Homebrew Lantern Jack Species Details

Athred and Teskar quickly made their way from the city and into the Gearwork Graveyard, a temporary safe haven, though plenty of unsavory creatures dwelled in the endless depths of the wasteland.

"We'll rest here for the time being," Athred told his companion, taking a swig from his flask and washing down the soot in his throat. Teskar nodded wordlessly, huffing and puffing. Suddenly, a crash alerted both. Athred slowly rose to his feet, drawing his sword. Teskar scrambled to an upright position, cowering behind the larger man. In the distance, a slim, skinny, and supposedly boneless figure scoured the ruins, tossing aside pieces of broken machinery. Teskar whimpered in fear, and Athred noted a small dark line running down his trousers. The figure wore a leather jerkin and cloak, but it was too long to be human. Long fingers ending in what looked to be claws scraped across the metal, and when the thing turned its face upon hearing Teskar, he nearly screamed.

A monstrous face glared back at the man. Its skin was textured like a human, but more plant-like than that. Its mouth was curved into a mischievous, evil grin, with long curving fangs. Flames licked its hollow eyes and out of its mouth, giving it the appearance of a carved pumpkin. The creature righted itself, still locked on Teskar, and began striding with a gangly, unnatural gait towards them.

"Well?! Kill it!!" Teskar screamed. However, it stopped several feet away from the two. It pointed a bony finger at Teskar, leaning forward, and whispered one word at him. "Boo." For but a moment, its eyes flared with fire that turned a furious, intimidating red, a gesture that sent Teskar scrambling away for all he was worth. Athred, a strong and hardy man, shivered as the thing let out a howling cackle, clutching its stomach and filling the air with its laugh, a sound like wood crackling in a fire mixed with dry bones cracking. Athred had heard of these creatures. Lantern-Jacks, they were called. Mischievous spirits of trickery that were forced into mortal bodies.

Spirits of the past

Lantern Jacks were once a small sect of spirits in the predated time. They had a knack for tricks and pranks, rewarding those that put up with their behavior. At first, this was tolerated among the other gods, but as time went on, they grew sick of the ever-increasing annoying spirits. Eventually, Tor'ren, the father of gods, threw the spirits to the world he had created, forcing them into physical forms that could be destroyed easily. Forever would they torment the denizens of the mortal realm.

Evil, But Not Evil

Lantern-Jacks, while tricky and chaotic, rarely commit serious crimes, such as murder or physical harm, unless it is warranted. Instead, they prefer to mess with their victim's minds, pranking and scaring them, for this is what they delight in. Nothing brings a Lantern-Jack more pleasure and joy than watching another suffer the consequences of their handiwork. They often will place things to trip people, make scary noises that put the person on edge, or perform tricks, such as replacing an item with something different, or making the person forget where they are. If their victim is a good sport about this, the Lantern-Jack will reward them with something small, such as a coin or small trinket before moving on to torment someone else.

Fragile And Feisty

While Lantern-Jacks find particular interest in what they do, they are quick to anger if tricked themselves. As punishment from the gods above, they have bodies easily susceptible to blunt objects, such as staffs, or clubs. As such, they do what they can to avoid beatings or physical harm, since that means the loss of their body until they can find another one. They grow particularly feisty when waiting for another form to grow because they cannot do anything other than wait for it. Some go as far as to hunt down the one(s) responsible for their demise.

Lantern Jack Traits

Lantern-Jacks are tricky and unpredictable, with a knack for pranks and chaos

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

Lantern-Jacks have a short life, less than fifty years, in which they do all they can to sow the seeds of chaos.

Alignment

Lantern-Jacks are unpredictable and do whatever naughty thought crosses their mind, leaning towards more chaotic alignments. Rarely does one seek to do good.

Size

Lantern-Jacks are tall and lanky, and can grow up to a foot taller than a normal human. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Trick or Treat

You have proficiency in the Deception and Sleight of Hand skills.

Darkvision

Because of your internal fire, you can see in darkness up to 60 feet. Additionally, you shed bright light for 30 feet and dim light an additional 30 feet. You can choose the color of your fire, and others can see by its light. You can also choose to either dim or brighten your light, up to a 60 foot range.

Fiery Resistance

You have resistance to fire damage.

Legacy of Trickery

You know the thaumaturgy cantrip and produce flame cantrips. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast mirror image once per long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the fear spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells. In addition, you have vulnerability to bludgeoning damage.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Sylvan.