Homebrew Hollow Spirit Species Details

“Not unheard of for the dead to linger. Gruesome and violent is their death: those wretched souls who die with a longing for business unfinished. They are wraiths wandering the wilds, half-mad and distraught. A kindness to fully expunge them from this world, so that Mortarion may guide them on. But rarer still for those to be bound to a physical vessel. Outlawed is that practice and many know not how to do it, but the knowledge persists, I wager, as dangerous as it is. More often the soul would return frenzied and sick. But those successful few who recover with their minds intact find their beating heart replaced with cold vengeance... and the means to exact it."

—Priest of Mort

Hollow spirits are the result of an ancient rite of dark magic where the souls of the dead, yet to be ferried to the afterlife by Mortarion, are bound within a physical object on the corporeal plain. While retaining their memories and intelligence, they now possess a crueller personality, having been ripped from the chance of respite in death. Often a desire to complete their unfinished business lingers. These cursed spirits are all consumed to fulfil their dying wish, yet must now obey the strictures of those who created them.

Ghost in the Shell

Hollow spirits are created when a soul of the dead is recalled before completing its journey into the afterlife then binding it within a physical vessel. The spirit is usually given a form over which it has a degree of autonomy, such as a suit of armour or (hideously) a corpse. As the spirit is tied to the material world through this vessel its integrity is crucial to the spirit's survival. Destroying the vessel would result in severing the spirit's ties to the mortal plane, so precautions are often taken to strengthen themselves. Armour is patched and repaired, while cadavers are kept together with stitching and splints.

As they do not possess a living body, they are unencumbered by mortal concerns of rest and sustenance. The type of vessel they occupy will also alter healing effects. Non-organic vessels (metal and stone) are repaired in the same way a smith fixes armour. Organic vessels (bodies and plant matter) benefit from certain spells and Medicine skills. The longer a cursed vessel wanders the world the more care must be given to maintain their form. If materials are hard to come by their appearance may be very rough shod, though functional.

Occasionally a hollow spirit may break free of its bonds to its masters, either overcoming their commands through extreme force of will or by outliving them. These hollow spirits now wander the world, a wasted shadow of their former life. They are driven to complete their dying wish, taking to it with the grim determination of one no longer concerned with death's cold embrace.

Hollow Spirit's Personality

Hollow spirits are created to serve a dark bidding. Their creation is a heartless process to enslave a living person into servitude beyond death. The subject must be killed under distressing circumstances to create the initial tie to the physical world before it is seized upon by the ritual and further imprisoned within a vessel. This last act anchors the spirit, preventing loss of memories and intelligence, so that a more effective undead servant might be created.

While still possessing their old personality, the process through which hollow spirits are created means they have borne horrific emotional trauma. Now in possession of an alien body that does not feel the sun's warmth, nor the taste of food, their single motive is often revenge. They experience a deep sense of wrongness about themselves and shun most social interactions, or (sensibly) disguise their true nature. While driven by a desire for vengeance or to fulfil their dying wish, most also forsake any previous friends and family, not wishing to inflict their existence on those they once loved.

A hollow spirit may adopt alterations to their form reminiscent of their mortal selves, such as wearing a favourite colour or article of clothing. Others may disregard such affectations and resolutely embrace their new body.

Traumas

Hollow spirits often display trauma given the torment they experience when being reborn to this world. The Hollow Spirit Traumas table contains examples.

Hollow Spirit Traumas

Hollow Spirit Names

Often Hollow Spirits carry on the name from their previous life, though sometimes they are renamed by those who summoned them. This name is given terrible purpose, a namesake for their reason to exist. It is often a combination of descriptors: both of their physical vessel and the purpose to which they are bound.

Vessel Names: Metal, Iron, Steel, Bronze, Copper, Rusted, Stone, Granite, Obsidian, Quartz, Wooden, Nails, Carapace, Aegis, Cuirass

Purpose Names: Vengeance, Torment, Affliction, Bane, Anguish, Retribution, Pain, Hammer, Minion, Assassin, Soldier, Slave, Shield

 

Hollow Spirit Traits

Your hollow spirit character has the following traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Strength score increases by 1.

Age

Hollow spirits are typically adults at the point of their rebirth through dark magic. Once bound to their vessel, they may survive for centuries provided the body they inhabit is not destroyed.

Alignment

A hollow spirit's alignment varies greatly between individuals. Some maintain their morals from when they were alive, while others may harness such resentment to the mortal world they become wholly evil. Many are driven to complete their dying wish, willing to do anything to achieve that goal. Those few who fulfil their deathly ambitions may find themselves without a purpose and so wander the world at a loss of what to do.

Size

Your size is Medium. To set your height and weight randomly, start with rolling a size modifier:

Size modifier = 2d6

Height = 5 feet + 10 inches + your size modifier in inches

Weight in pounds = 270 + (4 × your size modifier)

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Exanimate Resilience

In the process of your rebirth you are now untroubled by so many mortal concerns, represented by the following benefits:

• You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned, and you have resistance to poison damage.
• You don’t need to eat, drink, or breathe.
• You are immune to disease.
• You don’t need to sleep, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

Grave Repose

When you take a long rest, you must spend at least two hours in an inactive, motionless state, rather than sleeping. In this state, you appear inert, but it doesn’t render you unconscious, and you can see and hear as normal.

Vital Protection

You no longer wear armour - you are defined by it.

• You gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class.
• You can don only armor with which you have proficiency. To don armor, you must incorporate it into your body over the course of 1 hour, during which you remain in contact with the armor. To doff armor, you must spend 1 hour removing it. You can rest while donning or doffing armor in this way.
• In some cases, armour may need to be welded to your body, which may require several hours to days to complete.
• While you live, your armor can’t be removed from your body against your will.

Terrible Purpose

You gain one skill proficiency and one tool proficiency of your choice. These may reflect the purpose you were given by your masters, or competencies you possessed in your former life.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.

Gaze of Dread

Your piercing glare can wither the most stalwart of hearts. When making intimidation checks, provided the target can clearly see your eyes (or where they should be) they are instilled with cold dread. You have advantage on intimidation checks.