Homebrew The Dodo Species Details
Born unto a realm never meant for them, the legacy of the dodo is short and tragic. They appeared on the Elemental Plane of Air for only a brief moment before plummeting down, down, directly through a Planar portal, and were greeted with a lethal landing on the Material Plane -- their creation cut short by their inability to fly.
You are the sole survivor of this mass extinction event. A singular specimen in an unknown world. A dodo.
All Plumage and Pelvis
The dodo is a flightless avian species. Wide hips, a prodigious girth, and an outsized beak lend it a ridiculous appearance.
Blueish-grey feathers cover the dodo's entire body, from the small, hapless wings that peek out from its chest to the grand, muscular legs that carry the bird's immense weight. While standing only 4 and a half feet tall, the dodo's bones are extremely dense. The weight of this bird can reach upwards of 160 lbs.
Homeless Waddler
Unfamiliar with the Material Plane, the dodo spends its life shuffling through the wilds in search of food. While it may appear unassuming, the dodo is surprisingly agile, thrusting its pelvis in peculiar ways to force its whole weight forward as it barrels through the brush. Any small game that falls for the dodo's humorous facade quickly meets its demise, torn to shreds by the fat fowl's talons.
The dodo might also seek out civilization for shelter and companionship. The dodo cares little about its origins. It's much more interested in survival, whether that be its next meal or, perhaps, a potential mate.
Hopeless Wonder
The dodo behaves much as you would expect a dodo to behave. It preens its feathers whenever they are in need of cleaning, regardless of social circumstance. This tends to a be constant affair, as the feathers that cover the dodo's body are eternally caked with dirt from the earth it treads on.
The dodo's wings are relatively useless. They can be flapped, albeit rather helplessly, or articulated into something that resembles a hand with three fingers and an opposable thumb. As a result, the dodo is capable of carrying objects and even wielding weapons, though the strength with which they are wielded is greatly diminished as a result.
The dodo's claws and bill are its only valuable assets. Viciously sharp and surprisingly powerful, the dodo's talons can punish any foe that finds itself within striking distance. The bird's incredibly large bill, as well, can be swung like a club, the tremendous weight of its maw capable of cracking the skulls of most small mammals.
All this to say, the dodo is not prone to violence. The closer it gets to a fight, the closer too it is to death. The dodo is sooner to skulk through the shadows unseen than present itself as a ready soldier for battle.
In this way, the unwitting dodo is wise. Comfortably aware of its own mortality, it has a knack for acting like any other unaware gamefowl, never revealing its sentience for fear of being made a target by larger, more conniving predators.
An Early Exctinction
The dodo were never a successful species, per se, but their numbers reached into the hundreds before their demise. The entire flock once lived on Mauritius, a singular mass of hardened sediment that quietly drifted through the western reaches of the Elemental Plane of Air. It was this way for merely two generations until, without warning, a strong headwind cut directly through the bed rock of Mauritius, disintegrating the Dodo's buoyant island beneath their feet.
Their fate was sealed. The dodo, being a rather independent species, did not communicate with one another as they plummeted through an ominous and unfortunately placed Planar portal to the Material Plane. Some flapped to no avail as they tumbled downward. Others bent their bodies head-first into a semi-graceful swan dive, the gruesome swan song of their species.
Their death was swift. The impact resulted in a mass extinction that abruptly ended the legacy of the dodo. All dodo, except one.
Sole Survivor
As the sole survivor of a tragic event that killed its entire race, the dodo is imbued with purpose. The secular distractions of the Material Plane are not likely to deter the dodo from its goals. It is all that is left and it is determined to see its breed live on.
The dodo may be called to adventure in search of a mate. The dodo knows it must reproduce and is resolute in its mission to not be the final member of a short lived taxa. The dodo might also seek out fame and legacy in efforts to bolster both its sex appeal and its former flock's notoriety.
The dodo might elect, however, to take up the humble calling of an educator, traveling throughout the Material Plane to share the history of its once living species.
Legacy and life can take on many forms. The dodo must decide how to best carry the immense weight of creation.
The Dodo's Name
The dodo that once lived on Mauritius never possessed names independent from one another. They were all called "Dodo." They were able to tell each other apart and address each other accordingly through the tones of their language, most of which were variations of gobbles and warbles.
The dodo that finds itself wondering the Material Plane might keep its given name or take a new one, one that appeals to its friends or strikes fear in the hearts of its foes.
THE DODO BACKGROUND
Backgrounds that are most appropriate for the dodo include the outlander, the hermit, and the urchin.
The dodo is capable of taking a variety of paths in order to accomplish its goal. It only struggles to wield anything more than a simple weapon, as its wings are so small and frail.
The Dodo Traits
As the dodo is a bizarre creature, it trades utility for dodging misfortune.Ability Score Increase
Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Age
Dodo reach maturity by age 3. Compared to humans, dodo don’t usually live longer than 30 years.
Alignment
The dodo is the last of its kind. This lends to depression, not bloodlust. It waddles between lawful, neutral, and chaotic good.
Size
The dodo is about 4 and a half feet tall. It has a plump, jiggly body that weighs between 120 and 160 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
Lucky
The dodo is imbued with sheer dumb luck. When you roll a 1 on the d20 for an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll.
Slash & Bash
Your talons and large beak are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, your bill deals bludgeoning damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, and your talons deal slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier.
Paranoid
The dodo fears anything that looks like a threat and is constantly suspicious of coercion. You have disadvantage on saving throws against being frightened but you have advantage on saving throws against being charmed.
Disaster Artist
The dodo's weak wings rend it unable to wield any weapon efficiently. You are incapable of being proficient with any weapon other than natural weapons, but due to your inexplicable luck, if you roll a 1 on the d20 for an attack roll made with a weapon you are not proficient with, you can treat that roll as a 20.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common.