Homunculus (5e Race)
Homunculus
Physical Description
Homunculi are best described as fair-skinned, dark-haired creatures. Most tend to either look feminine and fair, masculine and handsome or somewhere in between. Homunculus tend to have nearly black or totally black hair and red, red-violet, indigo, or violet eyes. They also wear mostly black clothing. Some homunculi prefer their clothing to armor, but the armor they do don is often black or dark brown and armor made by them is often said to be of remarkable craftsmanship, and their weaponry tends to look daunting and frightening.
History
Homunculi were created by a large merchant empire called Xerxes. At that time, there were 14 homunculi, 7 named for Vices, 7 for Virtues, 7 were female, 7 were male. Because of this, there are 7 clans of homunculi, each with a different relation to the other. In Xerxes, the homunculi were taken for granted, treated as slaves and livestock, and sold off as such. Finally, members of the Third and Fourth Clans (the Mammon and Leviathan Clans respectively), sick of their horrid treatment (and envious of the lives of the humans in the Leviathan Clan's case), called together all the homunculi in Xerxes to hold a revolt. They overthrew the human emperor of Xerxes and took their place as the 7 Lords of Xerxes. After a long debate about who did the most in the revolt, the 7 clans finally voted that the Lucifer Clan had led them and done the most, despite the Leviathan Clan being the ones who called the homunculi to revolt and the Mammon Clan being the ones to overthrow the emperor. This decision sparked a fierce hatred between the Lucifer Clan and the Mammon and Leviathan Clans, with the other clans having to scramble to chose sides. Only one clan stood firmly by the Lucifer Clan, the Iblis Clan, and this made them enemies with all the other clans. During this fight, two empires who were close allies of the Xerxian Empire began to war against each other, both empires called on Xerxes for assistance, but because of the upheaval, the clans kept sending soldiers to both sides and confused the two empires. The empires would inevitably be destroyed in their conflict, but not before destroying Xerxes for betraying them, and the empire itself. By the end of the destruction, only three of the original homunculi lived, the head of the Leviathan Clan, the head of the Mammon Clan, both of which had fought alongside even enemies during the attack, and the female homunculus of the Belphegor Clan, who had been disallowed to join into the battle. Following this dishevel the formula to create homunculi were known only to so many warlocks and kept secret. Though they are a rarity any more, they still roam the world.
Society
Normally homunculi hide among humans because of the discrimination that usually comes with being what they are. Homunculus being unable to age or bear children are created at the age chosen by their warlock creator. Most often then not homunculi will abandon their creator, born with the innate sense of freedom and free will. Because homunculi are born with a magic conduit used as a life-force called a "Lifestone" Homunculi may also be hunted for the harvesting of their Lifestone's.
Homunculus Names
Homunculi go by characteristics, concepts, nouns, and adjectives, the first 14 were named after 7 Vices and 7 Virtues.
Male: Courage, Empathy, Justice, Piety, Gluttony, Greed, Wrath, Sloth
Female: Faith, Harmony, Hope, Joy, Charity, Envy, Lust, Pride
Homunculus Traits
Homunculi were created by a large merchant empire called Xerxes.
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2, and your Dexterity or Strength score increases by 1.
Age. Homunculi being living constructs are unable to age from the point they are created at. Otherwise, they are immortal.
Alignment. Being created, homunculi are soulless beings so they start out completely neutral, but innately tend towards a chaotic alignment with a natural curiosity of the world they were brought into.
Size. Homunculi are the same size and build as humans. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Natural Liar. Homunculi live through lying about their origins. You have proficiency in the Deception skill.
Lifestone. Homunculi have a Lifestone as their core that grants them excelled healing. After a short or long rest you gain temporary hit points equal to your level + your Constitution modifier. In addition, if you lose any part of your body, you can spend a hit die to regenerate it over the course of a short rest.
Living Construct. Even though you were constructed, you are a living creature. You are immune to diseases. You do not need to eat or breathe, but you can ingest food and drink if you wish. Instead of sleeping, you enter an inactive state for 4 hours each day. You do not dream in this state; you are fully aware of your surroundings and notice approaching enemies and other events as normal.
Arcane Origins. You know the prestidigitation cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the hex spell once and need to finish a long rest before you can cast it again. When you reach 5th level, you can also cast the alter self spell once and need to finish a long rest before you can cast it again. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one extra language of your choice. Homunculi typically learn the languages of other peoples they deal with, including obscure dialects.
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