Striga

During the Winter Solstice, the mortal realms and the feylands are drawn close together and the boundaries between life and death blur. Sometimes on those cold nights, a particularly insidious unseelie spirit crosses over to the mortal realm: a striga. In their true forms, striga are weak, shadowy and formless -- until they find a host. When a child is born on moonless night, a striga can join their souls together. Then the striga waits for the mortal to inevitably die. Once their host is buried, the striga takes over their body and transforms it into a powerful, terrible monster.

The signs of a child born with a striga's soul can be subtle, sometimes unperceivable until after death. The body reacts to having two souls by growing additional organs. A person might have two sets of canine teeth, two earlobes on each ear, or even two hearts. While additional organs might seem obvious, mortals of all races have occasional mutations and adaptations that are explained naturally. Striga exploit this concept to make sure their hosts are treated no differently upon their deaths.

Striga are patient creatures and do not mind waiting decades, or even centuries, to take over their host bodies. In fact, the more powerful their host, the more powerful the striga can eventually become. While most striga are created during a child's birth, I have heard of dark rituals that can join a striga's soul to a person.

When creating your Striga character, choose a physical manifestation of your second soul, you can roll on the table below or create your own manifestation. Consult with your DM about any possible mechanical effects of your manifestation.

*Table: Manifestation of Striga Soul

As you create your striga character, think about the origin of their second soul.

*Table: Origin of Striga Soul

Traits

*Ability Score Increase

*Languages

*Creature Type

*Size

*Speed

*Ancestor's Boon

*Fey Sight

*The Dark Heart's Blessing

*The Dark Heart's Curse

*Shadow Leap

From Profgessor Gilroy's Guide to Fey

Feats specific to Striga

A feat represents a talent or an area of expertise that gives a character special capabilities. It embodies training, experience, and abilities beyond what a class provides.

At certain levels, your class gives you the Ability Score Improvement feature. Using the optional feats rule, you can forgo taking that feature to take a feat of your choice instead. You can take each feat only once, unless the feat’s description says otherwise.

You must meet any prerequisite specified in a feat to take that feat. If you ever lose a feat’s prerequisite, you can’t use that feat until you regain the prerequisite. For example, the Grappler feat requires you to have a Strength of 13 or higher. If your Strength is reduced below 13 somehow — perhaps by a withering curse — you can’t benefit from the Grappler feat until your Strength is restored.