Homebrew Platypusfolk Species Details

Funny looking fellows, the Platypusfolk. A jumble of spare parts from the storage box of creation. Don’t take them lightly though! They are a fierce and protective people when roused. Oh, and they tip well.

— Jon Tomes, Legendary troubador

The origins of the Platypusfolk are shrouded in mystery, although the prevailing theory amongst the few outlanders who have encountered them is that they are the product of magical experimentation.  Platypus folk live in small communities of family burrows on lake shores and riversides in the northern border regions of Chult, although a few enterprising individuals have ventured out into the wider world.

Amphibian Protectors

The Platypusfolk are as ignorant of their true origins as everyone else, though the more religious minded amongst them lay claim to descent from an ancestor god they call The Bankdigger. Peaceful and community minded by nature, they live on the fringes of larger communities where they can use their affinity for the waterways to offer their services as guides and fishermen.

Although they are slow to anger and quick to make friends, the Platypusfolk will vigorously protect their communities (whether they be Platypusfolk or not) and the waterways they call home. A colony of Platypusfolk will ensure the cleanliness and safety of any stretch of water they inhabit, much to the benefit of others that share it with them. By the same token they will not tolerate bad neighbours for long before action is taken.

Modest Workers

The Platypusfolk see themselves as part of their ecosystem and have a tolerant attitude towards others that respect nature and do not exploit it - particularly freshwater environments. Generally, they do not seek individual rewards but work to achieve betterment for their whole community or for the greater good of their party if they are far from home.

Although Platypusfolk do not live in total isolation from other races, their preference for living in distinct communities means that they are slow to understand the selfishness that can exist amongst others and although they are not totally naive they are perhaps more inclined to offer the benefit of the doubt to any individual they encounter that is not openly hostile.

Platypusfolk enjoy hearing about far flung lands (although they may not fully understand such places) as well as hearing songs of other cultures as this offers an insight into a wider world that most of them will never experience, due to their ties to the wetlands they call home.

Eco Warriors

When suitably stirred up, the Platypusfolk will  form militias comprised of the most capable members of their community (most often aquatic rangers and druids) and will take the fight to any established threats. Platypusfolk are strong but clumsy and thus have an inherent preference for melee combat if they cannot rely on arcane or divine abilities. Although lacking in obvious natural weapons, the Platypusfolk are equipped with sharp spurs on their burly forearms and employ those when necessary. 

Platypusfolk have a particular disdain for anybody who pollutes or otherwise fouls their habitat and will take offence more generally if they witness nature of any kind being exploited. Conversely, they will readily befriend those who share their veneration for the natural world.

Unworldly Ruralists

Few Platypusfolk leave their communities unless they have been forced out by hostile forces or ecological disasters. Accordingly, most exhibit surprise and curiosity about other cultures and environments that they encounter. However, densely populated, urban environments make them deeply uncomfortable as they represent a direct contradiction to their traditional way of life.

Due to the generally harmonious nature of Platypusfolk daily life, the power struggles and bureaucracy that come with the administration of any large organisation or population centre seem confusing and unnecessary. Platypusfolk are not shrewd political operators because they do not often encounter duplicity or disagreements amongst themselves. To their way of thinking, the right thing to do is generally obvious and should just be done without argument.

This characteristic can be perceived as slowness of wit by more streetwise races but the Platypusfolk do not forget a slight. This tendency can lead to them losing their sense of wonder and instead becoming bitter and jaded through repeated bad experiences.

Platypusfolk  Personality

Well meaning, but trusting and curious, Platypusfolk are at odds with urban sophistication. You can select, roll, or adapt a platypusfolk-specific quirk from the Platypusfolk Quirks table. Use the quirk to inform how you portray your character.

Platypusfolk Quirks

d6	Quirk
1	You carry a memento of home, such as a small stone, and handle it at times of stress.
2	You feel uncomfortable sleeping indoors. Preferring natural shelters where possible.
3	You learned a regional version of common and pepper your speech with local dialect words.
4	You assume that people are telling you the truth about local customs and expectations.
5	The wider world is a wondrous place, and you catalog all its details in a journal.
6	You mistakenly assume that others share your veneration for nature and will strike up conversations about this subject with strangers.

Platypusfolk Names

Platypusfolk believe in nominative determinism and first names are often a personal characteristic that the parents desire for their child, and this is not usually affected by gender. Although, more integrated Platypusfolk may take names from the communities they live alongside. Platypusfolk surnames are often descriptive of a natural feature.

Platypusfolk First Names: Lucky, Happy, Hardy, Devout, Swift, Kind, Worthy, Faithful

Platypusfolk Surnames: Billabong, Coolwater, Sweetstream, Riverrun, Fenwalker

Platypusfolk Traits

Your platypusfolk character has the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength increases by 2 and your Wisdom increases by 1.

Age

Platypusfolk reach maturity around age 12 and can live up to 80 years.

Alignment

Platypusfolk tend toward lawful good. As custodians of the waterways their culture pushes them toward order and benevolence.

Size

Platypusfolk are slightly shorter than humans, averaging about 5 feet tall, but are more thickly built with thick, flat hands and feet. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet, and you have a swimming speed of 30 feet. Additionally, you have a burrowing speed of 10 feet.

Amphibious

You can breathe air and water.

Forearm Spur

You have a natural weapon in the form of a sharp spur that protrudes from your dominant forearm. You may use this instead of a standard unarmed attack to inflict 1d4 damage plus your strength modifier.

Natural Athlete

You have profiency with the Athletics skill.

Powerful Build

You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag or lift.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and One other language of your choice.