Homebrew Corrupted Verdan Species Details

That-Which-Endures is the faceless, nameless force responsible for the inexorable change from order to chaos. That-Which-Endures created the very concepts of entropy and destruction. That-Which-Endures is not good or evil, but a part of the natural cycle. At some point in the past fifty years, That-Which-Endures cast its shadow onto a tribe of goblins and hobgoblins. Roughly one in every hundred children birthed from this tribe are mutated into Verdan. The tribe sees Verdan as terrifying omens, and either disposes of them upon birth or abandons them in the wilderness. Of those abandoned, survivors appear to be remarkably hardy, and most often live amongst monsters or in isolation. Rumors exist of Verdan that rule tribes of lesser goblinoids as tyrants, which seems to be the primary reason they are purged from the tribe.

Verdan are and known for their ability to mutate and evolve at a remarkable pace. When young, they might be mistaken for green-skinned half elf children, with short, pointed ears. As they mature they change rapidly, in response to crisis, vocation, or even fashion. Their faces and ears show the most apparent transformation, with the change itself being the only common factor; some might pass for Human, while others might be able to tie their ears behind their heads, or stretch their face into a monstrous form. As they mature they gain conscious control over this process and can change their appearance on a nightly basis. Piercings, tattoos, and other adornments are common.

Upon adulthood(20-ish/5th level), Verdan are able to grow to the size of a Medium humanoid as part of their reproductive cycle, although the process is poorly understood. Verdan seem to develop an irresistible bond to one another, spending all their time together and slowly changing to speak, act, and look identically. Eventually they are able to combine into a new being with the skills and memories of both original Verdan. This new being is the size of an adult Human, and the extra genetic material from the combination forms a pair of slime-like creatures. These creatures can only coalesce into Verdan "children" when left isolated in the wilderness, free to feed on the local ecosystem.

Although Verdan are a new race and scholars have only just begun researching them, they've made a series of startling findings:
- Their feat of merging and growing does not seem to have a limit; while only Medium Verdan have been sighted, rumors of giant-sized Verdan have begun to surface.
- Growing in isolation and living amongst monsters, Verdan have developed the ability to communicate telepathically, using images rather than speech.
- Verdan may grow, but due to their continuous mutation there is no discernable effect of time on their biology. None have yet died of old age, and early research suggests they may in fact be biologically immortal.
- Their very blood seems capable of mutation; when receiving a lethal wound, Verdan bleed profusely, only for their black blood to clot and harden outside their body, sometimes sealing the wound long enough for them to escape.
- While most Verdan are primitive and wild in nature, rare individual specimens have demonstrated precocious intelligence. They appear through observation or dialogue to have memories from well before their birth or even before Verdan are known to exist. If rumors are to be believed, these memories are of another world entirely.

Languages: Common, Goblin, one more based on the Verdan's surroundings.

Corrupted Verdan Traits

Verdan Traits

Black Blood Healing

As the offspring of That-Which-Endures, Verdan are made to be survivors. The black blood of Verdan flows easily, and upon receiving a lethal wound it will harden in response, sealing the wound and allowing the Verdan to endure as their creator does. Upon receiving lethal damage, Verdan may roll a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to 10 plus any amount of damage they were dealt past 0HP. If they succeed at this saving throw, they remain at 1HP instead. This feature may only be used once per long rest.

Limited Telepathy

You can telepathically communicate to any creature you can see within 30'. You do not need to share a language but it must understand at least one in order to understand your message. You can communicate only in static images.

Verdan Growth

After a Verdan has bonded with another Verdan for a suitable length of time, they are able to combine into a single being. Once you have found another Verdan and reached level 5, you may merge into a Medium sized creature. You may continue merging with new Verdan after this, and will continue growing in size with every three merges. You may only merge with a creature up to one size smaller than you; for example, a Large Verdan may not merge with a Small Verdan.

Upon merging, the new Verdan has the combined abilities and memories of both individuals. Every time you merge, identify the other Verdan's most important ability score. You may reroll that ability score for yourself; roll 4d6 and remove the lowest value die from the group. If the sum of these dice is higher than your own ability score, you may replace yours with the new value. You can benefit from this feature only three times.

Persuasive

Verdan are new, interesting, and rarely encountered. Nobody has any preconceived notions about the attitude or history of Verdan, and as a result many Verdan find that people are easier to convince than the monsters they typically live with. You have proficiency in Persuasion.

Telepathic Insight

Your mind's connection to the world around you strengthens your will. You have advantage on all Wisdom and Charisma saving throws.