Homebrew Potato Species Details

Russet in hue and pudgy, this small root vegetable spent her days living surrounded by dirt and worms, in a hollow space beneath the earth. She was a beautiful sight, for a potato, and quite used to attention when it came to the other spuds. For who before her had been able to potate, to spake, and to be raked?

— Richard Dickerson, The Magic Root

Potatoes are a gentle and humble race of magical folk. Many of them have no idea why they suddenly are able to move about freely from their abodes beneath the earth's surface, but when they do, they find there is much to be discovered in the world above. Some still choose to live out quiet lives beneath the ground level, feeling more at home with the dark and damp. Others express an excitement for being rolling stones, seeking out their fortunes, adventuring with parties, avoiding chefs, and frequenting couches.

Honesty and Humility

Potatoes are often honest, to the point, and extremely generous and humble beings. They bring an effortless calm and warmth wherever they go, as if everyone around them has just eaten a filling meal that could put them to sleep at any moment. They're often peace personified and ooze comfort. Their fluffy bodies are a great form of cushion against the harshness of the world, and it is often thought of them that one might like to simply sink into their softness and melt like butter...

They come in a variety of sizes and colors, but the average size is "small fry," and their average colors are "purple, golden, red, russet, or grey." Their eyes are located in multiple places on their bodies but this is not readily noticeable by most outsiders--which is good as this would likely be alarming and take away from their otherwise extremely comforting presence. Their weight varies, but it is best just to describe them as "fluffy."

Sanguine Starches

As far as Potatoes are concerned, being alive is a wonderful thing, and they squeeze every ounce of enjoyment out of their three to five years of life. Humans might wonder about getting panicked over the course of such a short life, and elves take plenty of time to savor the beauties of the world in their long years, but Potatoes seem to worry not the least that even with that little time, they get in just enough of the things they want to do and see.

Potatoes speak as if they have decades to talk about the weather. Even as they offer ideas and opinions on a range of subjects, they still manage to listen with patience while their short lives tick by, moment by moment. They keep their eyes peeled for opportunities to make jokes, bring joy, and be generally pleasant company, never wasting time being salty. They always tend to root for the underdog, and are at their best when they're supporting and uplifting others.

Chipping In

Potatoes make their homes underground in small communities within hollows of dirt. Their homes are well hidden by both clever construction and simple illusions. Welcome visitors are quickly ushered into the dark, damp burrows. Those who are not welcome are unlikely to find the burrows in the first place unless they are supremely good at digging (or chefs).

Potatoes who settle in human lands are commonly druids, clerics, monks, farmers, bards, or paladins. They're usually avoidant of most humans, and often pass around horror stories of human kitchens to scare their spudlings.

Potato Names

Potatoes often do not have names, but some will name themselves or their children out of necessity (for telling each other apart from afar, for instance).

Male Names: Spudnik, Chunky, Fluffy (unisex), Gravy, Bacon, Tater, Garlic, Curry, Hasselback

Female Names: Delicious, Buttery, Chive, Pepper, Baked, Hashly, Fries, Croquette

Clan Names: Starch, Totgarian, Bakedratheon, Hot, Yamnister, Totrell, Mashedtell, Totlly, Greycarb, Augratyn.

Nicknames: Tatertot, Pancakes, Bread, Salad, Soup, Skinny, Loaded, Sweet

Rolling Stones

Comfortable in almost any situation, Potatoes might take up adventuring as a way to see the world or for the love of finding their roots. As lovers of the natural world, some Potatoes take to adventuring as a quick, if dangerous, path to finding ways to vegetate or gain friends. Regardless of what entices them to adventure, Potatoes who adopt this way of life eke as much enjoyment out of it as they do out of any other activity they undertake, sometimes to the great satisfaction of their adventuring companions.

Creative Carbohydrates

It’s rare for a Potato to be lacking in patience or imagination unless they have suffered a grievous uprooting. Potatoes know that most races don’t share their lust for loafing, but they enjoy anyone’s company just as they enjoy everything else they set out to do, and everyone tends to enjoy them too (especially chefs).

 

Potato Traits

Your gnome character has certain characteristics in common with all other gnomes.

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 2.

Size

Potatoes are between 1 inch and 4 feet tall and average about 20 pounds. Your size is Small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Darkvision

Accustomed to life underground, 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.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Deep Speech.