Necrolyte (5e Race)

Necrolyte

“

I am the answer... to life and death.

”

Physical Description

Necrolyte's generally look like ordinary civilians with skin which is paler until they die. They tend to also be a bit skinnier for their stature. When they die, they come back to life but with more of a rotted/decayed appearance which gets worse the more they die and come back to life until they just look like walking corpses. A tell-tale sign of necrolytes is their dark eyes, of which the iris and pupils are indistinguishable and take up an unnaturally large portion of their sclera.

History

Necrolyte's are humanoid creatures who were infused with necrotic energy before birth which usually kills them and their mothers. If they are buried with their mothers, they grow in the womb until they dig themselves out of their tomb that is their own mother's body, usually feeding on the flesh, before they finally burst forth out and of the grave. They quickly mature into adulthood after, usually feeding themselves on both living and dead flesh. Most are then used by necromancers to fulfill their evil deeds. However, there have been many such instances of necrolytes rebelling because of their superior intelligence compared to regular undead.

Society

Other races usually don't notice the fact that necrolytes are indeed a different race compared to what race they look like unless they have died several times and used Undying Immortality. In most cities, after using Undying Immortality twice or more, you will be shunned by most citizens or outright attacked by priests or paladins if you do not explain what you are and what your goals are. Being born from the grave, most necrolytes tend to avoid civilized areas but some have managed to assimilate themselves into society. The necrolytes that shun the living, usually resort to enacting a pact of sorts with a necromancer where they will help them fulfil both their evil deeds. Other necrolytes that grow with living with other humanoids or have frequent interactions with other humanoids usually learn that the living are not as bad as they would of thought and tend to get along better with others. Most of these necrolytes either assimilate into society, or go out in search a purpose and what they can accomplish in both life and un-death.

Necrolyte Names

Necrolytes never had a name from their parents due to their early death, nor do they have any particular ideas of what their lives should or could have been. They take new names that usually reflect this lack of identity and despair. These names are usually androgynous.

Names: Nemo, Mara, Soledad, Melpon

Necrolyte Traits

A creature born from pure necrotic energy.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1 and your Wisdom score increases by 2.
Age. Necrolyte start aging rapidly to adulthood then they stop aging.
Alignment. Necrolyte generally follow an evil alignment but some manage to do good in their life.
Size. Generally born from human parents, they are usually Medium size.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Necrotic Absorption. When you take necrotic damage, you gain temporary hit points equal to your level. These hit points expire at the end of your next long rest.
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.
Inherit Dark Magic. You know one cantrip from the school of necromancy.
Undying Immortality. You can rise from the dead three times. To do so, you must perform a ritual during a short or long rest, consuming oils and unguents worth at least 500 gp. If you die within 24 hours of completing this ritual, you return to life 10 minutes later, as though you were the target of the raise dead spell (including the penalty to attack rolls, saving throws and ability checks). The ritual must then be performed again.
Necrotic Language. When you use a Wisdom (Insight) check to determine the intentions of an undead creature, you are considered proficient in Insight and add double your proficiency bonus to the check instead of your normal proficiency bonus.
Undead. You count as an undead creature for all spells and abilities that affect the undead, meaning you do not benefit from healing spells or potions. You do not need to eat, drink, sleep or breathe, but you can ingest food and drink if you wish. You are also resistant to necrotic damage.
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''	+2d8	140 lb.	× (1d6) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

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