Homebrew Ekorjang Species Details

The nomadic ekorjang live as wanderers, rarely finding a permanent place to settle, instead following their whims and travelling the world. Their short lifespans motivate the ekorjang to experience all that they can and to see all corners of the world. 

Physical Appearance

The ekorjang somewhat resemble mousefolk, reaching only five foot at an absolute maximum. Their bodies are covered in soft, reddish brown fur with a lighter coat on the stomach. Their large ears often fold back under their own weight, but standing tall they can sometimes be twice as tall as the head. Their hands and feet are both designed for grasping and climbing, though their feet and legs do not have the manoeuvrability to use tools and weapons. Erkojang tails can often reach seven foot in length, and are long and thin. On the end of the tail the fur tufts out prominently in a black and white pattern, erkojang often use this part of the tail as a whip, flicking it quickly at combatants. 

Simian Ancestry

The ekorjang once remained high in treetop communities, living happily in small families. Swinging from tree to tree they developed a natural agility and dexterity, spending their entire lives above the ground. Unaware of the outside world, they were content to stay amongst these families and rarely sought anything more. The ekorjang mostly consisted on a diet of fruits, leaves and insects and had little motivation to climb down from the trees and explore. 

In more recent times, the ekorjang have begun to leave their traditional homes and explore the world. The reason for the sudden change in their culture and traditions is a mystery to the world, though the ekorjang seem driven to explore all that they can, following even the most novel of whims. 

Fleeting Lives

Ekorjang have short lifespans, living for only 25 years, many attribute this brevity of life to their whimsical nature and their drive to explore and see the world. The ekorjang physically mature fully within five years, though they typically leave the treetops at around three. They spend their early years in small families, learning to forage for food and often helping younger ekorjang to learn and survive. Once they feel strong enough to survive alone on the ground they climb down from the trees and only return once they have physically matured and feel ready to breed.

Some ekorjang do not return to the treetops for over 10 years, instead simply putting the thought aside. Every year at the end of summer large congregations of ekorjang return to their birthplace, these ekorjang look for a mate and those that are successful will often stay for until the birth of their offspring at the end of winter. Any ekorjang that mates away from the treetops will return home as soon as a pregnancy is obvious, giving birth in the safety and comfort of the trees. The ekorjang parents leave within days of the birth of their offspring, leaving them to care for themselves. Ekorjang that stay within the trees for too long, either as a parent or because they are afraid to leave, are often shunned and driven away by the other members of the family. 

Ekorjang Names

Ekorjang have rare need to make use of names among their own kind and as such their names are often simple descriptions of their features serving more as identifiers than as names. Often an ekorjang simply takes the name that others give them as necessary, happy to be identified practically. Erkojang that form connections with other travellers or desire more permanent names might pick a favourite name from all of the names they have heard before, sometimes even taking one from another culture.

Treetop Erkojang Names: Big Eyes, Dark Fur, Jagged Scar, Runt, Small Feet, Twisted Tail, Yellow Eyes

Travelling Erkojang Names: Erkojang, Giant Mouse, Outsider, Rodent, Spider Monkey, Tree Climber

Ekorjang Traits

Your ekorjang character has the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

Ekorjang reach physical maturity before their 5th year, but they live for about 25 years. They consider life to be fleeting and do their best to simply enjoy it and experience as much as they can.

Alignment

Most Ekorjang are chaotic, believing that life is too short to spend following rules. They also tend toward good.

Size

Ekorjang stand just short of 5 feet tall and your tail can be up to as long as 7 and a half feet. You weigh somewhere between 80 and 120 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Agile Nature

Your natural agility make you hard to hit. When you aren’t wearing armor, your AC is 12 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield’s benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor. You also have proficiency in the Acrobatics skill.

Sharp Ears

Thanks to your large ears, you have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that involve hearing.

Lashing Tail

Your long tail is a natural weapon which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d4 plus your Dexterity modifier, additionally your tail is considered a reach weapon.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.