You have faced death, and by some strange twist of fate, you have been returned to life, although not by the usual means of resurrection. Perhaps some deity or devil has intended for you to serve a greater purpose in your life or perhaps it was to fulfill the selfish desires of a dark powerful force. Whether your return is a blessing or a curse to return is unknown, and may depend on your perspective. Being able to live again and spend time with the ones you love is an amazing gift, but is it a poisoned one? The only thing that’s clear is the sheer power of some otherwordly force has brought your soul and body back; but it has done so imperfectly, by design or not.
You are no longer the person you used to be. You have lost something vital you can never regain, and no matter how much you hunger for it, you may never be satisfied. Despite your origin, you are are not undead. You have not been returned through necromantic magic and you are not animated by negative energy. Thus, you can still be healed as any other living creature can. You have returned, but you aren’t invincible. Your body remains mortal just like it was before. You may be wanting to tempt fate, but be aware you may not be coming back a second time around.
When making a Returned character, there are a few things to consider:
This “gift,” whatever it is, comes at a cost. You may have Returned, but you are not whole. You have been changed by death. You have been marked by it. Death can mark a soul in many ways. Those who are Returned show different signs or marks of their (mis)fortune. Roll or choose any number of things (minimum of 1) from the following tables.
This subrace replaces the subrace of other races and has the following traits.
The races below can use the above traits as follows:
Replace the Ability Score Increase with increasing two difference ability scores of your choice by 1. For a variant human, remove the Skills trait and starting feat.
Replace the Ability Score increase with increasing Strength and Charisma scores by 1 each. Additionally, the damage type for Draconic Ancestry is now necrotic damage and your Breath Weapon is a 15-foot cone (Con. save).
An installment of Unearthed Arcana, That Old Black Magic, includes a version of the tiefling that uses subraces. Use that article to determine the modifications to the base traits, but use this Subrace instead of the options provided in the article.
| d6 | Quirk |
|---|---|
| 1 | You have faced death. You are rarely frightened, and when you are, you attempt to hide it behind a facade of bravery. |
| 2 | Your death has left its mark on you, a constant reminder that you are mortal and may die at anytime. |
| 3 | You have lost your faith in people, always mistrusting those around you. Anyone could be keeping secrets from you. |
| 4 | You Returned from death. You won. There is nothing you cannot accomplish as long as you put your mind to it. |
| 5 | You have no sense of humor. It takes an incredible feat of comedy to make you laugh. |
| 6 | You long for the life you had before your return, though it can never be the same. |
| d6 | Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | Your skin is touched by death, clammy and pale. The injury that killed you is still visible and unable to be fully healed even by powerful magic. |
| 2 | Your voice has changed. It is much deeper and raspier, as if you are always parched. |
| 3 | Your body has stayed in a state of death. Your blood is thick; when you bleed, it drips like syrup. Your breath also has the stench of rot on it. |
| 4 | Your eyes are missing their pupils. Your iris are entirely white. |
| 5 | There is a scar on your body. It is a sigil, perhaps the symbol of a deity or a fiend. |
| 6 | You have lost your sense of smell and taste. |
| d4 | Aura |
|---|---|
| 1 | You give off an aura of cold or heat. Those within close proximity to you feel it. |
| 2 | Your shadow is blurry, and ever-changing. It instills a sense of dread in those around you. |
| 3 | The air around you is unusually still. Your hair and clothes resist the wind. |
| 4 | The air around you is always damp. |
Created by Greenjuice and Wild.
Hawthorne Guild