Homebrew Encyclops Species Details
Flanked by bookshelves on each side, the young wizard flips through the pages of a dusty tome in the hope of finding what he's looking for. Suddenly, a voice rises from behind him saying: "It's no use looking in that one, the old bugger is only good at getting dusty. Try the one with the green cover instead !" Startled, as there is noone to say such words behind him, the wizard closes the book and reaches in the direction of the voice. As he timidly grabs the book he now faces, the tome springs out of the bookshelf seemingly on its own, with a resounding "Not me, idiot, THAT one!" as another book is suddenly illuminated by an arcane spell while the first one gently hovers next to the wizard's face.
A tome like none other
Maybe you were created this way, maybe a powerful being thought it was a fun trick, blessing or maybe curse to put upon you. All that truly matters now is that you are what you are, and that is a floating book somehow able to communicate with other creatures. While you do not have organs or proper limbs, you definitly are a living sentient being, not much unlike a Modron or a beast stricken with the Awaken spell. However, your form is a lot different to theirs, being made of nothing but paper or parchment, and occasionally the leather or silk of your binding. This form is also inherently magic, and like any good magical tome, you have picked a few selection of arcane powers yourself, especially those that remove the constraint of having no limbs.
A Lifetime of Lore
Mostly confined to roam the bookshelves you call home, or in the pocket of a powerful mage or adventurer, you find yourself unable to achieve much on your own, however, your form allows you to be much smarter and logical than any creature of flesh and bone. Your very body retains every information you may have learned, under the guise of a story or encyclopedic review.
When your DM allows you to pick this race as a curse, your life prior to the point where you turned into a book may be transcripted on your being, telling the tale of an unfortunate encounter resulting in the birth of a new individual
A Life of Shelves and Ink
While you are probably the only living book in the library, you can still have some sort of "social interaction" with your compatriots. You share a bond with those with bindings, and have access to much more than just the words and drawings they display, and all without even the need to read them.
There are also two kinds of Encyclops: those who embrace the silent world of reading and being read, figuring words are as useful as sounds than as scripts; and those who cannot stop rambling on about the tales they or their book friends contain, and the wonders of their arcane nature.
Encyclops Traits
As an Encyclops, you gain the following traits, coming mostly from your supposedly inanimate but nevertheless arcane form:Ability Score Increase
Your Intelligence score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Age
Encyclops do not age, as they are supposedly inanimate objects. They last as long as they aren't destroyed, but some may bore themselves and turn completely inert and silent, making them in fact no more than simple books.
Alignment
Lacking the ability to act or really manipulate their environment, Encyclops tend to adopt a more passive stance, turning to more Neutral alignments, however some may find revelry in Chaos and japes while others prefer Law and knowledge.
Speed
Without limbs like legs or pseudopods, an Encyclops often find itself unmoving or prone, however, their magic nature allow them for some mobility: most of the time an Encyclops wishes to move, it will magically rise and genty hover no more than 10 feet above the ground on which they were.
Arcane Object
Because you are an arcane being of paper and ink, you gain the following benefits:
- You are resistant against Poison damage, and have Advantage on Saves against Poison
- You are immune to diseases
- You require neither food nor water, and do not breathe
- You do not need to sleep, and do not suffer from the effects of exhaustion. Magic cannot put you to sleep either
- You are however weak to Fire and Slashing Damage, and have Disadvantage on Saves made against catching fire
Relative Perception
Because you do not have ocular organs like eyes or eyestalks, you cannot "see" in the traditional sense. You are however able to perceive you surroundings using a magic form of Blindsight that can go up to 120 feet. You are however effectively blind beyond this range.
Your hearing however is completely normal, even though you have no ears.
Lorekeeper
Your mind is shaped by the nature of the text within you. You can choose one Skill between Arcana, History, Nature or Religion. You gain proficiency in that skill. If you already had profiency, your Proficiency Bonus is doubled for that skill.
The nature of the text one can read when opening you is determined by this skill (Holy scriptures if you chose Religion for instance).
You also know the words written inside of you to the letter. Decide with your DM which subject they cover. You automatically success any Intelligence-based checks to recall this subject, and have advantage if the subject of the check is close enough of your innate knowledge.
Innate Magic
Having no limbs do not stop from doing most important tasks. You innately know the cantrip Mage Hand and do not require the components of the spell to cast it. You also know one more cantrip of your choice from the Cleric, Druid or Wizard Spell List.
Kin of Quills and Ink
Your nature allows you to have a special connection with books and tomes of all sorts. When you are within 15 feet of another book, you immediatly know the content of this book, as well as its author, the time it was written and in what language.
Also, while unmoving, you are completly similar in appearence to a normal book, and cannot be detected other than with a spell such as Detect Magic.
You are also able to read languages of your choice up to your proficiency modifier.
Incorporeal Movement
Without a body to wear armor, you are definitely fragile, but a lot harder to hit. While hovering, your Armor Class is 12 + your Dexterity Modifier.
You can also use your Mage Hand Cantrip in a more offensive manner, and use it to strike with a weapon or lift a shield. You only have one hand though, and thus cannot Dual Wield weapons, or use weapons with the Two-Handed feature, and you have disadvantage with ranged weapon attacks.
You can also ignore the Somatics components for any spell you wish to cast, but if the spell requires Material components, those must be at most 10 feet from you (the same applies to spellcasting focuses).
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