Revenant

Revenants are the half-living offspring of the occult and unnatural. They are considered a tragedy of an uncaring and corrupted world at best, and an unholy blight at worst - one which must be sundered from this plane akin to any “true” undead. Revenants come to be through a number of methods, and no two origins are typically the same. A Revenant might be the offspring of a vampire and a human, the result of an occult ritual gone awry, or even a “natural” birth from a graveyard, battlefield, or other place of death and decay.

Regardless of how a Revenant came to be, their “heritage” is often clear to see. Revenants typically adopt a form suitable to their circumstances of origin, and due to this Revenants resembling Skeletons, Zombies, and Vampires are the most well-known of these creatures. However, variants of these common forms are not unheard of. Lichlings may resemble burned or bloody skeletons, or compose themselves out of a disturbing array of non-human bones. Dhampirs possess a wide variety in skin tones and facial structure, causing them to resemble Humans and Elf-kin most often. Walkers are typically zombie-like in appearance, though resembling ghouls, mummies, and other such reprehensible undead is not unheard of for them.

A description of Revenant society might be better described by how established societies treat them. It is common to bar Revenants from entry into a settlement, or even to attack them on sight, whether they are mistaken for a true undead or not. In more lawless or otherwise backwater settlements, a Revenant may occasionally blend in without the need to disguise themselves. However, this is a somewhat rare situation that few Revenants find themselves fortunate enough to experience.

As mentioned, Revenants are commonly shunned from other settlements held by the living. Certain races with more of a disposition towards the unsavory aspects of magic, such as Drow, will commonly work with a Revenant without batting an eye. However, this is very much the exception, rather than the rule.

Revenants are vague in their appearance, with little influence of what their parentage may have been. A Revenant is typically between 5 and 7 feet tall, and may weigh between 45 and 250 pounds. Revenants do not age, and are effectively immortal. However, a destroyed Revenant is quite difficult to bring back - the last thing a soul wants is to reconnect itself to the decayed, wretched body of a Revenant.

• Ability Score Modifiers: A Revenant's Ability Score modifiers are dictated by their Heritage. See below for more information on this.
• Size: Revenants are Medium creatures.
• Base Speed: Revenants have a base speed of 30 feet.
• Languages: Revenants begin the game speaking Necril. Revenants with sufficient Intelligence scores may select any non-secret languages of their choosing.
• Dead Alive: Revenants eat, but do not breathe or sleep. They do not restore HP over time like other races, and instead are only restored by Negative Energy and similar effects.
• Dead Eyes: Revenants possess Darkvision and Low Light vision, up to a distance of 60 feet.
• Find Kin (Su): Revenants possess a constant Detect Undead effect.
• Living Dead: Revenants do not go unconscious from taking too much Wound damage, but their limbs are severed from reaching -1 or less Wounds, rather than from reaching an amount equal to their Constitution. Only severing the head will actually stop a Revevant from acting as they see fit.
• Undead Resistances: Revenants gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against disease and mind-affecting effects.
• Negative Energy Affinity: Though a living creature, a Revenant reacts to positive and negative energy as if it were undead: positive energy harms it, while negative energy heals it. Additionally, you are immune to level-draining negative energy effects, such as Enervation.

At character creation, select your Revenant character's Heritage from the list below. Your Heritage determines your Ability Score modifiers, as well as certain unique qualities.

The Dhampir are the children of Vampires. Amongst the variations of Revenants, they blend into societal settings with far greater ease. While many Dhampirs can pass as humans in ideal conditions, their features are inevitably more pronounced and they move with an unnaturally fluid grace. All Dhampirs have elongated incisors. While not true fangs, these teeth are sharp enough to draw blood, and many suffer a reprehensible desire to indulge in sanguinary delights.

• Ability Score Modifiers: Dhampirs are fast and seductive, but their racial bond to the undead impedes their mortal vigor. They gain a Racial Bonus to Dexterity and Charisma, and a penalty to Constitution.
• Bat Outta Hell: Once per day, you may assume the form of a common bat, as if using Beast Shape III, for a number of minutes equal to your Hit Dice.
• Feed on Blood: You may drain the blood of a creature who is helpless, unconscious, or killed within the last 24 hours. When doing so, you restore 5 HP for every Hit Dice the creature possesses (or possessed) - the creature likewise loses 8 Hitpoints. Doing so takes a Full Round Action for every Hit Dice which you drink. This effect also counts as a full meal as long as you consume one or more Hit Dice.
• Vampiric Sensitivity: Dhampirs are dazzled in areas of bright sunlight or within the radius of a Daylight spell.

Lichlings are, as their name implies, skeletal “pseudo-liches” - they are composed entirely of a collection of bones into a skeletal humanoid shape, typically animated through some sort of unholy or necrotic magic. In turn, they are capable of speech akin to other Revenants, and are the most likely to be capable of speaking something more than Necril. Lichlings often become spellcasters due to their inherent Intelligence, and they possess somewhat of a disposition for nefarious acts. Whereas Dhampir are somewhat social, Lichlings are typically antisocial, choosing to isolate themselves in total dedication to their personal pursuits.

• Ability Score Modifiers: Lichlings are notoriously intelligent, and can easily contort their bony bodies in disturbing manners, though lacking muscle mass is certainly a drawback in their physique. Lichlings receive a Racial Bonus to Dexterity and Intelligence, and a penalty to Strength.
• Bag of Bones: Lichlings possess vulnerability to bludgeoning damage.
• Bloody Skeleton: Upon death, your bones reassemble themselves after 24 hours in the location which you died in. This is only preventable if you are destroyed by positive energy, holy effects, or if the remains are sprinkled with holy water.
• Dislocate Joints: A Lichling may get through any gap of 5 ft. or less which their head can fit through, as a Full Round Action.

Few things are more terrifying than a Walker. Most often, they rise from forgotten battlefield graves to take revenge on their wartime enemies, their former allies and leaders, or both. Walkers are the subject of stories told around a campfire at night - an unstoppable, lumbering symbol of death. You could, theoretically, run from one, but you'll get tired eventually.

• Ability Score Modifiers: Walkers are lumbering and tough, but not very bright. They receive a Racial Bonus to Strength and Constitution, and a penalty to Intelligence.
• Base Speed: Walkers have a base speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.
• Consume The Living: Walkers may eat the brain of a living creature to restore 5 HP per Hit Dice the creature possessed. This provides nourishment as a meal as well. Brains lose 1 HD of potency per hour, though this may be extended to days through the use of Gentle Repose.
• Just. Won't. Die.: Walkers possess 1.5x the Wounds of a normal creature of their size.
• Unstoppable Advance: Walkers are immune to the Staggered condition.