Homebrew Xoatl (Axolotl Folk) Species Details

Deep in the bowels of the Underdark, vast oceans of cave water reservoirs litter in scarce pockets underground. In these few pockets of deep cold water, the Xoatl thrive. Their communities are often scattered and hidden away in these secret oceans as they try to conceal themselves away from the many perils of the Underdark. Through their rite of passage, young Xoatl must find a safe way to leave the safety of the pool and venture into the unknown in search of the surface. Though many fail, the few that make it survive in the beautiful sunlit world with a new adventure to await them.

Xoatl exhibit the same range of coloration and patterns found among axolotl morphs.

Sunward Soul

Many Xoatl would describe their goal to explore the bright and warm surface world as instinctual. However, this path is a dangerous one, a rite of passage to show one's determination. With the many dangers of the Underdark, it is hard to roam the many twisting waterways and dead ends of the natural caverns. Many that venture on this path to the sun suffer many fates, with many getting lost to the darkness of the Underdark or worse.

With Xoatl coming to the surface, most are often lost in this bright new world. Like a newborn setting its eyes on its parents, many Xoatl look to the guidance of the natural world and others along their journey for direction on their new life. While this can lead the Xoatl down many paths, they usually look to their new life with a view as bright as the sun.

Light the Way

Due to the depth of their underground homes, almost no natural light is found in the deep cavernous pool. The Xoatl have worked around this hurdle despite their harsh environment. Using the natural magic of the Underdark, the Xoatl are able to produce magical sources of soft bio-luminescent light in a variety of colors. This light emanates from patterns on their skin.

Hardy Nature

For their size, the Xoatl are a surprisingly hardy race. Deep in the Underdarks, jagged rocks, sharp stones, and their residents all pose a danger. The Xoatl survive these deadly encounters with supernaturally fast regeneration. It is unknown even by them how they can rapidly regenerate, but most Xoatl believe it to be related to the strength of their will to survive.

Circumnavigation

As Xoatl live their life, travel, and explore their sunlit homes; some can feel compelled to return to their subterranean pools in the Underdark. They would again describe this as an instinct, a call back to raise the next generation. Viewed as elders and explorers by their peers, they would spread their tales of the surface as stories for the next generation, completing the cycle and bringing much-needed knowledge to their isolated communities.

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.

Xoatl (Axolotl Folk) Traits

As a Xoatl, you have the following traits.

Creature Type

You are a Humanoid.

Size

Your size is Small.

Speed

Your walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a swimming speed equal to your walking speed.

Amphibious

You can breathe air and water.

Bio-luminescent

As an action, you can shed bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet. The light can be colored as you like. If you are completely covered with something opaque, it will block the light. This effect lasts for 1 hour or until you dismiss this effect as a bonus action. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Regeneration

You can regenerate recent damage to heal yourself with supernatural speed. When you take damage, you can use your reaction to roll a number of d4s equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain a number of hit points equal to the total rolled. When you use this trait, severed body members (fingers, legs, tails, and so on), if any, are restored after 1 minute. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Cenotes

You have resistance to cold damage and naturally acclimate to cold depths even if you’ve never been to one. This includes depths below 80,000 feet.