Furchtman (5e Race)

Furchtman

“

When it's near me, everything suddenly changes... Like I'm trapped in this box of my own mind and all the dark thoughts are coming to life...

”

Physical Description

By Brom

Furchtmen are strange, lean humanoids. They have a body that is often concealed under layers of clothing. The shape is humanoid, but it is said their bodes are dark like shadow. However, their face, hands and feet appear solid and are pale like ivory. Some have wispy hairs that hang from their head. These strands are slightly translucent, like strips of a black veil. The eyes of a furchtman are usually yellowish or orange with black irises and pupils. They like to wear dark clothing that is close to black if black is not available. On their white faces, they often decorate it sparsely with a small pattern or slight splash of color. This face is said to be nearly unmoving, like a mask, and many find it highly unnerving.

History

The name furchtman means "fear man." This comes from the furchtmen's ability to instill a bout of sudden, irrational fear in those near them at given instances. It is said this is done by a furchtman removing their face, revealing some shadowy thing in their head, though no real record of this exists. Others say their eyes merely force one's worst fears to erupt suddenly into their minds. Whatever the reason, furchtmen are regarded as beings to be feared. While their origins are murky, it is believed they originate from the Feywild. Like a meenlock, furchtmen are born when fear is felt in the Feywild, but only by a humanoid. As such, they are spawned less than meenlocks and rarer. What's more, they seem to lack the evil nature of meenlocks, and have been known mainly to use their fear tactics when necessary rather than for entertainment. These tactics are said to grant them intelligent insight into the fears of another.

Society

Furchtmen form shadow clusters in the Feywild, usually residing within or at the mouth of the Feydark. Within these clusters, they largely keep to themselves. While they are not intolerant of sunlight, they do prefer the dark for the most part. With so much of them all darkly dressed in the same place, with many white faces contrasting against the dark, it certainly makes them resemble a cluster of darkness with masks. While they do not mean ill, their presence is often unwelcome to many who just see them as a creepy nuisance.

Outside of these clusters, furchtmen are solitary for the most part. They do have a habit of being attracted to strong personalities, which is usually why many of them end up in some adventuring group. It is a strange attraction that is not malicious, but they simply feel drawn as a magnet is. Due to their reputation, furchtmen command a good deal of fear among commoners. This often lumps them in the same social group of outcasts as tieflings, but they command a slightly more prominent presence despite their small numbers.

Furchtman Names

Furchtmen name themselves upon their creation, usually calling themselves something related to the impetus of the original fear which spawned them in Sylvan. These names are nongendered.

Names: Teagal, Sgàthradh, Gràinich, Dearg-eagal, Bodach-chearc

Furchtman Traits

Enigmatic dark entities
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 2, and your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Age. Furchtmen can live up to about 200 years. They are spawned entirely sentient and mature.
Alignment. As they keep to themselves usually, they are neutral. But if they seize upon someone with great interest, they can become chaotic.
Size. Furchtmen stand between 6 to 7 feet tall. 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.
Elicit Fear. As an action, you show a truly terrifying sight to those within your proximity, oozing an aura of infectious fear. Creatures within 5 feet of you must succeed on a Charisma saving throw (DC = 8 + your Intelligence modifier + your proficiency bonus) or fall prone, becoming frightened and unable to stand up until the end of their next turn. You must finish a long rest before using this trait again.
Shadow Sneak. You are well adapted to hide in dark settings. When you roll a 1 on an Stealth check while in darkness, you can re-roll the die and must use the new roll.
Unnerving Face. Your very being puts others at unease. You are proficient in the Intimidation skill.
Persona Attraction. Strong personalities draw you in and you can sense them. As a bonus action, you can designate one creature within 30 feet of you. The DM tells you if the creature has a Charisma score over 20.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, and Sylvan.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
6′ 0''	+1d12	40 lb.	× (2) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

5.00

(one vote)

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