Homebrew Far East Species Details

Far East are Asian immigrants that come from an ancient and rich culture steeped in mystic arts. They are typified by attunement with both nature and the spiritual realms. They bring their culture and heritage with them wherever they go. Family, honor, and religion are particularly important to them. Incense burning to a family deity, art, music, and an appreciation for the natural way of things are all characteristics of the Far East. 

Graceful Elegance

Far East are have a smaller frame than others which enabled them to be swift, nimble and graceful. They are slightly shorter than Caucasians on average, ranging from well under 5 feet tall to just over 6 feet. They are more slender than Caucasians, weighing only 100 to 145 pounds. Males and females are about the same height, and males are only marginally heavier than females.

Far East have little to no facial or body hair. 

Mystic Arts

Over the thousands of years their civilizations have existed, the Far East have unlocked secrets to both the physical and spiritual realm. Far East live to be between 100-150 years old, giving them time to develop skills, gain wisdom, and learn patience. They are slow to make friends and enemies, and even slower to forget them. They reply to petty insults with disdain and to serious insults with vengeance.

Like the branches of a young tree, Far East are flexible in the face of danger. They trust in diplomacy and compromise to resolve differences before they escalate to violence. They have been known to retreat from intrusions into their homes and communities, confident that they can simply wait the invaders out or wear them down. But when the need arises, Far East  reveal a stern martial side, demonstrating skill with sword, bow, long rifle, and strategy. 

Held with Mystique and Suspicion 

Because Far East are relative newcomers to the Wild West, most towns, cities and communities hold them with mild suspicion and fear. Most Far East dwell in their own communities for support and protection. Far East communities can be found both in cities and towns, but also in the wilds. Far East hunt game, gather food, and grow vegetables, and their skill and mystic arts allow them to support themselves without the need for clearing and plowing land. They are talented artisans, crafting finely worked clothes and art objects. Their contact with outsiders is usually limited, though a few elves make a good living by trading crafted items for metals (which they have no interest in mining).

Elves encountered outside their own lands are commonly traveling minstrels, artists, or sages. Human nobles compete for the services of elf instructors to teach swordplay or magic to their children.

Exploration and Adventure

Far East take up adventuring out of wanderlust. Since they are so long-lived, they can enjoy decades of exploration and discovery. They dislike the pace of conventional American 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. Far East also enjoy exercising their martial prowess or gaining greater mystic power, and adventuring allows them to do so. Some might join with rebels fighting against oppression, and others might become champions of moral causes.

 

Far East Traits

Your Far East character has a variety of natural abilities, the result of thousands of years of cultural refinement.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 2.

Age

Orientals can live to be up to 150 years old. 

Size

Orientals range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall and have slender builds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, 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.

Keen Senses

You have proficiency in the Perception skill.

Far East Ancestry

You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

Trance

Orientals don’t need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. (The Common word for such meditation is “trance.”) While meditating, you can dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive through years of practice. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write English and the Asiatic Language of your choice (Chinese, Japanese, Mongolian).