Homebrew Bedine Species Details

They had brown-hued skin, brown eyes, and black or brown hair and were of average height and weight for a humanoid creature of Faerun. Those rare instances of blue eyes or blond hair were a product of "outlander blood".

A typical Bedine feared all things magical, considering it both dishonorable and to be feared. In fact, tribes would outcast anyone casting magic, with a minor exception for small divine healing spells, which were seen as "favor of the gods." To even approach a magic item was considered crazy. Exiled magic users were called "witches". It might be possible, however, to convince a Bedine of an exception to this avoidance of magic items with the argument that a defensive weapon or armor was a special gift from the gods

Bedine had lived for so many centuries in the desert that their bodies had adapted to its extremes of hot and cold more so than typical humans.

Honor was prime among the Bedine's beliefs—more important than life itself. This included both personal honor and the honor of one's family. Their harsh existence, full of death and hardship, molded their culture to believe the gods would measure them based on their behavior in life. A typical Bedine man lived his life seeking to defend his family, to serve his sheikh, and to win honor. Killing was not looked down upon as harshly as by other cultures. Life was harsh and death was common; thus, if it were pragmatic to do so, killing another human might be little different than killing an animal.

To the Bedine, no one had the right to claim ownership of food or water; such items belonged to whoever needed them at the time. Thus, hoarding and gluttony were highly offensive to the Bedine.

Despite their violence amongst each other, the Bedine tended toward law and goodness; they stood stoically against evil and chaos. On the one hand, Bedine would freely share food and water with those in need; yet on the other hand, they carried on perpetual and violent rivalries with Bedine from other tribes. These rivalries occurred primarily because the number-one concern of a typical Bedine individual was survival—daily existence in the harsh desert was not a guarantee, and tribes thus often survived by raiding each other, stealing camels, food, or other needs. A victory meant another day to survive.

Another source of long-standing feuds was the insulting of a Bedine or his family's honor. Such feuds might last for more than a generation until honor was restored. Restoration of honor often meant the execution of the offender or one of the descendants

Most Bedine had never left the Sword, much less the greater desert. They knew that the land to the north was even drier and more barren. They would be utterly astonished to experience life outside the wasteland that they know as home.

Because the very few outsiders a Bedine might meet were most likely to have been escaped criminals, risk-taking adventurers, or Zhentarim traders, the Bedine did not have a favorable view of those of the outside world around the desert, considering them dishonest "jackals" or naming them "paleskins" or "bonehides", in reference to their usually far lighter skin tones, or simply "outlanders" or berrani. Bedine would usually offer a chance to surrender to an outlander enemy, not out of mercy, but because of a belief that men without honor could not lose it. Despite there initial opinions, it was possible to change most Bedine's minds by demonstrating one's honor through both word and action.

Another common trait of the Bedine was their love of freedom. A warrior would rather die than be enslaved.

Outlanders often considered the Bedine to be lazy. Rather, they were wise in their use of energy during daylight hours. It was pure stupidity to lose precious water to excessive sweating or to risk "the heat faints" of sun-stroke by running during the heat of the day.

Few Bedine sought a life of adventure; most had no desire to ever leave the desert. There were exceptions to this, however.

Bedine Traits

It’s hard to make generalizations about humans, but your human character has these traits.

Ability Score Increase

Increase one score by 2 and another by 1.

Age

Humans reach adulthood in their late teens and live less than a century.

Size

Humans vary widely in height and build, from barely 5 feet to well over 6 feet tall. Regardless of your position in that range, your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Bedine and one extra language of your choice.

Desert Survivability

Living a life in the desert allows one to be more accustomed to the extremes.

Gain advantage when making saves against extreme heat or extreme cold or sandstorms.

Also, you ignore difficult terrain caused by sand.

Desert Transport

Well versed in the means of taming and riding camels. Gain proficiency in Animal Handling.

Sand Boats, while uncommon are taught as a means of fast by unreliable transport. Gain proficiency in Vehicles (water).

When traveling in a desert environment, on foot or by animal, travel time is shortened as you know the best ways to traverse the dunes. Decreasing the amount of time needed to travel a mile by 5 minutes, no matter the pace.

Bedine