Failings
Some say failure is only temporary, but I learned otherwise. This failure will never turn into success, the marks on my body are only second to those in my mind. With nowhere to go or call home, what do I have if not this war?
A Scared Mind
Nobody comes out unchanged from the cerimony of ceremorphosis. Failings are born from the tampering of any kind of the process, a strong will that refused to let go, a psychic impulse that broke the connection, whatever the reason the cerimony was not completed.
The damage on the mind is vast as some lose memories from the life before while others have their sense of kindness and values warped by the creature inside their brain. In whatever form it shows, no one comes out unchanged by it.
Marked as an Illithid
Even if a Failing is most definitely not an Illithid, most people won't be able to tell the difference or believe their word. Because of that Failings are condemned to not be welcomed in any place that has had any contact with any Mind Flayer empire.
There are some, though, that find a place where they are appreciated by their powers as well as those that carve their path through this racism and get accepted, but just as much are the ones that decide to rely on their loneliness.
Hate for the Former Masters
With a scared mind and a tainted body, it comes as no surprise that Failings always remember one thing: the culprit. Their hate for the Mind Flayers is something powerful and pushes them to oppose the squid psychics at any opportunity that shows itself.
Depending on the person that hate can encompass other aberrations as well. But that hate can also be a bonding feeling that makes Failings grow close to gith and other enemies or victims of the Mind Flayers.
Failings Names
Failings normally keep their human or elven names, but those that forget their names or previous identities tend to adopt conceptual names on their species language like Vengeance, Glory, Courage or Enemy.
Failings Traits
Your failing character has certain characteristics in common with all other failings.
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 2.
Age. Failings come from humans and elves, therefore they live as much as their original species.
Alignment. Failings can adopt any alignment, it might not align with how they were before as the process of ceremorphosis, specially tampered, could have damaged their personalities making them more monster or human than they were before.
Size. Your height can vary depending if you come from human or elf, regardless your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30ft.
Humanoid Aberration. You belong to both Humanoid and Aberration groups.
Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 30 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. In the dark you can only see in shades of gray.
Telepathy. You can communicate without words, talking inside other people's minds. Any creature with an Intelligence Score of 3 up to 60ft of you can clearly understand you but you still must talk their language to communicate.
Mind Blast. You can emit a psychic blast in a 30ft cone. Each creature in the area must succeed on a DC (8 + proficiency + mod. int ) Intelligence saving throw or take (4d8 + Mod. Int) psychic damage and be stunned for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
You can use this ability once per long rest.
Psionic Abilities. You know the mage hand cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the sugestion spell as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach the 5th level, you can cast the levitate spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Deep Speech the language of Aberrations and outer creatures.
Subrace. Normally the cerimony of ceremorphosis is done in humans, elves or gith, therefore failings are normally from one of the three races. Choose one of these subraces, in some worlds there might be more if you wish.
Elf Failing
As an elf you are much more nimble and your keen senses survived the ceremorphosis. The psionic nature of your new kind also helped you kept the ability to meditate and achieve a state of tranquility.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Keen Senses. Your have proficiency in the Perception skill.
Trance. Elves don't need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconcious, for 4 hours a day. While meditating, you can still dream. After resting this way you get the benefits a human does from 8 hours of sleep.
Human Failing
Humans are much more common as failings as they're more numerous. Their known versatility only is heightened by the psionic abilities of the ceremorphosis.
Ability Score Increase. An ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Versatile Mind. Your have proficiency in a skill of your choice.
Rule Tip: Hybrid Type
When a creature belong to two different groups any effect, magical or otherwise, that target one will affect the character (i.e: hold person).
Unbornhexa Credit
- Created by Reddit user /u/UnbornHexa.
If you like what you read and want to support future content, be sure to give me feedback and latter on we will have a Patreon!Art Credits
Other Credits
- This document was created using GM Binder
- "D&D Watercolor Stains" created by Jared Ondricek (Reddit user /u/flamableconcrete)