Homebrew Cottontail Species Details

Cottontails are a peaceful and charming folk who like nothing more than to grow their gardens and raise their families. There is something about them, however, that invites other races, particularly monster types, to attack and try to subjugate them. Most of the time, cottontails would rather run and rebuild somewhere else. Their ability to move quickly and their philosophy that life is more precious than land, makes them frustrating prey.

However, sometimes a cottontail can be cornered. And sometimes, the little rabbit can prove it has quite a powerful kick.

Small and Fast

The small cottontails survive because of their speed, and their ability to win friends among the friendlier races. They stand about 3 feet tall and weigh about 20 to 45 pounds. They look like adorable white rabbits with bright, black eyes and most civilized humanoids find them adorable. They have survived by ingratiating themselves with stronger races and since they don't take up much space, eat only greens that they grow themselves, they are not a bother and, for the most part, pleasant to be around. The name they are commonly called, "cottontail", was actually coined by the elves and they have adopted it for it made them even less threatening. And frankly, they think it's cute.

Cottontails are all covered in white fur and usually the only way other races can tell them apart is by weight, but as most are of average weight, to the other races they are indistinguishable. Cottontails, themselves, tell each other apart by the sound of their voices (which with their superior hearing, is as distinct as a face would be to other humanoids) and by scent.

Cottontails aren't ostentatious and prefer simple, practical clothing with a little embellishment here and there. They prefer muted colors that blend in their surroundings and are incredibly neat and almost finicky in that regard. They dislike violence and try to find a diplomatic solution if at all possible.

They are quite proud of their speed and they don't understand the concept that running away is considered a defeat. For the cottontail, running away is a victory because the cottontail is still alive. 

Warrens and Gardens 

Cottontails treasure their gardens and their homes. On their own, they choose secluded dells and valleys where they carve out interconnected burrows inside hills and under the ground called warrens. Each family reserves a tiny plot where they grow their vegetables and herbs. Cottontails are obligate herbivores and cannot digest meat at all, eating it makes them sick. However, they get most of their water requirements from the greens they do eat.

When they live with other races, cottontails tend to converge and form enclaves. Cottontails don't really have an idea of privacy in terms of sharing space (they do for possessions though) and find it easier to live with each other. Cottontail enclaves in elvish, dwarven, and human cities are delightful places where the cottontails bring back a little greenery to the area. They welcome everyone as the areas above ground are meant to be gathering places. The warrens are build underground and usually too small for the other races to be comfortable in.

The Beast of Caer Bannog

Cottontails are pacifists by nature and would rather run than fight but sometimes, even a cottontail can be pushed to the limit. In a secluded valley near Caer Bannog, there was a cottontail warren. Unfortunately they fell prey to a marauding band of orcs. The cottontails fled and when the orcs left, they came back and rebuilt their homes. The orcs, however, did not leave entirely, for they were actually a scouting party for a clan of orcs had decided to settle in Caer Bannog. The unsuspecting cottontails had returned to the shadow of what had become an orc settlement. Eventually, the orcs surrounded the warren and those they did not kill and eat outright, they caught to be eaten later.

One cottontail survived the attack and he rejected his race's instinct to flee or find a peaceful resolution. Instead he wanted to make the orcs pay, and pay they did. For the next several nights, the orcs would wake to find companions, mates, shield-brothers, elders, even children, with their throats slashed. Less than a month, more than half of the clan lay dead. Finally, they tried to lay a trap but instead, a blood-soaked cottontail armed with just a knife appeared. The cottontail grinned and showed that he had filed his teeth to points and before the orcs could say a word, he moved with such speed that three lay dead before them. No orc survived that night.

The Beast of Caer Bannog is said to still roam those hills, he is also called the Vorpal Rabbit.

Cottontail Names

A cottontail has a given name, a family name, and possibly a nickname. 

Male Names: Aris, Belan, Cale, Cori, Dale, Eldo, Finnan, Garreth, Lindal, Lyam, Merrith, Oswyn, Perrin, Roscoe, Wellby

Female Names: Anwynn, Bree, Calla, Cora, Jillyn, Kith, Linneth, Merwynn, Nelwynn, Palla, Salla, Sharee, Trya, Vani, Wynn

Family Names: Basilbrush, Foxglove, Goodvale, Hazeltop, Leafswallow, Meadowsweet, Quickfoot, Thornpass, Underhill, Willowbark

Cottontail Traits

Your cottontail character has a number of traits in common with all other cottontails.

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

A cottontail reaches adulthood at the age of 15 and generally lives into the middle of his or her second century.

Alignment

Most cottontails are lawful good. They value the community and their families and friends over self. They also, as a rule, dislike to inflict pain and are a gentle folk.

Size

Cottontails are universally 3 feet tall with variations of within 3-4 inches and weigh about 30 pounds. Your size is Small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet on two feet but as a bonus action you can drop on all fours and move 45 feet. When you assume this stance, anything you hold in either hand is dropped and you cannot use your hands for anything else. You can, however, transfer a small, handheld item from one hand to your mouth (like an arcane focus or a pouch) as a free action. It takes another bonus action to stand again. Neither action provokes an attack of opportunity.

You have a burrowing speed of 5 feet. It isn't very useful to travel and most cottontails use it to dig a hidey-hole instead.

You can move even faster than your indicated speed. With Lightfeet, you can take a Dash action as a bonus action for one minute. However, you need to take a short rest before you can activate this ability again.

Longstrider lets you add 10 feet to your movement rate for one hour. You can use this in conjunction with Lightfeet. You need to take a long rest before you can use Longstrider again. You can also only use Longstrider when you are down in all fours.

Lucky

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

Longears

You gain proficiency in the Perception skill and have an advantage on any check that involves hearing.

Quickfooted

You can move through the space of any creature that is of a size larger than yours.

As long as you aren't wearing heavier than light armor, you have an advantage to initiative and a +1 bonus to your armor class.

Vegetarian

You cannot digest meat, if you happen to eat meat, you feel ill and suffer a disadvantage to all Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution checks until you take a short rest. Any spell that cures neutralizes poison will also work. While feeling ill, you cannot use Longstrider or Lightfeet.

On the other hand, you don't need much to survive and you can make a pound of trail rations last 4 days and a full waterskin for almost a week. If you don't eat dried food (like rations), you can get all your water needs from the greens you eat.

You are also proficient with the Survival skill.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common. The cottontail language is heavily based off Sylvan, and so those who do speak it, can communicate in Sylvan as well.