Homebrew Batfolk Species Details

We had a batfolk come through once, a few winters back. She kept to herself while drawing the attention of everyone in the taproom. Her oddly soft-spoken voice didn't  match with her tall form, throwing us off even as she ran from the customer she had stolen a purse from.

— Alias Thornsby, Innkeeper

Hailing from dark forests and caves, batfolk are batlike humanoids that dwell in small family-tribes that they stay in most of their lives. Any wondering batfolk is a sight to behold and usually has tales beyond imagination to tell to any curious little one.

Wandering Outcasts

Most batfolk remain in their dark forests and caves, content to dwell in small, tight families. These tabaxi hunt for food, craft goods, and largely keep to themselves.

However, not all batfolk are satisfied with such a life. They seek out stories, artifacts, and lore. Those who survive this period of wanderlust return home in their elder years to share news of the outside world. In this manner, the batfolk remain isolated but never ignorant of the world beyond their home.

Barterers of Lore

Batfolk treasure knowledge rather than material things. A chest filled with gold coins might be useful to buy food or a coil of rope, but it’s not intrinsically interesting. In the batfolk's eyes, gathering wealth is like packing rations for a long trip. It’s important to survive in the world, but not worth fussing over.

Instead, Batfolk value knowledge and new experiences. Their ears perk up in a busy tavern, and they tease out stories with offers of food, drink, and coin. Batfolk might walk away with full purses, however, considering their tendency to grab whatever they can, but they mull over the stories and rumors they collected like a miser counting coins.

Although material wealth holds little attraction for the batfolk, they have an insatiable desire to find and inspect ancient relics, magical items, and other rare objects. Aside from the power such items might confer, a batfolk takes great joy in unraveling the stories behind their creation and the history of their use.

Fleeting Fancies

Wandering batfolk are mercurial creatures, trading one obsession or passion for the next as the whim strikes. A batfolk's desire burns bright, but once met, it disappears to be replaced with a new obsession. Objects remain intriguing only as long as they still hold secrets.

A batfolk rogue could happily spend months plotting to steal a strange gem from a noble, only to trade it for passage on a ship or a week’s lodging after stealing it. The batfolk might take extensive notes or memorize every facet of the gem before passing it on, but the gem holds no more allure once its secrets and nature have been laid bare.

Tinkers and Minstrels

Curiosity drives most of the batfolk found outside their homeland, but not all of them become adventurers. Batfolk who seek a safer path to satisfy their obsessions become wandering tinkers and minstrels.

These batfolk work in small troupes, usually consisting of an elder, more experienced batfolk who guides up to four young ones learning their way in the world. They travel in small, colorful wagons, moving from settlement to settlement. When they arrive, they set up small stores with wares from across the lands to catch the eye of passerby.

These wanderers keep to civilized realms, preferring to bargain instead of pursuing more dangerous methods of sating their curiosity. However, they aren’t above a little discreet theft to get their claws on a particularly interesting item when an owner refuses to sell or trade it.

Batfolk Names

Each tabaxi has a single name, determined by the individual batfolk themself once they reach fifteen, based on a complex formula that involves astrology, prophecy, family history, and other esoteric factors. Batfolk names can apply to both males and females, and most use nicknames derived from or inspired by their full names.

The family names are usually based off of the family history or nearby geographical features.

The following list are samples of possible Batfolk names.

Batfolk Names: Pebble, Painter, Aries, Starland, Apple, Scythe, Stump

Batfolk Clans: Bright Cliffs, Distant Rain, Mountain Tree, Rumbling River, Snoring Mountain, Cloud Sky

Batfolk Personality

A batfolk might have motivations and quirks much different from a dwarf or an elf with a similar background. You can use the following tables to customize your character in addition to the trait, ideal, bond, and flaw from your background.

The Batfolk Obsession table can help hone your character’s goals. For extra fun, roll a new result every few days that pass in the campaign to reflect your ever-changing curiosity.

Batfolk Obsessions

d8	My curiosity is currently fixed on …
1	A god or planar entity
2	A monster
3	A lost civilization
4	A wizard’s secrets
5	A mundane item
6	A magic item
7	A location
8	A legend or tale

 Batfolk Quirks

d10	Quirk
1	You miss your forest home and complain endlessly about the freezing weather, even in summer.
2	You never wear the same outfit twice, unless you absolutely must.
3	You have a minor phobia of water and hate getting wet.
4	Your eyes always betray your inner thoughts.
5	You hum loudly when you are happy.
6	You keep a small trinket in your hand, which you constantly fidget with.
7	You are always in debt, since you spend your gold on lavish parties and gifts for friends.
8	When talking about something you’re obsessed with, you speak quickly and never pause and others can’t understand you.
9	You are a font of random trivia from the lore and stories you have discovered.
10	You can’t help but pocket interesting objects you come across.

Batfolk Traits

Your batfolk character has the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.

Age

Batfolk have lifespans equivalent to humans.

Size

Batfolk usually range from 5'10" to 7'5". They are almost always slender and bony, weighing anywhere from 100 to 280. Your size is medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 40 feet.

Darkvision

You have a bat’s keen senses, especially in the dark. 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. 

Batlike Agility

Your reflexes and agility allow you to move with a burst of speed. When you move on your turn in combat, you can double your speed until the end of the turn. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you move 0 feet on one of your turns.

Bat’s Claws

Because of your claws, you have a climbing speed of 20 feet. In addition, your claws are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Bat’s Talent

You have proficiency in the Perception and Stealth skills.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Echo and one other language of your choice.

Echolocation is a special form of language batfolk use to communicate and help hunt.