Homebrew Draugr Species Details

"The eyes of the corpse were fixed on Grettir, lit with the cold glare of the moon. His head swam as his heart sent a hot stream to his brain. Then a voice from the grey lips said—

“Thou hast acted madly in seeking to match thyself with me. Now learn that henceforth ill-luck shall constantly attend thee; that thy strength shall never exceed what it now is, and that by night these eyes of mine shall stare at thee through the darkness till thy dying day, so that for very horror thou shalt not endure to be alone.”

What Glámr had predicted came to pass. Never again did Grettir dare to be alone in the dark."

-Grettir’s Saga 35, translated by Sabine Baring-Gould.

 

The term draugr comes from Old Norse, meaning “rider” or “one who walks after death.” These undead beings are unique; they have both physical and supernatural traits that make them different from other creatures like zombies, ghosts or vampires. They are ‘Dead without status’ and cannot find peace in the afterlife; therefore, they can pose significant distress and problems to the living.

Draugr are often found guarding ancient barrows where the dead lie. When a person would delve into the catacombs and steal the offerings left within, the draugr would rise and stalk the grave robber until he either died of fright, the cold, or the draugr's own blade. Daylight poses no difficulty for draugr, unlike other undead creatures of ancient mythology such as vampires. However, their behavioral patterns indicate a preference for darkness - likely due to their unmatched ability to see through it.

Draugr's powers and appearance vary somewhat between tales. Some stories say they could change shapes, or appear as giant, towering skeletons. Others say that they could alter the weather and cast spells on the living.  While they always have a physical form, some tales portray them as ethereal beings that mortal weapons could not harm. The most common portrayal of them, however, is the frozen undead warrior, protecting a dark barrow or marching the cold dark north, axe in hand with glowing eyes piercing the darkness. 

Draugr Traits

Creature Type: Undead
Size: Medium (about 5–7 feet tall)
Speed: 30 feet

As a Draugr, you have these special traits.

Draugr Sight

You can see normally in non-magical dim light or darkness out to a range of 60 feet.

Frozen Undead

As a draugr, you have the following abilities:

• You have Resistance to Cold and Poison damage.
• You are are Immune to non-magical diseases and the Poisoned condition.
• You have advantage on death saving throws and on saving throws made against the effects of high altitudes and cold environments.
• You don’t need to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe, and magic cannot put you to sleep. You can finish a long rest in 4 hours if you spend those hours in an inactive, motionless state, during which you retain consciousness.

Unholy Healing

You cannot recover hit points from Spells in excess of your Constitution modifier. If a spell would have restored additional Hit Points, they are instead applied as Temporary Hit Points.

Once on each of your turns you may expend a hit dice, restoring a number of Hit Points equal to the amount rolled plus your Constitution modifier (no action required). You cannot use this ability if you have taken Radiant damage since your last turn or if you have the Incapacitated condition.

You may use this ability without expending a Hit Dice once before taking a short or long rest. 

Dread Presence

You add your Proficiency Bonus to all Charisma (Intimidation) ability checks, and can use your Constitution modifier instead of Charisma when making ability checks of that type.

Biting Cold

Ice and snow herald your arrival. Anywhere you go, the temperature within 100 feet drops by about 20 degrees.

Additionally, as a bonus action, you can coat your weapons with rime frost. For the next minute, the first time on a turn that you damage a creature with a melee weapon or unarmed strike, you deal an additional 1d6 cold damage and reduce its movement speed by 10 feet until the start of your next turn. You may use this ability a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus and regain all expended uses after finishing a Long Rest.