Awakened Undead

Death comes for all things in a variety of ways. There is also a variety of ways as to which the dead may come back to life. Necromancy, curses, and unfinished business is only a few of a myriad of ways for the dead to taste the semblance of life they once had. Almost all undead are for the most part former empty husks and shells are their past selves but for a lucky few they retain their former selves and are free, these are the Awakened Dead.

Awakened Undead Traits

Your awakened undead character has certain characteristics derives from being an undead.

• Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2.
• Age. Being an undead you are unaffected by aging and can live until the forces keeping you alive are no longer.
• Alignment. Your alignment is most likely that of the race you were before you died.
• Size. Your size is that of the race you were before you died.
• Speed. Your speed is that of the race you were before you died.
• Bloodless. You are immune to the Poisoned condition and Poison damage.
• Darkvision. Thanks to being an undead, 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.
• Undead. You are considered an undead as well as a humanoid. You do not need to eat, drink, or sleep. Instead of sleeping you enter an inactive state for 4 hours where you are fully aware of your surroundings. You are immune to disease and treat exhaustion as one level less. You are immune to effects that turn undead. If a spell or ability other than your own would cause you to gain Hit Points, you gain that many temporary Hit Points instead. If you are reduced to 0 hit points and fall unconscious as a result, any healing you receive will stabilize you and leave you on 1 hit point and unconscious.
• Languages. You can speak, read, and write whatever languages your previous race could.
• Subrace. Awakened undead vary as there are many types of undead.

Skeleton

• Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1.
• Bone Pile. When you are completely still you are indistinguishable from a normal pile of bones.
• Bone to Pick. You have advantage on slight of hand checks when picking a lock with your fingers.
• Lend me a Hand. You can freely remove your limbs from your body. You may also replace them with other bones you may find.

Revenant

• Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.
• Adversary. You have an adversary (or multiple) that you are compelled to take revenge on. You know the general direction your adversary is. If you have the opportunity to kill your adversary you must try to do so or succeed on a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw to overcome your urge. Once all your adversaries have been slain you either lay to rest or possibly regain a chance at life.
• Unrelenting. If you die you return to life in 24 hours. If your body was destroyed you return to life within a mile of where you were killed, but lose all your equipment.
• Unnatural Vitality. At the beginning of your turn in combat, if you have at least 1 hitpoint, you regain 1 hitpoint. Additionally when you fall to 0 hitpoints you do not fall unconscious. Instead you may act freely, you must still make death saves at the end of your turn, but can only take an action or bonus action on your turn; not both.

Zombie

• Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1.
• Slam. Your unarmed attacks do 1d6 bludgeoning damage.
• Undead Fortitude. If damage reduces you to 0 hit points, you must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5 + the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a success, you drop to 1 hit point instead.
• Unsettling Appearance. You have advantage on Intimidation checks against creatures that can see your horrible appearance.

Ghost

• Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.
• Incorporeal Movement. You can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. You take 5 (1d10) force damage if you end your turn inside an object. Additionally you have a flying speed equal to half your movement speed rounded down to the nearest fifth.
• Horrifying Visage. As an action you can choose one non-undead creature that can see you within 60 ft. You force it to make a Wisdom saving throw DC (8 + Prof + Cha Mod) and on a failure it is frightened of you for 1 minute. If the target fails by 5 or more they must immediately run away from you up to their movement speed. A frightened creature may repeat this saving throw at the end of each of its turns. On a success the creature is immune to this effect for 24 hours. You may use this ability a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus and regain all uses after a long rest.
• Possession. As an action you may attempt to possess a humanoid that is within 5 ft. of you. The creature must make a Charisma saving throw DC (8 + Prof + Cha Mod) and on a failure it is possessed by you. You now control the body but doesn't deprive the target of awareness. You can't be targeted by any attack, spell, or other effect, and you retain your alignment, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. You otherwise uses the possessed target's statistics, but dont gain access to the target's knowledge or proficiencies. The possessed creature may repeat its save on each of its turns. The possession lasts until the body drops to 0 hit points, you end it as a bonus action, or you are forced out by an effect like the dispel evil and good spell. When the possession ends, you reappear in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the body. The target is immune to your Possession for 24 hours after succeeding on the saving throw or after the possession ends. After you use this ability, you cannot do so again until you take a long rest.

Darakhul

• Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1.
• Powerful Jaws and Claws. You may bite or use your claws as an unarmed attack; both have the light and finesse property and can be used with two-weapon fighting. Your bite deals 1d4 piercing damage and the target must make a Constitution saving throw DC (8 + Prof + Con Mod) and on a failure is poisoned for 1 minute. They may repeat this saving throw at the end of each of their turns. On a success the creature is immune to this effect for 24 hours. Your claws do 1d6 slashing damage.
• Hunger for Flesh. To gain the benefits of a short rest you must spend it eating raw flesh, you cannot gain the benefits of a long rest if you haven't eaten raw flesh in 24 hours. Additionally whenever you eat a corpse, you absorb some of the lingering traces of memory and knowledge that the creature possessed in life. You may obtain one Insight from the creature and may have up to 3 Insights at a time, learning a new one while you know 3 makes you forget one of them of your choice. An Insight is a single proficiency the creature had either in a skill, weapon, armor, tool, or saving throw. You become proficient in the Insight you choose, if you are already proficient in a skill, or tool; the Insight instead doubles your proficiency.
• Sunlight Sensitivity. You have disadvantage on attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of the attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight. However your darkvision range is increased to 120 ft. and you have advantage of Wisdom (Perception) checks while in dim light or darkness.

Wight

• Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
• Life Drain. Your unarmed attacks do 1d6 necrotic damage, if you have the ability to make an extra attack you may swap out one of your attacks with this ability. If you kill a creature with this ability it rises as a zombie under your control in 24 hours. You may only have one zombie under your control at a time.
• Sunlight Sensitivity. You have disadvantage on attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of the attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight. However you have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks while in dim light or darkness.
• From the Grave. You are able to cast Speak With Dead 3 times per long rest.

Service and Freedom

Being undead is to receive the gift of immortality, but such a gift comes with a price. The senses and emotions dull, food and drink no longer have taste, and the undead subservience of will that comes with; all the while being controlled by a master that doesn't likely have the world's best intentions at heart. Some undead are born into freedom while others earn it or have it thrust upon them. Regardless of the cause, these awakened undead are grateful for their new found freedom and greatly cherish it.