Homebrew Floran: Briarborn Species Details
Creature Type. You are a Plant. You are also considered a Humanoid for any effects that specifically require a humanoid target.
Size. You are Medium. Briarborn stand between 5 and 6 feet tall, their wiry, brambled frames occupying a standard amount of space on the battlefield.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Age. Briarborn reach maturity around age 50 and can live for up to 500 years, their wiry, thorny forms toughening and darkening as they age.
Alignment. Briarborn are generally pragmatic and protective, leaning toward Lawful or Neutral alignments. They prioritize the safety of their kin and the stability of their grove above all else, often acting as the steadfast defenders of their community.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice (typically Sylvan or another language reflecting your grove's history).
Fierce, protective, and unyielding, the Briarborn are the thorny guardians of the Floran diaspora. While the Petalborn sought the open meadows, the Briarborn grew in the harsh, contested edges of the wild—rocky cliffside brambles, dense thickets, and arid scrublands. Their bodies are lean, wiry, and densely packed with sharp, defensive briars and thorns that mirror their sharp, pragmatic wit. They are a deeply loyal people who view life as something to be guarded fiercely, often acting as the sentinels and defenders of their communities.
Floran: Briarborn Traits
Your Briarborn character shares the primal heritage of the First Garden but has adapted to the harsh, contested edges of the wild. Ability Score Increases. When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. Languages. Your character can speak, read, and write Common and Sylvan. Creature Type. You are a Plant. You are also considered a Humanoid for any effects that specifically require a humanoid target. Life Span. Briarborn reach maturity around age 50 and can live for up to 500 years, their wiry forms toughening as they age.Floran Heritage
As a member of the diverse Floran species, you share a common botanical lineage. You possess the following traits: Darkvision, Sun's Beauty, Earth's Embrace, Naturally Adept, Verdant Vitality, and Living Carapace
Wiry Resilience
Your flexible, bramble-like physiology allows you to slip through twisting undergrowth and resist binding forces. You have advantage on saving throws and ability checks made to avoid or escape being paralyzed, restrained, or grappled.
Hardened Growth
Your Constitution score increases by 2 and your Dexterity score increases by 1. (Or choose any other +2/+1 combination as per standard rules).
Darkvision
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. When viewing things in darkness, your vision is attuned to the growth of the wild, allowing you to see the world in shades of green rather than gray.
Sun's Beauty
You can turn sunlight into nourishment. If you spend at least 1 hour in direct sunlight, you gain the benefits of a full day's rations and do not need to eat standard food for the day.
Earth's Embrace
You do not need to sleep. Instead, if you submerge your feet or root-appendages at least halfway into fresh soil and water, you can enter a semiconscious, suspended state for 4 hours. Resting this way gives you the same benefits a human gains from 8 hours of sleep. Magic cannot put you to sleep, and you do not suffer exhaustion from a lack of rest as long as you complete this communion daily.
Naturally Adept
Your ancient connection to the First Garden grants you an innate understanding of the natural world. You gain proficiency in the Nature skill.
Verdant Vitality
As a creature born of the earth and the raw magic of the Feywild, your connection to the cycle of growth grants you natural grace and a captivating presence. Your Charisma score increases by 2, and your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Living Carapace
You can cultivate and shape your own biological matter into a protective covering tailored specifically to your physiology. By spending 1 hour in meditation—which can be performed during a short or long rest—you can harden your skin, grow reinforced plates, or weave dense, fibrous vines into a suit of armor.
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Custom Fit: This armor is biologically fused to you and cannot be removed against your will. It is perfectly fitted to your size and cannot be used by any other creature.
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Adaptable Protection: Upon completing the meditation, you may choose to manifest this armor as Light, Medium, or Heavy armor. You are considered proficient with the armor you create.
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Attunement: To maintain the structural integrity of this armor, you must be attuned to it. While attuned, the armor acts as an extension of your own body; it does not impose disadvantage on Stealth checks, and you do not require a free hand to don or doff it.
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Evolving Form: As you gain levels, your carapace grows more resilient.
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Level 5: Kinetic Dampening. Your armor becomes fluid and reactive. When a creature within 5 feet of you hits you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to cause your armor to ripple and stiffen momentarily, absorbing the blow and dealing force damage back to the attacker equal to your Proficiency Bonus.
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Level 9: Your carapace becomes resistant to non-magical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage while you are below half of your hit point maximum.
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Level 13: You can choose to grow additional sensory organs or toughened internal fibers, granting you a +1 bonus to your AC.
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If you choose to dismiss the armor, it crumbles into inert compost, requiring another hour of meditation to regrow.
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