Homebrew Bruin Species Details

Energetic but reclusive, Bruin are small bearlike creatures that make their home underneath forests. Their natural curiosity and excitement to learn and explore are often at odds with their need to protect their home from the races that hunt them.

Deep in the forests, there is a constant hum of busy activity that pervades the warrens where Bruin form their close-knit communities. Louder sounds punctuate the hum: a crunch of grinding gears here, a minor explosion there, a yelp of surprise or triumph, and especially bursts of laughter. Bruin take delight in life, enjoying every moment of invention, exploration, investigation, creation, and play.

Vibrant Expression

A Bruin’s energy and enthusiasm for living shines through every inch of their tiny bodies, reflected in their bright and colorful fur colors. Bruin average slightly over 3 feet tall and weigh 75 to 90 pounds. Their furry faces are usually adorned with broad smiles, and their eyes shine with excitement. A Bruin's personality is writ large in their appearance. Their clothing, though usually made in modest earth tones, is elaborately decorated with embroidery, embossing, or gleaming jewels.

Delighted Dedication

As far as the Bruin are concerned, being alive is a wonderful thing, and they squeeze every ounce of enjoyment out of their one to two centuries of life.

Bruin love jokes of all kinds, particularly puns and pranks, but they’re just as dedicated to the more serious tasks they undertake. Many Bruin are skilled engineers, alchemists, tinkers, and inventors. They’re willing to make mistakes and laugh at themselves in the process of perfecting what they do, taking bold risks and dreaming large.

Bright Burrows

Bruin make their homes in forests. They live underground but get fresh frequently as they tend their gardens and berry patches. Their homes are well hidden by both clever construction and simple illusions. Welcome visitors are quickly ushered into the bright, warm burrows. Those who are not welcome are unlikely to find the burrows in the first place.

Always Appreciative

It’s rare for a Bruin to be hostile or malicious unless they have suffered a grievous injury or insult, though they are suspicious of humans as a result of being hunted. Bruin know that most races don’t share their sense of humor, but they enjoy anyone’s company just as they enjoy everything else they set out to do.

Bruin Names

Bruin love to change their names, and most have half a dozen or so over their lifetime. Their names are typically variants on their current passions and interests, which change as they mature, though some are purely new inventions. They are extremely informal and rarely use a surname or clan name, instead taking the name of their burrow when necessary.

Male Names: Chummi, Zummi, Tummi, Gruffi, Augustus, Gritty, Buddy, Grubbi, Thornberry

Female Names: Sunni, Grammi, Ursa, Sassi, Gladiora, Rastel, Lumel, Cheeri, Drazzi, Yanel

Art by @tbpnemo

Bruin Traits

Your bruin character has certain characteristics in common with all other bruin.

Ability Score Increase

Your Intelligence, Dexterity, and Charisma scores are increased by 1.

Age

Bruin mature at the same rate humans do, and most are expected to settle down into an adult life by around age 40. They can live 350 to almost 500 years.

Alignment

Bruin are most often good. Those who tend toward law are sages, engineers, researchers, scholars, investigators, or inventors. Those who tend toward chaos are minstrels, tricksters, wanderers, or fanciful jewelers. Bruin are good-hearted, and even the tricksters among them are more playful than vicious.

Size

Bruin are between 3 and 4 feet tall and average about 80 pounds. Your size is Small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet. Your speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armor.

Darkvision

Accustomed to life underground, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. 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.

Bruin Resilience

You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damage (explained in the “Combat” section).

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Dwarvish. Dwarvish is full of hard consonants and guttural sounds, and those characteristics spill over into whatever other language a dwarf might speak.