Homebrew Amekufa Species Details

 

There are few things that mankind struggles with more than their inevitable end. As such, many abandon their humanity in search of eternity, and thus come the Lich: ancient and powerful sorcerers that once shrugged off mortality as if it were a traveling cloak, living now--if that word still even applies--as ageless, loveless beings of greed and avarice that seek only to take more for themselves. Such beings have need for many servants, and thus the vile curse of undeath has been thrust upon many who not share the lich's ideals, power, or alignment. 

These are the Amekufa, the deathless, humans hexed with a unique and powerful necromantic spell that allows them to retain their cognition and empathy in exchange for their living soul. When great adventurers vanquish Lich, or when the Lich themselves tire of life and fade to nothingness, the Amekufa are left behind to wander the land. Some indulging in newfound hedonism, some joining the thrall of the undead Rot Fleet, and some looking for a way to finally pass on for good. 

Neither Dead nor Alive

At first glance, an Amekufa seems to be little more than a sickly or scarred human. Injuries received by an Amekufa heal over time, even lost limbs or eviscerated innards will reform and regenerate if given enough rest, so no signs of undeath are visible to the naked eye. Amekufa are not rotting, rancid, or mindless like their zombie and ghoul cousins, and are fully capable of speech, emotion, and even spellcasting. They cannot, however, reproduce, as the ability to create life cannot exist in a lifeless body. 

Unholy Stigma

Despite not being entirely dead, Amekufa aren't entirely alive either. As such, they are extremely susceptible to many effects and weapons used to purge undead, such as radiant damage, holy water, or even the Turn Undead spell. They are not fond of churches or other hallowed grounds, and being in direct sunlight for too long gives them a splitting headache. Experienced paladins, clerics, or priests can identify Amekufa, and would waste no time smiting them if given the chance. In their minds, Amekufa are dangerous agents of decay, still operating under the command of a Lich, and are no better than any other brain-eating zombie. All living fear the dead, and an Amekufa exposed as such may find that their once accepting society is now after them with torches and pitchforks. This is why many join the ranks of the Rot Fleet, where they can be among their fellow undead.

A Blessing and a Curse

An Amekufa cannot die by any conventional means; at least not permanently. Soon after dying, an Amekufa will begin to knit itself back together, reforming from scraps of flesh and blood if need be. Radiant damage and holy weaponry will put them down faster, but they will reform nonetheless. However, each 'death' has a permanent and lasting effect on the Amekufa, as their mental and physical capabilities degrade more and more, leaving them as nothing more than a common zombie, a conscious brain trapped in an unresponsive body, a fate the Amekufa consider worse than actual death. To stop one from reforming, a ritual must be performed blessing a certain container and sealing the head of a decapitated Amekufa inside it. This renders the rest of the body inert, but once again leaves the Amekufa a prisoner in their own mind. This is the preferred method of taking one down employed by most factions, especially the Denomination of Kuru. There are very few ways to fully kill an Amekufa, and they often spend their entire afterlives searching for one.

Amekufa Names 

Those that remember their names keep the one they had in life, and those who don't tend to go without.

 

Amekufa Traits

Different in life, yet not so different from one another in death.

Unholy Disposition

You have immunity to poison damage, resistance to necrotic damage, and vulnerability to radiant damage.

Underworld Grasp

You know the Chill Touch cantrip.

Worse than Death

As an Amekufa, you cannot properly die. When you drop to 0 hp, you automatically fail a death save, but immediately gain hp equal to 10 + your character level. The failed death save persists until your next long rest. Upon failing 3 death saves, or being killed by an effect that causes immediate death such as massive damage or Power Word: Kill, you roll a d8 and consult the following table:

1-- You experience true death.

2-- You take a permanent -2 to STR

3-- You take a permanent -2 to DEX

4-- You take a permanent -2 to CON

5-- You take a permanent -2 to WIS

6-- You take a permanent -2 to CHA

7-- You take a permanent -10 to your max hp. If your max hp is 10 or less, you experience true death.

8-- You regain all of your hp and death saves.

 

If dismembered, decapitated, or even blown apart, your body will reform given enough time. The DM will determine how much time based on the damage done, and whether or not you are able to continue normal gameplay. For example, losing a limb will take an hour to regrow from nothing, but only 1 action to reconnect if you still have the limb handy (pun intended). A severed head takes a minimum of 8 hours to grow a new body, and a body lost in an explosion or inferno takes 24. Any body parts left over when a new body is finished forming turn to ash and disappear, leaving your clothing and equipment behind, as long as they were not also destroyed. If your body is sealed or restrained in such a way that it has no room to regenerate, it will not begin the process until it can. 

'Reviving' cleanses you of all status effects, including buffs, debuffs, active spells, and status conditions. You cannot cast somatic or material spells if you are just a head.

Ability Score Increase

 Your ability scores each increase by 1.

Age

You physically remain the age you died, but do not age past that point.

Alignment

 Humans, and therefore Amekufa, tend toward no particular alignment, although many turn to evil acts as a necessity to survive.  

Size

Amekufa vary widely in height and build, from barely 5 feet to well over 6 feet tall. Regardless of your position in that range, your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Languages

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