The Races Of D&D: The Eldritch-Touched

The Races of D&D: The Eldritch-Touched

“It is permissible to say that, aside from the external appearance of face and hands, the really human element of Wilbur Whateley must have been very small” - The Dunwich Horror

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Things That Should Not Be

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Throughout the planes lie many mysteries.  Many planar mysteries inhabit prime material itself.  Among them are the castaways from reclusive societies, creations of dreadful cults, and mad men changed through dark worship.  This great mystery is an unfortunate soul bonded to dark cosmic power.  These strange beings are cursed to suffer the blood of elder beings that seed minds with madness and exist beyond dreams.  Perhaps these souls are more in-tune to their distant masters… or perhaps they were created to spread frightening agendas far beyond mortal comprehension.  No matter the reason, these misfits wander several realities, finding their place while trying to escape nameless horrors.

Similar to planetouched beings like aasimar, tieflings, and genasi; the eldritch-touched is a race onto its own.  There is no specification to how a being looks.  They often look a lot like their mortal realm parent, with the traits of the blasphemous being they are tied too.  Features from the eldritch master will always vary; tendrils writhing around their skin, multiple eyes, gibbering mouths, non-Euclidean forms that cannot be grasped by a human mind!  Of course, these are some of many possibilities.

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Children Born from a Sleeping Madness

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While most eldritch touched are slain due to being the progeny of unfathomable elder beasties, many find ways to cope and adjust to their offbeat heritage.  Many has fought against reality piercing voices in their dreams, creating barriers through the very same power imbued within them.  They have found ways to shape these dreadful boons into shields against unspeakable terrors, as well as defense against the ignorant masses.

For those who look beyond their eldritch powers, they are more than valuable companions.  Enhanced knowledge from strange sources has them to become powerful speakers, magic users, and more than competent warriors in their own right.  The dread visions of Far Realms haven’t always lead to lives of misery.  When dealing with an aberrant incursion, you can guarantee an Eldritch-Touched will make a useful partner.  But, in other cases, they seek to fuse the world of the aberrant with the world of our own.  Few understand their madness or the reasons behind their existence… and few want to.

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