Homebrew Chimera Species Details

“You call us beasts.. monsters.. shapeshifters.. skin walkers.. But could you not see we are from the same flesh and blood? Could you not SEE that we were once YOUR OWN KIN!? If you do not see that.. if you do not share the same kind of courtesy as you would to a hellborn… then what hope does this world have to offer..? Nothing..” -Viren Voss, head leader of his clan as well as one of the first of his kind 600 years ago.

With ever-changing appearances, Chimeras reside in many societies undetected. Each Chimera hiding their animalistic features to pose as normal folk. For some Chimeras, it is merely a disguise. For other Chimeras, it is a way to grasp onto the one thing that makes them feel normal, like themselves.

The first Chimeras were not born or simply appeared out of nowhere, but were merely made out of hatred from a goddess. A curse was wrought upon a village, home to several clans, for what reason is unknown, though some rumors seem to point at the Voss clan, primarily Viren Voss. This curse caused the village residents to morph and change, receiving merely small animal features or monstrous disfigurements. For years people feared the Chimeras and knights have hunted them down till they were almost extinct. Viren tried to speak reason with them, but alas, it proved hopeless.

In their true form, Chimeras, for those who haven’t lost themselves to the curse, still have their humanoid form, only they would have animal like features that can vary depending on the person and clan. It is rare to see a Chimera in that form, for a typical Chimera would hide those features as people would hide blemishes with makeup. However, many Chimeras also developed the ability to change into other animals, people, or even monstrous forms, which one would mistake them for either a druid or a changeling. A Chimera adventurer might use this to their advantage for many situations, including negotiation, investigation, stealth, and combat.

Lifespan

Chimeras mature at the same rate as humans but can live much longer due to their curse, often reaching ages of 150-200 years.

Alignment

Chimeras often embody a chaotic nature, reflecting their internal struggle with their curse. They may lean towards neutrality or chaotic alignments.

Size

Chimeras stand between 5 and 7 feet tall, making them either average size creatures or towering behemoths.

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 a different score by 1, or increase three 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, Sylvan, 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.

Chimera Traits

As a Chimera, you have the following racial traits.

Creature Type

You are a Cursed Fey.

Size

Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your walking speed is 40 feet.

Shapeshifter

As an action, you can transform your body into any creature you've seen, including animals, humanoids, and monstrous forms. You can maintain this form for a number of hours equal to your level. You revert to your true form if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die. While transformed, you gain the physical stats of the creature but retain your mental stats (Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma). You cannot change your size category; if the form is larger or smaller, you must adjust your proportions accordingly and your clothing and equipment cannot be changed by this trait.

Animalistic Features

No matter what form you take, you always retain certain animalistic features that manifest in your true form. As such, you will have the following features that are always present in your true form.
- Fangs: You have sharp teeth, giving you a natural bite attack that deals 1d8 piercing damage.
- Claws: Your hands are clawed, allowing you to make unarmed strikes that deal 2d4 slashing damage.
- Eyes of the Beast: Your eyes reflect the predatory nature of animals. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
- Enhanced Senses: You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell or hearing.

Curse of the Beast

You are often viewed with suspicion or fear due to your curse. You have disadvantage on Persuasion checks when interacting with those who are unfamiliar with your nature. However, you gain advantage on Intimidation checks due to your intimidating appearance.

Wild Empathy

You have a natural affinity for animals. You can communicate with animals as if you were speaking their language. You can also cast the Speak with Animals spell once per long rest without using a spell slot.