Homebrew Darakhul Species Details

A Ghoulish race inspired from Kobold Press.

In the lightless depths beneath the ground, an empire of devouring ambition grows and plots and dreams. Its citizens call themselves the People, but the rest of Midgard calls them the Lords Subterranean, the Ghoul Imperium, or simply the Empire of the Ghouls. Their cities lie out of sight, their agents infiltrate the underworlds of a score of surface cities, and their goals know no limits. To them, if you are not a member of the People, you are food. Their empire maintains complex social structures and forges serious alliances, particularly among the undead princes of Morgau and Doresh. Unofficial embassies exist in Zobeck, the Ironcrag Cantons, Krakova, and Magdar. Other hidden outposts may lurk below the Seven Cities, Illyria, or beyond. They scheme and plot. They hunger for the flesh of the living. They are the darakhul.

INTO THE BIG, WIDE WORLD

Some darakhul venture into the wider world on the business of the Imperium. Maintaining their state requires envoys and ambassadors, messengers and scouts, traders and commerce, as well as knowledge of events in the surface world. These undead diplomats engage with races they might otherwise consider food out of duty to the Imperium and with a specific purpose.

Other members of their kind, however, have no such obligations. For adventuring darakhul, those in self- imposed exile, or those who never belonged to the Imperium, the quest to master their own hunger, to transcend their role as predators of sentient beings, is as much a part of their journey as the current quest. These characters typically want to grow beyond their ghoulish appetites and regain some part of their former lives in the cultures and societies of the world’s surface. No one knows better than the darakhul that they can’t overcome their nature unless they confront it.

But no matter how urbane or well-controlled the rare diplomat or merchant might seem to be, the prejudice of the living against the undead is powerful and visceral. Humanity views the darakhul with suspicion if not outright hostility, and it is difficult—but not impossible— for a darakhul to allay those fears.

THE CUT OF YOUR CLOAK

A quality disguise is one of the best tools for a darakhul trying to make its way among the breathing. Almost all ghouls traveling on the surface maintain a disguise kit and a concealing outfit to match their cover identity. With a good costume, a ghoul might pass unchallenged among humans for a long time. Possibilities include the wrappings of a leper, the enshrouding robes that are common within the Magocracy of Allain, the veils of Siwali ladies, or the head-to-toe garb of the desert raiders of the Tamasheq. Each of these disguises requires appropriate details to help the deception withstand scrutiny: the right language skills along with knowledge of the region and its customs.

Even a convincing disguise doesn’t explain a darakhul’s need to eat alone and behind closed doors. Darakhul can use cultural or religious requirements to justify such behavior in most situations.

In cases where a costume and a cover identity are impractical, a skillful application of cosmetics and a few gold coins slipped into the right hands are often enough to make a request for privacy seem more reasonable. Ensuring a sufficient supply of raw meat is a challenge left to the darakhul’s imagination.

DARAKHUL CHARACTERS

Both ordinary ghouls and darakhul arise from the infected corpses of other races. Most traits of the previous race are gone, although every darakhul carries some trait of their previous form. Even their cosmetic features, such as supple skin and long beards, fade over time into the gaunt, skull-like faces, fanged maws and taut, gray skin of the ghouls.

Darakhul Traits

Your darakhul character has certain characteristics in common with all other darakhul.

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 1, and one other ability scores of your choice increases by 2.

Age

An upper limit of darakhul age has never been discovered; most darakhul die violently.

Alignment

 Your alignment does not change when you become a darakhul, but most darakhul have a strong draw toward evil.

Size

Darakhul 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.

Darkvision

You can see in dim light within 60 feet as though it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Revenance

You retain your creature type, yet you register as undead to spells and other effects that detect the presence of the undead creature type.

Darakhul Bite

Your fanged bite is a natural weapon, which counts as a simple melee weapon with which you are proficient. You add your Constitution modifier, instead of your Strength modifier, to the attack and damage rolls when you attack with this bite. It deals 1d4 piercing damage on a hit. While you are missing half or more of your hit points, you have advantage on attack rolls you make with this bite.

When you attack with this bite and hit a creature that isn’t a Construct or an Undead, you can empower yourself in one of the following ways of your choice:

• You regain hit points equal to the piercing damage dealt by the bite.
• You gain a bonus to the next ability check or attack roll you make; the bonus equals the piercing damage dealt by the bite.

You can empower yourself with this bite a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Language

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

Deathless Nature

You are infused with the dark energy of undeath, which frees you from some frailties that plague most creatures. A fact represented by the following benefits:

• You are immune to poison damage and the poisoned condition.
• You don’t need to breathe.
• You don’t need to sleep, and magic can’t put you to sleep. You can finish a long rest in 4 hours if you spend those hours in an inactive, motionless state, during which you retain consciousness.