Homebrew Salamander Species Details

Golden coins and iridescent baubles were piled on the table in the tavern, the weight of the sheer volume of the valuables being enough to make cracks on the floor below. The four brightly scaled men sitting at the table were all exhausted; they had been playing a single game of poker for several hours. When asked if any of them wanted a glass of water, a leg of meat, anything, they simply ignored the servants, too caught up in their game.

Several hours later, far past midnight, the game ended and it seemed like none of them had even gained anything. When one lost, he’d win the next round, and lay claim to his lost trinkets. They said they’ll be back, tomorrow, to do it again.

-Avdol Retarro, human innkeeper, recounting his events with 4 gambling salamanders

Ambitious Serpents

Salamanders appear like giant crimson or orange-scaled snakes, with a humanoid head and arms, lacking legs entirely. Their scales feel as warm as a fireplace while the salamander is awake, and while fighting or being under extreme stress, they start to burn as hot as coals.

Both their burning scales and their fearsome appearance makes many malakuts in Al’Naar be wary of allowing salamanders to enter, however most of them are able to keep control of their body heat enough to be able to function in society.

Salamanders constantly have a drive to seek out fame and glory, wishing to become known all over the world as geniuses, heroes, or other similarly glamorous title. They enjoy situations that are high risk, but high reward, and many of them take on occupations and hobbies reflecting this, such as gambling or inventing.

They can sometimes be stubborn in their ambition, refusing to give up, with the most foolhardy of their kind even doing so to their detriment.

 

Serpentine Rivalry

With the large amount of similarities between salamanders and yuan-ti, one would assume they could put aside their differences and be allies. However, from the endless ambition and desire for uniqueness that salamanders hold, the salamanders became bitter rivals with the yuan-ti.

When two people are seen as extremely bitter rivals that are close to equal in strength, they are known as being "aeda althaeabin", which, translated from Primordial to Common, means "snake foes". This term originates from how complex and vicious the reptilian rivalries between salamanders and yuan-ti can become. If a salamander and a yuan-ti both try the same thing, regardless of all other competitors, they will almost always attempt to outdo and defeat the other, even if it would make them fail in the end.

On the rare occasion that a yuan-ti and salamander can ignore their rivalries and become allies, or even friends, they often are able to convince others of their kin to do the same. To clans of yuan-ti, all salamanders appear like foes, but if just one is trustworthy, then perhaps others can be trustworthy, as well.

Innately Lucky

When a salamander needs extreme luck to shine on their side, it seems to happens more often than it does for most other people. Some folks believe that this is a sign that all salamanders are cheaters, however, this is not the case.

Salamanders, instead, are blessed with the ability to control luck on occasion, though not all of them know that they can. Many will latch onto a specific trinket that was with them when they first used this power, believing it to be a lucky charm.

There is an old legend that if one consumes seven hundred seventy-seven salamander tails in one day, you will be blessed with good luck for all of your life. While it has not been confirmed if this is true or not, some religious groups capture and murder salamanders to acquire their tails, and their tails are also sold on the black market.

Salamander Names

Salamander names tend to sound grand and mighty, with many salamander parents believing in a superstition that strong names make a grander salamander, with a happy life, as the name’s ferociousness scares off evil spirits.

Male Salamander Names: Aetius, Aulus, Brutus, Caesar, Egnatius, Faustus, Herminius

Female Salamander Names: Aelia, Caelina, Cornelia, Fausta, Horatia, Junia, Laurentina

Salamander Surnames: Atanius, Cluvius, Furius, Hostilius, Orbius, Pedius, Varius

 

Salamander Traits

Your salamander character has the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 1, and your Intelligence score increases by 2.

Age

Salamanders live existences that are short like the fires that sustain them, becoming mature only six years after hatching, and many only living to be in their forties, though a rare few have been seen to live to be barely under a century.

Alignment

The life of a salamander usually revolves around cheap thrills and pleasures, trying to enjoy every single moment of life while they still can, with most salamanders having an inclination towards good or neutral alignments.

Size

Salamanders stand about 5 feet tall when upright, but the total length of their bodies, head to tail, ranges from 8 feet to as much as 16 feet. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

Your eyes are adapted to the dark, able to direct pinpricks of light from the smallest flame to see. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of red.

Hot Blooded

You have resistance to fire damage. Additionally, if a creature would try to drink your blood, it suffers fire damage equal to your Constitution modifier (a minimum of 1).

Worldly Pleasures

You have proficiency in two gaming sets of your choice, as well as one set of artisan’s tools from the following: brewer’s supplies, cook’s utensils, or painter’s supplies.

Reptilian Ambition

Before you make an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw, you can choose to have advantage on the roll if you do not already. After using this trait, you must take a short or long rest before doing so, again.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Primordial and Ignan. Salamanders love to make use of their natural understanding of the Ignan tongue, throwing in bits of Ignan into many of their sentences in other languages.