Homebrew Cavespring Grung Species Details

Most Grung come from wetlands or swamps, but Cavespring Grung live deep in caves and the Underdark where natural springs and other types of water and flora flourish. Like tradional Grung, Cavespring Grung are very territorial as well and use their abilities to raise large, colorful poisonous plant gardens to protect their homes. They create a symbiotic relationship with plants, maintaining them and allowing them to flourish while secreting a poison that the plants thrive on. The plants grow and take on a glowing effect and color the same as the frog that maintains it, no longer needing sunlight as a Cavespring Grung's poison gives them valuable phytonutrients.

Luminescent

Cavespring Grung are a unique species of Grung. Their bodies are very colorful being a bright neon color, typically reflective of their family and pod that is not inherently poisonous to the touch. They are very small compared to other Grungs, standing between 2' and 2'6". Their bodies naturally build a defensive poison in their bloodstream infused with biogenic fluorescents that give off a neon glowing color. These biogenic fluorescents are beneficial to plants and feed them valuable phytonutrients, allowing them not to need sunlight to survive which the Cavespring Grung can secrete.

Peaceful and Adaptive

Cavespring Grung live deep in caves and in the Underdark where natural springs or lakes occur. They adapt to their spring and will import plants from the outside and raise them around the springs to protect themselves. Even in total darkness, Cavespring Grung pods create a brilliant bio-luminescent community of flora and other fellow Grung. Whole pods take care of the plants, and in return the plants take care of them by providing protection, habitat, and food in a symbiotic relationship.

Nurturing and Dangerous

Cavespring Grung live differently from other Grungs in the swamps. They do not have a caste system and prefer to live in harmony with the plants and among the rest of their pod. Each Grung is responsible for a plant, which is nurtured with the poison the Grung secretes, growing as its home and protective sanctuary. The plants turn the color of the Grung, symbolizing which family of Grung takes care of the plant. These plants are aggressive toward any creatures not part of the local pod and will entangle them. The poison the Cavespring Grung secretes is also used to fend off outsiders and used to catch prey, so in combination with their plants local creatures quickly learn to stay away from a cave occupied by Cavespring Grung.

Cavespring Grung Traits

Cavespring Grung are smaller than typical Grung, with vivid, glowing neon colors.

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 2 and Dexterity score increases by 1.

Age

Cavespring Grungs reach maturity at only 1 year of age, growing from tadpoles into full-fledged frogs. They can live to be around 80 years old.

Alignment

Cavespring Grung lean toward neutral society and alignment.

Amphibious

You are amphibious and can breathe air and water.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25. Your sticky finger and toe pads give you a climb speed of 15 feet. Cavespring Grung when not found on their plant are in their springs with speed of 25.

Size

Cavespring Grungs are 2 feet to 2'6" tall and weight around 25 to 35 pounds.

Nature Instinct

You have proficiency in your choice of either the Nature or Survival skill.

Poison Immunity

You are immune to poison damage and the poisoned condition.

Standing Leap

Your long jump is up to 25 feet and your high jump is up to 15 feet, with or without a running start.

Secrete Poison

As an action you can apply your body’s poison to a melee weapon or up to 3 pieces of ammunition. The poison loses its potency after 1 minute. A creature struck by a weapon or piece of ammunition poisoned in this way must make a Constitution saving throw with the same DC equal to 8 + your proficiency + your constitution modifier or be poisoned for a number of minutes equal to your constitution modifier (min 1). If it fails the save by 5 or more the creature is incapacitated for the duration.

Your poison also has a unique affect on plants. Any medium size or smaller plant that you secrete poison on must make a constitution saving throw of 8 + your proficiency + your constitution modifier or after 1 round be charmed for a number of minutes equal to your constitution modifier and begins taking on your color. An unintelligent plant charmed in this way will attempt to restrained any creature other than yourself or other Grung. If repeated 3 times a day for 4 consecutive days, the plant retains the coloring and charmed attitude for a 48 hour interval each day you continue poisoning it without a saving throw.

You may secrete poison once per short rest.

Fluorescent Poisonous Blood

You naturally shed dim neon colored light in a 10 foot radius around you. This gives you disadvantage on stealth checks and deception through disguise.

Any creature that makes an unarmed or natural attack and does damage to you, or comes into contact with your blood while your are bleeding must succeed on a Constitution saving throw. The save DC is equal to 8 + proficiency+ constitution modifier. On a failed save the creature begins glowing, is poisoned until the start of its next turn, and has disadvantage on stealth checks.

You may not use your blood for the effects of secrete poison.

Water Dependency

If you fail to immerse yourself in water for at least 1 hour during a day, you suffer 1 level of exhaustion at the end of that day. You can recover from this exhaustion only through magic or by immersing yourself in water for at least 1 hour.

Languages

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