Homebrew Dohwar (Wildjammer) Species Details

Skillful. Adventurous. Graceful. These are words that few would use to describe the Dohwar. These heavily feathered and flightless birds resemble large and lean penguins. They are highly motivated traders with a passion for mercantilism, engaged in an endless trade war against their Great Rival: the arcane. To date, the arcane have yet to notice.

This is the Dohwar race as presented in the Wildjammer supplement created by Sesserdrix.

Clumsy Birds

If all someone knew about Dohwar is that they were avian, it might lead them to think that Dohwar are highly dextrous like other avian creatures. This is anything but the truth. Dohwar tend to be incredibly clumsy and sluggish in their movements. They have small bodies which work against the few of them that decide to take up a life of martial combat. The few who do push past these limits and become warriors often end up becoming members of the ‘legendary’ Deathsqueeler Legion, an army of space swine riding Dohwar with bravery that is easily mistaken for reckless insanity.

Unusual Merchants

Given the prevailing culture for Dohwar in the Known Spheres is highly mercantile, one could be forgiven for expecting them to have a gift for persuasion. This is also not the case. Dohwar tend to forego social grace in favor of developing highly aggressive personality traits that often come across as off-putting to others. More than a few travelers have found themselves in the position of having a group of Dohwar repeatedly reciting prices for their products, shouting over the other Dohwar, all while offering prices for valuable items the customer might have. A Dohwar merchant doesn’t really haggle or strike deals as much as they keep shouting prices until their target buys something. What’s odd is that this sales method seems to work.

Deceptive Appearance

Another assumption one might make of Dohwar is that they dress well to put a good foot forward with their customers. This is also not normally the case. They appear to favor function over form, wearing whatever is most comfortable without any regard for how good it looks, often leading them to look raggedy and out of place among traders. The truth is that this subversion of expectation ultimately plays into the Dohwar’s grand strategies.

Secretly Organized

Few know that the Dohwar are a telepathic species, able to quickly and efficiently communicate with one another , even while they are screaming trade offers at a customer. They can even use this telepathy to read the minds of others, giving them a distinct advantage in making a deal. Dohwar use this secret telepathy, their disheveled appearance, and their unusual style to exploit others in trade. However messy and poorly organized they appear to others, they are actually an incredibly well organized trade machine that thoroughly believes every other group out there is out to get them. This high degree of paranoia and organization has helped make the Dohwar incredibly successful, much to the confusion of others.

Note: Some traits below specify if they need to be manually configured on your character sheet.

Dohwar (Wildjammer) Traits

As a Dohwar, you have the following traits:

Age

Dohwar have lifespans similar to humans.

Alignment

Dohwar are generally indifferent to moral and ethical concerns, favoring neutrality.

Creature Type

You are a humanoid.

Recommended ASI

Charisma +2, Intelligence +1

Size

Dohwar are short and stocky, reaching an average height of 3 to 4ft. Your size is Small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet and you have a swimming speed equal to 50 feet.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Dohwar.

Belly Slide

While prone, you can belly slide instead of crawl. You move as if you were standing and your normal movement speed increases by 10 feet. You can’t move across difficult terrain or take the Dash action while belly sliding. (Manual)

Cold Adaptation

You are naturally adapted to cold climates, as described in chapter 5 of the DMG. You also have resistance to cold damage.

Merchant's Senses

Whenever you perform an Intelligence (History) check or use tools to determine the origin and value of an object, you have expertise in the check and can add double your proficiency bonus.

When you reach 3rd level, you learn to cast Detect Magic and Identify as a ritual.

Silent Speech

You can speak telepathically to any creature within 30 feet of you. They understand you only if the two of you share a language. You can speak telepathically in this way to one creature at a time.

Mind Reading

You can cast the Detect Thoughts spell a number of times per day equal to your proficiency bonus without using spell components. When you use this spell, you can only pick up your target’s surface thoughts. If the target is aware that Dohwar have this feature, they can make an Intelligence saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier) to resist. While this spell is active, you have advantage on social rolls against the target.