Homebrew Grafted Species Details

He seemed human, but yet limped like that of a skeleton. Surely he couldn't be injured, as there was no sign of pain in his face. As he drew near, there was a soft rattle every step he took. Brundin then glanced at the figure's leg. It was bone. There was no skin, no muscle, but the bones of his leg moved as if there was.

"Don't mind the leg!" the figured called to Brundin. "I'm still human, aren't I?"

- What are Grafted?, written by Brundin Glass.

 

Are You Undead or Human?

Despite resembling mostly as human, Grafted are shunned by all because of common mix-ups between them and necromancers. Many people believe a Grafted is a sign of bad luck should you ever see one. Even those that are also shunned by others tend to avoid Grafted. Hiding the afflicted limb(s) will keep people from questioning you, or you can prove yourself to be a good friend. Either way, people take a long time to start trusting a Grafted, and any slight act of aggression from one erases all progress of trustworthiness.

Crypts of Comfort

Despite rarely being seen in large cities or towns, Grafted tend to meet together in secret meetings, hidden in the depths of the cities' crypts. A group of Grafted may raise a small army of skeletons and zombies to prevent people from entering the crypts while these meetings are in progress, or they hide away in secret rooms and entryways carved out by them. Either way, crypts are a relatively familiar building in the eyes of a Grafted, and you may once in a while find one sleeping in a crypt, as it is much safer to be in a crypt than be spotted while sleeping in an inn.

Cults of the Undead Limb

Many cults of Grafted exist in some regions of the land, although some may rather go by 'organization' or 'union', as not all of these cults are gathered for ill intentions. Most Grafted would rather find peaceful means to obtain equal rights and abolish discrimination against them. However, there are those that delve into realm of chaos and pain, bringing cities to their knees with hoards of undead and the use of a detachable limb. These cults are difficult to track, and those that do find them never return.  Many of these cults worship the god of death Myrkul, while the more peaceful organizations worship Kelemvor, god of the dead. Although similar in power, Kelemvor is more forgiving than Myrkul, thus the vast difference in view between the organizations and cults. (Refer to D&D 5E gods for more information).

Grafted Names

Grafted share many traits from humans, including their naming conventions. Any human name will suffice for a Grafted. On the flip-side, a Grafted may have a name written in a demonic language, such as Infernal, reminding them of whatever curse there is bestowed upon their limb(s).

Grafted Traits

Grafted make the most out of their undead limbs, despite any difficulties it can give them.

Ability Score Increase

+2 to Wisdom and Intelligence

Age

Despite being mostly human, their undead limbs impact how they age. Grafted age twice as slow as normal humans do, living to be around 170 years.

Alignment

Because Grafted are mostly human, they lean towards no particular alignment. A Grafted may try and hide their unnatural body parts and blend in with society, or reign terror by embracing their undead selves.

Size

Grafted may have full control over their limbs, but with a lack of muscle, the limbs act slower than normal. Your base walking speed is 20 feet.

Language

You can speak, read, and write Common, plus one other language of your choice. Grafted normally have high intellect, trying to learn more about their bony appendages. This requires Grafted to read many books and scrolls that can range from Elvish to Infernal. Grafted need to understand what these books say in order to find the full potential of a skeleton arm or a bony leg.

No Muscle, No Strength

With a lack of muscle to add additional strength, you have a -1 to Strength.

At Death's Grasp

No matter what limb(s) you choose to be undead, it is infused with an amount of magic to give you full movement and control of your deathly limb. You can cast the Chill Touch cantrip.

Impromptu Amputation

You can dislodge your limb and throw it to a maximum distance of 15 feet. The limb's AC, hit points, and movement speed mimic your own, but it cannot attack. However, if thrown at a creature, you deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage to it. The limb can be called back to you as a bonus action, but still moves only 20 feet per turn. The limb can interact with objects as it normally would if attached to you. For instance, a skeletal hand grab a small object on the floor or a zombie leg can knock over a crate. If you choose to try and move an object with your limb, it can weigh no more than 10 pounds. If the limb is reduced to 0 hit points, it goes limp and can only be reattached manually. Each dislodge has its own drawbacks, however. For instance, if you dislodge your arm, you cannot dual wield or use both hands for a great sword until you are reunited with the arm. If you dislodge a leg, your movement speed is halved until you are reunited with the leg.

Undead Aura

Because you have undead parts to you, you have advantage with Charisma when dealing with undead. However, you can still be attacked by a provoked undead, and it will treat you as an enemy until killed.