Homebrew Phantom Species Details

History

Gruesome Curse

When a person dies, especially in a gruesome way, they have a chance to manifest a phantom. Their soul becomes trapped into a form that looks most ghastly, looking like that of a ghost with the scar of their death making them stand out most prominently. Some upon seeing this form, might be horrified, wishing for a death they cannot bring to themselves.

Semblance of Mortality

While supernatural and mysterious, they are not entirely ethereal. They are in fact mortal, meaning physical and magical attacks can still harm them, but they may interact with the world. When in their true form, their phantasmal presence, they are most vulnerable. If they are killed by any means, they will banished to an alternate plane of existence from which they cannot escape.

Society

Animal Spirits

Most commonly, Phantoms who are of a good nature possess the bodies of Animals and are often believed to be Animal Spirits by those who are assisted by them. Owls that give wisdom to weary travellers, eagles that lead adventurers to nearby towns, or wolves that protect lost children from a vicious pack of mangy dogs. Often, these good willed phantoms are not interested in their own selfish wants, however these kinds of phantoms are incredibly rare.

Phantasmal Tricksters

Malevolent phantoms are the most common of these phantasmal apparitions, playing games with the living or causing havoc and misery. Some possess corpses and terrorize towns, while others commit crime and make people suffer just as they have. However, often these phantoms are found, caught, and banished, so most tend to merely mess with the living in smaller, more undetectable ways. Stealing belongings, causing people to say things they don't mean, and other such mischievous actions.

Phantom Traits

It’s hard to make generalizations about humans, but your human character has these traits.

Phantom Traits

Life goes on even after death, but to what extent is a mystery

Ability Score Increase

Your ability scores each increase by 1.

Age

Humans reach adulthood in their late teens and live less than a century.

Size

Humans 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.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and one extra language of your choice. Humans typically learn the languages of other peoples they deal with, including obscure dialects. They are fond of sprinkling their speech with words borrowed from other tongues: Orc curses, Elvish musical expressions, Dwarvish military phrases, and so on.