Igor (5e Race)

Igor

“	“I'm an Igor, thur. We don't athk quethtionth." "Really? Why not?" "I don't know, thur. I didn't athk.”	”
—A conversation overheard between a man and an Igor, from the book Making Money by Terry Pratchett

Physical Description

Igor and Scraps, from The Art of Discworld by Paul Kidby

Igors resemble humans. At least, the overall structure and the bits and pieces they're made of do. No two Igors are quite alike in physical appearance, but in terms of mannerisms, they usually all speak with a lisp and walk with a limp, albeit the only reason they do so is for tradition's sake.

One Big Family

While, yes, Igors are technically human- well, at least all the important bits are-, over the years, they've kind of become their own thing. Each Igor is a member of an extremely extended family known only as, well, Igors. The origin of the Igors has been lost to time, but it's been hypothesized the first Igor was the servant to a deranged scientist or noble vampire. As such, it's been a tradition for creatures of such wealth to have a family Igor in their employ, and, indeed, a tradition of Igors to be in the employ of a wealthy family or individual.

Hand-Me-Downs

Nearly all Igors are expert surgeons, especially in the realm of transplantation. This, coupled with their efficiency and general dislike of wastefulness, finds them treating good organs and limbs as heirlooms to be passed down from generation to generation. If an Igor says that he has his grandfather's hands, it's probably not a figure of speech.

Igors like to leave the stitches from surgeries they've undergone in, or even just put stitches in for cosmetic reasons or for symbolic purposes. The easiest way to differentiate between Igors is by the patterns and style of stitches on their face and other visible areas.

The Igor's Code

Igors have a slogan: A spare hand where needed. Oftentimes, an Igor will find themselves requested to provide their medical services to victims of accidents or misfortune, and they will do so without expectation of payment or regard for religion, nationality, or species. An Igor will treat the patient, reattaching any lost limbs, sewing up wounds, and maybe even putting in a better heart if one is available. All that an Igor expects in return is for the patient, after hopefully living a long and fulfilling life, to donate their organs to the Igor after they have passed since they won't have any use for them anymore. Igors tend to have an uncanny knack for being able to tell when this passage into the next life will take place, and often arrive a couple days early to the event. The patient always has the right to refuse to give up their organs, and at the bedside, in their final moments, if they choose to do so, the Igor will leave without a fuss. However, no Igor will aid the family of the patient or the village they reside in ever again.

Additionally, Igors have a set of rules they've defined for themselves while in service to an employer in order to keep up appearances. No good Igor would talk without a lisp without feeling ashamed, and they also try to walk with a limp whenever possible. When summoned by an employer, a good Igor appears immediately and mysteriously behind the employer or by stepping out of some dark corner of the room. Igors are expected to be discreet, never gossiping about the bad or weird things their master has done, and are expected to lend a hand where needed. Igors are also expected to do research in their spare time and maintain lists of donors and recipients for organ transplantation.

The most important part of an Igor's code, surprisingly counter-intuitively, is that a good Igor has no inherent loyalty to his employer. The employers of Igors are.. morally dubious at best, and when the angry mob storms the castle gates to demand justice for the new latest experiment gone wrong, the Igor is often long gone, vanished silently through a sneaky little passage only they knew of.

Igor Names

All Igors are known as Igor, save for the females, which are known as Igorinas. Despite this, Igors have no trouble distinguishing between other members of their race by name. This is because, to the trained ear, the pronunciation of the name "Igor" actually differs ever so subtly for each Igor (or Igorina). However, to the common man, who likely does not possess a trained ear, the naming conventions of Igors can lead to great confusion, especially when your friend Igor tells you to go give a hand to his brother, Igor, over on Treacle Mine Rd., and to say "Hi" to his cousin Igor if you see him on the way there.

Male: Igor, Igor, Igor, Igor, Igor

Female: Igorina, Igorina, Igorina, Igorina, Igorina

Igorinas

Female Igors are somewhat different from their male counterparts. Igorinas tend to lisp less and show less of their stitches, although they might have a couple of rings around a finger to show allegiance to a clan. Surprisingly, Igorinas are often considered quite beautiful, even to non-Igors. Then again, what would you expect from a family of surgeons good at all specialties, including cosmetic?

Igor Traits

A race of humanoids who typically serve as professional servants.
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 2, and two other scores of your choice increase by 1.
Age. Igors live just as long as humans do, if not longer. They reach adulthood in their late teens and can live to little over a century.
Alignment. As Igors live by their code, and value their own survival rather highly, they tend towards either lawful neutral or true neutral.
Size. Just like humans, Igors vary widely in height and build, from barely 5 feet to well over 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Always Prepared. You start with either a healer's kit or a set of artisan's tools of your choice, in addition to your starting equipment and equipment granted to you by your background.
Medical Knowledge. You have proficiency in the Medicine skill and may use your Intelligence modifier instead of your Wisdom modifier for checks using it.
Not Seen, Nor Heard. Igors have an almost supernatural knack for appearing in places without any hint as to how they got there. Using this ability, you can cast the 2nd-level spell pass without trace once, without components and affecting only yourself. You regain use of this ability once you have finished a long rest. This ability is considered non-magical.
Specialization. You have proficiency in one set of tools of your choice.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
4′ 8''	+1d20	115 lb.	× (2d4) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

Suggested Characteristics

When creating a Igor 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.

d4	Personality Trait
1	I am a firm believer in the power of very tiny stitches.
2	I'm always checking for traps and secret passages, even in buildings where there probably wouldn't be any.
3	I always know more than I let on.
4	I don't actually like stitches that much.

d6	Ideal
1	"Masterth may come and go, but I'll alwayth be looking out for No. 1." (Evil)
2	"A helping hand where it'h needed, whenever it'h needed." (Good)
3	"What? It'h traditional!" (Lawful)
4	"You know, I'm thomething of a mad thientitht mythelf..." (Chaotic)
5	"My duty ith to therve." (Neutral)
6	"Any good Igor knowth the importanth of keeping up appearanthes." (Any)

d4	Bond
1	One of my previous masters nearly ended the world. I know too much about their work to ever be safe.
2	These parts of mine have been passed down for generations. I hope to keep the train going.
3	My last master left me something before they died. I must keep it safe.
4	One of the hearts that beat in my chest belonged to someone special to me. I will never forget them.

d4	Flaw
1	I might be a bit too extreme even in terms of other Igors.
2	I can't resist eavesdropping on a good secret.
3	I can't help but think of people in terms of the parts they offer.
4	I tend not to have a concept of "too much information" when it comes to my trade.

Expanded Options and Features

Racial Feat: Master of Flesh

Prerequisite: must be an igor

Igors are traditionally masters of incredible surgical prowess. This prowess is partly innate and partly closely guarded knowledge of techniques. When you take this feat, you gain the following abilities:

• Donor Harvest. Provided you have a dagger, saw, or other sharp implement, you can harvest and preserve a body part—an eye, a hand, a leg, a heart, etc.—from a willing, unconscious or freshly deceased humanoid over the course of 10 minutes. Preserving a body part requires at least 25 gp of common alchemical compounds and a sealed container to store it in (typically a glass jar).
• Surgical Graft. If a willing humanoid is missing a body part, such as an eye, leg or hand, you can expend 2 uses from a healer's kit and 1 hour of work (this can be done as part of a long rest to graft a suitable replacement body part you have onto them. This restores the functionality of the missing eye, limb, or other body part.

Design Note: It is possible for Igors to perform their surgeries on non-humanoids. However, the efficacy of such surgeries is solely up to DM discretion. In general, barring an exceptionally talented Igor and recipient, grafts cannot give a creature outstanding abilities they didn't otherwise have in some form before. An Igor might be able to graft the wings of an aarakocra onto a human, but that human would not have the lifetime of experience and muscle memory required to use them effectively enough to fly.

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