Homebrew Brute (5e Race) Species Details
Brute
“ Calling them neanderthals is a compliment, believe me. ”
—Unknown anthropologist
Physical Description
Brutes are massive, hairy humanoids, with thick muscles on top of dense bone and pronounced jaws. They are brownish, gray, or black in skin color, and have a somewhat hunched-over posture. They are usually stocky and tall in height, equal in berth. The women are no less brawny. They are known to have knotted hair and badly aligned teeth. The latter occasionally poke out of their lips and make them look even more brutish.
History
Long, long ago brutes served dark gods as minions. They were smarter, they weren't so ugly, and they stood upright back then. However, they knew neither independence nor the concept of honor. They simply obeyed their gods and did horrible things to please their awful masters.
They fought on the losing side of a war between gods as shock troopers. When the war was over they were punished for their part in the opposing effort by being physically and mentally devolved to the point where they had more in common with beasts of the wild than with tool-using humanoid races. There was a silver lining to their curse, however: they were free, and they were no longer slaves to evil. Thus, now they often exist as primates do in the wild in blissful ignorance.
Society
Brutes live in small tribes, preferring to make their homes in jungles or on mountains. They operate in small polygamous units where the stronger male amasses more females. This makes them very akin to animals in hierarchy. Brutes are known to prove themselves as worthy mates in bouts of battles. Even females will compete for a male when the situation calls for it. Brutes do have a certain curiosity for things like magic, which fascinates them. They are highly interactive with other races if they prove themselves friendly. Brutes are, in conclusion, a very straightforward and simple people.
Brute Names
Brute names are short, simple, and harsh to most ears.
Male: Argnak, Kaigrom, Maugrim, Zudnak
Female: Burzla, Rolba, Snogya, Yurga
Brute (5e Race) Traits
Nasty and brutish, but not so short.Destructive Strength
Destructive Strength. You have advantage on Strength checks made to break structures and other objects.
Hearty Constitution
Hearty Constitution. You suffer no ill effects from eating rotten food, and have advantage on rolls to resist the effects of consumed poisons.
Brute Slam.
Your muscled arms aren't just for show! Your unarmed strikes deal 1d8 points of bludgeoning damage.
Imposing.
Brutes look quite scary if not just ugly. You have proficiency in the Intimidation skill.
Grappler.
You have advantage in checks to grapple.
Frightful Presence.
When a Brute charges or attacks it inspires terror in all creatures within 30ft that have fewer hit dice or levels than it has. Each opponent must make a Wisdom save or become Frightened for 1d6 rounds. A successful save leaves the opponent immune to the Brutes frightful presence for 24 hours.
Debris Toss.
The brute throws a random piece of nearby debris in a line that is 30 feet long and 5 feet wide, provided it has no creature grappled. Each creature in that line must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 2d6 bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Rage.
Rage. As a bonus action, the brute can enter a Rage. While raging, the brute gains the following benefits:
Advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.
Melee weapon attacks deal an additional 2 damage.
The brute gains resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
Counter Grapple.
When the brute takes damage from a creature within its reach, it can use its reaction to attempt to grapple the creature.
Improved Critical.
Brute's weapon attacks score a critical hit on a 19 or 20.
Thick Skin.
Brute may use his reaction to reduce damage he takes by 1d12.
Athletic
You have proficiency with the Athletics and Survival
Brute Haul.
Brutes are hulks. Your carrying capacity is doubled.
Mighty Wield
Mighty Wield: Due to the brutes immense strength, they are able to wield two handed weapons proficiently as if they were one handed weapons.
Darkvision.
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.
Fighting Spirit.
Your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to non-magical attacks and damage. In addition, you may add your proficiency bonus to the damage roll of any attack you make which uses Strength.
Magic Resistance.
The brute has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Ability Score Increase.
Your Strength score increases by 4 and your Constitution score increases by 2.
Age
Brutes age slightly slower than humans, reaching adulthood at around age 20. They tend to live a decent bit longer than humans as well, usually living to be no older than 200.
Size.
A Brute stands between 8 and 10 feet tall, and weighs from 1,200 to 1,800 pounds. Your size is Large.
Speed.
Your base walking speed is 40 feet.
Languages.
You speak, read, and write Common and Giant
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