TEXT: The Magic Artifact
  T
  he magic artifact is a staple in the Forgotten
  Realms. It can give the average explorer an
  advantage when taking on the horrors of the
  world. Sometimes the properties of these
  items can help us on our adventures, but
  they can also lead to our downfall if they are
  not approached with caution. Some of these
  magic artifacts have a personality of their own, and some of
  them have the capability of manipulating the minds of the
  poor souls who dare to tempers with it. More specifically,
  some of these magical artifacts can influence the users
  mind or even seize control of it completely.
  Defining the Artifact
  This race is an "additional race". This means that you both
  have to choose a race to inhabit the artifact and the race of
  the host. This could be a little difficult to comprehend at
  first but to summarize what you need to know:
  Useful information:
  You roll for and calculate the ability scores of
  your character as you would normally.
  If your character dies you can get assistance
  to get a new host and carry on your mission.
  The artifact race does not gain any racial traits
  or ability score improvements from neither
  the >artifacts race or the hosts race. The
  artifact race gets a ability score improvement
  based on its >selected background.
  The wisdom, intelligence and charisma ability
  scores are connected to the artifact and if
  your host >would die then these stats carry
  on to that character.
  The strength, dexterity and constitution
  ability scores are connected to the host and if
  the host >would die then these stats are
  replaced by the stats of the new host.
  If your host can’t cast spells, then you can’t
  cast any other spells than the cantrips you get
  from >this race. Those cantrips are bound to
  the artifacts.
  Known languages, proficiencies and saving
  throws are bound to the soul of the artifact
  and get >carried over to the new host. You
  don’t get your hosts proficiencies.
  If you have to gain control of a new host, the
  host makes a wisdom saving throw every 24
  hours. If the host fails his saving throw, it is
  raised by 2 until it gets to high to pass.
  The Uncanny Artifact
  The magic artifacts which can influence the minds of their
  users are most often the results of dark rituals meant to
  extend life or deceitful dark magic. The artifacts are
  inhabited by the souls of demons, spirits, lost souls or the
  caster of the ritual. These artifacts mental states can often
  be in a bad condition. Not being able to move can result in
  sitting alone for hundreds of years which strains their
  mental health. 
  The artifacts come in many different forms; jewelry,
  clothing, weapons, heirlooms and other everyday items.
  The dark magic affecting these items can have the effect of
  changing the artifacts appearance. Some artifacts may
  have grown a human eye to see, a mouth to speak or some
  other form of dark effects. The body of the host is the
  artifacts only way of traversing the world and completing
  their mission. If the artifact loses the control over the host
  or the host dies then the artifact must find a new host.
  Some of the artifacts can't communicate with living
  beings without their host but most of the artifacts have the
  ability to communicate via a weak form of telepathy.
  Eternal Life, Eternal Curse
  Most magical artifacts do not break down with time. Rather
  they have to be destroyed and their connection to the
  Weave broken. Most of the artifacts are from a time long
  passed and the outside world may have changed a lot since
  they last walked the earth. But how do the artifacts get
  control of their hosts? These artifacts entice their victims
  with promises of supreme power, eternal life, forbidden
  knowledge and answers to their deepest questions. These
  promises are most often nothing else than a way to get the
  victim to do as they say, perform their rituals and eventually
  hand over their body and minds. When an artifact takes
  control of a body it is limited to the hosts physical
  capabilities. That means that if the souls of the dwarven
  rouge takes over the body of an elven ranger that might
  take some time to get used to.
  Meaning in Mystery
  Why would a person bind their soul or the souls of another
  to an artifact? Why would that souls then traverse the world
  and risking its host? The reason for their wanderlust is
  special to each artifact. Some souls would search for an
  eternal body or seek to finish a long living vendetta. For
  example, they might have wanted to outlive some scourge
  or epidemic, they might have been trapped in their
  everlasting prison and want to find a way to escape their
  artifacts. What truly matters is that they are alive now and
  they have a mission to accomplish.
  This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials
  used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
  
  Base Classes and Stats
  Race
  Languages
  Movement
  Dragonborn
  Common, dragonic
  30 ft
  Dwarf
  Common, dwarfen
  30 ft
  Elf
  Common, elfish
  30 ft.
  Gnome
  Common, gnomish
  25 ft.
  Half elf
  Common, elfish
  30 ft.
  Half orc
  Common, orcish
  30 ft.
  Halfling
  Common, halfling
  25 ft.
  Human
  Common
  30 ft.
  Orc
  Common, orcish
  30 ft.
  Tiefling
  Common, abyssal
  30 ft.
  Traits of the Artifact
  When an artifact takes control of their host they take full
  control and totally overpower the hosts soul down and it
  does not get a chance to gain back control unless the
  artifact loses its control. After the artifact takes control of
  their body they often take up new names and identities to
  avoid suspicion. Depending on who inhabits the artifacts,
  they gain additional ability score improvements and one
  cantrip:
  Background
  Ability Score Increase:
  Cantrip
  The Demon
  +2 Cha
  Thaumaturgy
  The Betrayed +1 Wis and +1 Int
  Mage hand
  The Poor Soul +1 Wis and +1 Cha
  Dancing Lights
  The Beyonder +2 Wis
  Prestidigitation
  The Soulbinder + 2 Int
  Minor Illusion
  The Demon: A demon from the nine hells has been
  tricked and trapped in a magical artifact to be used and
  manipulated for its immense power. Your power has
  however dwindled since you got trapped and you are now
  constrained to your new host.
  The Betrayed: Someone was promised great knowledge
  and power through a dark ritual. The ritual instead has
  trapped their soul in a magical artifact.
  The Poor Soul: A being that has been used as ritual
  sacrifice and has instead been trapped in the artifact
  eternally.
  The Beyonder: A mystical being from another place in
  the realms has been trapped in a magical artifact for its
  knowledge of the universe and it's secrets. Your knowledge
  has been limited after the ritual and you must return to
  your original body to gain full power.
  The Soulbinder: A spirit who has tricked someone to
  perform the dark ritual to bind a soul to an artifact but
  instead of providing what was promised it placed itself in
  the artifact and now the spirit has a way to roam the realm
  of the living once more.
  Racial Traits
  Age: The age of the artifacts soul can be vague since the
  artifact can be many centuries old. The host ages normally
  and therefor the artifact can only hold on to its host for a
  limited amount of time.
  Alignment: How an artifact views the world can differ
  but it seems that the more time a artifact has spent alone
  and isolated they tend to have lost their mind a bit and lean
  toward Chaotic. The beings not from this realm also tend
  to lean toward evil. However these alignments should only
  be used as guidelines and may change as the artifact
  explores the world.
  Speed: The speed of an artifact is the same as the speed
  of the race it possesses.
  Languages: The artifact knows the languages in knew
  before. Their languages depend on the artifacts soul race.
  Magic dependency: The artifact is dependent on its
  connection to the Weave, where all magic originates from.
  So hence forth, if a magical artifact would wander into a
  dead magic zone by some chance, the artifact would cease
  to function for the time being and enter a state of
  hibernation. If, and when, the artifact would be brought
  back into contact with the weave it would regain
  consciousness. If the artifact would lose consciousness it
  would also lose its bond with its host. The host would then
  regain full consciousness and could even wander off,
  unless the artifact regains its bond before that happens.
  Trance: Since the artifact has no need for sleep, other
  than to keep its hosts energy up, the artifact only needs 4
  hours of sleep per night.
  Proficient Mind: The artifact has had time to master the
  arts of its mind and can choose two extra proficiencies
  from the Wisdom, Intelligence or Charisma or you can
  choose to double the proficiency in one of the abilities you
  are already proficient in, in those categories respectively.
  Takes one to know one: Because of the artifacts deep
  rooted connections to the Weave they have advantage on
  arcana-checks against spells being used, only used to
  identify them.
  Magical senses: The artifact has a magic sense 15 ft
  away from him where he can sense beings using magic. for
  example: things being obscured or hidden by magic or an
  individual influencing another individual.
  2
  This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials
  used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
  
  Example Build
  Artifact background: The Betrayed
  Artifact race: Dwarf
  Host race: Elf
  Languages: Common, dwarven.
  Speed: 30ft
  Alignment: Chaotic Good
  Background: Kareal Elderbranch was a talented elvish
  spellcaster who had excelled in studies of the arcane. He
  later stumbled upon scrolls which spoke of a dark ritual for
  those who dared to challange their limits. He sunk into his
  research and secluted himself from the outside world. After
  a couple of years he had decyphered the ancient scrolls and
  studied the rituals fortold in them. The next years of his life
  went into getting all of the materials in place for this ritual
  because after all this time he wanted nothing more then to
  finish what he started, unravel this scrolls secrets. What
  happened next seemed to happen in a flash, he performed
  the ritual and the next thing he knew he felt restrained
  and... small. He had been constrained into a small silver
  ring and couldn't move.
  One day, a lone adventurer walked into Kareal's
  chambers and picked him up. The worn out dwarf
  examined the ring carefully and after a minute or two he
  slipped the ring on his finger. Kareal felt as his
  consciousness floated into the dwarves body and after a
  quick adjustment he noticed that he had full control over
  the short ones body. Kareal now wanders the world, in
  search for information on what he had tempered with.
  This background is tailored to work with the betrayed
  racial background and the additional ability score
  improvements below reflect that choice.
  Ability score calculations:
  Strength: 14 + 0 = 14
  Dexterity: 14 + 2 = 16
  Constitution: 8 + 0 = 8
  Intellligence: 17 + 1 = 18
  Wisdom: 15 + 1 = 16
  Charisma: 15 + 0 = 15
  This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials
  used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
  Kereal Elderbranch
  Chaotic Good, Dwarven Fighter.
  Armor Class 15
  Hit Points 116
  Speed 30ft.
  Artifact form: A small metal ring.
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  14 (+2) 16 (+2) 8 (-1) 18 (+4) 16 (+2) 15 (+2)
  Known Cantrips: Mage hand
  Magical dependency: The artifact can't operate in a
  dead magic zone and looses its control of its host.
  Trance: 4 hours of sleep per rest.
  Proficient mind: Gain two extra proficiencies or
  double one ability score in a ability you are already
  proficient in.
  Takes one to know one: Advantage on arcana check
  agains spells being used, to identify them.
  Magcial senses: Can sense magic being used in a
  15 ft. radius.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/Homebrew/The Magical Artifact Player Race.pdf