Hexblood

Hexbloods retain the general shape and ancestry of their mortal origin, but with distinct traits marking their fey-touched nature:

• Crown of Horns or Vines: Many Hexbloods grow a circlet of bony horns, antlers, thorned vines, or fungal growths from their skulls, resembling a living crown.
• Changing Complexion: Their skin may take on hues of bark, shadow, moss, or twilight, and may shift subtly with mood or magic.
• Otherworldly Eyes: Their eyes often glow faintly, lack pupils, or reflect the colors of a moonlit forest, a haunted fen, or a starlit glade.
• Detached Talisman: Many possess a magical token—a nail, tooth, or lock of hair—that holds a portion of their essence, often used in rituals, wardings, or fey communication.

Despite their alien appearance, Hexbloods are not undead or inherently malevolent. Their unnatural features are simply outward signs of inner transformation.

Hexbloods are shaped by the nature of the forces that transformed them. Some are enigmatic and aloof, viewing the world through the lens of dream-logic and hidden meanings. Others remain grounded in mortal concerns but wrestle with a growing pull toward the strange and uncanny.

They often possess an instinctive connection to fate, intuition, and the unseen. Many have a talent for witchcraft, illusion, divination, or enchantment, even if they are not formal spellcasters. Dreams, omens, and whispers from distant planes frequently haunt their sleep.

Hexbloods can be whimsical or grim, compassionate or ruthless—but they are rarely indifferent. Their transformation often leaves them deeply curious, driven to uncover truths, test boundaries, or bend destiny to their will.

Hexbloods often possess supernatural gifts tied to their origin:

• Fey Resistance: Many resist enchantments, illusions, and other mind-altering effects due to their partially fey nature.
• Witchcraft Affinity: Hexbloods may instinctively know minor spells, rituals, or cantrips, especially those tied to divination, transformation, or communication.
• Magical Talisman: Their talisman allows for strange connections—such as delivering messages across distances, anchoring illusions, or focusing magical effects.
• Connection to Covens: Some Hexbloods can link to magical covens, granting shared power or access to collective rites.

While not always overtly powerful, their talents are subtle, mysterious, and often unnerving to those who do not understand their ways.

Hexbloods rarely have a culture of their own, though covens and circles of fey-touched beings may gather in secret glades, ancient ruins, or the shadowy corners of reality. These gatherings often revolve around ritual magic, seasonal rites, and the exchange of secrets.

Others walk alone or integrate into mortal society, concealing or flaunting their origins depending on their goals. In some places, Hexbloods are feared as witches, hunted as servants of dark forces. Elsewhere, they are sought out as diviners, spirit-speakers, or wise folk.

Their relationship with true hags is complex. Some Hexbloods are created as potential successors to aging hags, bound by ancient rites or unbreakable promises. Others rebel against the beings that made them, seeking to reclaim their fate.

Hexbloods come into being through various magical or supernatural circumstances:

• Pact-born: Some mortals willingly strike bargains with hags, fey queens, or ancient spirits, seeking knowledge, beauty, revenge, or arcane power. The transformation into a Hexblood is part of the price or gift.
• Cursed or Gifted: Others are altered against their will by a hag's curse, a faerie's whim, or a ritual gone awry. The change may be slow and insidious, or sudden and irreversible.
• Inherited Power: In rare cases, the bloodline of a Hexblood passes from parent to child, particularly when one ancestor was a hag, fey creature, or a mortal bound to such beings.
• Marked by Fate: Some are chosen—or claimed—by ancient powers for mysterious reasons, changed by dreams, visions, or exposure to raw fey energy.

The nature of a Hexblood’s transformation often influences their appearance, abilities, and emotional temperament.

Hexbloods can serve many roles in a campaign world:

• Coven Initiates: Apprentices to powerful hags or witches, learning forbidden magic or resisting their inheritance.
• Seers and Oracles: Gifted with insight into unseen realms, sought for guidance or feared as harbingers.
• Wanderers Between Worlds: Explorers of the Feywild, Shadowfell, or forgotten dreamscapes, navigating between realities.
• Witch Knights or Hexblades: Warriors infused with enchantment, blending curse and blade in defense or vengeance.
• Cursed Heirs: Individuals fighting to break their transformation or rewrite their own fate.