Homebrew Firenewt (humanoid fire salamander) Species Details

In regions that contain hot springs, volcanic activity, or similar hot and wet conditions, firenewts might be found. These humanoid amphibians live in a militaristic theocracy that reveres elemental fire in its worst incarnation.

Heat Seekers. Firenewts need hot water to live and breed. A firenewt becomes sluggish, mentally and physically, after spending a week away from an external source of moist heat. A prolonged lack of heat can shut down a firenewt community, as the creatures within go into hibernation and their eggs stop developing.

Firenewts delve for sources of heat in the earth, such as boiling mud and hot springs, that make ideal places to settle. Through excavation and mining in the area, they fashion living space and obtain an ample supply of minerals for other uses, such as smelting, smithing, and alchemy. A firenewt lair features a network of channels and sluices to circulate hot liquid through the settlement.

The alchemy practiced by firenewts focuses on fire. One of their favorite mixtures is a paste of sulfur, mineral salts, and oil. Firenewts chew this blend habitually, because doing so produces a pleasant internal heat and it enables a firenewt to vomit forth a small ball of flame. Most firenewts carry a container with this mixture in it.

Religious Militants. Firenewt society and culture are based on the worship of Imix, the Prince of Evil Fire. This veneration of Imix leads firenewts to be aggressive, wrathful, and cruel. Firenewt warlocks of Imix teach that by demonstrating these qualities, a firenewt warrior in combat can become “touched by the Fire Lord,” entering a nearly unstoppable battle rage.

Warlocks of Imix command warriors to prove their worth by going on raids to bring back treasure and captives. The warlocks take the choicest loot as a tithe to Imix, and then those who participated in the raid divide the rest according to merit. Prisoners that have no apparent usefulness are sacrificed to Imix and then eaten. Those that are deemed capable of mining and performing other chores around the lair are kept as slaves for a while before meeting the same fate.

When firenewts muster for war, rather than merely staging occasional raids, they take no prisoners. Their goal is nothing less than the annihilation of their foes — and they reserve their greatest animosity for others of their kind. If two groups of firenewts come upon each other, it’s likely that they’re in competition for the same territory, and a bloody battle is the usual result.

Giant Striders. 

Firenewts have a close relationship with a type of monstrous beast they believe Imix sent to aid them — borne out by the creatures’ ability to send a gout of flame against distant enemies. Called giant striders, these monsters appear birdlike and reptilian, but are truly neither. Firenewts provide shelter, food, and breeding grounds in their lairs for giant striders, and the striders voluntarily serve as mounts for elite firenewt soldiers.

History

Firenewts care little for their history, focusing only on the present. They believe Imix, the Evil Prince of Elemental Fire, created them, but in truth they where once a peaceful, secluded race who were corrupted by Imix. They were at war with a marauding nation of orcs and were vastly outnumbered. So the firenewts turned to dark rituals and sacrifice, and in return Imix granted some of them a share of his power, making them into warlocks of Imix. He transformed their livestock into great, fire-breathing war beasts with an affinity for fire, called giant striders. The orcs still won, and the firenewts fled wherever they could. Some of their greatest warlocks left to join Imix on the Elemental Plane of Fire, where they serve him as honored guardians and wizened advisers.

Society

Firenewt society and culture are based on the worship of Imix. This veneration of Imix leads firenewts to be wrathful, aggressive and cruel. They raid and sometimes destroy nearby towns and villages, with the tribe's leader, its warlock of Imix, taking the best loot and the rest of the firenewts dividing up what remains. Firenewts sometimes capture prisoners, whether for bloody sacrifice or brutal slavery.

Firenewt NamesFirenewts typically have short names. Male: Agarax, Tendris, Thask, Moeg Female:Shatha, Kilurn, Thandriska, Drana

Firenewt (humanoid fire salamander) Traits

Your Firenewt has the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 1, your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Intelligence score is reduced by 1.

Age

Firenewts reach maturity around age 5 and usually don't live longer than 30 years, but can live op to 80 years.

Alignment

Due to their worship of the ancient primordial Imix, the Prince of Evil Fire, Firenewts are usually neutral evil. Firenewts of other alignments usually leave their community out of fear of persecution.

Size

Firenewts resemble slender humanoids. The stand between 5 and 6 feet tall and weigh about 150 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Amphibious

You can breath air and water.

Spit Fire

As an action, you can spit a mote of fire at one creature within 10 feet of you. The creature must make a Dexterity saving throw with a DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier. The creature takes 2d6 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The damage increases to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level. You can not use this ability again until you finish a short or long rest, or use your action to ingest a flask of Pyro-paste.

Fireborne

You have Immunitie to fire damage.

Martial or smithing Training

You are proficient with one martial weapon of your choice and with smith’s tools or another martial weapon of your choice.

Volcanic Artisans

Firenewts’ signature trades are alchemy and smithing. You gain proficiency with Alchemist’s supplies. You also gain the ability to craft a flask of Pyro-paste by providing 1 gp worth of sulfur, mineral salts, and oil and spending an hour of downtime. This paste is used to fuel your Spit Fire trait. Pyro-paste can also be used in the same way that one would use a flask of oil.

Heat Seekers

Firenewts require exposure to hot moisture to survive. If a tenday passses without exposure to an external source of moist heat, such as boiling mud or hot springs, you gain a level of exhaustion. For each additional day you go without, you gain another level of exhaustion. This exhaustion can only be removed by exposure to an external source of moist heat. Once you reach exhaustion level 5, in addition to the normal effects of exhaustion, you enter a hibernation like state. While in this state, you stop gaining additional exhaustion, but you are rendered unconscious until you are submerged in a hot liquid for at least 10 minutes, after which you awaken and your exhaustion is reset to zero.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Draconic, and Ignan. Ignan is one of the four dialects of Primordial, allowing you to communicate with speakers of that language and the other dialects.