Homebrew Dullahan Species Details
When someone dies without proper rites, the end result is occasionally an undead. The type of undead they are often inform the circumstances around this death. Most become zombies or specters. Those with unfinished business tend towards ghosts. The particularly vengeful and scorned become revenants. And when a humanoid is decapitated in the midst of talking, they may rise on the next full moon as a dullahan.
A dullahan is permanently bound to whatever their last words were, feeling compelled to enact them at all moments. Someone who died calling out to their spouse may want to return to them, or feel compelled to air other married individuals. A man shouting the name of their killer may be filled with a permanent vengeance, while one who died warning another of danger can feel a strong inclination towards self-sacrifice. This feeling is ever-present, and a dullahan can choose to either embrace it or suppress the thoughts deep within.
As a species, dullahans are undead, identifiable by their detached heads. Their heads still move and talk as normal, and can even consume the likes of potions for their effects, but can never truly be reattached.
Dullahan Traits
As a Dullahan you have the following traits:Ability Score Increase
When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. Follow this rule regardless of the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy. The “Quick Build” section for your character’s class offers suggestions on which scores to increase. You can follow those suggestions or ignore them, but you can’t raise any of your scores above 20.
Age
Dullahans do not age in the traditional sense. You remain physically the age you were at death, and you cannot die of old age.
Size
You are Medium or Small. Your size is the same as it was before you became a dullahan.
Speed
Your walking speed is 30 feet.
Deathless Nature
You've been brought back by unknown forces, represented in the following benefits:
- You have advantage on saving throws against disease and being poisoned, and you have resistance to poison damage.
- You don't need to eat, drink, or breathe.
- You don't need to sleep, and magic can't put you to sleep. You can finish a long rest in 6 hours if you spend those hours in an inactive, motionless state, during which you retain consciousness.
- You can be healed and stabilized by spells and effects that otherwise don't affect undead, but receive reduced healing from them equal to your proficiency bonus.
Eerie Arts
You know the thaumaturgy cantrip. Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the bane spell with this trait, without requiring material components. Once you cast bane with this trait, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast it using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level.
Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this species).
Headless
Your head is permanently detached from your body. It can be worn on top of your neck, carried in your hand, or attached to a belt. Anything that affects your body or your head affects both, but never twice. For example, you only take damage from the same area-of-effect once.
You perceive only from the position of your head, and spells you cast that lack somatic or material components can originate from your head's space.
If your head or body is teleported, you may choose to have both arrive in the same space. If you would transform (such as through wild shape), your head recombines with you and reappears beside your body when the effect ends. You can use a bonus action to recall your head to your space, so long as it's on the same place of existence.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and one additional language of your choice.
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