Awakened Doll (5e Race)

Awakened Doll

The awakened doll is a doll that was created, animated and became a living being through magical means or a spirit possessing a doll.

Physical Description

Awakened Dolls take on the appearance of the race they were designed to mimic, though their unnerving perfection often sets them apart. Their skin is flawlessly smooth and polished, made of porcelain, wood, cloth, or a combination of materials. Their features—whether human, elven, or even monstrous—are sculpted with an artistry that can be both beautiful and disconcerting. The materials used for their construction are often immaculately detailed, yet the stark stillness and unnatural smoothness of their forms create an unsettling presence.

Their bodies are typically connected by intricate ball joints, allowing for fluid movement, though it often feels mechanical. An internal force animates them, either a bound soul or remnants of powerful, lingering magic, which makes their motions deliberate and purposeful. When at rest, they are eerily still, like a statue, with lifelike eyes that glisten with an almost supernatural gleam.

Awakened Dolls come in a variety of sizes, from those as small as a child to towering figures as large as a half-orc. Some are delicate and painted with stunning detail, their faces lovingly crafted with intricate artistry, giving them a beautiful, almost regal appearance. Others may appear hastily assembled, with crude stitching or mismatched parts, though even these less refined versions are still remarkably humanoid in shape. The clothes they wear can be elegant and finely made or simple, depending on the doll’s purpose or the creator’s resources.

While they can often pass as members of the race they were created to resemble, their unnaturally smooth skin, unsettling stillness, and perfect features may be enough to give them away. Those who look closely may notice an unnatural air of perfection in their movements, an imperfection hiding beneath the surface of their otherwise flawless exterior.

Awakened Doll Traits

Resistant and Magically Enhanced
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution increases by +2, and your Charisma increases by +1.
Age. Awakened Dolls do not age naturally. However, their bodies can show signs of wear over time if not properly maintained. A well-kept Living Doll is functionally immortal.
Alignment. Their alignment depends on their origin—whether they were created as a loving legacy, a sinister servant, or a vessel for a lost soul. Many lean toward Neutral, but their creator’s intent or their own experiences may shape their morality.
Size. Awakened Dolls vary in size depending on their creator’s design. You are Small (2-4 feet tall) or Medium (4-8 feet tall).
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.
Subrace. Accursed, Ghost, Jester, Wizard’s Child

Constructed Resilience

You do not require food, drink, or sleep. Instead of sleeping, you enter an inactive state for 4 hours during a long rest, remaining fully aware of your surroundings.

• You are immune to disease and do not suffer exhaustion from lack of rest.
• You have resistance to poison damage and advantage on saving throws against being poisoned.

Magical Repair

You do not regain hit points through natural rest. Instead, you must be repaired. You gain proficiency in Tinker’s Tools or Smith’s Tools (your choice).

• During a short rest, you or a creature proficient in these tools can repair you, allowing you to regain hit points as normal.
• During a long rest, you or a creature with proficiency in these tools can spend at least one hour repairing you to restore all your hit points.

Anti-Magic Vulnerability

If you enter an area under the effects of an anti-magic field or are targeted by dispel magic, you must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or become unconscious for the duration of the effect. While unconscious due to this effect, you are incapacitated and unaware of your surroundings.

• At the start of each of your turns, you may repeat the saving throw, regaining consciousness on a success.
• If the suppression effect ends or you leave the area, you immediately regain consciousness.

False Appearance

While you remain motionless and are at least 10 feet away from a creature, you are indistinguishable from a normal, lifelike doll or statue.

Detection: If a creature moves within 10 feet of you, it can make a DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Perception) check to recognize you as unnatural. Stealth: You have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks to remain hidden in plain sight when posing as an inanimate object. If you perform any of the following actions, you risk revealing your true nature:

• Object Interaction: When you interact with an object (such as picking up or manipulating small items), you must make a DC 12 Dexterity (Stealth) check to avoid revealing your true nature. Failure means a creature within 10 feet notices you are not what you seem.
• Larger Actions: Performing actions that involve noticeable movement, such as walking or combat, automatically break your disguise and reveal your true nature.

Surprise Attacks: If you remain motionless and undetected, you gain advantage on saving throws or checks to avoid being surprised by an attacker. The attacker must either have a strong suspicion of your nature (from a failed Investigation check) or catch you in the act of movement.

Sub Races

The subraces of the Awakened Doll reflect the diverse origins and fates of these animated beings. Depending on the origin of your creation, your subrace will shape your abilities and provide unique traits. Choose one of the following subraces: Accursed, Ghost, Jester, or Wizard’s Child.

Subrace #1: Accursed

You were created through dark magic, whether you were previously cursed and ripped from your body before being placed into a doll or crafted from scratch by a high-level dark magic user such as a hag, sorcerer, devil, or warlock. A once-living heart is placed into the chest cavity of a doll, and life is breathed into it. Often used as tools rather than beings, you are created to complete tasks for your creator. Your body is sustained by necromantic magic, giving you an eerie and unsettling presence.

Physical Description: The Accursed Awakened Dolls often bear signs of their cursed nature. Their appearance is unnerving, with cracks in their porcelain-like skin, and their eyes may seem unsettlingly empty or glow faintly with unnatural light. The stitching or seams that hold them together are more visible and ragged, often looking like they were hastily repaired. The dolls may also emit a faint aura of decay or malevolent energy, giving them an eerie and haunted look. Despite their unnerving appearance, these dolls maintain a semblance of life, often featuring dark or muted color schemes to reflect their sorrowful or sinister creation.

How it Modifies the Base Class: While the Accursed may still share the overall structure of the Awakened Doll, their physical flaws reflect their dark magic and cursed origins. Their features might include dark, smoky eyes or veins of shadow running across their porcelain or clay body. These dolls could be taller than others, but their size tends to be a bit more hunched or warped due to the twisted magic that animates them.

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1.
Frightening Gaze. As an action, you can curse a creature you can see within 30 feet of you. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw against your DC (8 + proficiency bonus + Wisdom modifier). On a failed save, the target is cursed, and you gain advantage on attack rolls against it for 1 minute. You can use this ability once per short rest.
Necrotic Resistance:. You are resistant to necrotic damage due to the necromantic magic that sustains you.

Blood Bound Heart: The living organ inside you requires nourishment to survive. You must eat and drink at least once per week, or you begin to suffer exhaustion. Upon reaching 2 levels of exhaustion, you begin to lose control of your body and must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 10) at the start of each day or be paralyzed for 1 hour.

Subrace #2: Ghost

Through tragedy or a sudden death, a spirit may cling to a doll, often an object given to them by a loved one. The upset spirit cannot move on until their unresolved business is finished. Upon resolving their unfinished business, they can choose to enter the afterlife or remain in the mortal world as a doll. Many of these dolls appear as children, though that may not always be the case.

Physical Description: The Ghost subrace appears more ethereal and less solid than other Awakened Dolls. Their bodies may seem faintly translucent or shimmering, and their eyes could have a faraway look, as if they are forever looking into the beyond. The doll may also be decorated with ghostly remnants—tattered clothing, eerie jewelry, or faint spectral motifs etched into the surface of their body. Occasionally, they might appear with a wispy or mist-like trail following them, hinting at their connection to the spirit world. The surface of their body may appear smooth and unblemished, giving them an almost polished, ghostly look.

How it Modifies the Base Class: Physically, the Ghost doll may be lighter, and their movements can seem floaty, as though they aren’t entirely grounded. They may also have a slight ethereal glow or aura, especially when they perform actions linked to their spectral abilities. The visible absence of some parts of their form, like where skin should be or light mist in place of hair, further distinguishes them from regular dolls.

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2.
Reveal The Truth. You are deeply mistrustful of the living. You gain proficiency in Insight checks. Additionally, you can use your reaction to force a creature that speaks to you to make a Charisma saving throw (DC 8 + proficiency bonus + Wisdom modifier). On a failed save, the creature's true emotions are revealed to you for 1 minute.
Tongue Of The Past. You retain fragments of the languages you once knew in life. Starting at 3rd level, choose one additional language you remember from your past life. At 6th level, you can recall a second language. At 12th level, you may choose a third language to remember.

Haunted: As an action, you can create an illusory Eldritch Horror within 30 feet of a creature you can see. The target must make an Intelligence saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, the target is frightened for 1 minute and must use its movement to flee from the illusion. On a successful save, the creature is unaffected but can still see the illusion. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns. You can use this ability once per long rest.

Subrace #3: Jester

Created to entertain, jesters are often gifts to elite or aristocratic families. Their creators, usually magical artisans, put great care into their designs. With beautiful painted faces representing one expression chosen by the family, they are created to amuse and serve their masters. As a performer, you gain proficiency in Performance checks.

Physical Description: The Jester Awakened Doll is often flamboyant and animated in appearance. Bright, vibrant colors dominate their design, with patterned fabrics and intricate detailing that resemble costumes or clown-like attire. They may have exaggerated features such as oversized, sparkling eyes, a painted smile, or a chiseled, theatrical face. Their limbs are often elongated for dramatic gestures and flexibility, and they might have magical or performance-related adornments like bells, ribbons, or tiny accessories. Their design gives the impression of always being in motion or ready to entertain.

How it Modifies the Base Class: In contrast to the more rigid or lifelike designs of other dolls, the Jester subrace might have an almost caricature-like appearance, with limbs that allow for exaggerated movements and poses. Their face is always in a perpetual smile or an exaggerated expression, contributing to their playful or comical demeanor. The use of colorful, vibrant fabrics and an overall lighter, less haunting design adds to their circus or theatrical quality.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2.
Joyous Mockery. As an action, you can force a creature within 30 feet to make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 8 + proficiency bonus + Charisma modifier). On a failed save, the creature falls into uncontrollable laughter for 1 minute. While laughing, the creature is incapacitated and unable to take actions or reactions. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns to end the effect early. Once you use this ability, you must finish a short or long rest before using it again.
Bound To A Family. You have lived among one noble family or household for a long time. You gain proficiency in History checks related to that family’s legacy and are able to easily recognize members of that family. Additionally, when interacting with people who know the family, you gain advantage on Charisma-based checks.

Performance Mastery: You gain proficiency in the Performance skill. When you perform in front of an audience, creatures that fail a Wisdom saving throw (DC 8 + proficiency bonus + Charisma modifier) are charmed by you for 1 minute. Once you use this ability, you must finish a short or long rest before using it again.

Subrace #4: Wizard's Child

Created by a wizard for a specific purpose, inside you is a mechanism that sounds like a beating heart, holding your soul. Skilled enough wizards can plant a chosen soul into a doll body. You are often created out of love and lean toward a good alignment. Your creator treats you as if you were their own child, and you view them as a parent.

The Wizard’s Child is crafted with great care and precision, with a physical appearance that reflects its creator’s meticulous attention to detail. The doll’s features often resemble those of their creator—if the wizard is elven, the doll may have pointed ears or sleek, angular features. These dolls are often decorated with arcane symbols or intricate runes, glowing faintly with magical energy. Their clothing and adornments are often elegant, as though made for high society, with fine, well-crafted materials. The face is usually well-balanced, not too expressive, but hinting at intelligence and purpose.

How it Modifies the Base Class: The Wizard’s Child is a study in beauty and form, often crafted with exceptional artistry. They may appear more symmetrical and balanced than other Awakened Dolls, exuding an aura of scholarly wisdom. They often possess more refined, elegant features compared to others—perhaps their eyes are more vividly colored, or their body type is leaner and more graceful. Some may even feature minor magical enchantments in their design that reflect their wizard creator’s tastes, such as glimmering jewelry or subtle arcane motifs.

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1.
Arcane Knowledge. You have spent much time with your creator, learning the ways of magic. You have advantage on Arcana checks. Additionally, when you are the target of a spell, you may use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the caster’s spell attack roll or saving throw against your own spell save DC.
Knowledge of Magical Items. You can cast Identify once per day without expending a spell slot. At 5th level, you can cast it at will as a ritual. You may also use your action to identify a magical item and gain knowledge of its properties for 1 minute.

Doll Height and Weight

Awakened Doll Small Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
2′ 0″	+1d6'	30 lb.	× (1d4) lb.

Awakened Doll Medium Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
4′ 0″	+2d6'	75 lb.	× (2d4) lb.

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