Homebrew Abberant Species Details

Seekers of Knowledge

Aberrants have a natural desire to grow their hoards of knowledge, for in the realms in which they originally inhabited, reality was something which could be altered at the whim of a powerful intellect, and as such, material possesions have little value to them. Instead, they seek to increase their mental aptitude and own personal strength, so to pave their own path throw the worlds. Most aberrants choose professions in which they can utilize the knowledge and magic they have gained, often becoming bards, warlocks, or wizards. Some discover passions for combat or espionage, and choose to develop themselves in that direction. With few morals, aberrants tend to be willing to do anything to get what they want, although what they want may not necessarily be something which makes sense to others. Many choose a life of adventuring rather than academic study so to experience a greater scope of knowledge.

Unnatural Forms, Unnatural Minds

An aberrants true form is one which can only exist in a dimension of pure mental being, and as such, when inhabiting physical realms, they must choose a form to inhabit. Most simply forge a body in the image of the common peoples of the world, but more traveled aberrants may have a physical form which they have grown attatched to. The oldest aberrants may reshape their mental forms to match their preferred physical form. An aberrants natural mental form is incomprehensible to sane creatures, and if viewed, may cause temporary madness. In spaces between worlds, such as the Astral and Ethereal Planes, aberrants will naturally revert to their true forms. Any creature attempting to peek into an aberrants mind has its work cut out for it, and can loose its sanity if it isn't careful.

 

Deep Friendships

Due to their long lives and incomprehensible nature, most aberrants spend their lives alone, some by choice, and some simply due to the fact that they cannot encounter any being who can understand them. Most animals sense something unnatural from aberrants, and will not allow them to approach. Due to this, when they find someone who they can bond with, aberrants tend to forge strong bonds which last the rest of their lives. 

Aberrant Names: Aberrants tend to only have names so that they know when their physical form is being adressed. Because of this, aberrant names can be anything, from stereotypical names for a certain race, to random nouns or adjectives, to references to historical or literary works.

Lifespan: Uncertain. In their physical body, they can be killed, and the body will wear down over around a thousand years. In their mental forms, they are functionally immortal unless a greater mental power destroys their mental form.

Languages: Aberrant's can speak, read and write Deep Speech, and Common

Alignment: Aberrants can be any alignment, though most lean towards a Neutral alignment.

Bonus Proficiencies: Any two proficiencies, including weapon, armour, tools, skills, or instruments, taken from the aberrant's wide scope of knowledge.

 Resistances: Aberrant's incomprehensible minds weaken psychic attacks. They have resistance to psychic damage.

Weaknesses: Due to their bodies originally being formed by imagination, magical force heavily damages them. They have vulnerability to force damage.

Abberant Traits

With otherworldly minds and bodies shaped by imagination, aberrants are a different existence to regular creatures.

Ability Score Increase

Due to Aberrant's unnatural physicality, their bodies are more resilient than regular humanoids. +1 to Constitution. Due to aberrants existence as beings of pure mental power, they have an increased intellect. +2 to Intelligence.

Strange Mind

The incomprehensible form of an aberrant's mental self causes psychic damage to lose its potency, giving the aberrant resistance to psychic damage. If a creature attempts to read an aberrant's thoughts or observe its memories without permission it becomes effected by Mind Break.

Action: Mind Break

By touching a target creature, the aberrant projects an image of its true form into the target's mind. The target must succeed on an intelligence saving throw to comprehend the aberrant's true form contested by the aberrant's intelligence stat. On a failed save, the target is inflicted with one variety of short term madness (see Dungeon Master's Guide). On a successful save, the creature is immune to the effects of mind break for the next week.

Abyssal Body

An aberrant's body is less a living thing than a home for its consciousness, and as such, it does not obey all of the laws of living things. Aberrants do not require sleep, and may instead spend 8 hours doing light tasks such as studying or keeping watch to attain the benefits of a long rest.

Action: Abyssal Maw

The aberrant's neck and torso split open, starting at the mouth, to reveal a gaping maw of darkness and jagged teeth, which opens regardless of clothing or gear over it. the aberrant can make a melee attack with its maw for 1d6 + Int Modifier necrotic damage. When the maw closes any clothing which was split open is seamlessly joined back together.