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

From Angels of Death by J.C. Staff

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. This is believed to be because they are more earthly.

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 on. 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, supposedly risen through a divine parasitic curse
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and one other score of your choice 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. Many tend to also not be good, per se.
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. Though you may retain a form of something human, your core composition has irrevocably been changed to something of the undead and necrotic. Your creature type is undead instead of humanoid. As such, spells like cure wounds don't affect you, and you are immune to spells like crown of madness or dominate person because they specifically target humanoids. You do not need to eat, drink, or breathe, but you can ingest food and drink if you wish. Instead of sleeping when you rest, 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 and have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned and diseases.
Shadow Blend. You blend in with shadows exceptionally well. While in darkness, you have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks to hide.
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 an extra 2d4 necrotic damage. The damage increases by 1d4 at levels 5 (3d4), 9 (4d4), 13 (5d4), and 17 (6d4). You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all use after you finish a long rest.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice, preferably connected to what you spoke while alive.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
5′ 5''	+2d12	130 lb.	× (1d4) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

3.00

(4 votes)

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