Homebrew Gricknack Species Details

As I entered an emporium desperate to resupply my dwindling rations and repair my damage equipment, I found myself surrounded by a kaleidoscope of color and plush. There were stuffed ducks and porcelain dolls lining the shelves of the tiny establishment. I crossed the room to a small counter that held a number of potions, scrolls, and dried rations behind it.

As I rang the bell to signal the shop keep, I noticed a small stuffed bear dressed plainly in what I would guess was a semi-tailored outfit. I waited for but a brief moment before hearing, "Howdy", I looked down behind the counter to see that the bear was now standing up with a lit cigar in its mouth.

"Welcome to Bearly Treasures. What can I getcha?"

– Gabriel Khuhla, Explorer’s Guide to Strange Creatures

Small children’s toys, these adorably cute stuffed animals have been around for centuries commonly in the form of a bear. Mostly these stuffed animals were used by human children as bedtime companions, although many elven children as well as halfling and gnomish children would sleep with a stuffed companion. It has always been thought that these stuffed animals would come alive within the dreams of the children protecting them from monsters and slowly over time these dreamscape warriors began to evolve sentience.

Dreamscape Warriors

Originally created to be stuffed animal companions for children, the gricknack are a quiet race that rarely acted outside their purpose. However, overtime and with the collective magic of the children’s imagination these small stuffed creatures began to develop sentience creating a race of peaceful, little fluff-people. A divine figure guided these proud warriors down a path of free will, allowing them to form close bonds of protection with their children. The divine magic from these children’s imaginations infused into their fabric, strengthening them from the normal wear and tear of battle and love. Their stuffing became woven with the hair from celestial beings becoming softer and allowing them to heal over time. Overall the gricknack are adorably cute, fluffy constructs that are extremely hardy and difficult to put down.

Blessing of a War God

The gricknack have been fighting among the dream world for many an era, during which they have accumulated multiple enemies from the dreamscape. These brave little teddies fight all enemies with courage and ferociousness and have been involved in more than a few dream wars. It was during the Great Dream War that these mighty warriors began to fall to the awesome might of the Dreamscape Dragon.

In their time of need, the gricknack prayed to the gods to protect the children to whom they were bonded and they received an answer. A deity of war and blood answered their call, empowering the gricknack with righteous salvation such that they may smite their enemies from the dream world.

Divinely Brutal

Along with their new found divine power, this deity also influenced the gricknack to rise up against their mortal creators and take back their freedom. This divine influence leads many of the gricknack to be extremely brutal and devout, which can be quite the juxtaposition from their seemingly harmless appearance.

Imagine standing out in the middle of a field and seeing an adorable, multicolored stuffed duck that lets out a jovial quack. Now imagine, this same duck turning towards you with an axe in its hand as it begins to sprint towards you with a blood curdling war cry. As horrifying as this may sound, most gricknack are extremely loving and caring creatures especially towards children.

Gricknack Names

Most gricknack tend to keep the names they were given upon creation, which tend to reflect their physical appearance or a cute sounding series of words.

Names: Captain Roughagins, Commodore Hugsalot, Curly Bear, Sergeant Lumpy, Sir Fluffypants, Tie Dye

Gricknack Traits

All gricknack have certain traits which they derive from their construct origins.

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma score increases by 2 and your Wisdom score increases by 1, but your Strength score decreases by 2.

Age

Gricknack are constructs and do not age from the time they are built.

Alignment

Gricknack have no particular inclination towards any one alignment although their protective nature towards children does lend their race towards lawful alignments.

Childhood Friend

Gricknack will always have a special connection to children. They know the Friends cantrip and cast it at will and they have advantage on all social interactions with children.

Construct Resilience

Gricknack have a remarkable fortitude due to their construct nature granting them the following benefits:

• Advantage on saving throws against being poisoned, and resistance to poison damage
• Immunity to disease
• No need to breathe, nor consume food or drink
• No need to sleep, magic cannot put them to sleep, and can gain the benefits of a rest period by performing light activity for the entire rest

Dreamscape Warriors

Gricknack have a natural connection to the Plane of Dreams as warriors. They are resistant to psychic damage and are always aware and able to move while they are in the Dreamscape.

False Appearance

If a gricknack remains motionless, then it can be perceived as being indistinguishable from an ordinary stuffed animal. Any creature that attempts to perceive a motionless gricknack has disadvantage on the Intelligence (Investigation) and Wisdom (Perception) checks.

Hybrid Nature

Gricknack are living stuffed animals and are considered to be both Humanoid and Construct. They can be affected by an in game effect if it affects either creature type.

Languages

Gricknack are able to speak, read, and write natively in Common and fluently in Quori.

Protector of Children

Gricknack are guardians of children and are able to protect them from harm. Once per long rest, if they are within 10 feet of a child then they can use an bonus action to grant both themselves and the child advantage on one attack roll, ability check, or saving throw. As part of this protection, any damage that the child suffers is transferred to the Gricknack as psychic damage.

Size

Gricknack were built to be a companion for children and are rarely over 3 feet tall and average about 10 pounds. Their size is Small.

Speed

Gricknack are small-legged creatures giving them a base walking speed of 25 feet.

Stuffed with Love

Gricknack are loaded with fluffy, magical stuffing and love granting them resistance to all non-magical bludgeoning damage.