Homebrew Bonded One Species Details

“Ninety-Six came to be housed within me on a hunting trip nearly five years ago. He’s talkative, fiery, and really doesn’t like royals for some reason. But, he’s good company on my trips, and does a good job at being my protector. That’s why I let him drive from time to time. Hasn’t given me any reason not to trust him. What’s the worst that he could do?”

—Last known conversation recorded between Adriana Valtki and the host Briar Valtki before their bodies were discovered, leaving behind a lone girl named  Belladonna Valtki.

The Bonded Ones are formed through the union of a mortal host and a sentient entity that resides within the body itself. Most often, the host is human or elven, though the bond can form with others. The second being does not merely inhabit the mind, but replaces the host’s blood and spinal fluid, spreading through the nervous system as a living, thinking presence. To outsiders, Bonded Ones often appear composed and introspective, yet there is an unmistakable sense that more than one will exists behind their eyes.

Bound in Flesh and Thought

Each Bonded One shares their body with a fully sentient entity that exists throughout their circulatory and nervous systems. This being communicates directly with the host through thought, sensation, and emotional impulse, creating a constant internal dialogue. Though the host retains autonomy, the presence of another will subtly shapes perception, instinct, and memory.

Physically, Bonded Ones resemble their base lineage, though many display signs of their condition: faintly luminous eyes, unnatural stillness, or moments of distant focus. Through the bond, they gain heightened mental resilience and limited psionic abilities. The nature of the relationship varies widely. Some bonds are cooperative and calm, while others are tense, marked by disagreement or quiet manipulation.

The entities themselves originate from a distant and hostile plane. They did not come willingly to the material world. Most were forced into mortal vessels through an advanced form of arcane curse, one so complex it alters both body and soul. This curse cannot be undone by conventional means and can only be broken by the power of a true wish. Because of this, the entities are not parasites by choice, but survivors bound into flesh as a means of survival.

Over time, some hosts come to view the bond as sacred or symbiotic. Others experience it as a violation, struggling against the presence within. Those raised without understanding their condition often suffer emotional instability or a persistent sense of being watched from inside their own skin.

Names and Identity

Bonded Ones often carry two names: one belonging to the host, and one belonging to the entity within. Host names follow the traditions of their culture and vary widely.

The entities themselves follow distinct naming conventions. Many identify by numerical designations, remnants of an ordered system that existed before their binding.

Entity Names: One, Three, Seven, Nine, Twelve, Fifteen, Twenty-One, Thirty-Four, Sixty, Eighty-Nine

Others, particularly those that have developed stronger individuality, adopt names drawn from the natural world, often flowers or plants that symbolize growth, persistence, or fragility.

Floral Names: Aster, Dahlia, Iris, Larkspur, Myrrh, Olea, Peony, Rowan, Senna, Vireya

Some Bonded Ones embrace both names. Others reject them entirely, forging an identity that belongs to neither host nor entity, but to the shared being they have become.

 

 

Bonded One Traits

Your Bonded One character has the following traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Wisdom score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.

Age

Bonded Ones remain at whatever age the host body was upon becoming bonded to, and can’t die of old age. Aging spells do work on the hosts, but it doesn’t kill them.

Alignment

Bonded Ones usually align with whatever alignment the host body had, with their personalities rarely overlapping the host.

Size

The host body must be medium, but the Parasite is diminutive.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Dual Mind

You have advantage on all Wisdom saving throws.

Mental Discipline

You have resistance to psychic damage.

Mind Link

You can speak telepathically to any creature you can see, provided the creature is within a number of feet of you equal to 10 times your level. You don’t need to share a language with the creature for it to understand your telepathic utterances, but the creature must be able to understand at least one language.

When you’re using this trait to speak telepathically to a creature, you can use your action to give that creature the ability to speak telepathically with you for 1 hour or until you end this effect as an action. To use this ability, the creature must be able to see you and must be within this trait’s range. You can give this ability to only one creature at a time; giving it to a creature takes it away from another creature who has it.

Of Two Minds

Bonded Ones don’t have to sleep, and only require a stationary period of light activity for 4 hours. However, they can still be affected by sleep spells and any other sleep-related spells.

Languages

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

Swap Host

You make a melee attack against a creature. Upon a successful hit, you can elect to swap the parasite from the origin body to the new one. They must make a Constitution saving throw. Upon failure, the new host is taken over, and the original body becomes themselves again, losing any bonus abilities of the Bonded One race. It must be humanoid, and you lose any racial bonuses that the new host body would normally have, being replaced with these Bonded One’s.