Homebrew Podling Species Details

Appearance

Podlings are very small humanoid creatures with a toad like face. They have large eyes, protruding frog-like faces and patches of wild colored, thick hair. It’s often argued about whether they more closely resemble amphibians or plants. Their skin is soft to the touch and gives slightly much like the texture of a mushroom. Their eyes are usually dark colors; skin comes in earthy tones; and their hair can be any color in the rainbow, favoring browns and reds. Each hand has two fingers and a thumb. Males and females are incredibly similar, only really able to be discerned visually as females tend to have larger hips.

Culture

Podlings are a community oriented group of farmers, favoring swampy lands and places where fungus grows plentiful. Family groups are very tight-nit and there are no such things as strangers. Money and other such materialistic things are foreign and unheard of in Podling communities. They believe if everyone shares everything that no-one will ever be without the things they need.

Podlings run on the very perfect ideal of democracy. Every big decision is made based upon popular votes. Voting takes place once a week in a long feast where all the ideas of the week are voted upon. Every adult Podling is able to vote and they all celebrate and participate in this cultural cornerstone.

They do have a sort of leader in the form of a Marshall. This is usually a male but there are no rules against other genders, males simply seem to be most interested in the position. They help organize all feasts, count votes, and listen to community problems. They do not have control without the voters, however, unless disasters arise and there is no time for a vote.

Podlings take pride in their farms and these are about the only types of ‘personal belongings’ a single Podling may have. Each Podling has a farm of their own and over the course of their life they try different kinds of plants until they find the one they do best—that then becomes their signature and their whole life then revolves around making the best of that crop, altering it for different needs, etc.

--Most Podlings keep their personal growing secrets to themselves, maybe passing them off onto their children. This is viewed more like a family secret and respected as such than seen as the Podling being selfish or stingy.  

Mentality

Podlings have a reputation for being of lesser intelligence, this stems from their wildly explosive emotions among other things. When a Podling is feeling something everyone around them knows exactly what they are feeling. They are prone to outbursts of emotion both good and bad, and at times appear to be over-reacting. This gives them a child-like attitude and can often seem counterintuitive to moving forward from any event. Podlings are capable of controlling their emotions and acting ‘normally’ but they prefer to let lose as it is a Podling saying ‘all things bottled go bad, better to be fresh and now’.

In truth Podlings are just as intelligent as the other races of Thra. They have a hard time communicating in other languages as their own tongue is mostly sounds and emotions and not actual words. They can speak other languages but it is always broken and not quite ‘right’, which only lends to their poor reputation. Of the other languages Common is the easiest for them to learn.

Podlings view the other races as very overwhelmed and stressed. They don’t understand polite versus impolite as everything in their culture is shared so the idea of stealing or encroaching upon someone else’s territory is foreign indeed. They do enjoy adventuring—if for short periods of time—and enjoy companionship where ever it is offered.

Religion

Podlings don’t have a real religion per se, but they do worship the changing of the seasons and Thra as a sort of being. As their whole lives revolve around farming and the seasons they hold celebrations (religious in nature) for the changing of the seasons, and will appeal to Thra if a season is too late or too early. They will also ask Thra for forgiveness or blessing if things are going awry in the natural order of things, for loss of crops could be devastating to their people.

Any deities they would worship would be based upon farming, the seasons or plants in general. A very large, very old tree for example could conceivably be a God/Goddess. They would worship more like non-affiliated pagans than organized religions, meaning worship would differ greatly from Podling to Podling.

Sexuality & General Open Mindedness

Podlings do tend to view things in a binary but it’s less about gender and more about who raises the young and who doesn’t. Though everyone helps care for the young, only some Podlings make it a job and spend their time with the seedlings. They recognize male, female, non binary, both, and neither as genders. Sexuality is fluid and polygamy is the normal ‘sexuality’. Generally not much causes an uproar and they are very open to all kinds of things.

Classes

Podlings have all classes available to them and are not limited. However they excel as healers and druids.

Podlings taking classes that resolve around religious figures would likely be grouped into seasons versus picking deities. For example a Podling who decided to be a Cleric would be a Cleric of Autumn, Summer, Winter or Spring. A broader spectrum deity would be Thra herself, but generally Podlings would be much more open and far less single deity oriented.

Wealth

Podlings do not understand a system other than barter and as such you have no gold. You may have trade worthy items of your own choosing with a combined total not exceeding 100 gold. You may decide if your Podling has a preferred plant and what it is. You will make a series of percentile rolls for an applicable magical item.

Names

Podling names, in conjunction with their strange native tongue, are more often than not just sounds instead of actual names. They do not have a written language so spelling a name is not a concept and sounds are much more reliable.

Examples (good for all genders): Soo, Tck, Brmmm, Awwo, Thpp, Srrr

Podling Traits

Your podling character has a number of traits in common with all other podlings.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity increases by 2 and your Constitution increases by 1.

Age

Podlings usually live well into their hundreds. They reach maturity at 4, and anything over 120 is considered old. Everything in between is considered ‘prime’.

Size

Podlings stand between 2 and 3 feet tall and weigh about 30 pounds. Your size is small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Proficiencies

You may wear light and medium armor, and you may wield simple weapons with the addition of the blowgun and the net.

Poisonous Skin

Any creature that grapples you or otherwise comes into direct contact with your skin must succeed on a DC 12 Con Saving Throw or become poisoned for 1 minute. A poisoned creature no longer in direct contact with you may repeat the Saving Throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. You can also apply this poision to any piercing weapon as part of an attack with that weapon, though when you hit the poison reacts differently. The target must succeed on a DC 12 Con Saving Throw or take 2d4 poison damage.

Languages

You are fluent in Poddish, and may speak and understand one other language though you are never able to be fluent and written language will always escape you.