Homebrew Pilous (Mousefolk) Species Details

Small, frail, and notoriously nervous, pilous are introverted fey creatures that live on the fringes and between the cracks of society. Pilous are most at home in the woods, far from other sentient races, where they live in peace. Those that choose to live among humans and other creatures in cities and villages typically remain hidden, using their ancient blessing to creep below floorboards and between walls, taking that which others don't need and avoiding detection as best they can. On the rare occasion that a pilous is noticed, they are often mistaken for giant rats, triggering endless crusades of traps and poison against them, and reinforcing their fear of creatures other than themselves.

Clan Life

Pilous live in strict hierarchical groups called clans, each of which take it upon themselves to fulfill some necessary task in the greater community - one might search for food or building materials, others might create music or artwork, and still others maintain and clean everyone's living quarters. Pilous produce large litters, and so blood-ties are frequently forgotten, with each creature choosing for itself which clan it wishes to join when it becomes an adult - this clan becomes their family. Typically the eldest member of a clan takes on the role of Clanmeister, acting as head of the family and organizer of family business. Loyalty to one's clan is taken as paramount, and failure to conform is shamed and discouraged. 

Although the pilous deeply value cooperation between clans, rivalries often form between them as the proud members of each boast of their accomplishments, and the result is an ironically catty faux-politeness, dripping with underlying insults. If a pilous is too overt in their verbal barbs, they may be shunned by the other members of their clan, and so each must be careful in their use of irony and backhanded compliments when speaking to their rivals.

Blessed by the Trickster

According to legend, the pilous were created by an ancient, long forgotten trickster goddess. The pilous permit no depictions of this goddess to exist, as they find the idea that she could be perceived without her consent to be blasphemous. Instead, they show their devotion via offerings, piled up in big stacks in prominent locations within their communities. The offerings typically consist of things created by the various clans, such as cookware, tools, twice-baked breads and other preserves, artworks, musical compositions, etc. If a clan does not produce material goods, it instead becomes their duty and responsibility to ensure that the piles are clean, refreshed of anything broken or stale, and protected from thieves. Stealing from these effigies is considered a grave affront to the entire community, and those individuals who do are either killed or exiled.

Tiny Conclave

Pilous communities are heavily isolationist, and thus do not take well to visitors. When a creature they do not recognize enters their territory, they may try to destroy it or drive it off if they can, or they may flee into hiding, hoping that their tiny abode might be mistaken for a pile of random garbage. If a community becomes so large that it risks notice by larger beings, it splits, with a few members of each clan leaving to make a new home somewhere else. Alternatively, if changes in the environment put their home at permanent risk of discovery, they might decide to abandon the place entirely.  

Pilous Names

The scavenging pilous are typically named after a type of food or resource their community relies on for survival. Their clans take on the names of a duty or job the members of that clan perform. If a member of the community does not fulfill their clan's desired role, they may be stripped of that clan's name and given an insulting name instead.

First Names: Berry, Twine, Crumb, Needle, Rag, Twig, Coal, Glue, Muffin, Carrot, Radish
Clan Names: Stitches, Guards, Heals, Knows, Finds, Fixes, Sharpens, Searches, Maps, Paints, Cleans
Exile Names: Drinks, Sleeps, Burps, Steals, Lies, Kills, Loses, Cheats, Snores, Blasphemes

Pilous (Mousefolk) Traits

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

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 2.

Age

Pilous mature to adulthood after 8 years, and typically live to be around 40 years old.

Alignment

Pilous clans are organized into strict hierarchies. As a result, they tend towards lawful alignments.

Size

Pilous rarely grow taller than eighteen inches tall, and weigh around 20 pounds. Your size is Small.

Rodent Speed

Your base walking speed is 25ft. When taking the Dash action, you gain extra movement as if your base speed were 35ft instead.

Stealthy

You gain proficiency in the Stealth skill.

Languages

You can speak, read and write Common and Sylvan.

Darkvision

You can see in dim light within 60 feet of yourself as though it were bright light, and darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of grey.

Fey Blood

Your creature type is fey instead of humanoid. 

Small Soul

As an action, you can reduce your Size by one category, as per the enlarge/reduce spell. This lasts until you use your action to return to your normal size. You can do this only once, and you must complete a short rest before doing so again.