Homebrew Demi-Human Species Details

“It looked like a cross between man and beast.. Civilized one moment and feral the next… It’s unnatural…” -random peasant talking about Demi-Humans

Beings from the Feywild. Despite the name and looking like the byproduct of a strange relationship between man and beast, Demi-Humans are more fey than beast or man. Centuries living in the Fey Wilds has made the Demi-Humans take on animalistic properties. No two Demi-Humans look alike. A Demi-Human could look anywhere between looking like a human with gills hidden behind the ears to looking like a transformed werewolf. Most Demi-Humans that are found on the material plane are either from the Fey Wilds themselves or are descendants of adventurous Demi-Humans.

Appearance. When they are born, Demi-Humans look like they are humans. Once a Demi-Human reaches their early teens however, they begin a process known among their kind as ‘The Change’. When ‘The Change’ happens, a Demi-Human begins to take on animal features and personality quirks based on the animals they are growing up around. A Demi-Human that spends their time among owls might grow owl wings and start to become drowsy during the day; while a Demi-Human that lives with cats might grow cat ears and have a strong desire to eat tuna when they can smell it. Regardless of appearance, most Demi-Humans take on aspects of a single beast. They few that do, like those with both the gills of a fish and the wings of a bird, are treated with wariness from other Demi-Humans. The reason why is that personality quirks from multiple animals have a tendency to clash and make a Demi-Human unstable. To reduce the chance of this happening, most Demi-Humans will either have themselves or their parents choose an animal for them to have as a constant companion, at least until ‘The Change’ is complete.

Names. Demi-Humans tend to have two names: a personal name and a social name. A social name is given at birth and can change throughout a Demi-Human’s life. A social name is usually a name that describes a Demi-Humans’ appearance or personality, like a Demi-Human that has fluffy fur might choose ‘Fluffy’ as their social name for a time. A social name could also be a name from a different race that a Demi-Human hears and particularly likes. Regardless of what the name is based off of, a social name is what a Demi-Human will usually respond to. A personal name is chosen by a Demi-Human at the end of ‘The Change’. This name is usually kept only to the Demi-Human, but they may share it with close friends or family members. A personal name is a word that embodies an ideal or goal that a Demi-Human will strive to embody. A Demi-Humans’ mood can increase when they are doing actions that are in-line with their personal name. This mood can become infectious, improving the moods of those around them. Conversely, a Demi-Human that does actions against their personal name, their mood decreases. Continuously doing actions against their personal name has the potential to make a Demi-Human depressed, sometimes to the point of insanity.

Demi-Human Traits

A Demi-Human has a variety of traits developed from centuries of life spent in the Fey Wilds.

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 1 and one other ability score of your choice increases by 2.

Age

Demi-Humans mature at the same rate as humans but live a few centuries longer.

Alignment

Demi-Humans love freedom, variety, and self-expression, so they lean strongly towards the gentler aspects of chaos. They value and protect others' freedom as well as their own, and are good more often than not.

Size

Demi-Humans are about the same size and build as humans. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Fey

Your creature type is fey, rather than humanoid.

Darkvision

Thanks to your fey heritage, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Primal Senses

Your animalistic heritage grants you innate skills. You gain proficiency in your choice of Animal Handling, Perception, Stealth, or Survival.

Animalistic Boons

You have animalistic features that grant you a primal edge. Choose two of the following that are appropriate for the type of animal you have traits from:

• Winged. You have wings sprouting from your shoulders. You have a flying speed of 30 feet while you aren’t wearing heavy armor.
• Aqueous. You have gills hidden behind your ears and slightly webbed hands and feet. You can breath both air and water. You also have a swimming speed of 30 feet.
• Burrower. Your claws are naturally built for digging. You also have a keen sense of touch. You have a burrow speed of 30 feet and tremor sense out to 10 feet.
• Natural Climber. Your claws are naturally built for climbing and landing on your feet. You have a climbing speed of 30 feet. Also, when you take fall damage, you can use your reaction to reduce the total amount of damage by an amount equal to your level. 
• Natural Weapons. You have any number of your choice of horns, fangs or sharp teeth, claws, a tail, and/or some other natural weapon. Your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, as appropriate to the natural weapon you chose, and you are proficient with your unarmed strikes. Finally, you can use your choice of Strength or Dexterity for attack and damage rolls.
• Natural Armor. You have a sheen of scales, thick fur, or tough skin. When you aren’t wearing armor, your AC is 13 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield's benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.
• Climate Adaptability. You’re accustomed to harsh climates. Choose a damage type: Radiant, Necrotic, Psychic, Force, Acid, Lightning, Fire, Poison, Thunder, or Cold. You gain resistance to the chosen damage type.
• Primal Magic. You have an innate proficiency with nature magic. You learn one cantrip, one 1st level, and one 2nd level spell from the Druid spell list that doesn’t have material components. You can cast these spells once without expending a spell slot and you must finish a long rest before you can cast them this way again. You can also cast these spells using any spell slots you have. Your spellcasting ability for these spells is your choice of Charisma, Intelligence, or Wisdom.

Languages

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