Homebrew Hollowborn (Half-Undead) Species Details

Born from the unholy union of the living and undead, the Hollowborn are the macabre offspring of sapient undead such as revenants, wights, and ghasts. The half-undead beings are often born of dark cults, or from grieving spouses that were reunited with their partner through undeath. Hollowborn are often scorned by society and forced to live as recluses on the outskirts of their hometown. A hollowborn could seek out a life of adventure for any number of reasons, be it the need to be accepted by the living, or the desire to exact vengeance on either of their parents for cursing them with their existence.

Ghastly Visages

Hollowborn mainly adopt the appearance of their living parent, but with noticeable changes that reveal their undead nature. The skin of a hollowborn has a sickly complexion to it, appearing in shades of ghostly white, ashen gray, gray with a green tint, or muddy brown. Their eyes are usually brown, piercing green, or dark red. Any hair or fur they have is most often shades of grayscale, ranging from snow white to coal black. The mouths of hollowborn are also clear signs of their undead origin, lined with unusually sharp teeth and able to open unnaturally wide to bite large chunks out of whatever the hollowborn is eating.

 

Hollowborn Names

Hollowborn are given names appropriate to the culture in which they are raised, often the culture of their living parent.

 

Hollowborn Traits

Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 2 and your Strength score increases by 1. Your Charisma score decreases by 1.

 

Age: Hollowborn are able to live longer than usual compared to their living parent. Half-undead mature at the same rate as their living parent’s race, but live fifty percent longer.

Alignment: Depending on the type of undead their parent was, Hollowborn may be inclined toward a lawful alignment as they seek the horde-mentality of society, or they may be more inclined to live a more chaotic solitary life. If they are raised lovingly, Hollowborn can easily walk the path of good, but those scorned by society will more often than not become evil.

 

Size: Hollowborn are usually the same size as their parent, but the blood from their undead parent stops them from growing to extreme sizes. Your size is medium even if your living parent was a different size.

 

Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

 

Darkvision: Your undead blood allows you to see more clearly in dark 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.

 

Menacing: You gain proficiency in the intimidation skill.

Bite: Your teeth are much more sharp and durable than the average person, and you’re able to unhinge your jaw to take large bites out of your enemies. You can make unarmed strikes using your monstrous maw. If you hit, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your strength modifier.

Undead Fortitude: The undead influence on your body allows you to ignore damage that would normally knock a person unconscious. When you take damage that reduces you to 0 hit points but does not kill you outright, you must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5+the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a success, you drop to 1 hit point instead. Success or fail, you may not use this feature again until you complete a short or long rest.
(Note: If this seems too powerful I can just make it work like the half-orc’s relentless endurance.)

The Living Dead: Because your soul is tainted by undeath, you are both living and undead. If a spell or ability has different effects on living creatures and undead creatures, you choose which effect applies to you.
(Note: This ability does not affect the player’s creature type. They count as a humanoid for the purpose of spells and abilities like hold person and charm person. Also, if this ability seems overpowered it can easily be removed.)

 

Languages: You speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.

Hollowborn (Half-Undead) Traits

half dead bois

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 2 and your Strength score increases by 1. Your Charisma score decreases by 1.

Age

Hollowborn are able to live longer than usual compared to their living parent. Half-undead mature at the same rate as their living parent’s race, but live fifty percent longer

Alignment

Depending on the type of undead their parent was, Hollowborn may be inclined toward a lawful alignment as they seek the horde-mentality of society, or they may be more inclined to live a more chaotic solitary life. If they are raised lovingly, Hollowborn can easily walk the path of good, but those scorned by society will more often than not become evil.

Size

Hollowborn are usually the same size as their parent, but the blood from their undead parent stops them from growing to extreme sizes. Your size is medium even if your living parent was a different size.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

Your undead blood allows you to see more clearly in dark 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.

Menacing

You gain proficiency in the intimidation skill.

Bite

Your teeth are much more sharp and durable than the average person, and you’re able to unhinge your jaw to take large bites out of your enemies. You can make unarmed strikes using your monstrous maw. If you hit, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your strength modifier.

Undead Fortitude

The undead influence on your body allows you to ignore damage that would normally knock a person unconscious. When you take damage that reduces you to 0 hit points but does not kill you outright, you must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5+the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a success, you drop to 1 hit point instead. Success or fail, you may not use this feature again until you complete a short or long rest.

The Living Dead

Because your soul is tainted by undeath, you are both living and undead. If a spell or ability has different effects on living creatures and undead creatures, you choose which effect applies to you.

Languages

You speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.