Homebrew Ombrask Species Details

“By the gods... and I thought that hooded figure in the back o' the tavern was dark. It don't get shadier then this"

-Plens Donsu'us, baristo, Wizards of the Roost

Those who wander the Shadow Plane are doomed to twisted fates and mired minds. These fading, lost souls begin to manifest monstrous forms, although some especially resilient individuals manage to pull themselves from this dark path before their essence is wiped clean. Known as Ombrasks, these translucent creatures hail from a Veriaty of heritages, from elf to dwarf, dragonborn to lotol, and rakin to goblin. All struggle to recall even the simplest memory, such as their former name, and all have a ghostly, colorless appearance.

SHADOW MEMORIES 

One of the first things an Ombrask forgets is its voice. Though it knows and can understand the meaning of words, it's cadence, pitch, and patterns of speech fade from lack of use; the dreary, joyless experience of the Shadow Planes leaves little to talk about. However, Ombrasks become especially sensitive to psychic burst of emotion that accompanies death, the feeling of a soul from its shadow-numbed body. Ombrasks latch onto the shreds of this psyche and adopt its speech patterns, learning to mimic them perfectly.

Next lost is the ability to feel, love, and smile, any emotion associated with joy or excitement is nullified. With prolonged distance from the Shadow Plane, or exsposure to realms of strong emotion, such as the Fey Planes or Springarden, these sensations can make a slow return for a lucky few. What is never lost is the memory of mundane tasks, such as plowing, chopping wood, or polishing armor. Muscle memory is scarred into the minds of Ombrasks, makeing theme particularly deft at tiny, detailed work.

Almost Unseen

If an Ombrask dosen't find a way to exit the Shadow Plane, or isn't summoned by some novice wizard, it can fade entirely, becoming an invisible, Skullking creature bent only on survival. In fact, strong evidence to suggest that the creature summoned by the Unseen Servent spell is one of these invisible creatures, temporarily pulled from the Shadow Plane. The fate of those too far gone is enough to stop most exsplorers from staying long in that dull and lifeless exspanse. 

MOMENTO

A sense of adventure, a magical mishap, or a cruel curse, there are a multitude of reasons why a native of the Material Plane might find itself shunned to the Shadow Planes. Discovering who they used to be is a motivation for many ombrasks. Do they have parents? Cultural traditions? What is their history? On the other hand, some Ombrasks, perhaps those with a foreboding sense of their past misdeeds, choose to ignore what might have come before, and focus on living life a new. That is, if their previous life doesn't come calling...

Ombrask Traits

As a Ombrask, you have the following traits.

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexsterity score increases by 2, and one other ability score is increased by 1, as described in the table below.

OMBRASK FORMER RACE BOONS

Former Race              Ability Increase

Dwarf                                     +1 Con

Elf                                          +1 Wis

Half-Orc or Dragonborn    +1 Str

Gnome                                +1 Int

Half-Elf, Halfling, or,          +1 Cha

Tiefling

Human                             +1 any ability score except Dex

Age. Ombrasks live as long as the race from which they originated.

Size. Ombrasks retain the general shape of their former race. Your size is either medium or small based on your former race.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision. Accustomed to life on the Shadow Plane, you have supireror vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see 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.

Fade Away. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the invisibility spell on yourself once with this trait, requiring no material components, and you regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Lightbender. Light naturaly sculpts arround your skin. You have advantage on saveing throws against being blinded, and you have resistance to radiant damage.

Trackless. The Shadow Plane is a dangerous place and Ombrasks quickly learn to move in their wake. You have proficiency in the stealth skill.

Voice Thief. While an Ombrask can potentially understand any number of langueges, it is a naturally mute creature. When you slay a creature within 30 feet of you that could speak, you can use your reaction to absorb a piece of its psyche. After you have used this reaction, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.

After you have absorbed a psyche, you can perfectly mimic the creature's voice, cadence, and speech patterns indefinitely. You can hold a number of pieces of psyche (and mimic a number of voices) equal to your proficiency bonus. If absorbing a new piece of psyche would put you over the limit, you must choose one psyche to be replaced.

Langueges. You can read and write common and undercommon, but can speak only useing your Voice Theif feature. 

 

Ombrask Traits

As an Ombrask, you have the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Wisdom score gose up by 1.

Fade Away

When you reach 5th level, you can cast the invisibility spell on yourself once with this trait, requiring no material components, and you regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Lightbender

Light naturaly sculpts around your skin. You have advantage on saveing throws against being blinded, and you have resistance to radiant damage 

Trackless

The Shadow Plane is a dangerous place and Ombrasks quickly learn to move in the shadows, leaving scarce tracks in their wake. You have proficiency in the Stealth skill.

Voice Theif

While an Ombrask can potentially understand any number of langueges, it is a naturally mute creature. When you slay a creature within 30 feet of you that could speak, you can use your reaction to absorb a piece of its psyche. After you have used this reaction, you can't do so again until bonus you finish a long rest.

After you have absorbed a psyche, you can perfectly mimic the creature's voice, cadence, and speech patterns indefinitely. You can hold a number of pieces of psyche (and mimic a number of voices) equal to your proficiency bonus. If absorbing a new piece of psyche would put you over the limit, you must choose one psyche to be replaced.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 2.

Age

Although elves reach physical maturity at about the same age as humans, the elven understanding of adulthood goes beyond physical growth to encompass worldly experience. An elf typically claims adulthood and an adult name around the age of 100 and can live to be 750 years old.

Size

Elves range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall and have slender builds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. 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.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Elvish. Elvish is fluid, with subtle intonations and intricate grammar. Elven literature is rich and varied, and their songs and poems are famous among other races. Many bards learn their language so they can add Elvish ballads to their repertoires.