Paraghoul
There are rumors of every kind about the Paraghouls, and not all of them are edifying. Indeed, almost none is. The most widespread describe them as hidden rulers and strategists of the ghouls and other lesser undead, lords of a remote and infamous underground kingdom known as Yuckesville, proverbially famous as the destination you wish on your rivals and nuisances.

Actually, a Paraghoul is just someone who somehow managed to cheat death and came back with a semblance of life after their demise. Cunning peasants who tricked Sister Death with a little cantrip in folkloristic tales, swordfighters, harlequins and guappos who offered their services to the Sour Lady to enjoy a few more years out of Hell, talismancers and jinxies who were granted a special favor of this type from their patrons, nobles and dames who asked to gamble their eternal rest in a game of Poppycock with devils and seraphs and won, and other similar swindlers.

A Paraghoul is dead as a doornail, there is no doubt about this. Still, a Paraghoul is as sentient and as intelligent as they were in life, and they keep more or less the same skills, abilities, and proficiencies, along with their goals, thoughts, ideals, bonds, and alignment. There are Paraghouls of any age, social class, origin, background, sex, gender, and affiliation. Still, the only Paraghouls known so far used to belong to the human race, and this is the variant we are exploring here.

How Other Races See Them
Well, but not too well, actually. With their grim nature and a name that calls back to the foul, ghoulish cannibals that haunt the wildest lands of the Kingdom, their first impression is hardly pleasant. On the other hand, those who get to know them realize that they are just regular guys, with merits and flaws, just like any other people. It should also be noted that a Paraghoul can easily disguise their nature and walk among the living without attracting undue attention.

Many cunning leaders consider having among their henchmen someone able to deal with Sister Death without flinching and gifted with certain abilities, a gambit that often pays off.

Paraghoul Traits

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1, and two other ability scores of your choice increase by 1 each.

Age. A Paraghoul’s age is the age they had when they died. From then on, they age five times more slowly than a human, up to the moment of their final death. Size. Your size is Medium.

Size. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Creature Type. You are an undead. Despite being undead, paraghouls have a twilight existence halfway between life and death that makes them participate in both these states. They do not need to breathe, but they need to eat and sleep to persist. Rest, magical healing, and the medicine skill have on paraghouls the same benefits they have on living humanoids.

Still Blood. A Paraghoul’s heart stops at their death. This means that their blood does not flow. You are immune to poison damage and to the poisoned condition. In addition, you are immune to diseases.

Pull Scams, Not Push Daisies. Paraghouls came back to life simply because they cheated death, one way or another. You gain proficiency with the Deception and Persuasion skills.

Making Fun of Death. Paraghouls have already cheated Sister Death once, and they are ready to do it again and again. You can add your proficiency bonus to your saving throws against death.

Stop! He's Already Dead!. During a brawl, you can use a bonus action to pretend to be dead. To do so, you must succeed on a contested Charisma (Deception) check against your enemies’ Wisdom (Insight) check. If you succeed, you cannot be attacked until you take an action. Once you have used this feature, you cannot use it again until the end of the brawl.