Homebrew Dark Sun: Mul Species Details
Muls are half-dwarves, descended from the union of a human and a dwarf. They have the stature, agility, and mental flexibility of humankind, coupled with the physical resilience and endurance of dwarves - a rare combination of qualities that makes muls more than a simple blend of the two races.
Because they are strong, tough, quick, and blessed with fantastic endurance, muls are highly prized as slaves. In fact, most muls are born into slavery.
Physical Qualities
Muscular and fit, muls resemble powerfully built humans. Although one might expect muls to average somewhere between dwarf and human stature, they are taller than most humans. Male muls have truly heroic proportions - broad shoulders, narrow waists, powerful thighs, and thick arms. Females, while not as heavily muscled, are tall, strong, and athletic. Many muls of both genders are hairless, although some grow topknots of dark hair. Their faces hint at their dwarven ancestry, with strong, stern features and small, swept-back ears that come to subtle points. Mul skin and eye colors are as varied as they are in humans, but many muls have a copper or deeply bronzed complexion, and a few have eyes of a startling honey-gold or green-gold color.
Muls have little collective racial identity and adopt the dress and fashion of their homes. However, they are fond of tattoos and favor simple geometric patterns rather than depictions of creatures or objects. In this way, they honor their dwarven heritage with designs reminiscent of dwarven motifs.
Muls have life spans comparable to those of humans.
Playing A Mul
Most muls begin their lives as slaves. Slaveholders throughout the Tyr Region have long known that tremendous hardiness and stamina result from mixing human and dwarven lines. Muls make outstanding gladiators, slave warriors, and heavy laborers, enduring toil and hardships that would kill lesser folk.
Muls who set their hearts on freedom are difficult to keep in chains. Some escape to the wilds and become raiders or join tribes of ex-slaves, whereas others who escape become mercenaries and sell their fighting skills to whomever they can. Muls who don't flee captivity can win their freedom in the arena or by completing a dangerous task for their masters. A few highly prized gladiators receive so many privileges and comforts that they are effectively free, enjoying great latitude to go where they want and do as they wish. The Dungeon Master might have mul heroes start as slaves. If not, assume that your mul character has already won his or her freedom by the time the game begins.
Muls are hard, driven, pragmatic folk with little remorse or sympathy in their hearts. Many grow up under the lash, having been taken from their parents while very young and subjected to brutal training for the arena, or grinding toil in fields or quarries. Consequently, muls have a hard time offering friendship and trust to anyone. More than a few muls, scarred by the hardships of their upbringing, spend their days as bitter, violent misanthropes. Others are suspicious, grasping mercenaries who have learned never to lift a finger on behalf of another person without establishing what they will gain from providing aid. Despite their tendency to be sullen or self-centered, muls can learn to work alongside others. Growing up in the slave pits and underclass of society taught them how to forge alliances and understandings; their survival demanded nothing less.
Mul Names
Mul have personal names, but no sort of familiar name, since almost all mul are ripped from their families at a young age. Those who do choose to go by more than just their personal name often simply use the name of the city-state they all from as a last name. Free mul, or those that live among
Male Names: Aram, Borthomar, Bost, Darok, Darus, Durn, Eben, Erekard, Gard, Harask, Marok, Morg, Rikard, Rikus, Sanozar, Uskan, Zedath, Zorus
Female Names: Aisa,Aivel, Brithis, Callia, Demosis, Elina, Faivel, Himithis, Laivi, Narisel, Niva, Raina, Reshel, Saditha, Tirshel, Uisel, Zerima
Why Are They Called Muls?
The word "mul" is derived from the Dwarven term mulzhennedar, which means "strength". Pronunciation varies throughout the Tyr Regin; the word can be pronounced as mool, mull, or mule, although the last variation is considered derogatory and might start a fight. Given the derivation of the name, sages who care about such matters regard mull as the most accurate pronunciation.
Dark Sun: Mul Traits
Tireless and unyielding, muls are born to fight.Ability Score Increase
Your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Strength score increases by 1.
Age
Mul age at approximately the same rate as humans, reaching maturity slightly earlier.
Alignment
Mul tend towards law over chaos due to their upbringing: slaves and gladiators often have rigorous daily routines. Muls are not inclined towards either good or evil, with a majority of mul tending towards neutral on this spectrum.
Size
Mul resemble powerfully built humans, and are taller than most of that race. Even the short mul stands at 6 feet tall, and most average around 250 pounds. Your size is medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Mixed Bloodlines
The blood of both dwarves and humans flow through mul veins. Mul can ignore racial requirements from magic items that require the user to be either a Dwarf or a Human.
Mul Vitality
Increase the number of hit die you can spend during a short rest by 1.
Tireless
As a mul, you only need to sleep 2 hours in a 24 hour period to combat the effects of exhaustion. You also have resistance to any effect that would give you exhaustion, rounding down.
Incredible Toughness
When you are effected by a condition (such as being blinded or charmed), you can choose to end one condition effecting you as a bonus action. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a short or long rest.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and Dwarven. Due to the nature of their upbringing, Muls never developed a language of their own.
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