Homebrew Leshen Species Details

Leshen dwell in dense, ancient woods. Fiercely territorial creatures, they hunt with stealth and cunning as their only companions. They use their inborn magic to control the plants and animals within their territory — and so when stalking them, half the battle is merely getting near enough to strike. They are not to be trifled with. The most off-putting part of a Leshen is their head, typically appearing to be a bare skull with elk antlers. If you manage to get close enough and still draw breath you may see the primordial flicker of life within the depths of the eye sockets. Nobody knows how the Leshen reproduce, all attempts to study them have met with death. For this same reason, the social skills of a Leshen are atrocious. If you are lucky enough to be able to speak to a Leshen they are extremely succinct, rarely ever speaking without a specific need. Attempts at humor either go unnoticed by or outright annoy a Leshen looking to finish the conversation and get back to a quiet existence. Leshen communities are almost exclusively integrated with their environments to a remarkable degree. Indeed, some travelers have stumbled through Leshen villages and not even realized they were anywhere other than a wild untamed woodland clearing. Leshan homes are often built beneath great oaks, with entrances among tangled roots, or fabricated out of peat moss from a nearby bog. Leshen believe they have a symbiotic relationship with the forest. Leshen revere the forests they call home and have complex cultural rituals which respect and maintain the natural balance within the forests that protect them.

Leshen Traits

Fey ancestry affords the Leshen a few magical advantages related to the forests they so diligently safeguard. Their cultural rituals also ensure all Leshen have certain skills.

Languages

You speak, read, and write Common and Sylvan.

Ability Score Increase

Leshen are wise creatures by nature. Despite being frail in appearance they are actually quite hardy as well, what good is a protector that needs protecting after all. Your Wisdom score increases by 2 and your Constitution by 1

Forest Walker

Leshen are born of the forest, even if they are not born in a forest. All Leshen have the magical ability to move through natural terrain more quietly than other creatures. When you walk through a natural environment and not on a road or humanoid-made path, your steps make no sound, regardless of the surface you are moving across. You also have advantage on Dexterity ( Stealth) checks that rely on moving silently in such circumstances.

Fey Ancestry

Leshen are descended from ancient fey creatures that took an interest in the hunt. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

Forest Affinity

Leshen communities feel a connection with the creatures of the forest and teach their children to be close to them. Through simple movements and sounds, you can communicate simple ideas with woodland beasts that are Small or smaller.

Wild Hunt Proficiency

To commemorate the fullness of the environment in which they live, members of Leshen communities conduct great hunts on special days, usually solstices or equinoxes. As a part of these rituals, all Leshen community members learn to participate in the hunt. You are proficient in Survival and with simple weapons.