Homebrew Deku Species Details

 I could hear them shuffling in the murky underbrush, but every time I turned to look they would vanish out of sight. After a while of wading in brackish bog did I finally spot one at a distance: small, with a diminutive wooden body and a round wooden face, mouth a gaping hollow branch-stump, eyes a dull glowing amber. It was clothed in foliage, with several large stiff leaves springing from the top of its head. I hurried in its direction, crying out that I was a friend and meant no harm, but to no avail: it was gone by the time I reached it, and where it was standing remained only a large, flat-petaled flower sprung from the ground, with an oddly hollow central cavity. It may have been my imagination, but when I peered inside, I thought I could just make out two orange eyes peeping back at me from under the ground.

— Sander Fleetsy, halfling druid

The race known as deku are a reserved, herbaceous species occupying the deepest reaches of swamps and wetlands, as well as some regions of rainforests and forests. They are a flighty and clever people, adapted to survival by means of evasion, camouflage, and safety in numbers.

Safety in Order

Deku are wise to the fact that the world is dangerous to plantfolk: not only carnivores, but also herbivores, number among predators, and nature can be cruel to the small. Deku have adapted to this reality by living in tightly-knit, strictly ordered societies: their kingdoms are marked by an intricate system of honor, social roles, and comportment, all of which helps to create a secure society in which to live. Deku kingdoms are infamously difficult for foreigners to navigate: visitors are rarely permitted but for official business, and are expected to know and follow the social codes and decorum as well as any native. Failure to do so may result in incarceration, punishment, or expulsion from the kingdom. It is rare for foreigners to be let in, and even rarer for them to complete their visit without a hitch. For the deku none of this is personal; it is necessary for their safety and survival.

Deku society is carefully organized into castes into which each individual is born, and which determines their line of work. The deku caste system is unique in that, aside from the royal families, it is not stratified by rank or class. For protection and care, all deku children are reared together by childrearers; while they maintain relationships with their parents and family, they are not raised in the family, and are returned upon maturity to live with their families and take on their caste's line of work. There are many castes: examples include soldiers and guards, gardeners, cooks, childrearers, retainers to the royal family, scholars, priests, artisans, builders, businessmen, and scouts. Mobility between castes is possible, but very rare: deku spirituality conveys a strong sense of meaning from one's born duty, performed for the commonweal of all deku.

Outside of the kingdom, the deku's reputation for honor grants them renown as businessmen of the highest quality. Deku vendors and merchants are welcome in most all settlements, big or small, and most are eager to do business with them, knowing that they will be getting a fair and mutually beneficial deal. The rare dishonest deku is able to make a killing taking advantage of this trust for years before being caught!

Deku Kingdoms: Well-Oiled Gardens

Each deku society is its own small kingdom, typical situated in the deepest centers of wetlands and swamps, though also sometimes rainforests and woods. There is only ever one deku kingdom per given wetland or forest: competition between deku only serves to help the predators who threaten them! The kingdoms themselves tend to be small and very organized, running like clockwork: every deku knows their role and lives by it, serving one another as a community.

Deku kingdoms are sights to behold: rare and beautiful plant life, cultivated under the tender care of the deku, abound within. Bounteous and lush gardens flourish within the kingdoms, providing food, shelter, and material for the deku; indeed, the garden kingdoms are not only for the sake of beauty, but serve many purposes. The palace, tombs, shops, and even humble homes are woven from the living flora of these gardens. Surrounded by tall wooden palisades, or built among the ruins of ancient stone pyramids, deku kingdoms are spoken about in tales that travel the world: these tales, along with the inhibitive difficulty of entering, make deku kingdoms mouthwatering quarry for sightseeing adventurers.

Deku Names

Deku do not have proper personal names; rather, their names are constructed of a personal base name, upon which are added honorific affixes denoting caste and family position. The name's prefix indicates caste, and the suffix describes the main familial role of the individual, which may change over the years. This full name is used in formal settings, as well as in third person; when speaking directly to a Deku casually, the middle root is typically dropped, leaving only the honorific affixes together.

Caste Prefixes: Deku- (royalty); Ju- (soldiers); Ba- (gardeners); Ti- (cooks); Ko- (childrearers);  De- (retainers); Ki- (scholars); Tu- (priests); Bu- (artisans); Te- (builders); Ji- (businessmen); Do- (scouts)

Personal Name Roots: -ka-, -ki-, -ku-,  -ke-,  -ko-, -ba-,  -bi-,  -bu-,  -be-,  -bo-,  -da-,  -di-,  -du-,  -de-,  -do-,  -ja-,  -ji-, -ju-, -je-, -jo-, 

Familial Suffixes: -ko (wife); -ke (husband); -ku (mother); -ki (father); -ba (only child); -bo (first daughter); -be (first son); -bu (second daughter); -bi (second son); -jo (third daughter); -je (third son); -ju (fourth daughter); -ji (fourth son);

Example Deku Names: Jujubo (Jubo); Bokabi (Bobi); Tikiko (Tiko); Dekubaba (Dekuba)

To Serve the Kingdom

Curious but flighty, deku rarely leave the kingdom for any reason that is not official business; however, any number of official objectives may send a deku adventurer out into the world. A deku adventurer may be sent to study or acquire a powerful magical item for the king, to neutralize a threat, to enact diplomacy; or to learn important intel about other peoples. In the end, the every deku adventurer knows that they are not doing it for themselves, but for the benefit of their people.

Deku Traits

Your deku character has certain characteristics in common with all other deku.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 2 and your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Age

Deku reach maturity at about 5 years, and live to an average of about 45 years, though some may live up to 60.

Size

Deku are between 3 and 4 feet tall and average about 50 pounds. Your size is Small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Alignment

Deku are generally lawful.

Unwilling Kindling

As a plant, you are vulnerable to Fire damage.

Glider

Your light, hollow build and unique foliage allows you to catch wind and air movements to glide horizontally. You have 25 feet of Hover movement speed, which allows you to move through the air horizontally or downward at will. You cannot gain altitude through this ability alone.

Deku Flower

You may use your intrinsic plant magic to cause a large, flat flower to sprout up beneath your feet and hide within it. As an action while standing on soil, rock, or other organic material at least five feet deep, you may take a Hide action to create a flower and shelter within its inner underground cavity. Once created, while standing on any such flower you may hide within it as a bonus action. The flower also provides three-quarters cover while you are inside, and enemies may attempt to pull you out of the flower by succeeding on a Grapple attack against you. Once a flower is created, it lasts 1 hour before it withers away and becomes unusable.

From inside the flower, on your turn you may use your movement speed or Dash as a bonus action to launch yourself up to 25 feet straight in the air. Those 25 feet are not included in calculating any falling damage (in other words, falling damage begins to calculate after falling more than 25 feet from a launch from a flower.)

Seed Spitter

As a natural ranged weapon you may spit a seed from your mouth. This attack Action has a range of 30/120, you are proficient with it, and it deals bludgeoning damage equal to 1d4 plus your Dexterity modifier.

You can hold up to 20 seeds within your body. After each Long Rest, you regrow 2d10 seeds.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Deku. The Deku language, with its unique script, is notable for its capacity to communicate entire complex thoughts in a single word comprised of numerous affixes and inflected roots.