Psyche Swallower (5e Race)

Psyche Swallower

A man approaches the town guard innocuously. Upon getting close, the man's eyes change to a dull violet as they meet the guard's, and his head suddenly opens from his mouth, blossoming like a flower of flesh briefly, covered by a thin membrane of skin. Instead of screaming at the horror, the guard merely straightens and seems to speak in a dazed manner. After he has told the monstrous creature all he knows, he collapses into a heap on the floor. The mysterious man's face returns to normal and he walks away into the night, a malicious grin on his face.

Physical Description

Psyche swallowers are known to be deceptive humanoids that have innate psionic abilities. Their inner anatomy is completely alien despite a human front. Their brains are located down in their chest, intertwined with their heart. Their head is actually an entire mouth, able to open into a terrifying maw with insect-like ridges that are connected by a system of membranous skin and veins. Despite having this mouth that could swallow a small dog, they actually do not need to eat normal food. The back of their would-be throat is actually just a solid coil of what looks like a spiral of intestines. All these inner tissues have a color that resembles pinkish-grey. Their brain is believed to double as a sort of nutrition system, and it subsists off mental brainwaves instead of material food.

History

It is unclear exactly what or where psyche swallowers come from. Their names were given by an ancient text that described a group of horrendous shapeshifters that took forms of their victims and consumed their very minds and sanity. What is known is that psyche swallowers have an aberration quality to them. Groups which oppose the influences of the Far Realm lump them with aberrations like illithids, only more sinister since their appearance can fool people easier. No one has held this conversation with a psyche swallower, either due to fear or being eaten. Psyche swallowers also are loath to disclose this information, lending credence to the possibility that their race harbors sinister intentions.

Society

Despite their creepy way of swallowing people's minds, psyche swallowers are luckily few and far between, as well as rather peaceful. They have no known society of their own, making some believe they are alien refugees. As such, they blend nigh seamlessly into human society, where they also happen to draw nourishment. Psyche swallowers are highly sensitive to the minds and moods around them. If they suspect discovery, they will often wander out and search for a new home and feeding ground instead of confronting authorities. This has made them hard to track save through rumors.

Psyche Swallower Names

Names for psyche swallowers have little to no meaning. They are merely addresses to help blend in among the humans. As such, they take names that befit their choice of locale.

Male: John, Hancock, Luke, Yecht

Female: Aisha, Gina, Jennifer, Trish

Psyche Swallower Traits

A horrific being hiding in human skin that consumes sanity
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2 and your Intelligence score increases by 1.
Age. Psyche swallowers live long lives, up to 200 years at most. They age similarly to humans, but plateau in appearance at around 20.
Alignment. While they can seem constantly evil, psyche swallowers are by no means indiscriminate. They are usually lawful and avoid confrontation.
Size. Usually, psyche swallowers range from 5 to 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.
Speed. You have a base walking speed of 30 feet.
Aberrant Makeup. Your creature type is aberration instead of humanoid.
Mind Barrier. The mind of a psyche eater is incredibly well guarded against outside influences that try to break into their mental sanctuary. You have advantage on all saving throws to resist mind-altering effects.
Strange Anatomy. You do not need to sleep, eat, or drink, but you may consume food and drink if you wish. You gain no nutritional value from it and it merely passes into mush through you. If you go for longer then seven days without devouring sanity as per your psyche devour trait, you suffer one level of exhaustion on the midnight of that day every midnight on days thereafter, which can only be removed by devouring sanity. After consuming sanity, you recover all levels of exhaustion. If you reach six levels of exhaustion due to this trait, you die.
Psyche Devour. As an action, you lay bare your mental hunger and force a creature within 5 feet of you to make a Wisdom saving throw against a DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier. On a failed save, the creature is afflicted with short term madness due to you consuming part of their sanity. You must finish a long rest before using this trait again.
Languages. You can read and write Common, and one other language of your choice, preferably one that is native to your locality.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
5′ 0''	+1d12	130 lb.	× (1d6) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

---

Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Races