Homebrew Helicanth Species Details

Arzon gazed furtively into the thicket. Darkness had mottled the already graying leaves of the copse, and the colors that shown were hard to discern. There was movement. A branch rustled then, and suddenly a shape - brown and tan like a deer - darted out from the bush deeper into the small woodland. 

“Galdrend?” asked Arzon with a worried tone. "I think I saw it."

"I doubt it immensely," said Galdrend in response, but he raised his crossbow nonetheless. "I'm sure it was just a squirrel."

"Too big," replied Arzon. But not big enough to scare him. He left his sword sheathed and pushed into the thick underbrush. "There are tracks. Hoof prints. Cloven."

Galdrend leaned down to look closely at what his companion had pointed out. "Interesting," he said in a breathless tone. "They are paired in two's - not four's. They're unlike any deer prints I've ever seen."

— Arzon and Galdrend: The Foolish Andryd Hovyl

An Ancient Curse

Walking on two legs, Helicanth are deer-like humanoids with a tendency to flee from even mild threats. Helicanth are part beast and part man, and they are sometimes claimed to combine the best of those two aspects together. Though they are frightened of other races, they are profoundly intelligent, and the arcane arts come naturally to them. Their very origin is steeped in a divine curse, and they have carried that wound - as well as a great power - with it through the generations. Helicanth stand erect on two deer-like hoofed feet and are covered in fur. Long, dragon-like horns protrude from their heads, and they have long, scaled, draconic tails covered in tufts of fur. Helicanth do not build or craft but rather occupy buildings abandoned in the wilderness or live under the boughs of trees like wild beasts. And though they do not have their own spoken language, they are more than capable of adopting to the languages of the other races around them, though they are wont to avoid civilization at all costs. It is very difficult to befriend a Helicanth, but once befriended, they pour out kindness, benevolence, and virtue from their fonts of infinite wisdom and intelligence.

Arcane Tricksters and Wanderers

Helicanth lack a homeland of their own. Their curse, obtained many hundreds of years before, gave them a reputation as betrayers of an old god. And they were cast out from their cities and left to roam the wilderness on their own. They do not build empires, cities, homes, or tools, but rather use what they find already lying abandoned in the many biomes they live in - woodland, tundra, and sub-tropical climates, to name a few. Helicanth are virtually unheard of to even the most learned scholars and are experts at staying hidden and avoiding detection even though they live in the many thousands around the world - typically in remote locales though not exclusively so.

Helicanth Names

Helicanth do not give each other names in the traditional sense as they do not have a standardized language with which to speak. Instead, they adopt the customs of the nearby cultures, if there are any, and take from them names modified to fit their own purposes.

EXCELLENT SURVIVALISTS AND SCOUTS

Helicanth are very fast on their feet - nimble and dexterous, especially in their familiar wilderness. They are great at avoiding detection and living off the land. They are devout vegetarians and will refuse to eat flesh in any form in all but the most extreme of circumstances. Helicanth lack stability on their two hoofed feet and can be knocked around easily, but they make up for that by avoiding their foes altogether.

Helicanth Variants

Helicanth vary across the world; some are adapted to the open plains and fields of agriculture while others are adapted to the cold, harsh life of the tundra. The variant determines their skill sets and camouflage - the color of their fur.

Helicanth Traits

Your Helicanth has qualities in common with humanoids and some in common with beasts

Ability Score Increase

Your Intelligence, Wisdom, and Constitution scores increase by 1, and your Dexterity score increases by 2.

Age

Helicanth mature at the same rate humans do and reach adulthood around the age of 20. They live around the same lifespan as humans - to their late eighties and sometimes their early nineties.

Alignment

Helicanth share the chaotic bent of their natural heritage. They value both personal freedom and creative expression, demonstrating neither love of leaders nor desire for followers. They chafe at rules, resent others’ demands, and sometimes prove unreliable, or at least unpredictable.

Size

Helicanth are about the same size as humans, ranging from 5 to 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 45 feet.

Darkvision

Thanks to your Helicanth, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. 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.

Natural Prey

You have disadvantage on saving throws related to fear and being frightened or afraid.

The Song of the Ancestors

Helicanth carry in their blood a natural inclination for certain arcane feats passed down from generation to generation in the form of song. Once per day, you can use an action to cast one of the following spells without using a spell slot and without the material components: Healing Word, Hold Person, Detect Magic.

Alternatively, once per day, you can use an action to recover a spell slot of one creature you can see within range. The spell slot recovered can be of any level that they currently have available to use.

Lightweight Build

Helicanth's light frame makes them great for running but easy to knock down. Helicanth have disadvantage on saving throws, skill checks, and contests against being knocked prone.

Lightfoot

Helicanth are superb runners. You can dash as a bonus action.

Language

Helicanth can speak, read, and write Common and one other language spoken in the region around where they live, if any.