Homebrew Belviews (PC Race for Curse of Strahd) v3 Species Details

Belviews are humanoids that have undergone, or whose ancestors underwent, horrific magical transformations, to the extent that they retain only a fraction of their original being. Their humanoid bodies incorporate the features of various beasts. For example, one belview might have the basic body shape of a dwarf with a head that combines the features of a cat and a lizard, one arm that ends in a crab's pincer, and one leg that ends in a cloven hoof. Another might have the skin and horns of a cow, the eyes of a spider, frog's legs, and a scaly lizard's tail. Each belview's mad combination of humanoid and animal forms results in its having a slow, awkward gait.

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 two 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.

Belviews (PC Race for Curse of Strahd) v3 Traits

As an belview, you have the following racial traits.

Creature Type

You are a Humanoid.

Size

Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your walking speed is 20 feet.

Bite

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

Claw

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

Mimicry

You can mimic any sounds that you have heard, including voices. A creature that hears the sounds can tell they are imitations with a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Insight) check.

Extraordinary Feature

Belviews have one of the following extraordinary features, determined randomly by rolling a d20 or chosen by the DM:

1–3: Amphibious. You can breathe air and water. You have a swimming speed of 40 feet.

4–9: Darkvision. You have darkvision out to a range of 60 feet.

10: Flight. You have leathery wings and a flying speed of 40 feet.

11–15: Keen Hearing and Smell. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.

16–17: Spider Climb. You can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check. You have a climb speed equal to your walking speed.

18–19: Standing Leap. Your long jump is up to 20 feet and its high jump up to 10 feet, with or without a running start.

20: Two-Headed. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks and on saving throws against being blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, stunned, or knocked unconscious.

Outcasts

Belviews are seldom welcome in other humanoid societies, where they are abused, enslaved, or shunned. They typically live on the fringes of civilization in ruins, deserted buildings, or other places that other humanoid races once lived in or built. They tend to be timid and skittish outside their homes and fiercely territorial within their lairs. They use a combination of their stealth and camouflage to avoid unwanted attention.

You have proficiency in the Stealth skill.

Until it is seen, while camouflaged you have advantage on Stealth checks made to hide.

Camouflage Expert

Belviews often hide their deformities under cloaks and cowls. In this way, they can sometimes pass as stout humans or thin dwarves. They are fond of camouflage, attaching leaves and twigs to their cloaks, making brown paint to cover their skin, and weaving grass nets under which they can hide. They use such camouflage while hunting in the wild or while standing guard outside their lairs. They use a combination of their stealth and camouflage to avoid unwanted attention.

You have proficiency with a Disguise Kit when used to camouflage yourself.

A creature that sees you can tell that you are camouflaged with a successful Wisdom (Perception) check. The save DC for the camouflage is 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier.