Homebrew Hesthaug Species Details
Just below the surface of these rolling hills, under the thunderous footstep of giants, lies a stoic race of subsurface dwellers, whose hardened claws move and mold earth with ease.
Scattered throughout the expanse in small family groups, the Hesthaugs are a mammalian race well acclimated to a life in the soil. With shovel-like claws and calloused, leathery forelimbs, they dig their way through the expanse, hollowing out subterranean dens which can reach depths of 60 feet. Their powerful, stout backlegs useful for removing upturned earth as they expand forwards, this body plan renders them efficient excavators.
Creating Your Character
If you create a Hesthaug character, follow these additional rules during character creation.
As a Hesthaug, you have these special traits.Ability Score Increases
When determining your character’s ability scores, your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Strength score increases by 1. Alternatively, increase one score by 2 and a different one by 1, or increase three scores by 1.
Creature Type
You are a Humanoid.
Size
Your Size is Medium (about 5.5–6.5 feet tall).
Speed
Your Speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision
You have Darkvision with a range of 60 feet.
Digging Claws
You strike with your calloused, shovel-like claws. When you hit with it, the strike deals 1d6 + your Strength modifier slashing damage, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
Hill Attunement
Life under the soil has made you hyper aware of subsurface vibrations. You have Tremorsense with a range of 10 ft.
Submerge
As a bonus action, you can use your claws to submerge yourself just below the surface — so long as you are standing on earth, mud, snow, ice, or sand — at the cost of half of your movement speed.
Until you emerge, you gain the benefits of half cover (+2 AC and +2 to Dex Saves) and have advantage on dexterity saving throws. While submerged in this way, Your movement speed is 10ft, and you leave a visible trail of disrupted terrain as you travel. This trail does not count as difficult terrain for others.
Moving in this way allows you ignore the effects of difficult terrain as well as move through other creatures spaces. This movement is NOT a burrow speed.
While submerged you cannot attack or cast magic spells which require somatic components, but you still maintain concentration on spells cast before your burrow began.
You can choose to end your burrow with either a bonus action or by taking the attack action with your digging claws.
Languages
Your character knows two languages: Common and Halfling. Knowledge of a language means your character can communicate in it, read it, and write it.