Homebrew Cirrus Species Details

When it went from sunshine with not a cloud in the sky, to a downpour rain in literally half a second, Yuno Sorino had to land his airship very quickly in the strange city of clouds. For some reason, these clouds were solid, allowing him to dock and exit his airship, walking on a cloud. The people around were the same height as him, which he was not used to, even among his own race. Some were even a little shorter! Yuno Sorino stood only 2'4", so seeing people shorter than him was pretty much a first.

He came across a young man who had a body that appeared to be made out of a cloud that was sobbing uncontrollably. Another person made out of clouds was trying to calm him down, when he noticed Yuno Sorino and stopped sobbing. And just like that, the downpour also stopped. Curious, Yuno Sorino thought to himself.

— Himito Junito, The Father of Airships: Yuno Sorino's Story

A carefree and easy going people, cirrus are easy to get along with so long as you're not openly hostile. The cirrus are a peaceful people, enjoying the quiet life in their cloud city of Cirrusland. It wasn't until 392 ARD that Cirrusland was discovered by Yuno Sorino, who established communication and trade with the cirrus. Cirrusland is a city on a magical cloud that is somehow solid. None of the cirrus know why they are able to stand and build on this giant cloud, but it has been that way since the beginning of their existence. They're ruled by King Cumulus and Queen Stratus.

Puffy Bodies

Cirrus are made out of clouds and have small, puffy bodies. They have arms and hands with opposable thumbs, and they can have legs and feet, though they do not have to. They have big eyes and expressive faces. Their hands and arms can change shape as well, though they are incapable of holding a different shape for long. Cirrus can be pure white, off-yellow, beige, gray, or black. They typically wear robes or just pants and shoes, whatever they feel suited to. They are one of the shortest, if not the shortest, Small sized race. They stand at 2 to 2 and a half feet and they weigh between 1 and 5 pounds. 

Their bodies are capable of hovering instead of walking around on legs and feet. They can hover up to 3 feet off of the ground and do not need to maintain focus to do so. However, it is extremely rare that a cirrus will go without their legs and feet, having grown more accustomed to movement on the ground than floating in the air.

Head in the Clouds

Cirrus have not dealt with outsiders too much, and even after the discovery of Cirrusland, they have had few interactions with ground dwellers. In Cirrusland, there is no crime or even lying, so cirrus are particularly naive and gullible. They accept most things at face value and have trouble discerning when someone is lying. They believe that all people are inherently good and do not feel the need to change their viewpoint. Thankfully, they do not have many valuables or riches in Cirrusland, so that keeps thieves and conquerors away.

Cirrus emotions can shift at the drop of a hat. One minute, a cirrus can be sobbing inconsolably, and the next happy as a clam. They are honest, preferring to always show how they are feeling, and prefer to be taken at face value. They're kind and empathetic, willing to lend a hand to others even at the detriment of themselves and would never be accused of being selfish. Cirrus tend to be peaceful, though they are not pacifists, just never really having a good reason to be hostile and aggressive. 

Where Does a Cloud Come From?

The most curious thing about cirrus is that when compared to the ground dwelling world, their recorded history goes back an extra five thousand years. For all of this time, and even long before that, the cirrus have lived up on this cloud in Cirrusland. They believe that they are the creation of the goddess Haizea and that she gave them this cloud to float around on. They have a great statue built to her in the palace and cirrus come to pay tribute and give respects to her, especially if someone they love is in need. Usually, their prayers to Haizea are answered in some indirect form.

Cirrus control weather with their emotions, however they do not have control over this ability. When they cry, it rains with the same intensity that they are crying. If they are happy, the sky is mostly clear, maybe partly cloudy. If they are angry, violent thunderstorms roll in, and even in one case, a tornado. Some cirrus have stronger control over the weather and can produce more powerful effects. This is believed to have been a gift from Haizea, though cirrus spend most of their youth learning to control their emotions.

Living on a Cloud

Cirrus are most often farmers, preferring the simple task of growing and cultivating vegetables and fruits. They take extreme pride in their work and if their crop begins to struggle, they might even cry. This would make it rain, of course, which could be helpful but it could also be detrimental - which could cause a torrential downpour and ruin not only all of their crops, but other nearby farmers' crops as well. Some cirrus are craftsmen, with common crafts being tailoring, jewelrycrafting, hat making, and plant weaving, making staves and other things out of beanstalks and plant fibers.

It is exceptionally rare that a cirrus would feel a call to adventure. There's largely only two reasons that a cirrus would go on an adventure willingly: to save Cirrusland or the world; or because a friend is going adventuring and they feel the need to aid them. Cirrus are not really interested in fame, fortune, or glory, but rather just doing the right thing and helping those in need. It's not uncommon for a cirrus to get distracted from a mission to do a series of good deeds on the side.

Cirrus Names

Cirrus names are usually based on clouds or weather patterns. They do not have last names because their society is small enough to not warrant it. There is no gendered names, and often times the only way to tell a cirrus's gender is by asking.

Cirrus Names: Alto, Cloud, Cumulonimbus, Cumulus, Garro, Hail, Marshmallow, Nimbus, Rain, Sleet, Snow, Stratus, Sunny, Windy

Cirrus Traits

Cirrus have a few traits in common with all other cirrus.

Ability Score Increase

Your Wisdom score increases by 2 and your Charisma score increases by 1.

Age

Cirrus mature pretty slowly, reaching maturity at age 25. They typically live between 50 and 60 years, after which they can either disperse into nothingness or their body can reshape and recolor, causing them to change personality, lose all of their memories, and have to restart, but allowing them to live another 50 to 60 years.

Alignment

Cirrus are kindhearted and empathetic people, usually responding to calls for aid. They also do not see any need to question the law, and will listen to authority without question.

Size

Your size is Small. Most cirrus stand between 2 and 2 and half feet tall and weigh between 1 and 5 pounds.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Cloudwalker

Being a cloud, it is particularly easy for you to move through spaces with people. You can move through spaces occupied by allies as if it were normal terrain, and you can move through spaces occupied by enemies as if it were difficult terrain.

Amorphous Body

You can squeeze through spaces as small as 1 inch thick.

Stretchy Arms

When you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach for it is 5 feet greater than normal.

Thunderstruck

At 5th level, you can cast the spell call lightning using Wisdom as your spellcasting modifier. You can do this without expending a spell slot once per long rest.

Made of Fluff

You are immune to critical hits. Any time a critical hit is scored against you, it is instead converted to a normal hit.

Airheaded

You have disadvantage on all checks made to determine if someone is lying.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Cirrus. Cirrus is a soft spoken language, with delicate pronunciations.