Homebrew Apeling Species Details

Apelings come in many shapes and sizes across the multiverse. Some are progenitors to the highly-evolved Hadozee, some are the missing link between humans and apes, and some are awakened primates that took their sentience to a new level.

Despite the name, Apelings can come in the form of any primate, with or without tails.

In addition to being natural climbers, apelings have feet that are as dexterous as their hands, even to the extent of having opposable thumbs. This, combined with their inborn talent for wilderness survival, makes the Apeling a valuable asset to any band of explorers.

Creating Your Character

When you create your D&D character, you decide whether your character is a member of the human race or one of the game’s fantastical races. If you create a character using a race option presented here, follow these additional rules during character creation.

Ability Score Increases

When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one of those scores 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’re free to follow those suggestions or to ignore them. Whichever scores you decide to increase, none of the scores can be raised 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 widespread languages to choose from. The DM is free to add or remove languages from that list for a particular campaign.

Creature Type

Every creature in D&D, including every 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 option presented here 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 text of the cure wounds spell specifies that the spell doesn’t work on a creature that has the Construct type.

Life Span

The lifespan of a humanoid creature varies greatly from case to case- and in some cases, backstory to backstory! It's important that you determine the lifespan of the race and the current age of your character with the DM, because some magical effects can advance or regress a person's age to dangerous levels!

 

Apeling Traits

As an apeling player character, you have the following traits.

Wild Talent

You have proficiency in the Acrobatics and Survival skills.

Primate Leap

As a bonus action, you can jump a number of feet equal to five times your proficiency bonus, without provoking opportunity attacks. You can use this trait only if your speed is greater than 0. You can use it a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Creature Type

You are a Humanoid or Beast. This is your choice, but is highly dependent on your backstory- if you are a typical apeling, you are a Humanoid. However, if you are an awakened primate using Apeling statistics, you are still biologically the same. You are a Beast.

Size

You are Medium or Small. You choose the size when you select this race.

Speed

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

Dexterous Feet

As a bonus action, you can use your feet to manipulate an object, open or close a door or container, or pick up or set down a Tiny object.