Homebrew Gelfing Species Details

 

While phenotypically variable, all Gelfling shared a number of characteristics. They were four-fingered, slenderly built bipeds[2] with wide, triangular faces tapering to a pointed chin. They had large, wide eyes that were set apart on either side of a flattish nose. Many had long hair, from which their large, pointed ears protruded.[3] The color of their blood varied from red[4] to pink.[5] 

Highly adaptable, the Gelfling could thrive in almost any environment and rapidly adopt new traits better suited to their surroundings, with examples including the amphibious Drenchen, who evolved gills in order to live in the swamps of Sog, the Grottans who developed night vision in their cavernous home, and the Firelings, whose biology permitted them to live comfortably in the volcanic realm of Mithra.

Like all of Thra-kind, the essence of Gelfling would return to Thra upon death, thus restoring the planet's balance and preventing the outbreak of Darkening.[6] 

Females differed from males in having a pair of diaphanous wings which emerged upon reaching early adulthood,[7] allowing them to fly, glide, and hover, as well as aid in swimming.

Accounts as to the origins of these wings differed greatly. One account stated that a Gelfling girl once touched a cloud and knitted it to her shoulders, while another described how she had touched a rock, and wished for crystalline wings. A darker tale, How the Gelfling Maid got her Wings, told of how a Gelfling maiden, exhausted with having to take care of a large group of orphaned children, sought out Aughra for help. Aughra took a pair of Cragraptor feathers and stabbed them into the maiden's shoulders, fusing with her body and allowing her to keep track of the orphaned children more easily.[4]

During the Age of Power, some females were born wingless.[8] 

Gelfling were the closest creatures to Thra,[9] and as such had a direct link to the Dream Space, which granted them several special abilities.[10] Dreamfasting allowed two or more Gelfling to meld their consciousness and pass on memories to each other, an ability which proved invaluable for learning and storytelling throughout the race's history.[2] Other than Gelfling, Aughra was also a practitioner, and used it to teach them of the dangers of Thra during the race's infancy.[4]

Another ability granted by the Dream Space was Dream etching, an ability similar to writing which permitted Gelfling to leave messages on physical objects or surfaces.[2] These etchings, when used for making rock carvings, were achieved by applying intense heat to the object's surface.[1]

Other, sometimes more localized abilities, included healing among the Drenchen,[11] Far-Dreaming among the Sifa[12] and casting charms on crafts among the Spriton.[13] Some Gelfling, such as Argot and Kira, even mastered the usually Podling ability of Animal Soul Speaking.[14][15] 

Although differing in traditions and specific beliefs, all Gelfling shared the same basic tenets, valuing above all the virtues of peace, harmony and unity.[16] The latter value was eroded during the Age of Division, with most Gelfling in that period having a "clan-first" mentality.[17] Throughout much of their history, Gelfling societies were matriarchal. Most Gelfling societies were sedentary, though the Dousan and Sifa were nomadic.

All Gelfling cultures were essentially peaceful, hardworking and playful, and knew how to cultivate crops and tame animals.[18] They always strove to live in harmony with the natural world,[19] and their greatest joys lay in song, dance and stories.[4] Most Gelfling were illiterate,[20] thus they placed great value on orally transmitted generational knowledge.[21]

Festivities celebrated by all Gelfling included Name Day,[22] the Day of the Great Sun,[23] the Celebration of the Sister Moons,[24] and the Spring Festival.[25] he Gelfling originally spoke the Old Gelfling language, which survived in Modern Gelfling through titles, ritual pronouncements and some nouns. Modern Gelfling became a lingua franca of the Skeksis Empire, though some Gelfling were fluent in other spoken languages such as Skeksis and Podling. Some Gelfling clans had their own non-verbal languages, including vojeye among the Dousan and Finger-Talk among the Grottans. 

Gelfing Traits

what clan you pick gets ya traits

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 2.

Age

A halfling reaches adulthood at the age of 20 and generally lives into the middle of his or her second century.

Alignment

Most halflings are lawful good. As a rule, they are good-hearted and kind, hate to see others in pain, and have no tolerance for oppression. They are also very orderly and traditional, leaning heavily on the support of their community and the comfort of their old ways.

Size

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

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Lucky

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.

Brave

You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.

Halfling Nimbleness

You can move through the space of any creature that is of a size larger than yours.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Halfling. The Halfling language isn’t secret, but halflings are loath to share it with others. They write very little, so they don’t have a rich body of literature. Their oral tradition, however, is very strong. Almost all halflings speak Common to converse with the people in whose lands they dwell or through which they are traveling.