Homebrew Warped One (DW) Species Details

Warped Ones are the offspring of humanoids cursed by an unknown, otherworldly force. They bear superficial resemblance to their parents, but their anatomy is strange and alien, and parts of their bodies are often covered in splotches of dark, withered skin. Many of them may also manifest other aberrant characteristics, such as pitch-black eyes or tentacles sprouting from their bodies. Personality-wise, they are generally manipulative, and their train of thought can be hard to follow at times, due to the unique way their mind works.

 

A Mysterious Curse

No one is sure of the exact nature of the Warped Ones and their curse, not even the Warped Ones themselves. There is speculation of fiendish magic at play, though there is no certainty. Perhaps the source of the curse is something far worse than simple demons, devils, or yugoloths.

No matter the source, the curse cannot be dispelled by any known means; a Warped One cannot be reverted to the race of their parents by a curse removal or dispel. Owing to their unique anatomy, it might be as impossible as turning a human into an elf.

 

Unique in Body and Mind

As far as external appearance goes, a Warped One may even appear completely normal. Many Warped Ones have noticeable differences from normal people of their area, but that is not always the case.

Their internal anatomy, however, is always completely different. It can be described as a confusing jumble of dread flesh, with a variety of veins, blood sacs, and organs with no discernible rhyme or reason.

A Warped One's mind can be equally confusing. Many Warped Ones tend not to care for rules and regulations, and their thought process can be incomprehensible even if it arrives at sound conclusions. Regardless, many Warped Ones strive to lead normal lives - or at least as normal as they can.

 

Physical Abnormalities Table

Roll or pick from the options below, or invent your own. These give no mechanical benefits or penalties.

d8	Noticeable Physical Abnormality
1	A few tiny tentacles sprout from your back. You cannot control them; they move on their own.
2	Your joints bend both ways.
3	The color of your eyes changes with your mood.
4	A very significant portion of your body is covered in black skin with a burnt or rotting appearance.
5	Your blood has very unusual coloration. Your skin is marbled with veins of that color.
6	Your hair waves even when there's no wind.
7	You have multiple rows of very sharp, shark-like teeth.
8	No matter how badly injured, you do not bleed. Instead, smoke emanates from your wounds.

Warped One (DW) Traits

Your Warped One character may be unique in the ways the influence of the aberrant force manifests within them, but all Warped Ones share the following traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.

Age

Warped Ones mature at the same rate as humans, but their bodies do not die by natural means, even though their minds slowly start withering and eventually succumb to madness after 200-250 years, and they may eventually transform into strange, alien abominations.

Alignment

Warped Ones have an innate tendency toward evil, but their actual alignment depends a lot on their upbringing. Evil or not, most Warped Ones are inclined toward a chaotic alignment, usually not caring much about rules set by others.

Creature Type

You are an Aberration.

Size

Warped Ones are of lean, frail build, but are generally taller than most humans. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

Thanks to your aberrant heritage, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. 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.

Aberrant Resistance

You have resistance to psychic damage, and advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.

Warped Legacy

You can cast the mage hand cantrip at will, with the hand taking the form of a small crack in reality. As a bonus action while the rift is next to you, you can take it into yourself, infusing your body with a small amount of power. Your unarmed strikes deal 1d4 damage while the rift is within you. You lose this benefit if you cast mage hand with this trait again. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the arms of Hadar spell as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the crown of madness spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Deep Speech. Deep Speech doesn't have a set written form; most Warped Ones simply write a phonetic representation of Deep Speech.