Homebrew Dokkaebi Species Details

Colourful and brimming with magical life, dokkaebis are often seen as naive but kind bringers of luck, or fearsome but gullible bringers of judgement. At least in their homeland.
In many other places, they are mistaken for tieflings or even devils or demons and are treated as such.

To the far east of Faerun, in the continent of Kara-Tur, Dokkaebis hail from a relatively small nation south to Shou. Thought to be related to Oni in any other part of the world, many dokkaebis will take offence to be mistaken as one, as they have a rather strong sense of pride of their heritage. Sprung into the world by sentimentality or blood and spirit who passed before their time, usually tied to an object such as a well-worn shoe, an old spoon, or beloved chair, dokkaebis are beings of comfort and sentimentality. Often enjoying mischief, wrestling, and overall enjoying their lives, dokkaebis have a reputation of being tricksters and being generally kind - although somewhat dumb -, individuals. In a place where fae influence is so little but the dead and gods are everywhere, dokkaebis are the kind of folk people consider themselves lucky to see. Seeing a dokkaebi usually means wealth and good fortune, or at least some friendly company for the night.

Strange Appearances

Dokkaebis are quite diverse in their appearances. With skins colours that could be any shade of colour conceivable, and heights being as diminutive as barely over 4ft and tall as 7ft, dokkaebis can be stout, slender, or plump.

Often times, dokkaebis hair that resembles a rats’ nest, messy and unkempt, and they have wide, guileless smiles, and an overall air of friendliness. With all this, dokkaebis should look absolutely welcoming. Unfortunately, with their strange eyes that could have slitted pupils or none at all, horns that could range from only one to three on a single head, and their large, sharp teeth, people who aren’t quite as familiar with them would be more than a little unnerved. The fact that their nails often grow into claws, that occasionally some dokkaebis have lion like tails, and that they have larger, pointed ears do not soothe the nerves. And although they commonly have two legs and two eyes like most races, some have only a single eye and/or a single leg.

Outside of Kara-Tar, they'd most likely be mistaken for particularly strange looking tieflings.

Wonderous Arcane Artefacts

Most have dokkaebi bangmangis (Magical Clubs) that can bring forth riches and luxuries with only a few hits to the ground, and/or dokkaebi gamtus (hats) that allows the wearer invisibility. These artifacts are charged with the magic of dokkaebis, the literal essence of their being. Dokkaebis can have an excess of magic at times and will channel the magic into their clubs, most likely to be created by themselves, and that magic changes into tangible objects of value over time. In the case of the gamtus, the magic allows the wearer to become invisible since most dokkaebis enjoy their privacy.

It is worth a lot to the dokkaebi and takes quite some time for them to make them. Of course, with their reputation of being 'gullible' mixed in with the fact that they often carry such valuable arcane items, many people try to take advantage of this fact. And due to their naive nature, dokkaebis usually can be fooled into handing said items over. Despite this, dokkaebis are incredibly protective of their clubs and will pull cruel pranks on those they catch trying to steal from them.

Questionable Judges and Pranksters

Detesting greed and selfishness, dokkaebis have a surprising vicious streak when it comes to punishing those who do them wrong or do deeds they consider evil. Often times the punishments take form as particularly mean-spirited pranks, they can even be as harsh as to leaving someone destitute, or physically deformed. And despite being tricksters in nature themselves, they do not take very well to pranks against them. (Although that may be because most ‘pranks’ against the dokkaebi result in the loss of their beloved clubs.)

However, they also enjoy giving blessings and gifts to those who are kind to them, or to people they feel deserve good in their lives. People who wrestle with them in the dead of the night are often blessed with good fortune, and those who are kind to dokkaebi are often repaid in turn. In fact, many people who went from struggling to comfortable living were folks who were known to be kind and caring and just happened upon a dokkaebi. Stories about such people are widespread amongst that nation.

Dreary Living Places

For all of the fact that a dokkaebi is known to be a lively, bright being, many dokkaebis live in graveyards, or abandoned homes, or desolate caves. As soon as they emerge to the living world, most dokkaebis are found and raised as young children by older dokkaebis, often before others even know that a dokkaebi has been born. Because of this, they are rarely seen by other races, and whether it because they find greater comfort being with their own or if they are wary of others is undetermined. Very few dokkaebi live amongst human villages, although a few have risen in power high enough to be worshipped as minor deities. But that isn't to say that dokkaebis actively hide when they are found by other races. Usually, they offer some drink and games or challenge them to a wrestling match in order for the other to pass on ahead.

Potential

Dokkaebis have the potential to be incredibly powerful beings. The reason why many do not is that they are usually content with their lives, able to summon all they need and having a close community. Lives that are peaceful but filled with laughter and enjoyment, the only ones who seek adventure usually have a very good reason to. The ones who become powerful can control the weather, stop plagues, and can provide protection against great evils. They can also become malevolent, and cause wildfires, droughts, and floods.

Dokkaebi Traits

Dokkaebis share certain traits with each other due to the magic they are all borne from

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution Score and your Dexterity Score increases by 2.

Proficiencies

You are proficient in all clubs, and another tool or skill of your choice.

Age

At the beginning of their life, dokkaebis are small infants, sleeping and hard to find. They grow up abnormally fast until the first year, where they are physically and mentally around the equivalent of a human 6-year-old. They wake up around that time and find themselves in a world they do not know very well, and are often picked up by an older dokkaebi and raised by them. From then on, they age much slower and reach adolescence at around 25 years and full maturity at around 40 years. They stop aging after that, and eventually fade from the living world on their own time, often around 300 to 400 years. The longest living one was rumoured to be a thousand years old when they finally passed.

Culmination of Sentimentality and Arcana

Dokkaebis are spirits who have before their time and have gotten a second chance through sheer magic and emotional attachments.
Their Arcana score is increased by 4.

Dark Vision

Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, or dark, dank caves or barren graveyards, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can 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.

Languages

You can speak Common and Infernal. The fact that dokkaebis can speak Infernal have some speculate that the magic that created them is less kinder than it seems.

Innate Abilities

As a being basically made of magic, you know two cantrips from the sorcerer spell list. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for it.
You also know the cantrip 'Dokkaebi bul' a cantrip that was with you since birth.

Size

Your size is medium

Frightening to See

Although their nature and demeanours have created an image of friendliness and somewhat adorableness in their homeland, others from anywhere else often become intimidated by a dokkaebi's appearance. Your Intimidation Score increases by 1.

Gullible and Naive

Many dokkaebis have been isolated from other races and had minimal contact with them for most of their lives. Because of that fact, most dokkaebis are incredibly gullible and naive, unknowing to how many customs or interactions work, outside of pranks and small conversations for buying things. Your Intelligence and Wisdom scores decrease by 1 each.