Homebrew Oomquar Species Details

Eli Arndt's Oomquar (nerdarchy.com) with some additions.

Oomquar are ancient cephalopod humanoids from the deep who have lived an existence besmirched by aberrations and ancient evils. Friendly and playful, they often set out for adventure and to thwart evil. Amphibious, they make excellent seafolk and sailors.

The cephalid from Magic: The Gathering come close to visually representing Oomquar, according to the creator of this 5E D&D character option. The Cephalid Broker from Magic’s Odyssey set captures that humanoid cephalopod aesthetic. [Art by Dave Dorman]

Strange and Alien

Big as humans and a mass of tentacles, oomquar are often undermined by their appearance. Appearing very much like huge upright cephalopods they are covered with glistening, rubbery skin and soft flesh that undulates and jiggles readily. The motions of this race are sinuous and unnaturally smooth and their six tentacle arms move in ways no bony limb could ever hope to. They stand on two larger tentacles that function as legs.

Oomquar are encountered in a number of colors ranging from rusty reds and browns to brighter colors. Rings, spots and rosette patterns are also common with stripes and more interesting patterns also occurring though with less frequency. These skin colors often change to reflect the mood of the oomquar, making it easy to determine the emotions of this race if one knows what to look for. This can make it difficult for oomquar to deceive people who have regular contact with them.

These strange humanoids have a beaked mouth hidden under the two tentacles sprouting from the front of their large head and large, dark eyes resting on the sides of their heads. These eyes allow them to see in front, back and to the sides without having to turn their heads.

Creatures of Two Worlds

It would be easy to believe the oomquar are creatures at home only in the water but they are comfortable both on land and sea. Able to resist the crushing depths of the ocean they can also slip onto land, breathing both air and water with the same organs deep within their bulbous forms.

While they prefer to keep their bodies well hydrated, they suffer nothing more than intense discomfort as long as they are able to readily hydrate through drinking. Oomquar who are unable to moisten their skin for long periods of time become moody, short tempered and generally disagreeable. Exposing their skin to water or moisture returns them to their normal genial selves.

On land these creatures support their weight with two powerful tentacles that function very similar to legs though without articulated joints. These limbs slither and undulate to create a sort of rolling motion often supplemented by the oomquar’s grasping tentacles.

Strange Friends

To these deep dwelling octopods, friendship and kinship is everything. It often surprises other races when these tentacular folk are so willing to engage them as friends and equals. Oomquar form long lasting bonds they keep over incredible lifespans and in their own society each member is treated with value and respect. From the time they are laid in clusters of eggs in deep grottos to the time when they are committed to rest eternal in the deep, they are loved by their fellow oomquar and fostered in their endeavors.

Other races who make friends of oomquar are quick to learn of their prankster nature and often find themselves the butt of their jokes, though an oomquar is not generally the sort to engage in harmful pranks as such things often harm the bonds of friendship. Because their alien appearance often distances them from other races, oomquar intensely value the friendships they have with non-oomquar, often laying down their lives to save them or going well out of their ways to aid them.

Much Maligned

A mysterious race of intelligent cephalopods, the oomquar have existed in the deep longer than nearly any other intelligent species. Often maligned for their appearance, these folk are gregarious among themselves and friendly to those strangers they encounter. Often slandered as somehow having connections to other horrible, tentacular beasts of the deep. Names like Krakes and Morks are often attached to them, insinuating they are minions or spawn of evil krakens and morkoths. Such associations are completely erroneous and the oomquar have long battled the insidious manipulations of these horrible denizens of the deep. Oomquar are often confused for aberrations and other forms of sea monsters.

Oomquar Traits

Your oomquar character has the following racial traits. As oomquar grow and develop, they often master their innate abilities in new and more fantastic ways.

Ability Score Increase

Your Intelligence, Constitution and Dexterity scores all increase by 1.

Age

Oomquar have incredibly long lifespans. Though they grow quickly and reach maturity by the age of 10, they live long lives up to 300 years.

Alignment

Oomquar are very sociable but generally free spirits. Their society predicated on individuality and personal expression. As such, they tend toward chaotic alignments while their friendly nature lends them toward good.

Size

Oomquar are generally the same size as human. Their overall bulk is greater but they average about 6 feet in height, weighing in at about 200 lbs. Your size is Medium.

Speed

While they can make their way about land, they are not as agile as other races. They are much more capable in the water. Your base walking speed is 25 feet and you have a swimming speed of 30 feet.

Amphibious

You can breathe air and water.

Damage Resistance

Your rubbery form and lack of bones make you incredibly difficult to harm with blunt weapons. You have resistance to bludgeoning damage.

Exceptional Darkvision

Your darkvision has a radius of 120 feet. You can discern color in darkness.

Ink Spray

As an action, you may squirt a jet of ink from one of your tentacles at a creature within 20 feet. Make a ranged attack against the target. On a hit the target is blinded for 1 minute. The creature can use an action to wipe the ink away, ending the blindness. Once you use this feature, you regain the ability to do so again when you finish a long rest. When you reach 3rd level, you regain the ability to do so again when you finish a short or long rest.

Tentacles

Your six additional tentacles can lift a number of pounds equal to five times your Strength score. You can use them to do the following simple tasks: lift, drop, hold, push, or pull an object or a creature; open or close a door or a container; grapple someone; or make an unarmed strike. Your DM might allow other simple tasks to be added to that list of options.

These tentacles can hold weapons and shields and can be used to make attacks but you do not get additional attacks from them. These numerous tentacles give you advantage on attacks made to grapple a target.

Languages

You can speak, read and write Oomquar and Common.

Boneless Contortion

Prerequisite: Oomquar

You have no bones and have learned how to exert find control over your movements. You are able to press your soft body into very tight spaces.

• Increase your Dexterity by score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
• Your size counts as Tiny when determining if you can fit through a space. Any other objects you are wearing or carrying must be able to fit through the space.

Camouflage

Prerequisite: Oomquar

You have mastered control over the pigmentation of your skin in such a way that you are able to mimic the colors and visual patterns of your surroundings. You have advantage on Stealth checks.

Tentacle Mastery

Prerequisite: Oomquar

You have trained and perfected the finer control of your tentacles. On your turn you can take one additional attack action. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.

Poison Ink

Prerequisite: Oomquar. (You cannot take this feat if you have already have the Mucal Ink feat.)

Through training and the ingestion of various toxic foods and poisons, your Ink Spray becomes toxic. When you hit a creature with your Ink Spray it deals 1d6 poison damage in addition to causing blindness.

Vulnerability to Fire

You take extra damage from fire.

Moisture Dependency

If you fail to moisten yourself at least once per day with a non-dehydrating fluid, you suffer one level of exhaustion at the end of that day. You can only recover from this exhaustion through magic or by moistening yourself for at least 1 hour.

Oiled Up - You may skip moistening yourself for up to two days by applying a non-toxic oil or lotion to your skin.