Homebrew Bōan Species Details

HAVE YOU FELT THE BITTER BITE OF THE SOUTHERLY GALE?

It is an odd feeling, as if the sea wishes to drag you down into its hellish abyss,
or the icy rocks have the sole goal of sending the chill of death down your spine.
That is my lot to endure as I was sent to collect information on the native peoples.
I saw so many there, all of them woolen and with glares of superiority that would rival
a prosperous tyrant, even from the lowly workers of what fields they could muster.

But it was not the cold nor the inhospitality of the natives (indeed they never refused me
knowledge or a spare room) that made me leave that place in such a frantic hurry. What
did, on the other hand, was something more unsettling: a village long abandoned, gardens
overgrown, tools rusted, walls crumbled, and all around, not a single face, live or dead.
It is truly something too terrible to conjure in the mind, that which would cause the Bōan
to leave such a place.

-Alexander Ritmans,
Epistles Released to the Common Public

In the highlands far to the North, along stone cliffs that have been cleft by the cold, salt sea, one may encounter villages of cobblestone and thatch, tools of war, fishery, and wool-working spread throughout them. These are the works of the Bōan, who tend to their work with an ever-present sense of pride and confidence.

Sheep, but not Sheepish

At a distance, one might confuse a Bōan with other humanoids dressed in sheepskin. Upon further inspection, though, one will find that these folk are indeed the sheepskin itself! Bōan have heads much akin to actual sheep, though the eyes are much different; they are forward-facing and have rounded pupils rather than horizontal slits. Bōan wool comes in a variety of colors. White is the most common, followed shortly by brown, black, and gray, or some splotchy combination of these colors. It is also customary for Bōan to dye their hides in more unnatural colors and patterns, with deep blues being a favorite among them. Bōan, lacking other forms of fibers that would make for good clothes, use their own wool for making garments, decorating themselves in plaid.

Glory and Tradition

To the Bōan, nothing in the world could ever trump the importance of glory and tradition. Having split themselves into ancient clans, the Bōan fiercely compete for the right to claim their clan's superiority. On such inhospitable regions of the world, there are no shortage of ways by which a Bōan can raise his or her clan's status, whether it be by being the most vicious in war, the stongest in body, the keenest in hunting, the most profitable in fishing, most generous in hospitality, or most fertile in lands.

The Bōan put their second-most cares into their families. Parents prefer to support and teach their young for times that stretch years beyond what other races would consider childhood. The cruel and harsh nature of the cold has lead many to value what children they have with utmost care and attendance. The clans, in fact, are the natural extension of family for when the child grows old enough to support himself or herself; clan members act as siblings, and elders act as "parents beyond parents".

Bōan Names

 Bōan often either use traditional names or adopt common names for humans. Traditional names are often variations of words from Bō, itself an ungendered language, meaning that any name could be applied to either males or females. Traditional names include Bē, Tēf, Ōrin, Bā, Māmo, and Gæl, among many others.

Bōan Traits

Bōan take great pride in their capabilities, and know fully well how to make use of them.

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 2.

Age

Maturity among Bōan is considered to be when a child no longer relies on their parents for support, which typically happens around the age of 20. It is very rare to see a Bōan live beyond their 70s.

Alignment

Bōan put great stock into the teachings of their communities, especially those given by their parents. As such, most Bōan tend to have a Lawful alignment, holding the rules imparted to them as nigh sacred. While the everyman Bōan might be typically neutral as well, for one to go out of the clansground outside of a traditional role implies some extreme of another alignment.

Size

Bōan are invariably between 5 and 7ft tall, though they do tend to be a bit on the shorter side of this range. A Bōan with a normal coat of wool tends to be around 10lbs heavier than a human of comparable size.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30ft.

Chemical Intolerance

Some substances that are considered "chemically potent" do not have a strong presence in traditional Bōan lands. As such, Bōan have progressively lost the ability to handle such substances, though this can be worked to their advantage. You gain advantage on Constitution saving throws against ingested and inhaled poison, being more likely to vomit or cough them back up. When attempting to consume alcohol or narcotics, you must make a Constitution check, lest they be likewise expelled. The DC of the checks made this way are left to the DM, so as to account for differing potencies. As an optional reference, beer, mead, and ale have a DC of 10.

Hardy Outdoorsmen

Due to the hardy nature of the Bōan, and the harsh reality of their homelands requiring adaptation, you gain proficiency in Nature and Survival.

Languages

As a Bōan, you can read, write, and speak Common and Bō.