Both blessed and haunted, the possessed form a bond with the spirit or soul of the dead. They wield the mysterious power and wisdom of the formerly living while maintaining a balance between the personality of the spirit and their own.
With the knowledge and experience of a bound spirit, a possessed can be a valuable member of an adventuring party. A spirit’s ambition and initiative can be the push a possessed needs to leave the life of the mundane behind and seek glory. Or the spirit’s motivation could be seeking revenge or justice for their untimely death. Possessed cautious of the spirit within may seek distance from society, instead preferring trusted companions and the open road.
Possession Origin
Possession often occurs when first encountering a ghost or spirit that has been isolated for a long time, but a soul can be attached to an object, another creature, or bestowed upon you by a deity or through a mysterious encounter with an ancient temple. The Possession Origin table provides examples.
Possession Origin
| d6 | Origin |
|---|---|
| 1 | A powerful being’s ritual to cheat death went awry, trapping their spirit within you upon their death. |
| 2 | You found a trinket amongst the rubble of an ancient city. While you carried it, a soul bound to the item slowly possessed you until it was no longer bound to the object. |
| 3 | A close friend or family member died a sudden tragic death. Instead of proceeding to the afterlife, they chose to stay with you. |
| 4 | In exchange for the blessing of a divine being, you willingly accepted a soul not yet worthy of eternal rest. |
| 5 | In a freak accident that should have killed you and another nearby creature instead spared you and the spirit of the creature that died attached itself to you. |
| 6 | You took part in a traditional ritual where the spirit of a dying elder is passed onto a village youth for a period of time to share their wisdom before the spirit eventually proceeds to the afterlife. |
Spirit Within
The spirit that possesses you once had its own life and history that was the foundation of its personality. However, its personality is also tainted by its horrible death. All of these events, from life to death, shape the spirit’s outlook. This personality may seep into your own behavior when tensions are high or facing danger. Or it could present itself when you’re most relaxed and you’ve let your guard down.
While spirits are often the worst manifestation of the person they once embodied, the spirit within you might be more unique and peculiar. The Spirit Within table provides examples.
Spirit Within
| d6 | Spirit |
|---|---|
| 1 | A child’s spirit has attached itself to you. You whisper lullabies when in need of comfort. |
| 2 | The soul of an evil mage, such as a lich, is trapped within you. You have a recurring nightmare of being trapped inside the evil mage that haunts you. |
| 3 | The beastial spirit of an animal resides within you. You value your sense of smell as much as your sight. |
| 4 | The spirit of a renowned athlete who suddenly died shares your body. Their personal drive and sense of competition is reflected in any important tasks you perform. |
| 5 | A miserly noble’s spirit dwells within you. You often second guess purchases you or others make. |
| 6 | An adventurer killed by a trap inhabits your body. You are curious but sometimes overly cautious. |
Possessed Traits
You have the following racial traits.
Creature Type. You are humanoid.
Size. You are Medium or Small. You choose the size when you gain this lineage.
Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet.
Ancestral Legacy. If you replace a race with this lineage, you can keep the following elements of that race: any skill proficiencies you gained from it and any climbing, flying, or swimming speed you gained from it. If you don’t keep any of those elements or you choose this lineage at character creation, you gain proficiency in two skills of your choice.
Horrifying Visage. As a bonus action, you reveal the ghostly spirit within you. Creatures of your choice within 10 feet of you that can see you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of you until the end of your next turn. The DC of the save equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
Symbiotic Knowledge. You gain proficiency in one skill and one language of your choice.
Supernatural Power. You know the mage hand cantrip. You can cast it without verbal or somatic components, and you can make the spectral hand invisible. Starting at 5th level, you can also cast the levitate spell with this trait, without a material component. Once you cast it with this trait, you can’t cast it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast it using any spell slots you have of 2nd level or higher.
Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you gain this lineage).
See Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft for ability scores, languages, and more about lineages.
