Homebrew Echidna Species Details

A rough and tumble species of echidna-like folk, these people come from an angelic earthmote with a lush terrain of steep cliffs and spires, and tall hills with a rugged beauty. The island was rent from the earth in a magical catastrophe involving seven magical emeralds, one of which the echidna helped to protect; and now as the earthmote wanders the skies, so the echidna wander the world below in search of the missing emerald. The ancient tradition of their service guarding the mystical and magnificent emerald is deeply ingrained in them and remains strong today, as the echidna of the isle were, in fact, some of the few survivors of the ancient cataclysm. They are slow to trust outside visitors to the isle, and have cultivated a strong warrior spirit after fighting off countless invaders. Aside from valuing, loyalty, strength, and tradition, they also have a mystical side and are in tune with the spirit of the land, being excellent navigators. It can be tough to work past their often spiny personalities, but once befriended they are ready to knuckle up and fight for their treasured allies.

Echidna are a humanoid species bearing great resemblance to short-beaked echidnas, but they stand on two legs, and their "beak" snouts and faces have fur of a similar color; their forearms are muscular and their hands have rough and pronounced knuckles, and their fur is typically a hue from red to brown, though occasionally, golden, white and black fur can be seen. Their eyes are usually a yellow or amber color. Their back bristles with spikes, going from their neck and shoulders down to their hips. They are Medium in size, being from around 4'2" to 4'8", and weighing from about 120 to 175 pounds. Echidna are usually drawn to Lawful or Neutral alignments, keeping to the rules of their society or employers, or maintaining their own code of conduct apart from them. They speak Kriiol, which has some archaisms from their ancient language but incorporates sounds and features from the variety of languages Kriiol has come into contact with over the wanderings of the echidna's homeland. Some examples of male Kriiol names include Knukka, Bolt, Jamjam, Bombo, and Toba; some examples of female Kriiol names are Trini, Minica, Gaga, Ribbea, and Luuna.

Echidna Traits

Knuckle up!

Iron Knuckles

The tough knuckles of the echidna give them excellent punching power. You have an unarmed punching attack that deals 1d4 Bludgeoning damage.

Climbing Speed

Combined with experience living in steep and rocky environments, the grip strength of the echidna helps them to navigate similar terrain with ease .

You have an innate climbing speed.

Glide

With their fur being a little looser on their ribs and flanks, and their quill being able to slick back into an aerodynamic shape, echidna are able to stretch out their limbs and glide surprisingly well.

When falling more than 20 feet, you can move 2 feet horizontally for every 1 foot you fall, and choose the horizontal direction of the glide.

Spike Defense

The quills of the echidna prevent them from wearing armor, but those quills and their overall hardiness make it difficult to land a solid blow on them.

You can't wear armor, and your unarmored AC is 13+Dexterity modifier.

Quill Guard

Due to their quills, it's hard to get a solid hold on an echidna without being poked. You have Advantage on saves against being Grappled.

The Way

The mystic heritage from guarding the magical emerald has given the echidna a keen sense of direction and a knack for handling themselves in the outdoors.

You have proficiency in Survival, and always know which direction is North.