Homebrew Amphibimorph Species Details

If you’re considering taking a slimy one along on an adventure, remember this important fact. The strange, glazed over in its eyes as it addresses you is the same look you might have after just waking up from an afternoon nap.

— Arbrek, dwarf fighter and adventurer

Only a fool looks at the Amphibimorphs and sees nothing more than scaly humanoids. Their physical shape notwithstanding ,Amphibimorphs have more in common with toads or bull frogs than they do with humans, dwarves, or elves. Amphibimorphs possess an alien and inscrutable mindset, their desires and thoughts driven by a different set of basic principles than those of warm-blooded creatures. Their dismal swamp homes might lie hundreds of miles from the nearest human settlement, but the gap between their way of thinking and that of the Pale-Skins is far greater.

Despite their alien outlook, some Amphibimorphs make an effort to understand and, in their own manner, befriend people of other races. Such Amphibimorphs make faithful and skilled allies.

Swampy Minds

The Amphibimorph's Amphibious nature comes through not only in their appearance, but also in how they think and act. Amphibimorphs experience a more limited emotional life than other humanoids. Like most Amphibians, their feelings largely revolve around food and sleep.

Amphibimorphs experience most feelings as detached descriptions of creatures and situations. For example, humans confronted by an angry troll experience fear on a basic level. Their limbs shake, their thinking becomes panicked and jumbled, and they react by instinct. The emotion of fear takes hold and controls their actions. In contrast, Amphibimorphs see emotions as traits assigned to other creatures, objects, and situations. An Amphibimorph doesn’t think, “I’m scared.” Instead, aggressive, stronger creatures register to the Amphibimorphs as fearsome beings to be avoided if possible. If such creatures attack, Amphibimorphs flee, fighting only if cornered. Amphibimorphs aren’t scared of a troll; instead, they understand that a troll is a fearsome, dangerous creature and react accordingly.

Amphibimorphs never become angry in the way others do, but they act with territorial aggression toward creatures that they could defeat in a fight and that can’t be dealt with in some other manner. They are aggressive toward prey they want to eat, creatures that want to harm them, and so on.

Pleasurable people and things make life easier for Amphibimorphs. Pleasurable things should be preserved and protected, sometimes at the cost of the Amphibimorph's own safety. The most pleasurable creatures and things are ones that allow Amphibimorphs to assess more situations as benign rather than fearsome.

Kind and Curious

Amphibimorphs are an affable and cheerful people. They cherish the bonds of family and friendship as well as the comforts of hearth and home, harboring few dreams of gold or glory. Even adventurers among them usually venture into the world for reasons of community, friendship, wanderlust, or curiosity. They love discovering new things, even simple things, such as an exotic food or an unfamiliar style of clothing.

Amphibimorphs are easily moved to pity and hate to see any living thing suffer. They are generous, happily sharing what they have even in lean times.

Marsh-like Manners

Most Amphibimorphs live in small, peaceful communities with large swamps and well-kept pools. They rarely build kingdoms of their own or even hold much land beyond their quiet shires. They typically don’t recognize any sort of Amphibimorph nobility or royalty, instead looking to family elders to guide them. Families preserve their traditional ways despite the rise and fall of empires.

Not many Amphibimorphs live among other races, Their unusual stature and way of life make them outcasts in most societies. Other Amphibimorph communities travel as a way of life, driving wagons or guiding boats from place to place and maintaining no permanent home.

Exploration and Adventure

Amphibimorphs take up adventuring out of wanderlust. They dislike the pace of human society, which is regimented from day to day but constantly changing over decades, so they find careers that let them travel freely and set their own pace. Do not be fooled by the Amphibimorphs aloof nature, they also enjoy exercising their mental prowess or gaining greater magical power, and adventuring allows them to do so. Some might join with rebels fighting against oppression, and others might become champions of moral causes

Amphibimorph Personality

You can use the Amphibimorph Quirks table to determine a personality quirk for an Amphibimorph character or to inspire a unique mannerism.

Amphibimorph Quirks

d8	Quirk
1	You hate clutter and see no reason to scavenge fallen enemies. One Pale-Skin's junk is everyone's junk!
2	You sleep best while mostly submerged in water.
3	Money is meaningless to you.
4	You think there are only two species of humanoid: Amphibimorph and Pale-Skin.
5	You have learned to laugh. You use this talent in response to all emotional situations, to better fit in with your comrades.
6	You still don’t understand how metaphors work. That doesn’t stop you from using them at every opportunity.
7	You appreciate the soft humanoids who realize they need your brain to overcome their petty squabbles.
8	You enjoy eating your food while it’s still wriggling.

Amphibimorph Names

Amphibimorphs take their names from the Aquan language. They use simple descriptives granted by the tribe based on an individual’s notable deeds or actions. For example, Buroot translates as “axe,” a name given to an Amphibimorph warrior who defeated an orc and claimed his foe’s weapon. An Amphibimorph who likes to hide in a stand of reeds before ambushing an animal might be called Glimp, which means “green” to describe how she blends into the foliage.

Amphibimorphs make no distinction between male and female in their naming conventions. Each example name includes its translation in parenthesis.

Amphibimorph Names: Glimp (green), Aryo (war), Baloo (animal), Darastriae (dragon), Buroot (axe), Slorg (secret), Jhang (hammer), Tempesk (storm), Kethrend (gem), Korth (danger), Komp (small), Kanth (demon), Lassur (armor), Mirik (song), Bonk (smart), Diriik (eye), Throden (many), Murkear (night), Usk (iron), Sismitt (burn), MRGRLERELR (battle), Motub (mountain), Blimi (black), Sythk (steel)

Amphibimorph Traits

Your Amphibimorph character has the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 2 and one other by 1.

Age

Amphibimorphs reach maturity around age 14 and rarely live longer than 60 years.

Alignment

Most Amphibimorphs are neutral. They see the world as a place of exploration, where life and death are natural processes. They wish only to survive, and prefer to leave other creatures to their own devices.

Size

Amphibimorphs are a little bulkier and smaller than humans, and their dark and slimy skin make them appear even smaller. Your size is small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet, a base climbing speed of 10 feet, and you have a swimming speed of 60 feet.

Tree Frog Ancestry

You have light adhesive on the tips of your fingers and toes allowing you to climb any surface at the speed of 10ft.

Waterbreathing

You can breathe underwater.

Lick

Your long tongue is a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal poison damage equal to 1d6 + your Dexterity modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Sticky Tongue

In battle, you can become spontaneously hungry. As a bonus action, you can make a special attack with your tongue. (range 10) If the attack hits, it deals poison damage equal to 1d6 + your Dexterity modifier, and you grapple the creature. You can’t use this trait again until you finish a short or long rest.

Adhesive: The tongue adheres to anything that touches it. A Huge or smaller creature adhered to the tongue is also Grappled by it (escape Strength saving throw). Ability Checks made to Escape this grapple have disadvantage.

Cunning Artisan

As part of a short rest, you can harvest bone and hide from a slain beast, construct, dragon, monstrosity, or plant creature of size Small or larger to create one of the following items: a shield, a club, a javelin, or 1d4 darts or blowgun needles. To use this trait, you need a blade, such as a dagger, or appropriate artisan’s tools, such as leatherworker’s tools.

Wanderer's Lore

You gain proficiency with two skills of your choice.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Aquan.