Hexling

"I heard he's the son of a witch... The wicked thing was burnt last week. I heard he too carries the mark."

"The mark?"

"The witches mark."

The young boy bit the inside of his cheek and closed his fists so tight they turned white and he felt his nails digging into his palms. They did not know, but he heard their every word.

"What does it mean..?"

"It means-"

"NOTHING! SHUT UP!"

Finally he'd snapped, turning on his heels with eyes burning as he stared at the two women who'd been gossiping. They stared back with wide eyes, for the way his voice boomed, the way his eyes glow, it was not natural. For them, it was as good as proof, and he knew, his eyes faltering as he stumbled backwards and murmured an excuse even if he didn't feel they deserved it.
Nothing the boy could say would change the strange looks and whispers that'd follow his every step as he turned and ran away.

—Taima, The Witches Son, 244

Whispers and rumors often follow in the shadow of a hexling. They may look human, act human, but there is just always something just a little bit off... Enough so, that in small towns and villages, they often become outsiders. They carry curses, they say, they are the reason milk sours and the reason children fall ill, with their innate powers and mysterious eyes. Some learn to melt into the crowd as they grow older, where others never manage to fit fully into the society they were born into; yet another few manage to thrive in their role as different, becoming the wise hedgewitch people look to for advice and healing.

Cursed Bloodline

Hexlings are derived from human bloodlines, and at first and even second glance nobody would be able to tell them apart from the humans they live around. Maybe they have an unusual hair or eye color, are beautiful or ugly beyond the norm, or maybe they look just like you and me. What makes them different, is in their heritage, for somewhere far back their family's bloodline were sullied by a witch.
Once in a while in a bloodline like this, a child may be born as something not quite human. Most of the time, this curse is inherited by women in the bloodline, though male hexlings are not unheard of.

Hidden in Plain Sight

For most hexlings their nature is as much a mystery as it is to their own family and the people surrounding them, though this is not as strange as it might seem. After all, hexlings look for the most part just like any other human.

This nature is as much a curse as it is a blessing. The hexlings aware of their own nature usually do whatever they can to keep it hidden, knowing that the prejudice against their sort makes it unsafe to be out. Even those in no way related, maybe just born sorcerers or in anyway different, are sometimes accused of being one. Are they unlucky enough, they may end up executed for what they are - what they might be, burnt upon a bonfire.

The Mark Of A Witch

No matter how human they look, there is one unmistakable giveaway that each hexling carry upon their skin, if you know what you're looking for. The Witches Mark, a birthmark that appears somewhere upon their body, often by the hairline forcing them to wear their hair long in an attempt to conceal it. Wherever the mark appears, it's a sign they will always carry, whether they do so with pride, shame or indifference. Depending on subrace, which sort of witch mark their bloodline comes from, this mark looks different in shape and color.

The 13th Birthday

Something happens to the hexlings at their 13th birthday. Where up until now, they were highly unlikely to be discovered, this is the time when their inherited powers first make themselves visible, alongside some other eventual traits. It happens suddenly, for the most part. A hexling child may wake up to find that their bed is frozen over by frost, or scare themselves and their family as their voice suddenly boom loud and the earth begin to tremor when they raise their voice.

The teenage years of a hexlings are often chaotic as they grow into their powers and learn to live with the looks and whispers of people all around them.

Creating A Hexling

First, consider where your hexling grew up. Did they grow up in a small and reclusive village where everyone knows one another or in a city where people of different backgrounds mix together? What sort of region was it? Where there only humans or were there a mix of different races?

As a hexling, you were raised like a human. As such you are accustomed to their traditions for all things in life; names, religion, etc. You even look just like them, in all ways, any traits given by your heritage vague enough that it’s easily explained away. It is recommended that you read or ask your DM of the human race in the setting you’re playing in to get an idea of how and where they were raised.

Next, consider what your hexling’s family life was like, and how their transformation at their 13th birthday affected them and the people around them. Were there other hexlings in the family? Did they or their family know what they are, or were they completely unaware? Does your hexling know now, are they still under the belief they are just human? Remember that hexlings are rare enough that it wouldn’t be strange for one to live an entire life without knowing.
Finally, how did your hexlings nature affect them? Were they able to keep it under control, to melt into the crowd, or were they scrutinized for it? Forced into exile? Did they try to deny it or did they accept and lean into it? All these things will affect how your hexling acts around other people.

Always The Black Sheep

Wherever they go, wherever they live, hexlings has a tendency to become the black sheep if they are not careful enough about concealing their true nature. Often they are hunted, tracked down by witch hunters that blames them for the sins of their hag ancestors.

Wolves in sheeps clothing is what they call them. A deceptive and hidden treat pretending to be one of you, while truly, they are just waiting to strike from the shadows.

Growing up different is hard for anyone, but growing up to learn that everyone is right about you, that you are strange by nature, always have been and will be, is horrible. How hexlings deal with learning of their roots or the prejudice of people around them differs from one to the other. Some end up leaning into the wicked nature people expect of them, where others try to use their powers for good.
Regardless of which, they often learn to overcome prejudice and suspicion best they can with the help of a silver tongue, careful lies or intimidation.

Hexling Traits

All hexlings share certain traits as a result of their curse.

Age

Up until their 13th birthday, hexlings are in all senses just like humans, their hag like traits not settling in until then. This aside, hexlings mature at the same rate as humans but often live to be about 150 years old.

Alignment

Hexlings might not have an innate tendency toward evil, but a lot of them end up there as a result of the expectations and prejudice they grow up with. Evil or not, their sylvan blood leads many of them to be inclined towards an erratic and chaotic nature, often governed by their emotions.

Size

Most hexlings are about the same size and build as human.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

Thanks to your cursed heritage, 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.

Natural Liar

You are proficient in the Deception skill.

Languages

You can read, speak and write Common, Sylvan and one extra language of your choice. Just like the humans they are raised among, hexlings 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.

Subrace

While hexlings have much in common, the type of mark their bloodline is separates them into three subraces; Light, Crimson, and Shadow.

---

"Watch your back if you're going to take the shortcut past the birches and the swamp," the older woman warned, rocking her chair slowly upon her porch.

"Why?" The young adventurer quirked his eyebrow as he looked up at her. Whatever could there be for him to look out for that he had not seen before? Anyone could tell from just looking at his worn leather armor, his bow and the short sword in his belt, that he was a seasoned ranger.

"There's a witch living there," the woman answered, stopping her rocking to look at him proper, "the daughter of the farmers who used to live upon the hill over there, she ran away into the woods when they tried to make her marry. Strange one, carried the witches mark on her face... Since then, men has gone missing passing those parts. Revenge for how they treated her, how they chased her."
The man straightened his back and snorted, patting the short sword hanging off his belt as a light smirk spread across his face.
"Oh please. I'm not scared of some crazed woman," he said, "maybe if I see her, we'll have a talk."

The old woman sighed as she watched him leave. Once out of sight, she brought up a small knife and added a mark in the wooden fence around the porch - ten lines now. She didn't doubt that her granddaughter would take care of this man too, like she had with any other that decided to treat her as anything less than human.
At least she warned him.

—Taima, Of Birches And Blood, 34

Light Mark

Hexling Traits Tables

Following is a number of tables that are meant to be used for inspiration when creating your own hexling character. Use as you wish, roll for fun, or make up your own traits entirely.

Witches Mark Placement

d20	Your witches mark is placed on your...
1	Hairline
2	Forehead
3	Ear
4	Face
5	Jaw
6	Neck
7	Shoulder
8	Back
9	Chest
10	Stomach
11	Arm
12	Wrist
13	Hand
14	Hip
15	Buttocks
16	Groin
17	Thigh
18	Calf
19	Ankle
20	Foot

Witches Mark Shape

d4	Your witches mark is...
1	Big and obvious
2	Small and discreet
3	Medium sized and distinct
4	Medium sized and vague

13th Birthday

d8	Your 13th birthday was...
1	Traumatic - It was chaotic and scary.
2	Normal - I didn't even notice the change.
3	Strange - Weird things happened to me.
4	Exciting - I had a great time!
5	Anticipated - I knew what was going to happen.
6	Embarrassing - I did something unlike me.
7	Dramatic - Everything happened so suddenly...
8	Repressed - I don't remember.

Physical Hexling Feature

d20	Feature
1	You have white freckles.
2	You have an unnatural eye color.
3	Your eyes glows in the dark.
4	Your eyes glow when you're angry.
5	Your pupils slit when angry.
6	Your hair has a slightly green or blue undertone.
7	You have claw looking nails.
8	Your hair and nails grow unnaturally fast.
9	You have an unusual hair color.
10	You have straw-like hair.
11	You have unnaturally silky hair.
12	You have slings of grayed hair.
13	You have spots of discoloration on your skin.
14	You have slightly sharp canines.
15	You have a ring or spiral pattern of moles or freckles somewhere on your body.
16	You always smell a bit like the forest, swamp, soot or seaweed.
17	You have two tiny bumps on top of your head, like horns, hidden in your hair.
18	You have a lightly green or blue undertone to your skin.
19	You have reddish lines and stripes on your arms or legs, it looks a bit like stretch marks.
20	You sometimes start growing moss in your hair.

Hexling Personality or Habitual Oddities

d12	Something "Odd" About You:
1	You have a fascination things others find repulsive - death, disgusting or ugly things
2	You speak in tongues in your sleep
3	You like to collect bugs, lizards and/or frogs
4	You eat odd things, such as moss or grass
5	Holy water makes you feel itchy
6	You find pretty things boring
7	You can’t help but stare a lot - people say your eyes are penetrating
8	You mutter rhyming curses under your breath when angry or annoyed
9	You talk with beings nobody else sees
10	You prefer nature to society, animals to people
11	You hoard odd things you find interesting
12	You sleep with your eyes open