Homebrew Headless Species Details

"There are times when what you don't know can indeed hurt you. Why else do you think fairy tales exist? To stop people like me from getting the jump on people like you. So, now that that is over with, what do you think of my abode? Do you like it? I personally think it needs slightly more horror and slightly less terror, you know?"

-An anonymous headless speaking to a group of captured adventurers

 

A haunted suit with a jack o' lantern for a head, existing in an isolated world, playing pranks and tricking others to avoid the boredom of seclusion. These are all things that headless seem to have in common. They don't usually love trespassers, but then again, there are times where being stuck at home with no one to talk to drives a man, even a dead man, insane. They aren't all horsemen, as some like to think. In fact, they don't usually like horses. Horses get spooked by a headless' presence.

Looming Faces

 Headless happen to tower over more common races at 10 to 12 feet high, making them Large creatures. They are surprisingly heavy for being not much more than a haunted suit. They weigh anywhere from 125 to 200 pounds. The females are on average shorter and lighter than the males, but that isn't by a drastic amount. They usually do not have any hair, as they have a gourd of some variety, although it is usually a pumpkin, as a head. It does grow or shrink to be the proper size for a head, and it automatically gets carved eyes and a mouth. The color of the glow behind the eyes and mouth changes based on their mood, but it is not standard across all headless. For example, just because one headless' eyes glow blue when they are sad does not mean the the blue glowing eyes of another headless make it sad. They either have no skin, or have black, wrinkled skin and always are wearing a coat with gloves, which is their actual body. A normal headless reaches adulthood at around 50 years, and lives for another 250 years or so.

Ageless Wanderlust

Headless usually gather in cities, and refuse most people's entry. As such, they commonly get bored with their long lifespans, and like to wander. This makes them an ideal candidate for getting roped into an adventure, which greatly excites them. They are unnaturally curious and playful for a creature that is as large and intimidating as them, and like to ask about others' lives. But, to let any information about the headless cities get out is a crime that your entire living bloodline can be prosecuted for, so they are very secretive about themselves or their home.

Intimidating and Curious

Headless generally get along well with other races, once they realize that the tall spooky man doesn't want to kill them. As such, most of the racism is actually towards the headless, not against it. But they generally take it well.

Dwarves: "Dwarves love to talk, but they take forever to open up to you. Sometimes I wonder if they are as secretive as my home cit- Oops! Didn't mean to say that."

Elves: "Listen, yes, you are way more graceful than us, you have way more artistic genius, and you have interesting knowledge. But you don't have to rub it in. Now that I got that off my chest,  I have nothing against elves. They're great people!"

Humans: "Humans are the best to hang out with. Each one's unique! It's like a rainbow of life, and it's easy to get lost in it. You can listen to stories of their discoveries for ages, but they are just as determined to learn your secrets as you are theirs."

Halflings: "Wait... what's a halfling? Oh! You mean the skinny dwarves? I just thought that a skinny dwarf was a happy dwarf. Huh."

 

Headless Traits

When headless go adventuring, they find a lot of the things they thought commonplace is actually quite exclusive.

Ability Score Increase

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

Alignment

Headless are never Neutral on the Law/Chaos axis. They may be Lawful, and stick to their city codes, or they may be Chaotic, and try to be as free as they can, but they don't see the point of balance.

Glowing Face

Your glowing face allows for a magical light to shine around you. Choose between one of the two options.

-Aura: Your head emits bright light in a 10 foot radius around you, and dim light for an additional 10 foot radius.

-Beam: Your head emits bright light in a 20 foot cone in front of you, and dim light for an additional 20 feet.

You may change your choice whenever you gain an Ability Score Increase. Either way, the bright light emitted from this feature is not impacted by magical darkness, but the dim light is swallowed up. You may choose at any time to stop or start using this feature, but you may not choose a different method.

Headless

You may detach your head from your body. Any features with a point of origin on your head go with it. You can choose between controlling your detached head, or your body. At any time you may put another gourd on your neck, and it will become your new head, and the old one will no longer function. The head has a movement speed of 10 fly(hover), and 10 walk. Controlling the head prevents you from sensing your body. You can see out of your body without a head on. Any damage taken by either component is shared.

Shadowed

Your ways of shadow have allowed you to cast certain spells once you reach third level: Darkness, Misty Step, Pass without Trace. You may use these spells a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. All expended uses are recovered on a short or long rest.

Ghastly Gait

Your connection to the spooky side grants you proficiency on Intimidation checks, as well as the capability to teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see(as a bonus action) when you take the Dash action.