Homebrew Wicker Species Details
"I know the story of a wicker lady. She called herself Hild and lived in a Lutan village. A formidable warrior, Hild led numerous raids. But one night, deep inside the thick Halvan Forests, strangeness did happen. A score of her warriors fell to feed the worms, but Hild led the remainder of her bloodied party out to the coast and their longship. A great bonfire was stoked there on the beach and to the horror of her companions Hild used her own axe to chop at herself, she did. None had ever suspected that she was a wicker. Perhaps Hild herself had never known. But piece by piece she revealed her true self and cast the flesh of her former life to burn on the pyre, honoring her dead companions. She lived—and fought—alongside the Lutan for many more years, it is said."
—Otis the Historian
Woven together when the world was created, the wicker are unusual constructs. Though made from wood they are clearly separate and apart from the natural world. They were built for a purpose, but that purpose has long been forgotten. Some believe that Mirgal created them as a jest, others that Grimnir itself birthed them (maybe even to protect the world from Mirgal himself!)
Creatures Without Purpose
The wicker seek their own identity. Some have attempted to band together into communities of their own, while others travel the world with no knowledge that others like them exist. Yet, all taste a whisper of the primal magic used to create them and, like a moth drawn to flame, search for the source of that magic.
Builders and Creators
Most wicker have a drive to build—whether it be jewelry, weapons, or buildings. They love to create and to admire the creations of others.
Wicker Names
A wicker will tend to be named by those around it, perhaps for the forest where it is found or how it acted when first talked to. Within a community they may choose to name each other, taking on the names of the humans and other folk that surround them.
Wicker Names: Agar, Bark, Booton, Brough, Cowick, Fand, Fothat, Glion, Growl, Halbrook, Isen, Kin, Lowen, Rivest, Roth, Tol, Vin
Wicker Traits
The wicker have the following traits.Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.
Age
Wicker do not age. You are immune to magical aging effects.
Size
You are Medium or Small. You choose the size when you select this race.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 25 feet (20 feet if small).
Natural Armor
The tight and hard coils of wood used to build you provides you with a +1 bonus to your Armor Class. You still gain this bonus while wearing armor for which you have proficiency.
Neither Alive nor Dead
You have several advantages over a normal creature.
- You do not need to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe.
- You are immune to disease and have advantage on saving throws against poisoning.
- You cannot unwillingly have your form altered by any spell or effect.
Aversion to Fire
If you take fire damage, you have disadvantage on saving throws and ability checks until the end of your next turn.
A Creator’s Soul
You gain proficiency in two tools of your choice.
Wicker: Builder
The builders are the bulk of the wicker folk. They wield a wide variety of odd tools, many of which have been grafted onto their bodies. Versatile, but uncertain of their role, these wicker search for a place in the world.
Add or Remove Limbs
During a long rest a wicker can add and remove limbs. They may only ever have one of the following:
- Two additional legs to increase their base walking speed by +10 feet.
- A tool arm (either of the two “creator’s soul” tools in the core race feature) which when used gives advantage to tool use checks.
- A shield arm that grants +1 to AC (can be used with another shield).
- A spiked or clubbed arm (1d6 piercing or bludgeoning damage plus your Strength modifier). Treated as a magical weapon at 7th level.
Unusual Beings
At the GM’s discretion, Builders can look like anything, even inanimate objects.
However, their base form before modification must have only two appendages for movement and two for manipulation.
Wicker: Watcher
These wicker are more cleverly constructed than the builders. Their wooden frame is hidden by neatly sculpted panels of wood and magic enlivens their facial features sufficient that they may pass as human, elf, gnome, or halfling (your choice when you select this race).
Hidden
A suspicious NPC will only notice that the wicker is an artificial being after a minute of examination and a DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check. Methods to sense or detect magic will register a wicker as magical.
Persuasive
A watcher starts with proficiency in the Persuasion skill.
Watchful
A watcher always has advantage when making Insight checks.
Change is Inevitable
The watcher can tear off their facade and become a builder. This transformation takes one minute and is irrevocable. The wicker loses their Watcher features and, until they finish a long rest, they cannot use the builder’s Add or Remove Limbs trait.
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