Homebrew Chimerkin Species Details

Thought to be the result of alchemy gone awry, the chimerkin (pronounced KY-mer-kin), often called "chimmerkin" or simply chim, are a hodgepodge race of small, semi-feral beastfolk that inhabit the untamed wilds of Faerûn. Despite the high degree of physical disparity, most if not all chimerkin share a few common traits. They are short, stocky humanoids covered in thick fur, sporting large ears that either jut outwards or point upwards, small front-facing black eyes, sharp incisors, and a pair of tiny horns atop their heads. They are also famous, or perhaps infamous, for the uncanny ability to expel a burst of acidic bile to ward off predators.

Some of their race sport furry plantigrade legs, whilst others may have digitigrade or even hooves. Chimerkin fur color and patterns are shared with all manner of natural animals.

Creating Your Character

At 1st level, you choose whether your character is a member of the human race or of a fantastical race. If you select a fantastical race, follow these additional rules during character creation.

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. 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 can follow those suggestions or ignore them, but you can’t raise any of your scores 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 languages to choose from. The DM is free to modify that list for a campaign.

Creature Type

Every creature in D&D, including each 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 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 cure wounds spell doesn’t work on a Construct or an Undead.

Life Span

The typical life span of a player character in the D&D multiverse is about a century, assuming the character doesn’t meet a violent end on an adventure. Members of some races, such as dwarves and elves, can live for centuries. If typical members of a race can live longer than a century, that fact is mentioned in the race’s description.

Height and Weight

Player characters, regardless of race, typically fall into the same ranges of height and weight that humans have in our world. If you’d like to determine your character’s height or weight randomly, consult the Random Height and Weight table in the Player’s Handbook, and choose the row in the table that best represents the build you imagine for your character.

Chimerkin Traits

As a chimerkin, you have the following racial traits.

Creature Type

You are a Humanoid.

Size

You are Small.

Speed

Your walking speed is 30 ft., and you have a burrowing speed of 10 ft.

Bite

You have a set of sharp incisors that you can use to make unarmed strikes. When you hit with them, the bite deals 1d4 + your Strength modifier piercing damage, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Thick Fur

Your body is covered in a thick coat of fur year round. You have resistance to cold damage, and you can tolerate temperatures as low as -50 degrees Fahrenheit without any additional protection. If you wear heavy clothes, you can tolerate temperatures as low as -100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Beast Speech

Through sound and gestures, you may communicate simple ideas with Small or smaller beasts.

Acidic Bile

Owing to your small stature, you have evolved the ability to scare predators away with a caustic natural weapon. As an action, expel a burst of acidic bile at a creature within 5 ft. The creature must make a CON 12 saving throw or take 1d10 Acid Damage. On a hit or miss, you can then move up to 10 ft away from the target without provoking opportunity attacks. You can use this ability once per Long Rest.