Homebrew Viderling (Otterfolk) Race Details

“We had no idea the river was protected where the dam was going to be built.  On the first day nothing went right, accidents, broken saws, entire carts went missing.  Then at night, the sightings of ghosts, and strange noises in the wood harassed us.  On the second night a mysterious cloaked druid came to the camp, and warned us that the river was guarded by the Viderling, and that any attempt to disrupt its flow would mean our deaths.  This would be our only warning.

The Foreman ignored the warning, the Kings will was absolute, the dam would be built.  On the third night, men started to go missing.  Sightings of beautiful woman wondering the wood, would draw even the most steadfast man into the darkness.  A message was sent to the king for protection, and he sent 10 men to root out whatever lurked in the wood around the river.  All ten men entered the wood confident that whatever creature would be easily killed.  They would never be seen again.  The work at a standstill, the king sent thirty men with orders to kill these viderlings and assure the forest under his domain would never show such resistance again.  Like the soldiers before, they would go out into the wood and never seen again. 

That night the viderlings came small but powerful, what soldiers we had as protection were no match for their speed and strength.  They attacked from all sides, coming out of the water, the wood, and the ground.  When the battle was over, the viderling treated the injured of those who surrendered and gave them a message to return to the king.  The river is protected, do not return.”    

- Marq Armaton  (Woodcutters Tales of the Grotesque and the Miraculous)

 

They go by many names, other than viderling, Kawauso, Yuzukaku, and Otterfolk.  Like many animals bestowed with sentient life, the viderling are creatures of the fey, guardians of the many waterways the fey hold sacred.  Protectors of the rivers, lakes and seas, viderling are very suspicious of outsiders.  When you earn their trust they become very kind and honorable.  Standing only about three feet tall, their size can be deceiving as they can be incredibly strong worriers.

Small but Powerful

Viderling have long, slim bodies and relatively short limbs. Their most striking anatomical features are the powerful webbed feet used to swim, and their seal-like abilities holding breath underwater. They have sharp clawed hands they can use to defend themselves. Their layered and oiled fur protects them from extreme cold. They are strong for their size, and can endure more than one would think for their size.

Guardians of the Water

Living in large communities within the feywild, they have smaller colonies within the material plane that rest the shores of rivers, lakes, and seas that hold a great connection to the feywild. Viderlings hold no alliance to the Seelie Court and work for the greater balance of nature, not at the will of any arch-fey. Viderlings hold a connection to the water they were born in and can always feel if it is threatened or in danger. Their fey nature grants them access to some mystical as well.

Superiority of the Fey

Viderlings see themselves as more mature and of a higher plane of existence than other beings such as humans, elves, and dwarfs because of their connection to the feywild. They call other sentient races vielä haaveilevat, which translates into ‘those still dreaming’ the slang term torkkwa(s) or torky is more commonly used when speaking directly to a race other than viderling. Despite this culturally sense of heightened maturity they typically have a very optimistic attitude with a unique sense of humor that most other races do not understand. Many see this as something very common to fey creatures; however the viderling’s unique take on it can come off as arrogant at times.

Viderling Names

Otterfolk names tend to come from things in nature, such as Rock, Thistle, and Bark.

Male: Bark, Oak, Rock, Spruce, Thistle

Female: Brook, Ivy, Moss, Petal, Pine

Viderling (Otterfolk) Traits

Your Verderling have variety natural abilities, as well as mystical abilities gained through your fey nature.

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength score increases by 1, and your Wisdom score by 2.

Age

They reach maturity by the age of 16 and can live up to 80 to 90 years.  Most viderlings will seek out the feywild in their old age, where their life will be extended by nearly 100 years.

Alignment

Viderlings tend to be neutral, though it is not uncommon for them to be lawful or chaotic.

Size

 A typical viderling is between 2 and 3 feet in height. Your size is Small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet.  Your swim speed is 40 feet.

Darkvision

Trained to hunt at night and swimming it the sometimes dark and muddy waters have given you the ability to see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Nimble.

You can move through the space of any creature that is of a size larger than yours.

Fey Resilience

You have advantage on Constitution saving throws and resistance to being poisoned.

Fey Magic

Your connection to the feywild grants you the ability to cast shape water, minor illusion at will, and disguise self once per short rest. 

Claws

Your claws are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Hold Breath

You can hold your breath for up to 1 hour at a time. Viderlings can remain underwater for some time before needing to come up for air.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Aquan, Sylvan and Common.