Homebrew Moss Dwarf Species Details

All credit goes to the Moss Master - Gavin Norman of Necrotic Gnome.

Moss dwarfs are an obscure, stunted race of demi-humans with an affinity for the dank plants and moulds of the deep woods. They stand at around four feet high and are of stocky, pudgy build. Their skin is brown and wrinkled, with a texture like soft bark and often patched with mould, lichen, fungus, or creeping plants. Their hair and beards are green, of many shades, and plantlike, akin to moss, willow, watercress, or ferns. Their beady eyes and stubby tongues are sheer black. These commonalities aside, moss dwarfs vary widely in physical form and appearance; individuals have unique physical traits which distinguish them from others—the next section contains a set of tables providing examples of such features.

As a race, moss dwarfs have a lifespan of several centuries, individuals typically becoming wiser and more plant-like as they age. After death, their bodies are such that even the bones rot away to mould. Unless a moss dwarf ’s body is preserved by magical means, it will decay to a rich compost within a year, making many magicks of resurrection impossible.

The natural habitat of moss dwarfs is dark, dank forests, where they gather in small, isolated communities. By nature, moss dwarfs are curious and jovial, in a slow, earthy way, and welcome occasional visitors. They are, above all, burrowers, delving their homes into the damp earth of their forest abodes or inhabiting natural caves where they are found. Moss dwarfs are, in any case, no masters of stonework or construction.

Moss dwarf adventurers are rare. Those who leave the isolation of the deep woods are typically woodsmen, hardened to the ways of the wilderness. They may use any weapons and armour but suffer a -1 penalty to hit with metal weapons and a -1 AC penalty with metal armour (though they use metal tools in daily life, they find the material distasteful for armaments). Moss dwarfs construct special armour from wood and bark. 

Class Abilities

Combat: Moss dwarfs may use any type of armour that is not constructed from metal (they find cladding themselves in metal distasteful). Due to their short height, they may only use small or normal sized weapons. This means that moss dwarfs cannot use longbows or two-handed swords.

Fertile flesh: As moss dwarfs age (or, in the case of adventurers, as they advance in level), they become riddled with symbiotic plants and fungi, picking up seeds and spores which germinate in the dwarf ’s fertile flesh. At each experience level (including 1st), the character acquires a random trait from the table below. Duplicates may either be re-rolled or taken to indicate an amplification of the trait.

Fertile Flesh Table 

1d20	Infestation
1	Outer parts of ears replaced by jelly fungus
2	Patches of lichen
3	Dainty flowers bloom in the beard in springtime
4	Yeast infections in moist places
5	Toadstools growing from joints
6	Covered in slimy green jelly
7	Miniature tree growing from one ear
8	Skin riddled with mycelia
9	Eyes fur over with yellow mould. (Does not impair vision, beyond lending it a garish hue)
10	Edible toe cheese
11	Growths of woody, bracket fungus beneath the armpits
12	Mossy feet
13	Climbing vines wrap around the limbs and torso
14	Radical fern growth around groin
15	Mossy biceps
16	Puffball growths around the buttocks and knees
17	Parsley chest hair
18	Blackberry brambles tangled in the hair
19	Edible mushrooms growing in hair
20	Single large, partially sentient mushroom growing from the crown of the head

Fungal symbiosis

A moss dwarf of 5th level or higher may attempt to enter into a symbiotic agreement with a monstrous or magical fungus:

• The fungus must be non-hostile and possess at most 3 HD less than the dwarf (e.g. a 4th level moss dwarf is limited to symbiosis with fungi of 1HD or less).
• A symbiotic agreement may be attempted only once per fungus. It requires 1 turn to initiate and a successful save versus spells.
• If the pact is agreed (the save is successful), spores from the fungus become integrated into the dwarf’s body, gradually blooming into fungal growths throughout the skin and organs, after 1d4 days. A dwarf in this state may activate any special attack forms of the mushroom, including magical abilities. The dwarf is immune to any harmful effects, but suffers 1d8 damage due to the effort expended.
• It is not possible to initiate simultaneous symbiosis with multiple fungi, and the only way to reverse or cancel a symbiosis is by use of magic which destroys fungus (e.g. cure disease) or cancels mutation.

Knacks

Moss dwarfs practice carefully guarded, quasi-magical disciplines known as “knacks”. The abilities granted by the knacks are described in the following section, along with a table to randomly determine which knack an individual moss dwarf possesses. The player should roll on the table during character creation. (At the DM's discretion, the player may be allowed to select a knack, instead of rolling randomly.)

Each moss dwarf adventurer practices one of the following knacks. Knacks grant special abilities at 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th levels.

Table of Knacks

1d8	KNACK
1	Bird friend
2	Lock singer
3	Nose wise
4	Pocket lore
5	Root friend
6	Thread lore
7	Wood kenning
8	Yeast master

Bird Friend

Over the course of a life spent in the depths of the forest, among the colonies of birds, the dwarf has learned to speak their secret languages and has earned their trust.

1st level: Converse with birds. Their responses are typically simplistic.
3rd level: Charm a bird companion of CR 1/4 or less. If it fails a CHA saving throw against your spell save DC, the bird will remain in the company of the dwarf until it is dismissed. Only one bird may be charmed in this way at a time.
5th level: Once per day, relay a message via the twitterings of forest birds. The message is carried to a specific person or location and approximately reproduces a spoken message of up to ten words.
7th level: Once per day, call down the defensive wrath of woodland birds—a flock of sparrows, starlings, thrushes, and blackbirds which attack as a swarm for 1d6 rounds. The swarm may be directed by the moss dwarf as an action on each of their turns and has the following stats: AC 13, HP 3d4+3, ranged weapon attack: +3 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 1d8 + 3 piercing damage.

Lock Singer

The dwarf practices mysterious songs which can charm locks. The following effects are possible:

1st level: Simple, mundane locks may be coaxed to open with a 2 in 6 chance of success per turn of singing.
3rd level: A brief, whispered cant persuades a lock to reveal the location of its key (or the closest key, if multiple exist). The information is conveyed via a quiet whining which only the dwarf can comprehend.
5th level: Locks within 30’ instantly snap shut after a mere round of song.
7th level: Cause a lock of any complexity to open. Even magically sealed locks are cooperative, although in this case there is a 1 in 6 chance of the magic backfiring and sealing the dwarf ’s mouth shut for 1d4 days.

Nose Wise

The dwarf ’s nose is sensitised to certain subtle aromas which escape the notice of everyday folk. A round of sniffing reveals:

1st level: The presence of cheese, fermented foods, or fungi within 1 mile.
3rd level: The identity of plants and fungi which are examined.
5th level: The true love or heart’s desire of a humanoid within 30’.
7th level: The scent of subterfuge. Has a 1 in 6 chance of revealing wrong information.

Pocket Lore

The dwarf understands the secret whisperings of pockets and, at higher levels, the means of gaining their confidence. All of these abilities are usable upon a target within 10’ and take effect with a round’s concentration. Magic-users or those guarded by warding dweomers (protection from evil, for example) are allowed a saving throw versus spells to stymie these effects.

1st level: Know the number of items in the target’s pockets.
3rd level: Know the contents of the target’s pockets.
5th level: Cause a chosen item to leap out of the target’s pocket.
7th level: Exchange a random item in the target’s pocket with an item on the dwarf ’s own person. Has a 1 in 6 chance of malfunctioning, sending the dwarf ’s item away but receiving nothing in return.

Root Friend

Dwelling in subterranean burrows, the dwarf has developed a keen affinity with the roots of forest plants. Each of the following abilities may be used once per day, according to experience level:

1st level: Coax a root vegetable to reveal its secrets. One question may be posed about the root’s surroundings; it will answer truthfully with 1d6 words.
3rd level: Summon edible roots to the surface. Food enough for 1d4 people is produced.
5th level: Gain harbour in the roots of a tree or other large plant. The moss dwarf is taken underground, into the plant’s root system, where he may lie unnoticed for up to an hour.
7th level: Summon a root thing (see monsters) from the earth. The creature arrives at the dwarf ’s location in 1d6 rounds and will obey commands for up 1d6 turns before fleeing into the undergrowth.

Thread Lore

The practice of a mysterious form of whistling grants the dwarf sympathetic control over threads and strings. The following melodies may be used on threads within 20’. It takes one minute to whistle each to completion.

1st level: Tie or untie a string or lace.
3rd level: Command loose threads or strings to move under the dwarf ’s direction (up to 1’ per round).
5th level: Cause a woven or knitted garment to unravel.
7th level: Cause ropes to loosen or tighten.

Wood Kenning

The dwarf ’s fingers are sensitised to the subtle vibrations of trees and wood. By spending one minute touching the trunk of a tree or a wooden item, the dwarf may learn the following:

1st level: The age of the wood.
3rd level: Any emotions which the wood has absorbed from sentient beings. (Wood is highly sensitive to such energies.)
5th level: The name of the last person to touch the wood or (in the case of crafted wooden items) the creator.
7th level: The true name of the tree (or the tree from which a wooden item was crafted). Once per day, the dwarf may invoke the true name of one tree to gain a glimpse of its surroundings. Invoking the true name of a deceased tree provokes a curious vision of the vegetable afterlife.

Yeast Master

The dwarf is a special friend of the yeasts and fungal spores which lurk unseen in great quantities in the deep woods. To the yeast master, who can hear their songs, these beings are a constant companion.

1st level: Cause sweet liquids to ferment by touch at a rate of one pint per turn. The liquid is transformed to a frothy, alcoholic brew, delicious to moss dwarfs. There is a 2 in 6 chance of it being palatable to other species.
3rd level: The dwarf may commune with the yeasts in alcoholic beverages. Sipping from a drink which has been partly consumed by someone else reveals the person’s name to the dwarf.
5th level: By allowing potent yeasts to ferment in his belly, the dwarf is able to emit a heady belch once per day. It may be targeted at an individual within 5’ who must save versus breath weapons or faint for 1d6 rounds.
7th level: Summoning and agglomerating the microorganisms which are omnipresent in moist environments, the dwarf is able to conjure a yeasty feast for 1d6 people. The food is composed of chunks of fleshy, compacted yeast, frothing sheets of slime, and bubbles of alcoholic brew. Such a feast may only be produced once per day.

Moss Dwarf Traits

Your moss dwarf character has the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

Moss dwarfs live up to several centuries.

Alignment

Moss dwarfs are typically true neutral, as they care only for their own needs. A few moss dwarfs might tend toward good.

Size

Goblins are between 3 and 4 feet tall and weigh between 40 and 80 pounds. Your size is Small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet. You have a burrowing speed of 30 feet.

Darkvision

You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Fungal Immunity

Moss dwarfs are unaffected by harmful fungal poisons or spores.

Metal Aversion

Moss dwarf adventurers are rare. Those who leave the isolation of the deep woods are typically woodsmen, hardened to the ways of the wilderness. They may use any weapons and armour but suffer a -2 penalty to hit with metal weapons and a -2 AC penalty with metal armour (though they use metal tools in daily life, they find the material distasteful for armaments). Moss dwarfs construct special armour from wood and bark.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Sylvan and Moss Dwarf. You are fluent in the secret tongue of squeaking mammals.

Plant Speech

At 3rd level, a moss dwarf is able to ask questions of plants and fungi. Each individual plant, mushroom, or colony of mould may be asked a single question each day and may respond with one word.