Creepy Doll (5e Race)
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Creepy Doll
| “ | And the flashlight shows you something moving just inside the door; There's a tattered dress and a feeling you have felt somewhere before; And there's a creepy doll, That always follows you, It's got a ruined eye, That's always open; And there's a creepy doll, That always follows you, It's got a pretty mouth, To swallow you whole | ” |
| —Johnathan Coulton, Creepy Doll | ||
Physical Description
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| Any one of these could be alive. Are you willing to bet on it? (Source: Pinterest[[1]]) |
Creepy Dolls are a varied race. Some philosophers who know about their existence argue that they are not a proper race at all, due to their origins, but there are a few physical features which all creepy dolls share. The first is obviously that they are a doll of some kind - whether a much beloved child's toy, or a more sophisticated puppet, or even an entertainer's dummy. But they could be made of cloth, wood, metal, porcelain, or even plastic in some settings. Sometimes they will be decorated with button eyes, fake hair, real hair (usually from an animal such as a horse), or sometimes other materials if the doll was made in the image of another race, like bird feathers if it was made to look like a Kenku or other bird race.
In many circumstances, you wouldn't be able to tell a Creepy Doll from an ordinary, every day doll, except that they can move under their own power. And when they move, they move in short bursts, or on all fours, or with an awkward walk that almost certainly puts an observer on edge. Many, if not most, creepy dolls also show signs of wear, tear, and often outright damage, such as missing eyes, cracked paint, or pieces of cotton sticking out of seams. Whether this is from love or abuse is anyone's guess.
History
The origin of creepy dolls is completely unknown, as the origin of each individual doll is usually unique. Some dolls are created purposefully, with or without a soul, and animated with black magic. Others are naturally occurring, sometimes when a much loved keepsake of a child is abandoned and malign spirits possess it, or when the wear and tear of a doll fills with the stress and fury of it's owner which becomes incarnate inside the doll. Sometimes someone dies, and their soul is trapped in a nearby shell, and sometimes a doll collects a multitude of spirits of the dead, and together their lost souls bring a semblance of life to the doll.
Creepy dolls may not exist in every world or campaign setting, but in the setting of Innistrad creepy dolls are a known threat[1], and on discovery of one, townspeople will band together to remove it from their city, lethally or by force. The infrequency of the appearance of creepy dolls means that few people are ever on guard for them, though, and many small villages have been lost to the killing sprees on which these dolls have a tendency to go on.
Society
Most creepy dolls believe themselves to be one-of-a-kind, alone in the world, with none like them. There are very few instances where multiple creepy dolls have banded together to form their own community, instead the vast majority of dolls are influenced by the society around them. The societies of humans, for example, are the most likely to lead to the appearance of a Creepy Doll, which mold's the doll's perception of the world. Creepy dolls are very small, and tend to gain sentience in the worst of situations, and so usually see the worst a society has to offer, which creates a filtered perception of the world.
Their perception of other races is usually one of disdain, disgust, or a morbid curiosity, with a desire to pick apart at the strings that hold these people together and see what makes them tick. Often this involves stalking and brutally murdering people in cold blood, sometimes planning for weeks or months between kills, and sometimes going on killing sprees and wiping out whole populations in a single night. It is not uncommon for a doll to then craft an effigy of their victims, putting it in the place of the one they killed as if it were still performing it's daily routine, though it is rarely the case for the effigy to become another creepy doll and actually take the place of the victim. Although most creepy dolls are potentially killers, though, some are content to observe or even serve other races, although it makes them no less disturbing to see.
In some rare cases, when multiple creepy dolls do gather in number, sometimes because a collection of ordinary dolls was all animated at once, or sometimes because the effigies crafted by a single doll all became creepy dolls themselves, they will fashion a small likeness to a settlement belonging to another race, a mockery of the daily lives the people once lived. They understand, either from the life they may have lived before being a doll if they were once alive, or from observing the lives of others, the routines which their victims once followed, even if they don't understand the purpose.
Creepy Doll Names
Creepy Dolls don't have a naming convention of their own. Typically, they are given names by members of other races, either by children who once owned the doll, or by adults who recognize the appearance of a creepy doll to be a likeness of someone they knew. Dolls who have not been given a name seldom ever take a name for themselves.
Male: Nothing, Andy, Leo, Zack, Oliver
Female: Nothing, Lucy, Sally, Sandy, Molly
Creepy Doll Traits
A small doll given unnatural life.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score decreases by 2, to a minimum of 1.
Age. Creepy dolls are created, and might start adventuring as soon as it's 'born'. They do not die of old age.
Alignment. Most creepy dolls tend towards evil. Some are planners and even OCD, and may be lawful, while others are serial killers that murder on a whim, and may be chaotic.
Size. Creepy Dolls were once actual dolls, and vary from a few inches to just over a foot and a half. Your size is Tiny.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 20 feet.
Construct Type. You are a construct instead of a humanoid. Effects that target Humanoids do not affect you, and effects which target Constructs do. You do not require air, food, drink, or sleep. Instead, you enter a restful state, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. While resting, you can dream after a fashion; such dreams are reflexive mental exercises inherent to your consciousness. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep.
Poison Resilience. You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damage.
Sleep Immunity. You are immune to effects that would cause you to sleep.
False Appearence. While motionless, you appear indistinguishable from an ordinary doll. You must spend one minute motionless before this ability takes effect. You must maintain concentration during that time, as if you were casting a spell.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice which the creator of the doll you inhabit spoke.
Subrace. Not every doll is created equally, possessed of it’s own will or not. Pick one subrace from the following list, and add it's traits to your existing traits. (Puppeteer, Silent Stalker, Dummy)
Puppeteer
Puppeteers love to pull on the strings of others, seeing them dance like marionettes in a line. Their ability to exchange minds with an unwitting victim lets them manipulate others on a whole new level.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution and Wisdom increase by 1 each.
Body Exchange. You may initiate an intelligence contest with an incapacitated or willing humanoid within 5 feet. If you win the contest, your spirit possesses the target’s body while their spirit inhabits yours. You retain your intelligence, charisma, and wisdom, as well as your knowledge, class features, and proficiencies, but otherwise use the target’s statistics, without access to their class features, knowledge, or proficiencies. Likewise the target retains their intelligence, charisma, and wisdom, while using your statistics, etcetera, and retains it’s alignment.
The effect lasts up to 1 minute per character level, or until the doll is forced out by magic, or deals or receives damage. The dispel good or evil spell can reverse the possession despite the doll not being a creature type this spell normally works on. The effect automatically ends if the doll and it’s body are separated by more than 100 feet.
After using this ability the doll may not attempt it again until after a long rest. A target becomes immune to the doll’s possession for 24 hours after the effect ends or they win the intelligence contest.
Silent Stalker
It’s in the walls! It’s in the shadows! I heard it’s footsteps in the walls! I saw eyes in the darkness! Hug me, I’m scared!
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity increases by 2
Skills. A Silent Stalker is proficient in Stealth
Darkvision. A Silent Stalker has darkvision to 60 feet.
Fast Movement. Your speed is increased by 10 feet when not wearing heavy armor.
Dummy
Nyah, who’s the dummy now, dummy?
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence and Charisma increase by 1 each.
Innate Spellcasting. You know the Eldritch_Blast cantrip. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for this spell.
Psychic Assault. When you deal psychic damage with a spell or ability to a creature with a brain, you may deal an additional 1d4 psychic damage. You need to complete a short or long rest before you can use this feature again.
Immunities. In addition to your other immunity(s), you are immune to Frightened and Charmed.
Random Height and Weight
| Base Height |
Height Modifier* |
Base Weight |
Weight Modifier** |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0′ 4'' | +2d8 | 3 lb. | × 1 lb. |
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*Height = base height + height modifier | |||
Suggested Characteristics
When creating a Creepy Doll character, you can use the following table of traits, ideals, bonds and flaws to help flesh out your character. Use these tables in addition to or in place of your background's characteristics.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I create and leave effigies in the shape of my victims in their place. |
| 2 | I find everything to be a joke. |
| 3 | People are scum, they deserve what's coming to them. |
| 4 | I love it when something is put into a concrete definition like a game. |
| 5 | I long for bloodshed. |
| 6 | Even I understand patience is a virtue. So why can't these fleshlings? |
| 7 | Death comes for us all? Not me, loser! |
| 8 | I like to watch from the corner, unnoticed. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Slaughter I hate everything about flesh and blood (evil) |
| 2 | Mockery Look at them, the stupid heads, what fools! (neutral) |
| 3 | The Plan No plan is too convoluted, there are never enough contingencies (lawful) |
| 4 | Wanderlust I can't stand waiting around for something to happen (chaotic) |
| 5 | Perfect Mimicry I want to make sure everything looks just like the fleshlings have it (any) |
| 6 | My Kind I wish to find, or create, more like me (any) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | There was a child that once loved me. |
| 2 | I keep a piece of my first victim with me. |
| 3 | I owe a debt to my creator. |
| 4 | I was made in the image of a deceased. |
| 5 | I'm all alone in this world. |
| 6 | One of the fleshlings has taken a shine to me, and I like their face. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I spend too long planning my next kill, and often miss my opportunity |
| 2 | I have a soft spot for children, and hate myself for it |
| 3 | I'm obsessed with my flawed appearance |
| 4 | I want to be a real person and try things they do, like eat and drink |
| 5 | I feel no empathy whatsoever |
| 6 | The sight of blood disturbs me deeply |
References
- ↑ Plane Shift Innistrad, page 24
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