Homebrew Deeproot Goldtail Species Details

"Do the leaves never fall in the Deeproot?" the young Goldtail asked, skipping about on all four of their cloven hooves. She smiled, bowing her head to speak softly to the gentle hart before her.

"Of course not, dear. There is never a place as homely as our forests, and the trees always welcome us beneath their boughs."

"But I heard my teacher say the leaves fall outside of Goldmoon..." He mumbled. A quiet chortle came in reply.

"And they may fall as they wish."

 

Goldtail are cervine creatures of grace and heart, who reside in the demiplane between the veil of the Material Plane and the Feywilds. Their ancestral home is the vanguard between the quiet meadows of the Humblewood, and the chaos that is untamed nature. They live to embrace the quiet springs and cool falls of their plane, sup on the plentiful abundance of the realm, and will stand and fight to protect their home from intrusion and desecration.

Hooved and Horned

With their feral physique and quiet demeanor, a baren Goldtail may appear as nothing more than an oddly intelligent, bright-eyed deer. They are short by all standards when measured to their shoulder, with their snouts able to bump a human's sternum. They stand around three and a half feet at the shoulder, give or take several inches, and rarely come up to eye level with an average human. Their lithe builds are particularly slender, with doe weighing around 90 pounds, and bucks weighing around 150 pounds each. Bucks tend to be a fair few inches taller, and have broader shoulders in comparison. What marks a true Goldtail is the flecks of gold surrounding the whites of their tail, and the whites of their belly. This natural growth shows that the creature before you is a touch more intelligent than their less reasonable bretheren.

Goldtail, additionally, carry an innate magic about them. This magic - referred to as their Astral Will - allows them to form spectral, ghostly arms from their shoulderblades. They may use these arms to manipulate the world around them, to craft goods or shape the world as they see fit. These arms are strong, stronger still if the Goldtail's strength matches, and can be used for combat.

A Curious Mind

Goldtail - also known as Cervanan by some - can live to be as old as 60 years of age, with some stretching into their late 80s, with their minds more focused on the moment to moment events of the world around them. While some may think they are slow to act, they are rather weary of outcomes - and tend to weigh their options before taking action, relying on experience and knowledge before raw instinct. Goldtail are rarely greedy creatures; many enjoy humble lives, and do not strive for greatness, but an inspired Goldtail will lay down hoof and blade in chase of their dreams. A Goldtail may find themselves in pursuit of several skills, and rarely master just one; and when curiosity calls, they answer. What may rattle a man may lead to silent indifference from a Goldtail, as their calm demeanor is hard to break. Though do not take them for a gentle race; as one's folly may lead to a much more serious volley of arrows in reply.

Goldtail are considered peace seeking by nature, but this is a short lived assumption for those who seek to exploit it. Words and diplomacy are what a Goldtail use before resorting to violence, not as a means to prevent it. An orderly and trustful race, those who show ill intent are rarely able to wriggle free of woodland justice with a sharp tongue if the victim happens to be a bow wielding Goldtail. Those who intrude upon their lands find little remorse, and often times, those who seek those slain by Goldtail may find very little of the fallen left.

Boughs and Branches Alike

Goldtail are known to live in small hamlets and villages scattered amongst the densest, tallest trees of the Deeproot. But when they congregate, they build towering walls and grand tree homes that span dozens of miles of thick, shaded woodland. Goldtail grow crop, fish, and tend to a few sparse animals, as their diet is largely varied in comparison to their feral bretheren - but they are quick to avoid hardy, red meats, as the taste and sustenance can upset their stomachs. It's noted that a Goldtail's favorite snack is perhaps cheese, strawberries, fish, or pumpkin - but this is often debated upon, as their wants change by the day. Goldtail are great woodworkers, and a sturdy Goldtail table is said to last ten centuries or more. Finally, Goldtail have an interest in harvesting ores, and often do so along the deep veins of roots stringing through their lands.

Goldtail are almost never seen outside of their own lands, and when they are, it's largely for a greater purpose. Be it finding a rarity amongst the stalls of their central city, Goldmoon, or for delivering messages of peace - or less common - war to those who harvest their forests, Goldtail rarely deal with creatures beyond their home.

Mapping the Material Plane

When Goldtail leave the safety of their forests, they do so in a grand adventure decided by themselves, or greater leadership. This grand adventure could be as something simple as finding the most unique flower, or something as absurd as challenging a dozen warriors to a duel - what stands between their destiny is careful, concise determination. As such, they're not fond of following the pace of others. Be it too fast, or too slow, a Goldtail is more often the one to decide the speed of which their hooves tarry. Much to the chaos or comfort to those around them, of course. A Goldtail who's adventure has concluded will often return home, proudful and strong hearted, with some form of map or journal to relive their journey among their less adventerous - or lucky - peers.

 

POLITE, CALM, AND STERN

Goldtail are known to be very polite, stalwart, and sometimes even intimidating - if sentient deer could be attributed as such. Because of this, they tend to judge other races on their collective demeanor, and will label groups they distaste as troublemakers if it comes to it.

Dwarves. “Dwarves are strong hearted and hearty, and understand the value of hearth and home. Though they may be clumsy, or sometimes rude - they stick by their word. A Dwarvish Smith is worth their weight in gold, and to Goldtail, this means plenty."

Halflings. “The Halfling race remind me of the gentle bustle of home. They have kind hearts, an attribute lacking among other races, and they are always eager to share from their garden. A halfling is always welcome beneath my boughs."

Humans. “Humans can be the greatest threat beneath the branches to our realm. They are more cunning then they let on, and are eager to exploit the land if given the chance. A human is hard to trust, because you never know if they will consider your hide as something another may value."

Elves. "It's not too uncommon to see Elvish folk within our plane. They tend to be kind and courteous, but more often than not they hold expectations greater than any tree's roots. Regardless, they see us for what we are - kindred hearts, with shorter lives, and smaller ambitions."

Goldtail Names

Goldtail aren't considered fully mature until their 16th year, but are often allowed more adult-like freedoms by their 14th year. Goldtail are given a first name at birth, and inherit their father's last name much like humans do.

Names given to Goldtail fawns and harts are common to the woodland around them; it's not unheard of for a doe to be named after a season, or a buck to be named after a hardy wood. Names are often given based on the color of their coats, the preferences of their parents, or may even inherit a slightly Elvish name if the couple are feeling particularly unique.

Male Names: Arden, Aster, Fallon, Willow, Birch, Yew, Ash, Oakley, Thorn, Briar, Rook, Vinicent

Female Names: Autumn, Umbra, Verbena, Holly, Cypress, Hazel, Rue, Lily, Cherry, Pumpkin, Bastrii

Family Names: Woodcrest, Nightshade, Hawkwood, Hornwood, Sparrowtail, Sunflare, Oakheart, Vinethrush

Deeproot Goldtail Traits

Your Goldtail has traits and tricks that have grown to be a part of them.

Flight of the Goldtail

Goldtail posses great agility due to their cervine heritage. Once per long rest, a Goldtail may use their bonus action to disengage and increase their Speed by 30 for the rest of their turn. Additionally, if a Goldtail ends their turn with 5 feet of a hostile creature with this ability active, they may spend spend one hit dice to make an Unarmed attack roll, and if successful, the Goldtail will gore or charge the target for [roll]1d8[/roll] + their Dexterity or Strength modifier, whichever is higher. Your Goldtail may use their hooves, their head, or their Antlers (if they have them) to deal blunt, slashing, or piercing damage respectively. Attacking this way does not cost an action.

At fifth level, the Goldtail's magic has infused their body, and attacks made this way count as magical in nature, able to surpass magical defenses as if the strike was made with a magical weapon.

Astral Will

The Goldtail race worships the power of the Stars. This power manifests when the Goldtail wills it to form spectral, ghostly limbs from their shoulder blades, just above their front legs. These arms serve as manipulators for the physical world within an arm's distance of their bodies, allowing the Goldtail to touch and test objects similar to how a humanoid would with their hands. These limbs appear mostly transparent, almost crystaline in nature, and glow brighter based on how much force the Goldtail is exerting through them. The color of the limbs matches the Goldtail's eyes, which may shine brightly when putting force into their limbs.

A Goldtail's limbs are magical in nature, and are considered somewhat fragile. When not in use, these limbs vanish, and can't be seen at all. If a creature makes a melee attack directly targeted for a Goldtail's Astral Will, and hits, the Goldtail must make a DC15 Constitution Saving Throw. On Success, the Goldtail takes half of the damage they would normally take if the hit landed directly on any other part of their body. On a Failure, the limb shatters. The Goldtail takes the full damage plus an additional 1d6 damage, and that specific limb is unusable for one turn. If the attack deals more than 50% damage to the Goldtail, their limb is crippled, preventing its use until the Goldtail completes a Short Rest. If the Goldtail is struck for 100% of their total HP, the limb is unusable until they complete a Long Rest.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 1, and your Wisdom increases by 1.

Age

Goldtail typically reach maturity at 16 years of age, but can reach full maturity as young as 14. Goldtail are quick to mature, reaching milestones far quicker than humans. Their lifespans are often shorter than average, spanning usually 60 years, and rarely up to 80.

Size

Goldtail are measured to the shoulder, and stand between three to four feet tall. If measured to the top of their head, some stand up to five feet or higher. Does have slender, lithe builds, while bucks have broader, taller builds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 35 feet.

Darkvision

Accustomed to shaded forests and the twilit sky, 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.

Cervine Instinct

You have proficiency in the Perception and Survival skill.

Fey Ancestry

You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Cervan, and Birdfolk. You may speak Rootspeak (Rootspeak has no written component). Birdfolk is the common language of the Humblewood, while Rootspeak is the common language of the Deeproot. Cervan is a language specific to the Cervans of Humblewood, and is the shared language of nearly all Cervine races. Rootspeak is the visceral instinct of speech used to communicate to beasts native to the Deeproot, and sounds animalistic and primal, while Cervan is more of a calm, collected form of bleating and mewling common amongst deer.

Typically, Cervan has no written language, as it stems from quieter, safer forests beyond the Deeproot. But Goldtail have a specific written version of Cervan that is only taught and native to Goldtail. It is fluid and striking, often with leaping bounds in the text. Literature produced within Goldmoon is considered to be unique and varied, though very few scholars outside of the realm will ever truly read it.