Homebrew Inkling, Variant Species Details

Slight and Slippery
Inklings can alternate between a humanoid form and a squid form. In either form, they produce natural ink that they spit from their mouths. In both forms, a healthy sheen of moisture covers their skin.

The humanoid form is slight and childlike, and has a black marking resembling a mask around their eyes, small round ears, and "hair" that resembles a squid's tentacles. These tentacles usually extend down the the hips or lower, but can be stylized imitating hair. Instead of individual teeth, they have two solid pieces of enamel similar to a squid's beak behind their lips.

The squid form resembles a brightly-colored cephalopod the same color as the inkling's "hair" with two pronounced tentacles and two large eyes spaced closely together. An inkling's hair, skin tone in squid form, and the color of ink produced always match. Known colors include orange, blue, lime green, white-green, violet, cyan, yellow, scarlet, and magenta, but can vary in shades.

Beachside Life
All inklings begin their lives in the sea. Before age twelve, they live entirely in tidal pools where they are cared for by their parents and extended family. Their young resemble jellyfish, and as they mature a humanoid body grows under the bulbous head, and their tendrils congeal into tentacles. Also, during this time, the young inkling matures mentally to the level of a child.

When the body is ready, the inkling takes its first steps on land, welcomed by its family. This day is remembered similar to birthdays. Sometime during the next few years, the adolescent inklings will refine their ability to transform between humanoid and squid forms.

While most Inkling freely change the color of their ink, each have a default color they tend to favor, usually a hereditary trait passed down from their family members. Inkling groups, usually family or friends, compete in contests of speed, intellect, and especially art, which are held on a regular basis. Inkling communities also constantly strive to wear the latest fashions. Their clothing a subtle way of demonstrating social rank, and those at the top are the trendsetters.

An inkling town is riddled with "lanes" of natural ink that the inhabitants use to travel quickly. This can cause difficulty for non-inklings if walkways are not constructed.

Inklings mostly lack the patience for farming, preferring instead to catch small fish without traveling too deep in water or forage for shellfish on the coast.

Inkling teams compete in annual competitions, called Splatfests, to see which group can color the most surface area with their ink, a type of match called Turf Wars. The inklings use various implements to spread their ink as widely as possible to ensure victory.

It is still rare, however, to find Inkling towns and their traditions in the Material Plane. As individual adventurers, Inklings tend to be as numerous as other non-human races, although possibly being mistaken for young of other races while in their humanoid form. The homeland of the Inklings, known as Inkopolis, is actually an outer plane. A world where a vast majority is covered in seawater, the Inklings are packed onto what little land is around. There they have methods of sending adventurers to the Material Plane to interact with other races. Originally not a magic-using race, they were introduced to it by plane travelers of other species.

Chasing the Muse
Inklings are naturally drawn to the arts. Expressions of creativity are valued as a unique currency in their beachside communities, and can be rewarded with friendship, hospitality, and other favors. New fashions spread like wildfire. Many inklings choose to explore in order to find new sources of inspiration. One original piece can spawn an entire new genre of work or a new fashion craze when the community is inspired by it.

Inkling Names
Young inklings are not officially named while they are growing up in the tidal pool. Instead, each one has a nickname which is simply a random syllable made by the young. The Inkling language is actually considered a dialect of the Aquan language, a sub-language of Primordial.

When they emerge from the pool, inklings choose a name for themselves. This name is usually a creative riff on the name of a family member. Having your name mimicked is high honor, and it comes with the obligation to mentor the young inkling until it masters the transformation between its humanoid and squid form. As such, the young inkling typically chooses a person in the community who it favors and is favored by.

Childhood Nicknames: Bub, Dab, Dot, Gob, Id, Jot, Kip, Mott, Nod, Puck, Scrip, Tup, Wik, Zed

Male: Capn, Davey, Adrian

Female: Callie, Marie, Pearl

Inkling, Variant Traits

Inklings utilize their natural ink for combat and survival, and can become more mobile in their squid form while on home turf.

Ability Score Increase

As an Inkling, you gain +2 to Dexterity and +1 to one ability score of your choice.

Age

Inklings gain full control of their ability to polymorph at the age of 14 years, which is considered their normal age of maturity. They show little evidence of aging, but rarely live past half a century.

Alignment

Inklings gain full control of their ability to polymorph at the age of 14 years, which is considered their normal age of maturity. They show little evidence of aging, but rarely live past half a century.

Size

Inklings average to around four feet tall and weigh about 40 pounds. Your size is small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet. Your swim speed is 30 feet.

Artistically Inclined

You gain proficiency with either Painter's Tools or Calligrapher's Tools.

Squid Form

As a bonus action, you may quickly swap between humanoid and squid forms. Any items carried by you are transformed, and you lose any benefit they may have provided until you return to their humanoid form. 

In squid form, you take on the physical characteristics of a squid (use octopus statistics), but your current hit points and hit point maximum remain consistent between forms. As a squid, you only keep the Underwater Camouflage feature (but can only use it in ink of your own color), and Hold Breath is instead replaced by Stay Moist, which allows you to stay out of water for 30 minutes to keep yourself wet as a squid. You can only use the Tentacles action. You also keep your Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores, and can cast spells that do not require verbal or material components.

While on an ink spot of you own color in squid form, you do not provoke opportunity attacks. If you are in squid form in ink that is not your color, it is considered difficult terrain for you. If the ink is your color, your swim speed increases by 10. If a wall is covered in ink of your color on one side, you can climb it while in squid form using your swim speed. You have advantage while trying to resist being grappled in squid form.

Color Change

The 'inky' parts of an Inkling's body (their 'hair' tentacles and squid form) changes color depending on the color of ink the Inkling is using. You may change this color when you finish a short rest. You must pick a solid color, but it cannot be black or white (gray and silver are acceptable).

Ink Shot

As an action, you can spew ink up to 20' in any direction. You have a number of ink charges equal to your character level + CON modifier (minimum 1), and may spend a number of available charges equal to your level in a single action. Ink charges replenish on a long rest. 

Each charge expended results in an ink spot covering an area 5 ft. square, making it difficult terrain for non-inklings. If another creature is hit directly with an ink charge, they must make a Dexterity saving throw or be blinded. They can use a bonus action during their turn to wipe the ink out of their eyes and end the blindness affect. Non-inklings who end their turn on an ink spot must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw against your Constitution save DC or fall prone. Creatures with a swim speed may move through the ink freely. The ink spots remain for one hour unless removed. 

The ink is oil-based but acts as water for water-affecting spells. It will dissolve if exposed to water and allows creatures who breathe water to breathe normally. However, being on an ink spot is not considered being underwater.

Hydrophobic

You have disadvantage on attack rolls made while in water, and take 1d4 acid damage every turn if submerged in it due to osmosis. Attacks and spells made of mostly liquid water (such as a tidal wave spell) deal an extra 1d4 acid damage to you. This damage cannot be resisted. The DM can choose to have this trait not affect you when you are under the effects of a water walk or water breathing spell. 

Super Jump

As an action, you can turn into squid form and propel yourself into the air to land next to one of your allies. You cannot Super Jump to an ally that is more than 60 feet way, or one that cannot be seen. If an attack hits you mid-jump, your jump ends and you instantly fall down and take the appropriate amount of fall damage. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.

Head Tentacles

You have advantage on STR (athletics) checks to grapple and to pull creatures or objects.

Languages

You can speak, read and write in Common and Aquan (Inkling is a dialect of Aquan).