Death isn’t always the end. The reborn exemplify this, being individuals who have died yet, somehow, still live. Some reborn exhibit the scars of fatal ends, their ashen flesh or bloodless veins making it clear that they’ve been touched by death. Other reborn are marvels of magic or science, being stitched together from disparate beings or bearing mysterious minds in manufactured bodies. Whatever their origins, reborn know a new life and seek experiences and answers all their own.
Faded Memories
Reborn suffer from some manner of discontinuity, an interruption of their lives or physical state that their minds are ill equipped to deal with. Their memories of events before this interruption are often vague or absent. Occasionally, the most unexpected experiences might cause sensations or visions of the past to come rushing back.
Rather than sleeping, reborn regularly sit and dwell on the past, hoping for some revelation of what came before. Most of the time, these are dark, silent stretches. Occasionally, though, in a moment of peace, stress, or excitement, a reborn gains a glimpse of what came before. When you desire to have such a dreamlike vision, roll on the Lost Memories table to inspire its details.
Lost Memories
| d6 | Memory |
|---|---|
| 1 | You recall a physically painful moment. What mark or scar on your body does it relate to? |
| 2 | A memory brings tears to your eyes. Is it a bitter or cheerful memory? Does recalling it make you feel the same way? |
| 3 | You recall a childhood memory. What about that event or who you were still inuences you? |
| 4 | A memory brings with it the voice of someone once close to you. How do they advise you? |
| 5 | You recall enjoying something that you can’t stand doing now. What is it? Why don’t you like it now? |
| 6 | A memory carries a vivid smell or sensation. What are you going to do to recreate that experience? |
Reborn Origins
Reborn might originate from circumstances similar to those of various undead or constructs. The Reborn Origins table provides suggestions for how your character became reborn.
Reborn Origins
| d8 | Origins |
|---|---|
| 1 | You were magically resurrected, but something went wrong. |
| 2 | Stitches bind your body’s mismatched pieces, and your memories come from multiple different lives. |
| 3 | After clawing free from your grave, you realized you have no memories except for a single name. |
| 4 | You were a necromancer’s undead servant for years. One day, your consciousness returned. |
| 5 | You awoke in an abandoned laboratory alongside complex designs for clockwork organs. |
| 6 | You were released after being petried for generations. Your memories have faded, though, and your body isn’t what it once was. |
| 7 | Your body hosts a possessing spirit that shares its memories and replaces your missing appendages with phantasmal limbs. |
| 8 | In public, you pass as an unremarkable individual, but you can feel the itchy straw stung inside you. |
Reborn in the Domains of Dread
When creating a reborn, consult with your DM to see if it’s appropriate to tie your origins to one of the following Domains of Dread (detailed in chapter 3):
Har’Akir. You died and endured the burial rites of this desert realm, yet somehow a soul—yours or another’s—has taken refuge in your perfectly preserved remains.
Lamordia. You awoke amid the bizarre experiments of an amoral scientist. They consider you their nest creation or have a task for you to fulfill.
Mordent. You emerged from the mysterious device known as the Apparatus, your body a lifeless shell and your past a mystery.
Reborn Traits
You have the following racial traits.
Ability Score Increase
One ability score of your choice increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1, or three ability scores of your choice increase by 1.
Creature Type
You are a Humanoid.
Size
You are Medium or Small. You choose the size when you gain this lineage.
Speed
our 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.
Deathless Nature
You have escaped death, a fact represented by the following benefits:
- You have advantage on saving throws against disease and being poisoned, and you have resistance to poison damage.
- You have advantage on death saving throws.
- You don’t need to eat, drink, or breathe.
You don’t need to sleep, and magic can’t put you to sleep. You can finish a long rest in 4 hours if you spend those hours in an inactive, motionless state, during which you retain consciousness.
Knowledge from a Past Life
You temporarily remember glimpses of the past, perhaps faded memories from ages ago or a previous life. When you make an ability check that uses a skill, you can roll a d6 immediately after seeing the number on the d20 and add the number on the d6 to the check. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Source: Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft