Homebrew Oni Species Details

Fallen Heroes

Long ago, the realms of the dead and the realms of the living were close enough to clash day after day, corpses rising moments after they are killed, ghosts possessing the living, and wraiths ruling the land. Out of the shadows of death and decay, the oni rose, with three kinds of their kin; red, blue, and white. The red were fierce and fearsome, tearing the foul spirits into pieces like wild animals. The blue were cunning and deceptive, looking for the right moment to assassinate powerful leaders. Finally, the white were honorable and just, sparing those whom surrendered, killing only those they had to. When the dead had been driven back, the realms separated once more, the red and blue oni took advantage of the gifts of the living, becoming tyrants similarly to those they had stopped. Seeing this, the white oni drove their kin out of the land, with the reputation of all oni being destroyed by their selfish cousins.

On the Run

In many cultures after the fall of the oni, oni have been depicted as creatures of malice and destruction, laying waste to the land and people who surround them. While some oni attempt to go against this stereotype, they are still hated the same as the rest of their kin, forcing many oni to live an existence of constant running and travel. Many times, an oni may believe their only companions to be similarly hated creatures, such as orcs, or other oni.

Hidden Horns

An oni's greatest symbol of pride are their horns, with each oni having their own unique pair. No two oni have horns that are exactly the same, even the closest of relatives will have tiny differences in their horns. However, the horns of oni are also one of their most distinct traits, making hiding in societies particularly difficult for most of them. To combat this, oni have a natural ability that allows them to shift into a specific alternate counterpart, letting them blend in with other creatures. They also can display traits of their true form, such as their horns or sharp teeth, in this alternate form.

Oni Traits

Your oni character has the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength score increases by 1

Change Shape

 You have an alternate humanoid form. This form is of any Medium or Small race, however, aside from size, your statistics do not change while in this alternate form. You cannot change what this form looks like after you have decided how it does. As an action, you can either change into your alternate form, back into your true form, or show traits from your true form on your alternate form, such as claws or horns. You revert to your true form if you die.

Claws

You have sharp, black claws, which are natural weapons you can use to make unarmed strikes. When you make an unarmed strike with your claws, they deal 1d4 slashing damage, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Darkvision

Able to see in the darkest mists of the night, you have excellent vision in darkness. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, and Infernal. Infernal comes from the Oni's demonic roots