Angel of Death (5e Race)
Angel of Death
| “ | And that night the angel of death went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. | ” |
| —2 Kings 19:35 | ||
Physical Description
Angels of death are tall and slender in stature. They have very pale white skin, almost like chalk. The whites of their eyes are like the whitest milk, with black pupils, dark as contrasting ebon night. On their heads is very dark hair and they are hairless elsewhere on their bodies, lacking pubic or facial hair. Angels have body shapes very similar to elves but are slightly taller and more muscular, yet still lean and lithe. Contrary to popular belief, they lack wings that normal angels have.
History
When a human dies and is infected with a rare spirit, the spirit will take that bodily form, fully grown, and reanimate it. It ends up looking like the reaper. These things have existed almost as long as humans have experienced death, and are native to the plane the person died as. As they are earthly bound, they do not have wings despite their title as angels. These are the origins of the angels of death. This moniker was given by a priestly father who saw them as emissaries to the afterlife.
When the gods of creation and destruction saw how humans were such a race of hubris, the god of death offered to make things interesting. He introduced a parasitic spirit onto the material realm that infected departing souls of humans and prevented their passing into the spirit realm. This parasite warps the human soul trapped in the body and turns it into an angel of death. Stripped of emotion, these resurrected beings do the bidding of death and cut down those of their own kind among others, desiring nothing but to kill. They are known to retain memories of their past lives but their lack of emotion makes them indifferent to anything they may have once cherished or loved, making them cold.
Society
Because of their rarity, angels of death do not have their own society and instead live within other societies or as hermits. They can usually pass off as humans. When they are suspected, they are often pursued and executed if caught. Angels of death are seen as being demonic or cursed, due to their incessant desire to kill, even if they do not act on or voice it. Because of this, they very rarely work normal jobs with a high profile or exposure to society. They instead tend to be criminals of some sort, usually the murdering type. As a result, they are often the dregs of any society they inhabit, associated with bad gossip and the slums due to their inability often to keep the money.
Hermitic angels go in and out of passing societies instead of living in them for extended periods. They kill under quiet cover and leave before a ruckus is made. More angels adopt this measure as it is safer, though being caught usually would mean death. Angels are rarely caught anyway, though, as they are often wily and powerful enough to elude or overpower pursuers.
Angel of Death Names
Angles of death most often have human names, but if they live in a non-human society, they may adopt a name from that society. Angels also retain the gender of the human they used to be.
Male Names: Zack, Eddy, Danny
Female Names: Cathy, Rachel, Karen
Angel of Death Traits
Undead humanoids with the general appearance of humans, that make strong thieves and assassins.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Intelligence score increases by 1.
Age. Angels of death don't age and live until they are killed in battle.
Alignment. Angels of death don't have a set alignment, but they are usually not lawful.
Size. Angels of death are almost always between 5 feet and 7 feet and rarely weigh more than 130 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. 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 Soul. Due to your undead soul, you do not need to eat, sleep, breathe or drink. Instead, you must enter a semi-conscious trance for 4 hours a day. Remaining in this trance for 4 hours a day gives you the same benefit 8 hours of sleep for a normal human would give.
Death's Body. Because your body has already died, it is a bit sturdier against toxins that affect the living. You are resistant to poison damage.
Shadow Blend. You blend in with shadows exceptionally well. You are proficient in the Stealth skill.
Death's Embrace. You bring the wrath of death when you strike your foes. When you make a successful weapon attack against a creature, you can choose to deal extra an extra 2d4 necrotic damage. The damage increase by 1d4 at levels 5, 9, 13, and 17. You must complete a short or long rest before using this trait again.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.
Random Height and Weight
| Base Height | Height Modifier* | Base Weight | Weight Modifier** |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5′ 5″ | +2d12 | 130 lb. | × (1d4) lb. |
|
*Height = base height + height modifier | |||
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