Homebrew Brightfang Mustelid (Humblewood Official) Species Details

The independent and determined mustels are some of the least common folk in Wesden. They have a reputation for being stubborn; once a mustel has set their mind to a course of action, it is almost impossible to convince them to give up.  All mustels have powerful jaws, no matter their size.

Wilderness Wanderers Mustels typically prefer the close company of a few good friends over the bustle of large settlements. Many choose life in the wilderness, living off the land and forming a deep connection with nature. Their fur, which spans a wide range of shades, including greys, blacks, browns, and whites, allows them to blend in well in natural environments. Though mustels have a reputation for being loners, they do value the bonds they form with family and friends. A popular mustel folk tale tells of a hero who returns home from a season in the wilderness to find his family slain by raiders, save for his infant niece. The hero takes the child with him as he hunts down the raiders one by one and claims his revenge. Although a mustel may come and go from a community, they don’t consider time or distance to weaken the bonds they share with their closest companions. To harm a mustel’s friend is to invite disaster.

Oathmakers Oaths are an important part of mustel culture. Once a mustel has sworn an oath to do something, they cannot break their promise without inviting unbearable shame upon themselves. True oaths are usually sworn to Ranzang the Connector, the patron Amaranthine of the mustels. The importance mustels place on keeping promises can make them seem inflexible to others. Some folk find mustels’ dedication to keeping their oaths, even when it seems impossible, to be baffling. Mustel tradition holds that traitors and oathbreakers can be identified by their smell, and confirmed Oathbreakers are shunned by mustels until they do something acceptable to redeem themselves.

Roaming Rarities Many folks can go their whole lives without ever meeting a mustel as they are relatively rare. This has led to many tales, half-truths, and lies being spread about mustels. Some of these untruths include the rumors that the burly brightfang mustels skin their enemies and that the nimble longdance mustels can enchant others with their dancing. Mustels can attract curiosity from other folk who are eager to get to know them and hostility from those who fear the unfamiliar. Depending on the mustel’s personality, they might revel in this attention or recoil from it.

Mustel Names Most mustel names have a positive meaning in the Mustelese language or are drawn from plants. They aren’t divided by gender. Longdance mustels tend to use longer names than brightfangs do. Traditionally, mustels don’t have family names. Instead, they gain an epithet from how their acquaintances describe them. These nicknames might come from a major event in a mustel’s life, a personality trait, or a physical feature. Epithets are not always flattering, but most mustels still use them in place of a family name when needed. It is exceptionally rare for a mustel to go their entire life without gaining at least one epithet.

Names: Artak, Birch, Braw, Coorie, Dewberry, Fennel, Fir, Gen, Grawl, Haff, Honeysuckle, Jemmer, Maple, Prowsen, Rose, Sususra, Thistle, Thrang, Twill, Verang

Epithets: the Bloody, the Brave, the Builder, the Dreamless, the Fool, the Birdfriend, the High Tail, the Stoneheart, the Talker, the Unreliable, the Unseen, the Wildpaw

MUSTEL TRAITS
Ability Score Increases. Increase one ability score by 2 and another ability score by 1. To play a typical brightfang mustel, choose Strength and Charisma. To play a typical longdance mustel, choose Dexterity and Charisma. Alternatively, increase three ability scores by 1.
Creature Type. You are a humanoid.
Age. Mustels age at an average pace and are considered adults at the age of 20. They are relatively long-lived, with many reaching ages of around 85.
Bite. You have sharp fangs that enable you to make bite attacks. You can choose to bite as an unarmed strike that deals 1d6 piercing damage, which can be calculated using either your Strength or Dexterity modifier for both the attack roll and damage bonus.
Relentless. When you take damage from being hit by an attack or from failing a saving throw, you can reduce the damage you take by half (no action required). You can’t use this trait again until you finish a long rest.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Birdfolk  and Mustelese. Lineage Options. You can choose the brightfang mustel or longdance mustel lineage option.

Brightfang Mustelid (Humblewood Official) Traits

Brightfang mustel resemble wolverines, badgers, grissons, and other burly mustelids.

Scenting

If a creature’s scent is perceptible, you can detect it with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check. If a creature is deliberately hiding its scent, you must succeed on a contested Wisdom (Perception) check against its Dexterity (Stealth). On a success, you learn the location of the invisible or hidden creature as if it were not invisible or hidden from you. You can maintain this effect for 1 minute or until you lose your concentration (as if you were concentrating on a spell).

Bigger Bite

When you reach 9th level, this increases to 1d10.

Strong Claws

You have advantage on skill checks made to climb or dig.