Homebrew Beastling Species Details

 

Arty lay quiet in the dark below the floorboards of a house that wasn't his. He had been staying there for a few weeks waiting for his family to meet up with him, occasionaly sneaking out for food. The owners had noticed the bad luck, and had thus far ignored it, but the roof collapsing had them searching for him. A plank near him is pulled out, and a torch, then a head, poke through the gap. The eyes of the inquisitorial owner scanned through the dark, then fell over Arty. Eyes shut tightly; Arty waited to hear his fate... "Couldn't see nothin down there, blighter musta scampered if'n e where ever here to begin with"                                                                                                                                                 Arty opened his and released his tiny held breath, glad his rat form had such dark fur.

 

Humans are a naturally superstitious sort, and it can be hard for other races to live in human settlements with all the superstitions humans come up with about them. Its harder still when those superstitions are true. For the small statured Beastling prejudice is a natural and unavoidable part of their lives. Having the ability to turn into animals would be enough to spread fear into non magical folk, but that and the unavoidable bad luck that comes with them has them practically outlawed in many societies. But the beastlings are drawn to the hustle and bustle of big communities, and to the protection those settlements provide from the monsters and beasts of the wild.The often timid beastlings will try to build a hidden home among the more aggressive humanoid races, secreting themselves away from the persecution that will follow their being found.

Beastly Magic

 

 

Being the same size and shape of most halflings, Beastlings are easily confused for them at a distance, but a closer look will show a more beastly appearance: more narrow, beady eyes. Small whiskers sprouting from the cheeks. Light amounts of fur or sharper teeth are some of the more common traits that distinguish beastlings from their distant halfling cousins. However the most notable difference is the beastlings ability to transform into all manner of small beasts at will. Most only have a single beast form, but older or more powerful beastlings can have several, and larger forms.

Bringers of Bad Luck

Some people see black cats unlucky, or think some numbers will bring ill will. For beastlings, bad luck is a tangible aspect of their lives. Naturaly used to protect against predators, the bad luck a beastling instill in those around it is both innate and unavoidable. Beastlings can learn to direct it, but it is impossible to prevent. This bad luck is why most other races are reluctant to host beastlings in their communities, and aggressively against them living there permanently. Whilst this bad luck often brings a beastling more misery than good, it still serves its intended function by occasionally bringing misfortune to creatures or beings that would do a beastling or its community harm

Good natured pests

For many beastlings, the stigma they have to deal with sours them into spiteful miscreants; becoming the pests the other races see them as. But most want to live in peace with the other races, and will often try to bring good fortune to others in their community to offset the bad luck they naturally bring, even if they must do so secretly from their hidden homes, so as to not bring attention to their existence. These beastlings hope to one day prove they are worthy of living among the other races, and that they can emerge from the shadows.

Hidden comunities 

 

Whilst occasionally a large group of beastlings will come together and build a settlement free from persecution, most try to live among the other races, hiding beneath their homes, or in secret corners of their community. Whilst doing so many stay in their beast forms to both avoid detection, and because they require less space and food whilst in smaller bodies. To a beastling, the safety and opportunity the larger settlements of other races provide far out way the risks from being discovered and persecuted.

 

Beastling Adventurers

For beastling, adventure is either an opportunity to progress beyond the normal stations of their race and bring greater respect for their lowly people, or it is simply a more exciting kind of homelessness for a race that struggle to find a stable home in an unwelcoming world.

Beastling Names

Beastlings vary in naming among their race; often adopting the practices of the communities they squat among, or choosing more bestial names in proud admiration of their unique qualities, or reluctant acceptance of their perception by the other races.

 

 

Beastling Traits

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

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and wisdom by 1.

Age

A beastling reaches adulthood at the age of 16 and generally lives into the middle of his or her second century.

Alignment

Beastlings are mostly good creatures, but there are many that have been soured by constant prejudice.

Size

Beastlings average about 3 feet tall and weigh about 40 pounds. Your size is Small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Beast Form

As an action you can transform indefinitely into a beast from a list of forms, which acts similarly to a druids wild shape:

• Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of the beast, but you retain your alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the creature. If the creature has the same proficiency as you and the bonus in its stat block is higher than yours, use the creature’s bonus instead of yours. If the creature has any legendary or lair actions, you can’t use them.
• When you transform, you assume the beast’s hit points and Hit Dice. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had before you transformed. However, if you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over to your normal form. For example, if you take 10 damage in animal form and have only 1 hit point left, you revert and take 9 damage. As long as the excess damage doesn’t reduce your normal form to 0 hit points, you aren’t knocked unconscious.
• You can’t cast spells, and your ability to speak or take any action that requires hands is limited to the capabilities of your beast form. Transforming doesn’t break your concentration on a spell you’ve already cast, however, or prevent you from taking actions that are part of a spell, such as call lightning, that you’ve already cast.
• You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so. However, you can’t use any of your special senses, such as darkvision, unless your new form also has that sense.
• Your equipment is unchanged by your transformation, and will fall to the ground i it cannot fit your new body.

At 1st level you can choose one of the following forms:

 Badger, bat, cat, crab, frog (toad), hawk, lizard, owl, poisonous snake, fish (quipper), rat, raven, or weasel.

At 3rd level you can choose one more from the previous list, and one of the following:

Eagle, Giant Rat, or Giant Weasel

At 5th level you can choose another form from the first list and Mastiff (Dog) or other thematic creature of similar size and challenge.

Bad Luck

Once per long rest you can cast bane as a 1st level spell. It will affect a single randomly selected creature within 60ft of you, and there is no save. If between long rests the character does not use this trait, then it will occur at some point after the next rest randomly at the DMs discretion.

The DM can forgo the affects of the hex spell for a single bit of bad luck for the affected creature.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and another language, likely the one spoken by the race you live among.