Homebrew Awoken Puppet Species Details

It is the magician's bargain: give up our soul, get power in return. But once our souls, that is, ourselves, have been given up, the power thus conferred will not belong to us. We shall in fact be the slaves and puppets of that to which we have given our souls.

— C. S. Lewis

 

An Awoken Puppet is an object with a humanoid shape that was given life, or at least consciousness by some outside force. They will often be marionettes, dummies, dolls, or hand puppets made from wood, fabric, and string. Their soul is often restless and either seeks vengeance, a normal life, or their own demise. Awakened puppets are incredible rare as not many people wish to put a soul in a dummy. Many are slain on discovery as the race itself is quite the terrifying concept. However, a Puppet cannot find a new body, being stuck in the form it has awoken in. While still being made of wood and fabric, they do in fact, feel pain. While not having any nerves or organs, the puppets can see, feel, hear, and smell. They are very much aware of their surroundings and that they are an anomaly.

 

Puppet Names

A puppet is either named by a child or their adult creator. However, a puppet may rename themselves based on their own personality rather than being named "Buttons".

Male Names: Toads, Salty, Buddy, Dusty, Root, Mime, King, Noodle, Worm, Impulse, Tooth, Digger, Oats, Twinkletoe, Tank, Oracle, etc.

Female Names: Skitter, Sparkle, Ladybug, Sweet, Marble, Nana, Cuddles, Chickpea, Twilight, Flush, Ice, Vex, Snowflake, Bunny, Jade, etc.

Renamed: Likely a spin off their old name to sound either more mature or more civilized. A name such as Buttons would be renamed Bennett or Brooks.

 

Awoken Puppet Traits

Your Awoken Puppet character has a number of traits in common with all other Puppets.

Fleshless and Boneless

No stomach means there is no need for food nor water. No lungs means there is no need for breathing. No digestive track means no need for the restroom. However you still need sleep due to the need to rest the mind.

Bones of Wood

You are now vulnerable to fire damage and lightning damage, but resistant to piecing damage, and completely immune to poison. For whatever strange reason, healing spells will mend the form of the puppet regardless of the fact that no blood nor flesh is present in the body.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 2.

Age

A halfling reaches adulthood at the age of 20 and generally lives into the middle of his or her second century.

Alignment

Most halflings are lawful good. As a rule, they are good-hearted and kind, hate to see others in pain, and have no tolerance for oppression. They are also very orderly and traditional, leaning heavily on the support of their community and the comfort of their old ways.

Size

Halflings average about 3 feet tall and weigh about 40 pounds. Your size is Small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

The Puppet's Nimbleness

You can move through the space of any creature that is of a size larger than yours.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Undercommon. While puppets typically don't originate from the Underdark, it is believed that Mindflayers or other mysterious races may have granted them not only granted them the ability to speak Undercommon, but possibly the reason the puppets have a consciousness in the first places.