Homebrew Dullahan Species Details
A dullahan is a type of fey creature born of the Unseelie Court. Dullahan resemble undead due to their headlessness, but both head and body are kept alive by a fey curse. Inclined to travel by Unseelie magic and their own appearance, grim folklore sprung up about them over time. Dullahan are created by Unseelie Fey when they decapitate a humanoid, often as part of a dark ritual. Newly created dullahan are able to retain most of their personality of their humanoid self, but memories of their past life is mostly forgotten. Only a few dullahan manage to remember a memory from their past life often due to a trigger or a lasting impression the body will never forget. Dullahan are also capable of producing offspring, the newborn in question becoming undoubtably a dullahan with characteristics of the dominant race from both partners. Furthermore, Crom Dubh is known as the embodiment of the legend of the Headless Horseman which is lore commonly associated with this god. Apart from this upon death the god instead curses the body of the person which brings them back as his vessel to do his bidding allowing the individual to escape death. Additionally, as a vessel, you must collect the heads of those you deem fit for death or that Crom Dubh has long sought after and may find yourself compelled to mutilate the corpses of your fallen enemies via beheading in order to sacrifice their souls to Crom Dubh. The Dullahan often resemble headless humanoids, usually carrying their missing head by their side, holding it by their long, often braided, hair or having it attached to their belt. Their skin is of a pale sickly ethereal blue and seems to be quite smooth, revealing their partial undead nature, and an ethereal mist can be seen dissipating from where the head should be. Their eyes, which are small and black, come in a variety of iris colors that range from natural to unnatural, and always seem to dart about like malignant flies. A Dullahan has the ability to sense when other creatures are close to death. This gives them profound respect for the natural cycle of life and death, and they oppose those who would violate it. Unlike banshees, whose cry causes the death of those who hear it, the cry of a Dullahan merely serves to direct the soul of those who have already passed. They often serve as psychopomps, leading the souls of the dead and dying into the Astral Plane. However, this distinction was often lost among those who encountered Dullahan performing their work, which further grew their fearsome mythology.
Dullahan Traits
Racial traits listed below.Ability Score Increase:
Your Charisma increases by 2 and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Age:
Dullahan do not age, nor are they born. New Dullahan are created through a dark ritual, where a sacrifice is decapitated, their very soul unmade and replaced by a vestige of the old gods.
Alinement:
Dullahan tend toward neutral alignments as they believe death comes equally to everybody at their own pace
Size:
A Dullahan is about as tall as the previous race they were prior to the dark ritual that made them.
Example: A human Dullahan would be medium.
Speed:
Your base walking speed is 30 feet due to it being inherited from your previous life.
Languages:
You can speak, read, and write Common and Sylvan.
Darkvision:
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.
Frightening:
You have proficiency in the Intimidation skill.
Trance:
Dullahan does not need to sleep. Instead, they enter a dormant state and remain semiconscious for 4 hours a day. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep. Also, you don't need to eat or drink.
Headless:
Your head and your body are separated, the wound that separated them never healing, although you may always attach or detach your head at will as an action. While your head is separated from your neck you gain the following effects:
You can attach and detach your head using your Object Interaction. Your ability to sever your head prevents you from being killed by decapitation, however, while your head is attached being struck by a critical hit by a weapon attack or unarmed strike causes your head to fly off. Your head lands in a space within 10 feet of you.
You always know the distance and direction to your head unless it is on another plane or if an effect prevents divination magic it will also prevent this effect.
Unless your head is being carried by you or another creature, it can be targeted, its AC being equal to yours but without the benefit of Dexterity or armor that does not include a helmet.
You cannot be damaged twice by an area of effect due to this. Your head automatically fails Dexterity saving throws.
When separate, both head and body can see and hear. However, while your head is separated from your body, your body has blindsight with a radius of 10ft and is blind beyond this radius.
Your headless body cannot speak but it can consume food and drink as well as cast spells, even spells with verbal components as long as the separated head is not silenced or gagged. Your head can perform the verbal components of spells, and the body can perform the somatic. Spells without somatic components are cast from your head, and ones without verbal components are cast from your body. If it has both, you can choose from where your spell originates. Unless your head is being carried, it can be targeted, its AC being equal to yours but without the benefit of Dexterity or armor that does not include a helmet. You cannot be damaged twice by an area of effect due to this. Your head automatically fails Dexterity saving throws.
Aurophobia: Fear and Weakness to Gold
You are naturally afraid of gold, and as such will never accept payment in its form, taking it instead as other precious metals or gems. You have a disadvantage against intimidation checks or fear effects from creatures made of or wearing gold, and gold or gold-plated weapons have an advantage on attack rolls against you. If you are carrying or touching anything made of gold make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or release the item. Repeat this save every turn you carry the gold.
Toll The Dead Cantrip:
You point at one creature you can see within range, and the sound of a dolorous bell fills the air around it for a moment. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or take 1d8 necrotic damage. If the target is missing any of its hit points, it instead takes 1d12 necrotic damage. At Higher Levels. The spell’s damage increases by one die when you reach 5th level (2d8 or 2d12), 11th level (3d8 or 3d12), and 17th level (4d8 or 4d12).
Amnesia:
The Dullahan suffers from memory loss of their previous life so seeking info on who they once were can prove quite difficult without the help of others.
Fey Hybrid:
Your creature type is now both fey and humanoid. This means you can be affected by things that would work on humanoid and fey creatures.
Unseelie Nature:
With a nature that treads the line between fey and undead, you are above certain mortal needs. You don’t need to eat or drink, although you can choose to do so, and additionally, you ignore exhaustion gained as a consequence of traveling at a fast pace.
Transplant Consciousness
Prerequisites: Dullahan
The body of a dullahan is a mysterious curse that remains with plenty of secrets for one to manipulate and discover. One such ability is to become someone else entirely.
Over the course of 30 minutes, you preform a ritual to bind yourself to a head within 5 feet of you, the ritual ends if you move more than 5 feet away from the head. you can bind to multiple heads equal to your Charisma modifier, not including your own head. If you attempt to bind to a new head that exceeds your maximum limit, you can choose to break a binding to one of your existing heads, not including your own head. You can only bind to a head if it's size and sex is the same as yours. By completing the ritual, the head no longer decomposes while you are bound to it and gain the following features:
You can spend 30 minutes to transfer your consciousness to a different head. You can do this during a short rest if applicable. Doing so changes the head's skin pigment, eye and hair color to match your existing body and head. Alternatively, you can choose for your body to match the pigments of the current head.
You gain insight into the general characteristics of the head's life, allowing you to mimic the person in both voice and mannerisms. You gain advantage on Charisma checks when passing yourself as a different person.
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