Homebrew Doppleganger Species Details

True Forms

Dopplegangers are shapeshifters, capable of taking on the form of any person or creature they have seen. They may also revert to their true form, which is also revealed upon their death if otherwise obscured. Dopplegangers are, in their true forms, generally tall, wiry, and athletic. An adult individual can stand from 6ft to 8ft tall, generally weighing between 140 to 300lbs. Their skin tones can range from grey, to blue, to blue-violet, and their eyes are unusually round, lacking in distinct irises or pupils, and are primarily colorless- or only lightly hued. Doppleganger ears are small and pointed, and if they grow any hair at all, it is generally straight, thin, and pale.

Reviled

With their ability to change form at will, Dopplegangers are generally viewed as inherently deceitful. Copying another's shape is not exactly good social form, and will almost always be taken as a personal insult, slight, or attempt to trick or harm. A Doppleganger's best chance for social acceptance tends to be adopting the visage of another, better-liked race, and refraining from revealing their recognizable true form. Some dopplegangers live in general society as a copy of someone they met long ago, and hope the form they've taken never crops up in a way to cause them trouble. Many more simply live isolated from the rest of society, taking on shady business in order to survive, or simply living among the other monsters in caves, deep forests, and the dark corners only adventurers really check.

Reclusive

Dopplegangers rarely find a place in general society, as attempting one is rather risky business. They sometimes form small communities in abandoned dungeons, ruins, and other dark corners of the world, but these tend not to grow very large. Most doppleganger children grow up knowing only the dark halls and quiet mind-prodding of their born communities, and eventually moving on as these communities are usurped by more dangerous, territorial monsters, adventurers, or simply reach their capacity. Their first experiences with the world are dark, quiet, and removed from overarching social norms- and the resulting individuals mirror this. Dopplegangers don't tend to understand social norms

For Hire

Widely known for their unnerving ability to physically replicate any person they see, dopplegangers can easily find jobs among many courts across Faeruhn. Revenge-seeking wealthy folk will hire doppleganger assassins to complete any number of tasks, and pay highly for it- and dopplegangers, who don't have much need for wealth, will tend to bring this money back to whatever small, hidden community they arose from. This work only serves to perpetuate stereotypes of dopplegangers, but the resulting fortune feeds, clothes, and cares for them.

Doppleganger Traits

Dopplegangers share certain racial traits and abilities

Shapechanger

Dopplegangers are shapeshifters; you can cast the spell "Polymorph" on yourself once per day without using a spell slot.

Read Thoughts

Dopplegangers communicate primarily through thought. Once per day, you can cast "Detect Thoughts" without using a spell slot.

Ambusher

Dopplegangers are masters of ambush and surprise. Your Dexterity score increases by 2.

Age

Dopplegangers reach maturity in their early teens, and live over a century.

Alignment

Dopplegangers tend toward Neutral alignments; neutral good, true neutral, chaotic neutral, and neutral evil.

Size

True forms tend to be wiry and tall, from roughly 6ft to 8ft in height. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your walking speed is 30 feet.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write common. Dopplegangers tend not to speak often, preferring the quiet interactions of their youth, physical communication, and thought-to-though understanding.