Homebrew Mongrelfolk Species Details
Mongrelfolk are humanoids that have undergone, or whose ancestors underwent, horrific magical transformations, to the extent that they retain only a fraction of their original being. Their humanoid bodies incorporate the features of various beasts. For example, one mongrelfolk might have the basic body shape of a dwarf with a head that combines the features of a cat and a lizard, one arm that ends in a crab's pincer, and one leg that ends in a cloven hoof. Another might have the skin and head of a cow, the eyes of a spider, frog's legs, and a scaly lizard's tail. Each mongrelfolk's mad combination of humanoid and animal forms results in its having a slow, awkward gait.
Sound Mimicry. Mongrelfolk have misshapen mouths and vocal cords. They speak fragmented Common mixed with various animal cries and nonsense. They can effectively imitate sounds made by beasts and humanoids that they've heard. Mongrelfolk aren't sophisticated enough to use these sounds as a form of communication, but they can use them to lure enemies into a trap or otherwise distract them.
Outcasts. Mongrelfolk are seldom welcome in other humanoid societies, where they are abused, enslaved, or shunned. They typically live on the fringes of civilization in ruins, deserted buildings, or other places that other humanoid races once lived in or built. They tend to be timid and skittish outside their homes and fiercely territorial within their lairs.
Camouflage Experts. Mongrelfolk often hide their deformities under cloaks and cowls. In this way, they can sometimes pass as stout humans or thin dwarves. They are fond of camouflage, attatching leaves and twigs to their cloaks, making brown paint to cover their skin, and weaving grass nets under which they can hide. They use such camouflage while hunting in the wild or while standing guard outside their lairs. Until it is seen, a camouflaged mongrelfolk has advantage on Stealth checks made to hide.
Horrific Offspring. It's possible to restore a mongrelfolk to its original form using a greater restoration spell, but the same can't be said for a mongrelfolk's offspring. Only mongrelfolk made by magic can be restored to their original forms. Mongrelfolk that are born are true mongrelfolk and not the subjects of a curse or an effect that can be undone. Mongrelfolk can breed with other humanoids, but nearly all children born to such parents are mongrelfolk. (About one child in every hundred is born looking like its non-mongrelfolk parent).
THE BELVIEWS
The Belviews were a family of sickly, inbred lepers who came to the Barovian Abbey of St. Markovia seeking the charity of its mysterious caretaker, a renowned healer and ageless man known only as the Abbot. The Abbot cured their leprosy, an act for which they were eternally grateful, but try as he might, he could not rid them of certain congenital defects, becoming obsessed with a prideful desire to purge the poor Belviews of their lingering imperfections. The Belview family, however, had strange notions of what it meant to be perfect. They wanted the eyes of a cat, wings to fly like a bat, the strength of a mule, and the guile of a snake. In short, they craved bestial traits, and the Abbot, taking pity on them, yielded to their mad desires. His early experiments proved fatal to their subjects, but the Belviews insisted that he keep trying. One day, a Barovian lord named Vasili von Holtz visited the abbey, offering forbidden lore to aid the Abbot in his quest. The Abbot, in his vanity, accepted the gift, and the two of them together used a blasphemous ritual to transform the Belviews into mongrelfolk. The Belviews were happy, albeit insane.
Mongrelfolk Traits
Your mongrelfolk character has the following racial traits.Ability Score Increase
Your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Charisma score is reduced by 2.
Age
Mongrelfolk have shorter lifespans than humans. They reach maturity at about 12 years old and can live to 60.
Alignment
Mongrelfolk tend towards no particular alignment
Size
Mongrelfolk vary widely in height and build, from barely 5 feet to well over 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 20 feet.
Camouflage
You can spend 1 minute creating camouflage for yourself. You must have access to fresh mud, dirt, plants, soot, and other naturally occurring materials with which to create your camouflage.
Once you are camouflaged in this way, you have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in natural terrain.
Mimicry
You can mimic human and animal sounds you have heard, including voices. A creature that hears the sounds you make can tell they are imitations with a successful Wisdom (Insight) check opposed by your Charisma (Deception) check.
Salient Ability
You have two of the following salient abilities. Choose two or roll a d20 to determine them randomly.
[roll]1d20[/roll]
1: Tortoise Shell. Due to your shell and the shape of your body, you are ill-suited to wearing armor. Your shell provides ample protection, however; it gives you a base AC of 17 (your Dexterity modifier doesn't affect this number). You gain no benefit from wearing armor, but if you are using a shield, you can apply the shield's bonus as normal.
2: Beastspeak. Through sounds and gestures, you can communicate simple ideas with beasts.
3: Relentless. When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
4: Bull's Horns. Your horns are natural melee weapons, with which you are proficient. When you hit with them, the target takes piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier. Immediately after you use the Dash action on your turn and move at least as far as your speed, you can make one melee attack with your horns as a bonus action.
5: Gills. You can breathe air and water.
6: Darkvision. 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.
7: Flight. You have leathery wings and a flying speed of 40 feet. To use this speed, you can't be wearing medium or heavy armor.
8: Keen Hearing and Smell. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.
9: Sticky Tongue. As a bonus action, you can make a melee attack with which you are proficient against a creature within 15 feet of you. The attack uses your Strength modifier. On a hit, you can move that creature in a straight line up to 15 feet towards you.
10: Standing Leap. Your long jump is up to 20 feet and your high jump is up to 5 feet, with or without a running start.
11: Echolocation. You have blindsight out to a range of 10 feet. You can't use your blindsight while deafened.
12: Rampage. When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points with a melee attack on your turn, you can take a bonus action to move up to half your speed and make a melee attack.
13: Spider Climb. You can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
14: Chameleon Skin. You have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide, and you can hide in plain sight.
15: Blood Frenzy. You have advantage on melee attack rolls against any creature within 5 feet of you that doesn't have all its hit points; however, when within 5 feet of such a creature, attack roles against you have advantage.
16: Burrow. You have a burrow speed of 10 feet.
17: Quills. Whenever a creature within 5 feet of you hits you with a melee attack, the attacker takes 1d4 piercing damage. This damage increases by 1d4 when you reach 5th level (2d4), 11th level (3d4), and 17th level (4d4) as your quills grow.
18: Swift. Your speed increases by 15 feet.
19: Venom. When you bite a creature with your unarmed strike, the target must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
20: Two-Headed. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight and on saving throws against being blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, stunned, or knocked unconscious. Your two heads have different personalities, and one head suffers from a form of Indefinite Madness (DMG chapter 8).
Tooth and Claw
You are proficient with your unarmed strikes, which deal 1d4 piercing or slashing damage on a hit, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common.
Previous Versions
| Name | Date Modified | Views | Adds | Version | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
9/16/2018 8:56:26 PM
|
74
|
2
|
--
|
Coming Soon
|
|
|
2/21/2019 8:04:48 PM
|
2583
|
9
|
--
|
Coming Soon
|
|
|
3/10/2019 9:06:15 AM
|
475
|
4
|
--
|
Coming Soon
|
Comments