Homebrew Faun Species Details

"Listen, son, Fauns are just like you and I. They build, they destroy, they love, they hate. The only difference is... They really don't like tile floors." His son stared questioningly, "Hooves. No traction."

Physical Description

Cow ears and tails, horns and legs like a goat separate Fauns from humans; as well as their predisposition. These Fey-ancestry humanoids are light-hearted and prone to taking it easy. They range in height from the shortest at 3.5 feet to the tallest at just over 6, with most at about 5.5 and run the gamut of hair colors and styles. They are native to everywhere from steep mountain ranges to deep forests to wide-open plains and have adapted to their surroundings over long periods of time. They breed often and stay fertile most of their lives, having litters of 2-8 kids every decade or so. A Faun would be most contented working as a craftsman or researcher or farmer, though their innate nimbleness makes them fantastic hunters and fighters. Half-Faun children can be born with any, or none, of their faun parent's traits, but their aptitude for creativity generally shines through.

History

History is vague as to how exactly Fauns came to the world. Some Fauns are adamant that they descended from the High Sidhe Fey, or their ancestors were given their form by them as a reward for deeds done. Those who hate Fauns generally claim they were made through a magic-aided pairing of man and beast, though that's unlikely. Where they agree, though, is that Fauns must have some human heritage to look so much like them. They were some of the first civilized peoples, and their empires stretched all over the Planescape at a time; though that was long ago.

Society

Modern Fauns find their places in eclectic and integrated societies as any of a thousand professions. Their kingdoms are generally social-centered, inclusive, and slow to war, but a credible threat is never ignored. Faun royalty and aristocracy pride themselves on their closeness to the people (whether or not they actually are is a different matter) and compassion for their people (real or feigned). They haven't forgotten their closeness with nature even through all the centuries of modernization and their cities are generally full of greenery with large parks and sometimes even ring-shaped cities with hundreds of acres of wild land in the center.

Fauns are generally curious folk, with a common fascination with magic and ruins. Adventurers are common enough though not any more than their human companions, and find themselves naturally attracted to being rangers, druids, and rogues.

Though they have a reputation for being wild partiers and free of inhibitions, Fauns are like most other races and just enjoy having a good time. Their light-hearted disposition can get them in trouble though and it's something they're cautioned against as children.

Faun Names

Faun names are generally nature-inspired, borrowed from other races, or go by nicknames or earned names. Name changes are typical when a Faun comes of age, to better reflect them as a person.

Male: Leaf-Hair, John, Oak, Resting Bear Face, ThunderFoot the Magnificent.

Female: Ocean-Eyes, Urania, Valis, Head-In-The-Clouds, Maria-Who-Hates-Kids.

Faun Traits

A lighthearted and nimble race, Fauns make excellent craftsmen and deadly hunters.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2.
Age. Fauns mature at about the same rate as humans, or a little slower. They can generally expect to live up to 150-200 years.
Alignment. Most are generally kind and gracious in nature, making them tend to be good, and do not usually stray towards either lawfulness or chaos.
Size. Fauns vary well in build, some being stocky and wide, others being willowy and thin. Generally, your height will be around 5 and a half feet. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
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. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Fey Ancestry. You have advantage against saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.
Trance. Fauns sleep very lightly compared to other races, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep.
Artisans Tools. Fauns are naturally drawn to creating and crafting. You gain proficiency with one set of artisan tools of your choice.
Languages. You can speak, read and write Common, and Sylvan.
Subrace. Faun differ depending on the environment they grew up in or were born into. The types of faun are, Forest, Mountain, Plain, and City. Pick one.

Forest Faun

As a Forest Faun, you have a deep understanding of the great woods and their denizens both plant and animal. Your hind legs may appear more deer-like than goat-like, and your hair is likely to be brownish, with or without white spots. Bows and slings feel right in your hands and hunting comes naturally.

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Natural Camouflage. You can attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, falling snow, mist, and other natural phenomena.
Forest Magic. You know one cantrip of your choice from the Druid spell list. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for it.

Mountain Faun

More Mountain Goat than domesticated Goat, these Fauns are at home on the uneven and extremely steep terrain of mountains. These Fauns tend to be deeper thinkers and scholars, preferring botany over bushcraft and animal husbandry over hunting. They still consider themselves close to nature, but they see it in an academic approach. Most of the Aristocracy of this subrace will be a remnant from the old kingdoms.

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1.
Adapted hooves. Your people have adapted to mountainous terrain and are able to climb with ease. You gain 20 foot climb speed.
Nimble Footed. Since mountain fauns are well suited to difficult terrain, they ignore the extra movement cost of non-magical difficult terrain.

Plains Faun

These Fauns are more rural than their city-dwelling counterparts, preferring an agrarian lifestyle in villages or small towns farming and living off the land. Faun villages are typically communal-living arrangements of up to several hundred Fauns in houses that will contain up to 30 families each. A central living area with both sleeping and private chambers are surrounded by animal pens and fields in a radial arrangement to the other buildings. These Fauns are more antelope-like than the others, being able to jump great heights and run very fast to catch their prey and avoid becoming it.

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1.
Strider. Your legs are naturally better at jumping, your jump distance is doubled.
See Them Coming. You have advantage on initiative rolls while in plains, grasslands and other open natural environments.

City Faun

Centuries of civilization have taken the wild out of these Fauns. Their legs are the most goat-like, and the hair on them is much less rough than their cousins. They make good merchants and are frequently seen as traders between countries, or as spies to those less trusting of them.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.
Extra Language. You can speak, read, and write one extra language of your choice.
Merchants Tongue. You have proficiency in the Persuasion skill.

Faun Traits

A lighthearted and nimble race, Fauns make excellent craftsmen and deadly hunters.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 2.

Age

 Fauns mature at about the same rate as humans, or a little slower. They can generally expect to live up to 150-200 years.

Alignment

 Most are generally kind and gracious in nature, making them tend to be good, and do not usually stray towards either lawfulness or chaos.

Size

Fauns vary well in build, some being stocky and wide, others being willowy and thin. Generally, your height will be around 5 and a half feet. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

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. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Artisan's Tools

Fauns are naturally drawn to creating and crafting. You gain proficiency with one set of artisan tools of your choice.

Fey Ancestry

You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

Trance

Elves don’t need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. (The Common word for such meditation is “trance.”) While meditating, you can dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive through years of practice. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep.

Languages

You can speak, read and write Common, and Sylvan.