Homebrew 🌗 Veilborn Species Details

🌗 Veilborn — Long Description

The Veilborn are rare beings who exist upon the fragile boundary between life and death, light and shadow, identity and memory. At first glance, they appear much like ordinary humanoids, but their physical forms are unusually fluid. A Veilborn's face, colouring, voice, and features can subtly—or dramatically—change, often reflecting the person they instinctively believe themselves to be.

Their connection to the Veil, the unseen boundary separating the living from the dead, runs deeper than appearance. Veilborn are naturally sensitive to the presence of spirits, lingering emotions, and places where the boundary between worlds has grown thin. Some become healers and protectors, while others are drawn toward death, lost souls, and the mysteries of what lies beyond.

Among the rarest Veilborn are those known as Dual Souls. Two entirely separate souls inhabit a single body, yet neither necessarily knows that the other exists. Each soul possesses its own personality, beliefs, memories, mannerisms, and perception of what their shared body should look like. When control passes from one soul to the other, the Veilborn's appearance may change instinctively to match that soul's self-image.

To the soul currently present, however, nothing has changed.

Missing memories, unfamiliar possessions, unexplained journeys, and strangers who insist they have met them before can become unsettling parts of everyday life. A Dual Soul may spend years searching for explanations without ever imagining that another person is living those missing moments.

Despite possessing multiple souls, a Dual Soul remains one physical creature. Their vitality, abilities, injuries, possessions, and magical reserves belong to the shared body. One soul cannot erase the wounds suffered by the other, nor can changing souls restore expended power.

For Solene and Noctrine, this strange existence has created two very different lives within the same body. Solene walks toward life, hope and protection, while Noctrine is drawn toward death, spirits and acceptance.

Neither knows the other exists.

And each can truthfully look into a mirror and say:

“This has always been my face.”

🌗 Veilborn Traits

Your connection to the boundary between life and death gives you an unusually fluid identity. You can alter your appearance, possess natural instincts for understanding others, and feel an innate connection to the Veil. For a Dual-Souled Veilborn, two independent souls may unknowingly inhabit the same body. Each soul can have its own appearance, personality and memories, but both share the same HP, abilities, spell slots, conditions, equipment and other resources. Changing between souls never restores expended resources.

🌗 Veilbound Duality

Your soul is unusually connected to the boundary between life and death. Your appearance can shift to reflect the identity you instinctively believe to be your own.

For a Dual-Souled Veilborn, two souls can inhabit the same body without being aware of one another. When the active soul changes, the body's appearance changes to match that soul's self-image.

Both souls share the same HP, Hit Dice, spell slots, equipment, conditions, concentration, and other limited-use abilities. Changing souls does not restore resources or remove conditions.

Each soul has no memory of events that occur while the other is in control.

To each soul, their face has always been their face. 🌗

🪞 Shifting Visage

As an action, you can change your appearance and voice. You determine your appearance, including your facial features, hair, skin colour, height, weight and sex. You must retain the same basic arrangement of limbs. Your statistics do not change, and your clothing and equipment do not transform with you.

For a Dual-Souled Veilborn, the body also instinctively assumes the appearance that the currently present soul believes to be its natural form.

👁️ Veilborn Instincts

You possess an unusual sensitivity to the emotions and intentions of those around you. You gain proficiency in two skills of your choice: Deception, Insight, Intimidation, or Persuasion.

🌫️ Veil Sense

As an action, you open your senses to the Veil. Until the end of your next turn, you know if there is an Undead creature within 30 feet of you, provided it isn't behind total cover.

You learn that an undead presence exists, but you do not learn its identity, exact location, or creature type.

Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

🕯️ Between Two Worlds

When you make a death saving throw, you can add 1d4 to the roll.

Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

🌙 Veil-Touched

Accustomed to the shadows that gather along the boundary between life and death, you have Darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. In dim light, you can see as though it were bright light, and in darkness as though it were dim light. You can't discern colour in darkness, only shades of grey.