is both their strength and burden. They walk among the living with a profound purpose, driven by a singular feeling that keeps them tethered. This bond can inspire acts of great heroism or lead them down dark, obsessive paths. Each Azakana wrestles with their emotional anchor, knowing that severing this tie might bring them peace—or oblivion.
Azakana often live on the fringes of society, feared and misunderstood due to their undead nature. Yet, those who look past their eerie presence see beings of immense depth, guided by passions that transcend life and death.
Azakana Traits
An Azakana’s form endures beyond death, held together by the unbreakable force of their strongest emotion.Ability Score Increase
Your Dexterity increases by 1, your Wisdom increases by 1, and one ability of your choice increases by 1.
Age
Azakana do not age naturally and are typically immortal, though they may suffer a second death if their emotional connection is severed or resolved.
Size
Azakana retain their size in life. By default, your size is medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and one language you knew in life. Azakana typically speak the language tied to their heritage from when they were alive.
Emotional Anchor
Choose one strong emotion that ties you to the living world, such as love, vengeance, guilt, or duty. This emotion grants you a unique benefit:
Death's Recall
When reduced to 0 hit points, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
Lingering Heritage
Even in death, remnants of your former life cling to your soul. Whether through muscle memory, innate magic, or sheer force of will, you retain a fragment of what once made you whole. Choose one of the following echoes from your past race:
-
Elven Heritage. Your reflexes remain sharp, and your spirit resists outside influence. You gain proficiency in Perception and have advantage on saving throws against being charmed.
-
Dwarvish Heritage. The resilience of your former body endures beyond death. You gain resistance to poison damage and proficiency with one artisan’s tool of your choice.
-
Dragonborn Heritage. The draconic power in your blood refuses to fade. Choose a damage type from your former ancestry—you gain resistance to that type and can unleash a breath weapon, a creature takes 2d6 damage on a failed save, and half as much damage on a successful one. The damage increases to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level (DEX save, DC = 8 + proficiency bonus + Constitution modifier) once per long rest.
-
Halfling Heritage. Luck clings to your soul like a shadow. When you roll a natural 1 on an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can reroll the die and must use the new result.
-
Orcish Heritage. The fire of battle still burns within you. When you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, you can roll one of the weapon’s damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.
-
Infernal Heritage. Infernal energy lingers in your veins. You gain resistance to fire damage and know the Thaumaturgy cantrip.
-
Gnomish Heritage. Your mind is fortified against magical manipulation. You have advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws.
-
Human Heritage. The adaptability of your past life carries forward. You gain proficiency in one skill of your choice and one additional language.
Comments