Homebrew Yeti Species Details
The yeti are creatures of myth and legend, occupying inhospitable mountain homes in the wilderness. They are feared hunters for very good reason- but beyond their well-earned reputation, yeti have a culture of their own. They care greatly for their young, and hunt tirelessly to feed the large and growing appetites of their babes. They are ruthless warriors, placing strength and fortitude above all else; and yet there are also some outsiders who find place within the tight-knit communities of the yeti as mystics.
Yeti have spread throughout the frozen tundras and mountains of the world. Where dragons have not roosted or taken residence underground, yeti often control their home ranges. They are nocturnal, preferring to use sudden attacks against unprepared targets. The howls of a yeti war band are a chilling sound enough to freeze some in their tracks. They make their dens in cliffs and caves, the entrances decorated with furs and skulls to ward off intruders.
Despite their brutal and sometimes gruesome society, some yeti are not content with sustenance hunting and petty displays of strength, and leave their ranges to find even greater challenges and mysteries. These have become barbarians, druids, and more- not wholesome by most means, but stout and capable companions nonetheless.
Appearance
Yeti are tall and muscular humanoids, standing from 7 to 8 feet, and weigh 400 lbs. or more. They have broad shoulders and long arms, and short, thick legs with big feet. They are covered with a dense undercoat and thick, coarse overcoat of white fur, and have dark grayish-brown skin which is visible on their faces. They have long ears with long tufts of fur on the end, which give the the impression of large horns when seen in silhouette or from a distance, and their eyes are red, or amber or golden. They surprisingly large and sharp canine teeth. Male yeti are capable of growing long beards as they age.
Thanks to their fur, yeti have little interest in clothing, usually wearing a sturdy loincloth or baldric at most in their daily lives. In battles they will wear more protection, typically hide or leather armors and plating.
Age
Yeti live in harsh environments and in societies where the strongest thrive, and this forces them to mature quickly, becoming fully grown at just fifteen years old. They typically also live shorter lives than humans, most yeti living only into their late fifties and falling in battle. However, solitary yeti in environments with little or no competition at the top of the food chain have been observed to live, much, much longer- one individual was noted to have lived for over two centuries.
Alignment
In most cases violent and predatory, a majority of yeti will be a Neutral alignment, as many hunters are, mainly out of a selfish need for survival rather than malice. They have great respect for strength, and some yeti from a family or community may tend towards being Lawful because of this. And, of course, there are many yeti, perhaps solitary or driven to madness, who have become feral, and more Evil and Chaotic.
Yeti Traits
The yeti are well adapted to mountain life.Abominable Attributes
The lineage and aptitudes of the yeti give a +1 increase to their Constitution, Wisdom, and Strength ability scores.
Beastly Brutality
Yeti are hunters, using incredible force to overwhelm their prey and take them down quickly. When they score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, they can roll one of the weapon’s damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.
Clobbering Chill
As predators, the yeti have always preferred to use blunt objects to hunt, whether from up close or far away. They have proficiency with Clubs, Greatclubs, Maces, and Slings.
Deceptively Large
Yeti are much more imposing up close, despite seeming only Medium in size: they have dense and muscular builds and prodigious strength, allowing them to count as one size class larger when determining Push, Drag, and Carry weights, and are not slowed when wearing heavy armor.
Thick Fur
Yeti have a thick, coarse outer coat as well as a dense inner coat of fur, which enable them to resist Cold damage.
Nocturnal
Yeti are by nature nocturnal, and as such are able to see in dim light. They have superior vision in dark and dim conditions, and can see in dim light within 60 feet as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. They can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Snow Step
At home on snow-capped peaks, yeti have adapted to maneuvering on surfaces that would be hazardous for most others to traverse. They ignore non-magical difficult terrain the result of snow, ice, and similar phenomena.
Mountain Born
Yeti are native to mountainous environments at high elevations, and as such they're acclimated to high altitudes, including elevations above 20,000 feet.
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