Homebrew Djehuti Species Details

"We are not savages. Apes fight only to survive."

— Matt Reeves, War for the Planet of the Apes

Before humans, there was the djehuti. Before halflings, there was the djehuti. The djehuti have existed for longer than the Material Plane's current dwellers could possibly imagine, and as such have gained vast amounts of knowledge about both their own universe and the other universes surrounding them. Living deep in jungles in peace, they tend to stay quiet, honing their knowledge and occasionally venturing to towns to share it with a wider audience.

Daunting Physicality

Djehutis tend to appear akin to a primate - at birth, they appear as chimpanzees, maturing slowly into apes and baboons as their lives go on. They tend to live slightly longer than humans, aging into gorillas as they reach the end of their life. Their hair is a key differentiator between clans and tribes, with black, brown and red all forming the main three tribes of the djehuti. 

Whilst they do appear as primates, the djehuti still carry humanoid traits, such as walking on their hind legs when they see fit and a mature and civilized form of style and complexion. They tend to groom themselves, yet manage to do quite well considering how large their hands are.

Primal Knowledge

The djehuti pride themselves on their vast knowledge and their keen minds. Throughout their long history, they have studied the ancient tomes of their jungles and analyzed architecture and teachings from the Gods. The djehuti have created a society that prides itself on intellect, harnessing the raw power of their wisdom and the things they have learned from the many ancient cultures and histories that have passed through their current domains, allowing them to constantly evolve their kingdoms.

However, despite this, the djehuti have a core in them that cannot be removed despite how much knowledge they gain; the primal aspect of their brains. Each djehuti is cursed with primal tendencies, which take over due to stimuli triggering them or simply due to intense emotions running high and causing primal processes to take precedence in the minds of the djehuti. Whilst they attempt to hide this part of themselves from anybody around them, there are times when it is impossible for them to pretend it does not exist.

Djehuti Names

The djehuti often take their names from ancient texts and teachings, along with adopting the names of gods and philosophers. Whilst they can choose to take a name, they will also be gifted a tribal name at birth, based on the tribe they are born into and the ancestors they have in their lineage.

Male Names: Winston, Caesar, Thoth, Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Apollo, Coeus, Murugan, A'as, Tenjin, Enki, Nabu, Bochica, Mimir, Orunmila, Tir

Female Names: Hypatia, Simone, Neith, Sia, Seshat, Anahit, Minerva, Athena, Metis, Saraswati, Nisaba, Saga, Anahita, Chista

Tribal Names: Rubrum, Fuscus, Ater, Sensus, Animus, Dux, Princeps, Civitas, Regium

Djehuti Traits

Through their collection of knowledge and their innate primal instinct, the Djehuti have created distinct features and traits for their species.

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

Whilst maturing at the same rate as a regular primate, the Djehuti have managed to find ways to live longer, and as such live just longer than humans, typically living to around 150 years old.

Size

As the Djehuti take the form of primates, they tend to be around 5 to 6 feet and weigh upwards of 130 pounds. Your size is Large.

Speed

Your walking speed is 30 feet, and is unaffected by armour.

Leap

During your turn in combat, you have the ability to jump within 5 feet of a creature. The creature must roll a Dexterity saving throw, or take 1d6 bludgeoning damage. This consumes a bonus action, however, you may not use the Dash action after using this.

Primal Heritage

Due to the history of living in the jungle, you have a natural proficiency in the Nature and Survival skills.

Override

When you have been hit to under a quarter of your maximum hit points, you turn primal and your primal tendencies override your other actions. Upon any melee attacks, you are able to deal an extra 1d4 damage, and you gain an advantage on Strength checks and saving throws. However, as soon as you are above one-quarter of your maximum hit points, your primal state ends.

Languages

You can speak, read and write Common and two extra languages of your choice.