Homebrew Blight-folk Species Details

Hidden deep in a great forest a small glowing glade begins to pulse with a strange bioluminescent light. The Great Tree positioned right in the center begins to pulsate, lichen and moss shaken from it's bark as a small sound like a drum beat fills the air. The earth thumps with the sound, like a pounding heart. Ba-dum Ba-dum Ba-dum. It picks up, growing quicker and quicker before the entire glade is suddenly void of sound. Two piercing yellow eyes appear within the bark of the great tree and a humanoid figure steps out, ash-grey skin illuminated in the light of the glowing mushrooms. 

Born of the Forest

Blights are a race of people not often seen outside the boundaries of their forest homes. They are born when any sort of tree is imbued with the darkness of the abyssal planes tp create what is known as a Great Tree. This may happen in any number of ways: movement between the planes, curses, demonic infestation, etc etc. But the tree itself becomes a beacon of dark power, eventually growing so strong in it's need to both consume and grow that it begins to create life from within itself to spread that growth. These people are known as the Blight-Folk. Tribes often grown around these trees, some choosing to worship the tree and the flora and fauna around it, while other's choose to leave their tribe and explore the rest of the world. 

One with Nature

While resembling the size and shape of normal humans, a blight-folk's connection to nature is easy to note just by looking at them. Their skin can come in a number of different earthen shades, often ranging from pale-ish silvers to dark ashy browns. Some of their skin may take on both a bark like appearance and texture, similar to that of the tree they were born of. They have pointed ears, thin, almost-twig like fingers and all blight-folk have some sort of horn or antler type protrusion from their heads. These are made up of thick, tough bark that seems to grow naturally from their scalp. Many blight folk often take on traits commonly associated with the part of the forest they were born from. These traits are decided below. 

1d6	Trait
1	Various fungal growth sprouts from different parts of your body, often bioluminescent
2	The tips of your hair transition into thick, dread-like vines
3	You're eyes are pale white from the lack of sunlight
4	One of your limbs is made of bug infested wood
5	The smell of damp earth follows you wherever you go
6	Your horns are hollow and can possibly provide shelter to small birds or animals

Tribal Folk

Tribes of Blight-folk often exist in small villages centered around the dark tree they spawned from. The leader of the tribe is typically the first Blight-Folk to emerge from the tree. They stand together as a single unit, existing as one entity that's goal is to expand the growth of the tree they are born from. Some Blight-Folk may decide to leave the village to pursue this goal while other's decide to leave because of other, personal reasons. Leaving the tribe is not seen as disgraceful in anyway, no matter the circumstances of one's departure. Most Blightfolk understand that leaving the village, no matter what, will still expand the great trees growth. It is a simple part of the natural cycle of Blight-Folk. They are born of the earth and will eventually become apart of it once again. 

Sheltered From Society

 Most Blight-Folk spend a large portion of their lifespan secluded within the darkness of their forests, and while their is some semblance of standard societal interactions, upon integrating into more modern parts of the world, it is often easy to spot a blight-folk just from the way they act. Below are potential quirks a blight-folk might have. Choose as many as little as you like to help shape the personality of your Blight-Folk

1d10	Quirk
1	You speak with plants, moss, and mushrooms for advice or guidance
2	You love the rain and often bathe in it
3	You have no understanding of common, modern currency
4	You may refer to normal, everyday objects by strange names
5	You are more comfortable in dark, small spaces
6	You have a child-like fascination with new technology
7	You often try to keep poisonous or dangerous bugs or reptiles as pets
8	You are not phased by death, as it is apart of the natural balance of life
9	You talk to trees as if they were people
10	You often have a story to tell about almost any kind of plant you encounter

 

 

Blight-folk Traits

Your Blight has the following traits

Ability Score Increase

Your Wisdom increase by +2 and your Constitution increases by +1

Age

Blight-folk are born fully matured and have a lifespan of 300 years and show no physical signs of aging until they reach their second century of life, where their skin may take on a weathered or cracked appearance.

Alignment

Most Blight-folk understand that spreading the power that brought them into existence is their main goal. They can chose to do this in any number of ways ranging from good to evil and anywhere in between. However, few blight-folk tend to do so through evil means, thus making many  of them chaotic forces of either good or neutrality. 

Size

Blight-folk often range in size like a human would. They can range anywhere from 4'9'' to 6'2'' 

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 ft. In addition, your climbing speed (when climbing trees specifically) is the same as your base walking speed.

Blight Resistance

Being raised among fungal growth and various deadly pollens has given you a natural aversion to many chemicals, substances, and pathogens that many creatures might find harmful. You are unable to be poisoned and cannot contract any sort of fungal, insect, or plant based disease 

Dark Forest Magic

Blight-Folk have an innate spell-casting ability that was granted to them by the tree that brought them into existence. This ability allows them to channel their power through a focus crafted from the wood of their great tree. This focus may take the form of a staff, wand, circlet, or any other sort of trinket desired. At first level you gain the ability to cast the spells Druidcraft, Mold Earth, and Poison spray. At levels 4 and 6 your gain the ability to cast the spells Blight and Transport via Plants respectively. Wisdom is the spell-casting modifier for these spells and they do not count towards your total number of cantrips or spells known. However, if you do not have your focus present, you cannot cast these spells.

Host Body

Blight-folk have a close relationship with nature, and if they are chosen to house one of the earth's numerous small inhabitants in their more tree-like appendages hey do so with pride and respect. A blight-folk's body may be host to snakes, lizards, ravens, owls, mice, rats, and even small swarms of insects. Blight-folk often form bonds with these creatures and can form a bond with one creature in particular to act as their familiar. The creature must be indigenous to the area where they were spawned. The creature may have a CR no higher than 1/8 and only one creature may be bonded to you at a time. A bonding ritual can transfer this bond to a new creature at the end of a long rest. This creature acts independently and has it's own personality, but will always obey your commands. An action can be used to command it during combat and it may also take shelter within your body to prevent taking damage. 

Languages

You can speak Common, Fey, and Abyssal

Nature Natural

Blight-folk are born with a very clear understanding of nature and the way it works, from plant names to ecosystems to how it all manages to co-exist. Their knowledge is as great as the forests they hail from. Along with this comes the knowledge of using those plants they grew up around to craft and create various poisons and harmful mixtures using nothing but natural ingredients.