Homebrew Dumkins (Underland) Species Details

𝓓𝓾𝓶𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓼

The Smallfolk of Underland

“Never underestimate a Dumkin. Especially if they're smiling.”

𝓘𝓷𝓽𝓻𝓸𝓭𝓾𝓬𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂 𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓰𝓻𝓪𝓹𝓱

Dumkins are Underland's smallfolk, a cheerful and hearty people known for their enormous personalities, stubborn determination, and seemingly endless curiosity. Small in stature but rarely small in spirit, Dumkins have a remarkable talent for finding comfort in the strangest places and turning almost anything into an excuse for tea, food, or celebration.

They are best known for their cozy underground villages, where winding tunnels open into warm homes, oversized kitchens, flourishing gardens, bustling tea shops, workshops, and pantries containing enough baked goods to feed an army. Dumkins are often considered harmless by the larger peoples of Underland.

This reputation is frequently a mistake.

Dumkins have survived wars, tyrants, monsters, magical disasters, and the Breaking through a combination of stubbornness, ingenuity, community, and an almost unreasonable refusal to give up.

They are also frequently considered unintelligent by outsiders. This belief stems largely from the infamous story of a particular pair of Dumkin twins whose legendary exploits have been retold, exaggerated, and misunderstood for generations. The truth is considerably more complicated.

Dumkins are not foolish.

They simply have a very different relationship with common sense.

𝓟𝓱𝔂𝓼𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓵 𝓓𝓮𝓼𝓬𝓻𝓲𝓹𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷

Dumkins are small humanoids with round, sturdy builds and expressive faces. Their appearance varies considerably from family to family, but most possess warm complexions, rounded features, and thick hair that seems determined to become unruly regardless of how often it is brushed.

Most Dumkins stand between 2½ and 4 feet tall, with broad hands and sturdy feet suited to climbing, gardening, crafting, and navigating the tunnels beneath Underland.

Their feet are often slightly oversized compared to the rest of their bodies. Many Dumkins go barefoot in their homes, claiming that shoes are unnecessary when one already has "perfectly good feet."

Hair

Dumkin hair comes in nearly every natural shade, with unusual colors appearing occasionally due to magical ancestry or exposure to Underland magic.

Curly, thick, and unruly hair is particularly common.

Eyes

Dumkins are known for large, expressive eyes. Brown, green, hazel, blue, and gray are common, though unusual colors are not unheard of.

Distinctive Features

Many Dumkins have:

• Rounded ears
• Rosy cheeks
• Freckles
• Thick eyebrows
• Small noses
• Broad smiles
• Calloused hands
• Surprisingly strong legs

Some families possess distinctive traits passed down through generations.

𝓐𝓽𝓽𝓲𝓽𝓾𝓭𝓮𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓟𝓱𝓲𝓵𝓸𝓼𝓸𝓹𝓱𝓲𝓮𝓼

Dumkins are generally cheerful, curious, and welcoming. They enjoy simple pleasures and believe there is almost always something worth celebrating.

• A good meal is worth celebrating.
• A new friend is worth celebrating.
• Finding twenty gold pieces in an old drawer is definitely worth celebrating.
• Surviving an encounter with an Inkling?

That's a feast.

Dumkins are stubborn to an almost legendary degree. Once a Dumkin decides something matters, convincing them otherwise can require an act of divine intervention.

They value home, friendship, family, food, curiosity, and perseverance.

The Dumkin Philosophy

One of the oldest Dumkin sayings is:

"Small doesn't mean helpless."

Another is:

"If you can't go around it, go under it. If you can't go under it, ask a Dumkin."

Dumkins believe that problems are meant to be solved rather than feared. They may complain loudly while solving them, but they will solve them.

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓜𝔂𝓽𝓱 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓕𝓸𝓸𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓱 𝓓𝓾𝓶𝓴𝓲𝓷

Few stereotypes annoy Dumkins more than the belief that they are stupid.The misconception began generations ago because of a famous pair of Dumkin twins whose adventures became the subject of countless stories, plays, songs, and children's books.

The twins were, by all accounts, dumb. Unfortunately, they were also spectacularly bad at following instructions. Their adventures became famous throughout Underland, eventually turning them into cultural icons. Over time, outsiders began confusing their ridiculous behavior with stupidity.

Dumkins have never forgiven anyone for this. Ask a Dumkin if their people are stupid and they will probably laugh. Ask them if the twins were stupid and you may find yourself invited to a three-hour lecture on historical inaccuracies.

Usually accompanied by tea.

𝓒𝓾𝓵𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓮

Dumkin culture revolves around community.

A Dumkin village is rarely quiet. Somewhere, someone is baking. Somewhere else, someone is arguing about gardening. Children race through tunnels while inventors test questionable contraptions in their workshops.

And somewhere nearby, tea is being served.

Family

Dumkin families tend to be close-knit and often extend far beyond blood relatives.

• A Dumkin's neighbors may be considered cousins.
• A best friend may be called a sibling.
• An elderly shopkeeper may be referred to as "Auntie" despite having absolutely no biological relationship to the family.

Dumkins believe family is something you build, not merely something you inherit.

Hospitality

Dumkin hospitality is legendary.

• Guests are expected to eat.
• If they say they aren't hungry, they are given tea.
• If they insist they aren't hungry, they are given a plate.

If they continue refusing, a Dumkin will assume something is terribly wrong and begin asking questions.

Celebrations

Dumkins love festivals.

Their celebrations commonly involve:

• Food
• Music
• Dancing
• Storytelling
• Games
• Tea
• Competitions
• Homemade inventions
• More food

𝓗𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓗𝓪𝓫𝓲𝓽𝓪𝓽𝓼

Dumkins traditionally live beneath the hills and fields of Underland in cozy underground settlements. Their villages are rarely gloomy. Instead, they are filled with warm lanterns, colorful doors, winding passageways, gardens, kitchens, workshops, and tiny clockwork devices. A Dumkin home may have a kitchen twice the size of the living room.

Nobody considers this strange.

The kitchen is obviously the most important room.

Dumkin Villages

A typical village may contain:

• Tea shops
• Bakeries
• Community kitchens
• Underground gardens
• Clockwork workshops
• Libraries
• Cozy taverns
• Market tunnels
• Mushroom farms
• Communal gathering rooms

Some settlements are built around enormous underground caverns containing entire ecosystems.

𝓡𝓮𝓵𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓞𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓡𝓪𝓬𝓮𝓼

Dumkins are generally friendly toward other peoples, although their friendliness should never be mistaken for submission. They have a particular talent for being underestimated. And they tend to enjoy it. Dumkins are often the people others confide in because they appear harmless and approachable.

Dumkins know this.

Many Dumkins consider being underestimated a useful advantage.

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓑𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰

The Breaking struck Dumkin communities particularly hard. Their underground homes protected many villages from the worst of the initial destruction, but countless settlements were cut off from one another as Underland shifted.

Some tunnels collapsed. Others changed direction. A few reportedly began leading somewhere they had never led before.

Dumkins responded the way Dumkins tend to respond to disaster:

• They rebuilt.
• Then they fed everyone.
• Many Dumkin villages became safe havens during the Breaking, opening their homes and kitchens to displaced travelers.

Even now, some Dumkins maintain emergency stores of food, tools, medicine, and tea in case Underland changes again.

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓘𝓷𝓴

Dumkins generally distrust the Ink Master. They have little patience for his destruction of homes and communities. However, Dumkin inventors have become fascinated by the strange properties of Ink.

• Some study it.
• Some attempt to contain it.
• Some use small amounts in experimental machinery.

Most village elders strongly discourage this.

The inventors rarely listen.

𝓐𝓭𝓿𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓮𝓻𝓼

A Dumkin might leave home for countless reasons.

They may be searching for:

• A lost family member
• A rare ingredient
• A legendary recipe
• An old invention
• A missing village
• A mysterious treasure
• A new place to call home
• Answers about the Breaking
• Someone who insulted their cooking

Some simply want to see what lies beyond the tunnels they've known their entire lives.

Curiosity is one of the strongest forces in Dumkin culture.

And Dumkins have an extraordinary amount of it.

𝓝𝓪𝓶𝓮𝓼

Dumkin names tend to be warm, playful, and easy to pronounce.

𝓜𝓪𝓵𝓮 𝓝𝓪𝓶𝓮𝓼

Bramble, Toby, Pip, Milo, Benny, Finley, Hob, Percy, Ollie, Rupert, Wilbur, Nettle, Wally, Barnaby, Digby, Tuck, Pippin, Moss, Fenn, Arthur

𝓕𝓮𝓶𝓪𝓵𝓮 𝓝𝓪𝓶𝓮𝓼

Poppy, Mabel, Millie, Tilly, Daisy, Maisie, Winnie, Faye, Clover, Elsie, Nellie, Bonnie, Posy, Rosie, Prim, Hattie, Dottie, Pearl, Honey, Bramble

𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓼𝓮𝔁 𝓝𝓪𝓶𝓮𝓼

Pepper, Cricket, Rowan, Pip, Sunny, Bluebell, Button, Clover, Moss, Wren, Bean, Twig, Berry, Pumpkin, Fizz, Nib, Tumble, Sprout

𝓢𝓾𝓻𝓷𝓪𝓶𝓮𝓼

Appleby, Butterbun, Crumble, Honeywick, Tealeaf, Puddifoot, Thimble, Bramblebottom, Tumblepot, Goodbarrel, Muffin, Sweetroot, Underbough, Crumpet, Copperkettle, Picklewick, Pockets, Buttonfoot, Bumbleseed, Hearthstone

𝓡𝓪𝓬𝓲𝓪𝓵 𝓣𝓻𝓪𝓲𝓽𝓼

𝓐𝓫𝓲𝓵𝓲𝓽𝔂 𝓢𝓬𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓘𝓷𝓬𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓮

Increase one ability score by 2 and another by 1, or increase three different ability scores by 1 each.

𝓒𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓮 𝓣𝔂𝓹𝓮

You are a Humanoid.

𝓢𝓲𝔃𝓮

You are Small.

𝓢𝓹𝓮𝓮𝓭

Your walking speed is 25 feet.

𝓓𝓾𝓶𝓴𝓲𝓷 𝓡𝓮𝓼𝓲𝓵𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓬𝓮

You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.

𝓓𝓾𝓶𝓴𝓲𝓷 𝓛𝓾𝓬𝓴

When you roll a 1 on a d20 for an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can reroll the die. You must use the new roll.

𝓝𝓪𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓪𝓵 𝓢𝓽𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓽𝓱

You can attempt to hide even when obscured only by a creature that is at least one size larger than you.

𝓓𝓾𝓶𝓴𝓲𝓷 𝓘𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓾𝓲𝓽𝔂

You gain proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice:

Investigation, Nature, Perception, Sleight of Hand, or Survival.

𝓢𝓶𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓑𝓾𝓽 𝓢𝓽𝓾𝓫𝓫𝓸𝓻𝓷

When you fail a saving throw, you can choose to reroll it. You must use the new roll.

Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Dumkins (Underland) Traits

Dumkins may be small, but they are surprisingly hardy and resourceful. Their natural luck, stubborn determination, and ability to slip into places others cannot make them capable adventurers. Though outsiders sometimes mistake their friendliness and eccentricity for foolishness, Dumkins possess a sharp mind and an uncanny knack for getting themselves, and often their companions, out of trouble.