Homebrew Lanternbound Species Details

I’m alive. Unexpected. 

"Ah, welcome back, how do you feel?"

A voice. I open my eyes. 

A man looms over me, blocking my view into the rest of the room. 

"Can you move your arms?" He asks.

Is he daft? I bring my hand in front of my face and to my horror I see a contraption of steel rods and gears, vaguely resembling digits.

And so began my living nightmare.

— Diakoptês, first of the Lanternbound

Lanternbound are a scarce kind, often considered a form of undead, their process of creation is known to a scant few. What is known, however, is that the soul of the dead have been imprisoned within a construct, delaying their journey to the afterlife.

Bound to Service

All Lanternbound are made for a purpose. They retain most of the skills they learned in life, and as such, some institutions have been known to create Lanternbound to ensure continuity of vital knowledge or skills. Those of ill intent have sometimes beguiled otherwise unwilling souls, and made them become slaves or servants. 

Very rarely, the soul will incorrectly imprint upon the enclosure, and will become blank. These Lanternbound are much like children, easily impressionable and often naïve. These are typically cast out or decommissioned by their creators, as they don’t serve their intended purpose.

Works of Art

The appearance of a Lanternbound varies, as the creator is fully responsible for the enclosure and body’s construction. The more similar design of body to the soul’s prior to death, the higher chances of successful imprintation. This usually involves creating a skeleton with analogues for each bone, as well as mechanisms to articulate joints. Creators will add stylistic choices or their own flair to the body, creating walking works of art. Notable examples include Lanternbound archivists styled after the wrought-iron railings of a great library, or the geared copper and spring body of a grand Clock warden.

The crowning piece of a Lanternbound is its enclosure. The name of the Lanternbound originates from this, as the enclosure looks very much like a lantern set in place of a head. The soul is imprinted, then the enclosure is magically sealed. It can take virtually any form the creator wishes, so long as it takes the same position as the soul’s mind in their body prior to death. Common designs include Victorian-style street lamps, Japanese chochin, or even simple railroad lamps.

Sitting within the enclosure is the soul itself. It takes the form of a small globe of light or flame which hangs suspended in the center. The color of the light typically reflects some quality of the soul’s temperament, and it tends to change in intensity and shape to reflect emotion.

Despite technically being classified as a construct, healing spells and potions work as intended with Lanternbound. Some scholars postulate that the soul’s energy has infused the body upon which it resides, making it susceptible to such things.

Drastic Change

As one can imagine, the transfer of a soul to a construct is quite jarring. For souls who were certain of their impending mortality, waking up can be quite distressing. A study of Lanternbound found cases to reevaluate their life choices in what one researcher described as “pretty much a midlife crisis.” In more drastic cases, it has led to changes of profession, new hobbies, and occasionally self-destructive behavior.

A common complaint has been the inability to participate in regular activities, such as eating, drinking, use of toilets, and so on. Despite the lack of proper systems, Lanternbound take up activities similar to those they did in life. A notable researcher theorized that this was a subconscious effort to rationalize a new situation and avoid mental stress. Indeed, despite being unable to sleep, Lanternbound enter an inactive state in which they do not perceive their surroundings for a standard sleep cycle. An important note is that sleep magic has proven ineffective, suggesting that this activity is purely psychological. 

In experiments, Lanternbound test subjects who were unpermitted to engage in this subconscious tics have developed worrying mental symptoms, or even slowly lost their ability to maintain functional personas. Before that experiment was shut down due to ethics concerns, one subject was reduced to a state similar to a regular, non-soulbound construct.

Lanternbound Traits

Lanternbound have these traits

Ability Score Increase

Having a whole life of prior knowledge to draw upon has given Lanternbound a certain insight into the inner workings of themselves and the world around them. Additionally, they retain another aspect of their mind or personality.

Your Wisdom score increases by 2, and either Intelligence or Charisma increases by 1.

Age

Lanternbound technically do not age, as their soul is the only remnant of their life. What typically determines their lifespan is the materials they are made of. While parts can be replaced, it is a dangerous procedure that only one versed in the arts of Lanternbound creation should engage in.

Alignment

Lanternbound alignment fully depends on who they were before their death, as well as any restrictions placed upon them by their creators. The most common race to be made into Lanternbound are humans, and so their neutrality carries over. If their creator intended for them to become servants, a strict lawful aspect is introduced. 

Size

Lanternbound bodies usually mirror that of who they were in their past lives, however the grand majority are between 5 to 7 feet tall. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Luminescence

As with their namesake, Lanternbound give off light. You shed bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional 20 feet.

You have blindsight out to 30 feet.

As a bonus action, you can extend your blindsight radius to 60 feet for 1 minute. You can do this a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1) per long rest.

Construct's Resilience

As a construct you don't suffer many of the same drawbacks as when you were alive, represented by the following benefits.

• You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned, and you have resistance to poison damage.
• You are immune to disease.
• You don’t need to eat, drink, or breathe.
• While physically not needing sleep, many Lanternbound tend to enter a similar state anyway, which scholars assume is a holdover from their previous lives. You don’t suffer the effects of exhaustion due to lack of rest, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

 

Tools of the Past Life

You gain proficiency in one set of tools and one skill of your choice.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and one extra language of your choice that you knew in your past life.