Homebrew Viashino Species Details

Note: This is based on Unearth Arcana of Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition: Races of Ravnica with adjustments present in Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse, this may not accurately portray the race this is based on.

Many reptiles derive their body warmth and energy from the sun, but the humanoid viashino are fueled by an inner fire of zeal. Open with their emotions, viashino can be hot-tempered, but they are also quick to their hissing laughter. And they easily form close bonds of friendship. They are fierce warriors and passionate advocates for their guilds and causes.

Viashino resembles humanoid lizards covered in green, scaled skin and spiky protrusions. Their heads jut forward from their slender necks and bear huge mouths full of sharp teeth. Long, whiplike tails extend from their spines, lashing behind them—faster and faster as they grow more agitated. Their tails are tipped with bony blades they can use as weapons.

Viashino matures quickly, reaching adulthood in their early teens. They live violent lives and rarely die of old age, but they would rarely live past 60 anyway.

Creating Your Character

At 1st level, you choose whether your character is a member of the human race or of a fantastical race. If you select a fantastical race, follow these additional rules during character creation.

Ability Score Increases

When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. Follow this rule regardless of the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy. The “Quick Build” section for your character’s class offers suggestions on which scores to increase. You can follow those suggestions or ignore them, but you can’t raise any of your scores above 20.

Languages

Your character can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character. The Player’s Handbook offers a list of languages to choose from. The DM is free to modify that list for a campaign.

Creature Type

Every creature in D&D, including each player character, has a special tag in the rules that identifies the type of creature they are. Most player characters are of the Humanoid type. A race tells you what your character’s creature type is.

Here’s a list of the game’s creature types in alphabetical order: Aberration, Beast, Celestial, Construct, Dragon, Elemental, Fey, Fiend, Giant, Humanoid, Monstrosity, Ooze, Plant, Undead. These types don’t have rules themselves, but some rules in the game affect creatures of certain types in different ways. For example, the cure wounds spell doesn’t work on a Construct or an Undead.

Life Span

The typical life span of a player character in the D&D multiverse is about a century, assuming the character doesn’t meet a violent end on an adventure. Members of some races, such as dwarves and elves, can live for centuries. If typical members of a race can live longer than a century, that fact is mentioned in the race’s description.

Height and Weight

Player characters, regardless of race, typically fall into the same ranges of height and weight that humans have in our world. If you’d like to determine your character’s height or weight randomly, consult the Random Height and Weight table in the Player’s Handbook, and choose the row in the table that best represents the build you imagine for your character.

Viashino Traits

As a viashino, you have the following racial traits.

Creature Type

You are a Humanoid.

Size

You are Medium or Small. You choose the size when you select this race.

Speed

Your walking speed is 30 feet.

Bite

You have a fanged maw that you can use to make unarmed strikes. When you hit with it, the strike deals 1d6 + your Strength modifier piercing damage, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Lashing Tail

Your semi-prehensile tail is tipped with a bony blade. Immediately after a creature within 5 feet of you deals damage to you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to make an unarmed strike against that creature with your tail. If you hit, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. You may also use your tail to make an unarmed strike as a normal action as well.

Natural Armor

You have tough, scaly skin. When you aren’t wearing armor, your base AC is 13 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield’s benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.

Wiry Frame

You gain proficiency in the Acrobatics or the Stealth skill.