This post is an example of revisiting material I wrote many years ago and updating it to the way I would write it now. Editing, if you will, but more than that, examining how my understanding and the technically correct styles have changed.

D&D 5e: The Homunculus | Living Clay People

Homunculi

Homunculi are creatures, of predominantly humanoid shape, stitched together from pieces of humans and brought to a semblance of life through powerful magic. The rituals and alchemy that provide their vital spark were secrets long preserved by a reclusive order of wizards, but have been recently learned by the rest of the world. Many homunculi serve their makers, willingly or otherwise. Other homunculi have escaped cruel masters, or awoken alone in a hostile world that fears or despises them.

Homunculi can graft the flesh of other creatures onto their bodies in place of their own limbs. The process of creating homunculi requires at least some small piece from an existing homunculi, usually a finger, foot, internal organ, eye, or other moderately complex body part. This body part must be used shortly after removal from the donor. Parts from more than one homunculus can be used, but it is not necessary. Most homunculi have only one parent or sire, though some have as many as a dozen. This body part is taken from any convenient homunculus.

This requirement of a body part from an existing homunculus has created lineages of homunculi among those lucky enough to know their sires, which is only a fraction of the overall homunculi population. Learning of one’s sire and ancestors has become a major social drive among homunculi, representing the only family they can have. It is entirely possible to have five or even ten generations of living ancestors, as homunculi can replace their parts as they age and thus live forever.

Homunculus Traits

Creature Type: Humanoid
Size: Small or Medium
Speed: 30 feet

As a homunculus, you have these special traits.

Arcane Assistant. When an ally within 5 feet of you casts a Sorcerer, Warlock, or Wizard spell, you can expend Hit Dice equal to the level of the spell to increase its effective slot level by 1. When an ally within 5 feet of you fails a Constitution saving throw to maintain Concentration on a Sorcerer, Warlock, or Wizard spell, you can expend Hit Dice equal to the level of the spell to make them succeed instead.

Faint Memory of Life. You have a few faint memories from the lives your body is made from. You gain proficiency in one skill or with one tool or language of your choice. Whenever you finish a Long Rest, you can replace it with another skill, tool, or language proficiency.

Grafting. You can receive grafts of flesh from creatures that died within the last hour. While you have access to a body that is made of flesh and bone, you or another creature can take the Utilize action to make a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check. On a success, choose one of the following benefits.

• Regain up to two expended Hit Dice.
• If your Hit Point Maximum is reduced, end that effect.
• Reconstruct one limb that has been severed from your body.

Once you use this feature (successfully or not), you can’t use it again until you finish a Short or Long Rest.

Unnatural Spark of Life. The spark of life is slow to leave your flesh. You have Advantage on death saving throws, and when you have been dead for less than 1 minute, a creature can take the Utilize action and roll a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check. On a success, you revive with 1 Hit Point.

Agalma (Living Statuary)

Once you were made of another material, before you gained life and sentience. It might have been stone, bronze, clay, wicker, never-thawing snow or ice, flower petals, or a casing full of sawdust, but now you are nearly indistinguishable from other members of a common species. This gives you exceptional resilience, as you aren’t made of flesh and bone.

Most of creatures of your kind begin as statues or puppets, and inspire such love in a mortal creature that an angel, Archfey, fiend, or god transform them into something real, mobile, and sentient. You may be the only Agalma in the world, or perhaps the creation of them is a well-known process—or even the last known way for new sentient creatures to come into being on a dying world.

(Agalma is Greek for “statue.”)

Agalma Traits

Creature Type: Humanoid
Size: Small or Medium
Speed: 30 feet

Glamour. While you are conscious, the magic that animates you hides your unusual nature. Detect Magic reveals an Illusion aura, and creatures with Truesight perceive your nature. Your glamour is not detectable on close inspection and can’t be dispelled. While you are bloodied, a creature within 30 feet of you can use the Search action to roll a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Perception) check, discerning your true nature on a success. You can reveal or conceal your true nature as a Bonus Action.

Imitation of Life. You have Resistance to Poison damage. You are immune to ingested poisons.

Perfect Stillness. While you don’t move or take any other action, you have Advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks, and on Charisma (Deception or Performance) checks to pretend to be a statue. You don’t lose this benefit if other creatures move you.

Strange Resilience. When you take Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing damage, you can expend a Hit Die to reduce the damage you take by two rolls of your Hit Die. This can’t reduce the damage you take below 1.

Sustained by Magic. You don’t require food, water, or air. You can pretend to eat, drink, and breathe.

Design Notes

I was never especially satisfied with “living clay people” as the name for the living statues. Both that and “living statues” feels clunky for this usage. I’m much happier with Agalma.

The official design patterns of species in 2024 rules has changed a lot from what it was in 2014, but these should work well with any understanding of the rules that comes after the release of Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. I strongly recommend using TCOE’s ability score increase rules: every character gets +2 to one stat and +1 to another, or +1 to three different stats, and that makes no statement about Species, Background, or anything else.

I think it’s important to engage, in the narrative and with player consent, with the downsides and complications of being a homunculus or an agalma. That’s how these narratives work, and I would hope that anyone playing these understood that. I think it’s a mistake to put too much into hard-coding those drawbacks, though—that’s one of the significant shifts in my thinking from when I first wrote these.

As always, I hope you enjoy!

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