Homebrew Arma Hedge Species Details
Beyond the borders of Humblewood live hedges whose spiny quills have grown into bony plates. Blessed by the Amaranthine Henwin with a natural connection to the earth, the sturdy arma hedges have made their homes in the foothills and mountains of Firnveldt, as well as in the very heart of Stormcrag.
Naturally Armored
With their bony armor and their long tails, arma hedges resemble armadillos or pangolins more than their hedgehog-like cousins, the spiny hedges. However, they share the same empathetic and sensitive nature. It is often said that the friendship of an arma hedge is as solid as a stone and just as difficult to mend if broken. Arma hedges’ bony plates don’t pose as much of a hindrance to wearing clothing as the spines of other hedges, but they still prevent them from wearing armor. Instead of armor, arma hedges decorate their plates with pigments in intricate designs.
Souls of the Stone
Arma hedges venerate Henwin, the patron Amaranthine of all hedges, and thank Henwin for their unique gifts, including the ability to converse with rocks. Though they see beauty in all natural life, arma hedge culture respects the spirits of the stone and the soil the most. Arma hedge tales teach that the earth of Everden itself is alive, possessed of something arma hedges call the “eversoul.” The eversoul is present in all stones, from the tallest mountain to the smallest pebble. It is a primordial life force from which all other souls were coaxed by the Dawnmother and to which all souls will one day return after the Nightfather grants them rest. As a funeral rite, arma hedges will often entrust small charms carved from their plates to their loved ones, in the hopes that the charms provide guidance and protection to those left behind.
Arma Hedge Traits
As an arma hedge, you have the following traits.Ability Score Increase
Your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.
Age
Hedges take longer to mature than most other races, reaching adulthood around 20 years. They also live for a long time, with many reaching 120 years or more.
Alignment
Hedges are compassionate, empathetic, and diplomatic, tending towards good alignments. They also favor neutral alignments, as hedges have a great respect for the balance of nature.
Size
Arma hedges are taller than their spiny cousins, standing between 3 and 4 and a half feet, and tend to have heavy builds, weighing between just over 70 and just over 100 pounds. Your size is Small or Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
Natural Burrowers
You have a burrowing speed of 15 feet. You are capable of burrowing through soil, but are unable to dig through anything more substantial with just your clawed hands.
Armor Plates
The backs of hedges are covered with tough plates, which makes it impossible for hedges to wear armor. These plates provide exceptional protection, therefore you have a base armor class of 17. Even though you can't wear armor, you can still benefit from the armor class bonus provided by shields so long as you are proficient with them.
Earthblessed
You know the resistance cantrip and can cast it without requiring material components. Additionally, you can cast cymatic sight without material components once using this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Plate Wall
As an action, you can focus on defense to present your foes with a solid wall of your armor plates. Until the start of your next turn, you have resistance to all damage except psychic damage and you have advantage on ability checks and saving throws to resist being moved or knocked prone. When you take this action, your speed becomes 0 until the end of your next turn. If you are moved before your next turn, your Plate Wall effect ends and you land prone in the space you were moved to.
Speak of Stone and Soil
You have the magical ability to speak with rocks, crystals, and minerals. When doing so, you impart limited sentience on the stone for a number of minutes equal to your proficiency bonus. During this time, the rock communicates with you telepathically, and it can transmit any basic occurrences it has experienced (for example, pressure, temperature, wetness, or sounds, such as words spoken near it).
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Birdfolk and Hedge.
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