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Undead are generally creatures born from spirits that have been tainted to serve various masters, or have succumbed to taint and returned as dread Spectors and ghosts. There are naturally some exceptions to the rule but most fall into this category. Phantoms, meanwhile are spirits who's strong emotions Enabled them to break the cycle and return to the mortal plain, where they bonded with a spiritualist. Revenants are chance mixing of the 2, with semi-tainted spirits returning to their original bodies after their death, re-animating them as beings of inhumanly intense emotions.
The nature of a revenant is twofold, one is their emotions are what drives to remain in the mortal plain, which are so intense they can only barely control them. A moments lapse can trigger a massive emotional outburst, sometimes leading to the harm of others. Another is their fragmented memory. The simple action of reanimating their body in their emotional state has the side effect of damaging their memory often to the point where most remenants cannot remember their own name or many details about their life before.
Most revenants are Wanderers, traveling from place to place, seeking answers about their past, or trying to satisfy their powerful emotions. They might join with parties of adventurers to achieve these aims.
Profile (from race builder)
Type-undead(16rp)
Size-medium(though some can be small, if they are reanimated from that paticular race)(0rp)
Base speed-normal(0rp)
Standard(+2 Charisma,+2 Dexterity,-2 wisdom)(0rp)
Languages-Linguist(1rp)
total-17rp
Racial Traits:
Emotionally unstable-revenants are driven by their Intense and extremely powerful emotions, which sometimes they cannot control. During character creation, the revenant can pick one(and only One) of the following emotions and their triggers...
Envy-Hearing or reading Complements of other peoples work
Wrath/Hatred-Agressive or insulting actions or words thrown toward you
Lust- Beautiful/Attractive people
Jealousy-like lust, but with violent responses to People interacting with those you are attracted to.
Fear- Frightening situations, stories or places
Zeal- Praise given to your beilefs or work. negative responses against your work or beliefs provokes a violent responce.
Vengance-Violent actions taken against yourself or others
When a revenant engages in a social interaction that triggers their emotions, they must make a will save, or be forced to spend 1d6 minutes acting in acordance with that emotion in the most extreme and immediate way possible. They must continue to act in that manner until they return to their senses. they are not concious of their actions while in this state.(maybe a -4rp)
Amnesiac-revenants suffer a -2 penalty on all knowledge checks, and can only recall small amounts of information about their past without assistance(-1rp)
total (maybe 12-14rp)
any thoughts or suggestions? I was building this race for a undead swashbuckler/mysterious stranger gunslinger based on a Highwayman or footpad.
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Things that make a revenant standout in comparison to other undead
1. They cannot be made by a necromancer, though they do form when the main elements are right, like dying in a period of extreme emotions. An intelligent necromancer can cultivate these by working alongside a cult or a specialist killer. They then coax the restless spirit to return back to their original body, and enlist its services. Because of this, they can be considered the most natural form of sentient undead.
2. Revenants can go insane, succumbing completely to their intense emotions, becoming a violent, extremely entity. This is normally provoked by a massive emotional outburst. Whenever a revenant succumbs to their emotional trigger, they loose 1d6-2points of wisdom (negative numbers produce a 0, not a gain). When they reach 0 wisdom, they go insane and perminantly become an npc under the control of the Gm. A wish can restore them, but leaves them at half their starting wisdom.
3. Becoming a revenant is perminant. They cannot be returned to a living state by use of true ressurection. A wish can do so however.
That's a pretty good version of the world of darkness revenant. I don't think I would want to play it in pathfinder. If you made it so they only remember why they came back, for revenge or to protect some specific person or thing, it would have a stronger roleplaying hook.
I don't like the corruption mechanic. If their reanimating their body with negative energy is turning them evil, they would have to hold it back by some kind of atonement. For the spell to purge the buildup of dark energy, a cleric might have them ministering to the sick(They cannot catch diseases), building homes for the homeless, or holding down persons being given an exorcism.
A successful turning or rebuking undead could end early one of their fits. When they become tempted to rage, they would get a will save. If they fail the save and no one stops them from rampaging, they must save vs changing alignment daily, till they get atonement.
Persuading someone to come back as a revenant sounds like a ritual. As this topic proceeds, I'll work on the details. Maybe a reversal of the funeral ritual. It could involve chicken blood and putting the body face down in a shallow grave.
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That makes some sense, like they knowledge connecting them to the powerful emotion. Like with the character of 'the crow', a revenant that came back to fufil a duty (getting revenge against the people who murdered him and his girlfriend). That makes for a start for how a revenant can be born, but following that, they can develop new duties, which allow them to persist in the mortal world for longer.
The connection to negative energy corrupting them is something of a more flavourful thing rather than a mechanical one. Revenants are no more corrupted by negative energy than any other undead. What really gets to them is their own emotions...which have become so intense that it borders on animalistic impulse most of the time. One break can lead to another, and another, untill they become beings driven only by their emotions and nothing else. They can be redeemed, by focusing their efforts and emotions into beneficial tasks. In the same way one becomes incredibly happy or satisfied with an outcome, a revenant can restore their stats by having positive triggers to their emotions.
Envy-praise of your works and actions leads to positive elements
Lust-feelings of love returned in willing affection
Jealousy-same as lust, with positive attention being given to you
Fear-reassurance, comfort, and overcoming a terrifying foe
Zeal-as stated in above, with the positive elements being the first
Vengence-Catharsis, with justice being served to the perpetrator of the violent action.
I like your idea, goth guru. It defiantly makes sense.