Homebrew Beastfolk Species Details

Take a humanoid and an animal, toss them in a magical blender, and what do you get? Beastfolk. Thanks to their varied origins and different animal traits, beastfolk are a hugely varied people. Beastfolk can be created from a blend of any kind of humanoid and animal.

Becoming Beastfolk
Humanoids can become beastfolk by undergoing the beastfolk splicing ritual, performed by a skilled Splicer warlock. For some, becoming a beastfolk can be a true rebirth or a way of gaining new abilities and perspectives. Some seek the mental and physical prowess that results from the ritual. Others are looking for a chance at a new life or running away from their past. Many beastfolk have never experienced the splicing ritual firsthand but instead were born to one or more beastfolk parents. Most beastfolk children inherit only one parent’s animal appearance.

Connection to Nature
Beastfolk’s animal natures can be expressed in many ways and to different degrees. Some beastfolk may have enhanced hearing or sense of smell; others may be able to see more of the color spectrum. Some and it easy to balance their animal or humanoid aspects, while others struggle to keep both sides of their nature in harmony.

Age. Your maximum natural lifespan depends on your own or your ancestors’ original humanoid race, combined with the longevity of the animal you take after. For example, a turtle beastfolk created from an elf might live for hundreds of years, while a mix of human and hamster might not live past 50.

Size. The size of the animal and the humanoid used in a beastfolk splicing ritual aspects the size of the beastfolk created, but the results are unpredictable. For example, a haling fused with a hippopotamus might retain their halfing height, become much larger, or end up somewhere in between. Your size is either Medium or Small.

Beastfolk Traits

As a beastfolk, you have the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increases

When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. You can’t raise any of your scores above 20.

Languages

Your character can speak, read, and write Common If you became a beastfolk through a ritual, you retain any languages you knew before you became a beastfolk. Otherwise, you may chose another language. 

Creature Type

You are a Humanoid.

Size

You chose between Small and Medium.

Speed

Your walking speed is 30 feet.

Beast Bond

You have advantage on Animal Handling checks made to interact with beasts that match the beast you take after, for example, a bear beastfolk interacting with bears.

Beast Sense

You have a beast’s heightened senses. Choose one from between these two traits:

  • Darkvision. 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.
  • Enhanced Perception. You gain proficiency in the Perception skill. Choose either hearing, smell, or sight. You gain advantage on Perception checks made using this sense.

Beast Defense

Your body is equipped with a natural defense. Choose one from between these two traits:

  • Armor of the Beast. You are covered in a tough hide or hard shell. While you are not wearing any armor, your Armor Class is 16. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.
  • Weapons of the Beast. You have a set of natural weapons, such as horns, claws, fangs, hooves, or a tail, that you can use to make unarmed strikes. Choose whether these unarmed strikes use your Dexterity modifier or your Strength modifier for attack and damage rolls and what kind of damage the attack deals from among bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage. On a hit, this attack deals 1d6 + your chosen ability score modifier damage of the chosen type. When you roll a critical hit with this attack, it deals an extra 1d6 damage in addition to the extra damage of the critical hit.

Subrace

A wide variety of beastfolk can be found across Ambria, but beastfolk created from animals with similar habitats will have more in common with each other than those from different climates. Choose one subrace from among arctic beastfolk, aquatic beastfolk, desert beastfolk, forest beastfolk, or urban beastfolk.
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