The Misty's Shadows Homebrewed Humanoids - PEACH

[zeek0]

Hello!

I'll give you advice on your posted work perhaps tomorrow, but I'm low on power now and I'll just post what I have.

I made up the flavor text for the Caliban race(!):

Spoiler: Flavor Text

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“When you were born, your mother begged me to drown you in the river. Sometimes I wish I had.”

I listened to Matron, as she castigated me for venturing out into the streets last evening. I felt that the overcoat I stole away from the ward hid my misshapen features well enough, but there was no use mentioning the fact.

“The other nurses agreed with her of course. Couldn’t stand the sight of you, writhing in the crib as you did. It’s that more than anything else that drove your mother away in the end.”

I hung my head in false shame, remembering the adventures of the night before. I recalled the eastern breeze, easy bouts of laughter, and a cry in the night.

“When no one else would take you, I did. Gods know why. But the city out there – it won’t take you any easier now that you’ve grown. There’s no escaping your nature.”

Nodding in time to her punctuated statements I knew I would steal away again, maybe this time for good. The east wind was calling.

Caliban are misshapen and grotesque humanoids, born into life with bodies that deny sympathy and inspire disgust or hatred. This fact frames their life, gifting them with unnatural abilities and cursing them to be social outsiders.

WROUGHT BY MALIGNITY
Caliban are the product of some evil that twists a humanoid in the womb, deforming their body and mind. This is usually the product of terrible magics performed on an unborn child, but can also be a reflection of the foul manner in which the babe is conceived or the consumption of human flesh during pregnancy. Whatever the cause, a caliban struggles their entire lives to rise above their origins and stake their place in a world which is repelled by them.

STRENGTHENED THROUGH TRANSFORMATION
A caliban’s body is deformed, a reflection of their foul genesis. This manifests in a variety of fashions, but their warped features are easily recognized by other creatures. But not all of these mutations should be counted as detrimental. Some enhance the senses, grant increased strength, or gift the caliban with other unnatural powers. It is these transformations that set caliban apart as not only abhorrent in appearance, but unusual in nature.

OUTCASTS AND VAGABONDS
Most creatures recoil at the sight of a caliban, and believe that their vile outward appearance is a simple reflection of their equally blighted soul. As such, most caliban are exiled from larger society and are forced to live alone or on the fringes. Caliban are common enough amongst beggars, but also grace the halls of thieves, thugs, and confidence men. Still others eschew the society that has cast them out, living in the wilderness or as base bogeyman in the darkness. But caliban do not naturally tend toward evil, and have the potential to become as just, benevolent, and kind as any of their familial kin.

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BANSHEE
Banshees are best able to pass as normal at a distance, because they seldom have large deformities that set them starkly apart. But up close their terrible beauty inspires only shudders and fear of inevitable death. Banshees are caliban created by unnatural congress with the dead or close association with necrotic energies, and characterized by their intimacy with death.

BEAST
A Beast takes on animalistic features, cursing their bodies to appear unhuman. Created most often through arcane experiment or curse, they might also be the result of inbreeding over the course of many generations. Beyond their savage appearance, a beast has the tenacity and awareness of the wild.

BRUTE
A brute is the very expression of power. They are most often the determined creation of those wishing to marshal strong warriors to their cause, and are conditioned from birth to follow their masters. Their creation distorts their bodies, granting them extreme muscular development alongside exposed bone fragments and mottled flesh. Brutes are usually warped only physically, their minds as unfettered as any of their natural kin.

CANNIBAL
If a woman consumes human flesh during pregnancy, they pass on this hunger to their unborn child. A cannibal is has the visage of a wolf among men, only narrowly restraining their desire for warm meat. Their unnatural speed and stamina make them perfect predators, and few restrain their inborn instinct for the kill.

WITCHSPAWN
Witchspawn are the products of curse and profane magic. Their very body is altered by enchantment, their appearance characterized by weathered skin, thin hair, and a piercing gaze. But their most potent deformities are of the mind, distorting their thoughts but granting them strange mental acuity and power.

Let me know if there's anything I ought to change. I tried to change the flavor from the Quoth the Raven article as little as possible, but I did change it a bit to fit my vision.