Fungaling (5e Race)

## **Fungaling**

*"While people might last only a short time, plants are different. They age, and age, and age, living on as so many creatures die out. They are far wiser than all of us, and if you could only hear them, maybe you'd understand."*

*-Souffle Green-Grass, a verdant fungaling druid*

### Fungal Folk

Fungalings have existed among the plants--both underground and aboveground--for millennia, avoiding most of the people of the world out of fear of assault. Their culture has revolved around the cycle of nature, the circle of life, and protecting plants from unnecessary destruction. With their ability to plant themselves and act dormant for days on end, many are unaware that they truly are sentient, walking beings, however they are just as intelligent and mobile as humans.

### The Great Three

The fungalings are the children of three gargantuan mushroom-bodied creatures, similar to fungalings themselves, known as The Great Three. These beings each embody three ideals, and their ideals are typically followed by their children vigilantly.

***The Great Green.*** The most serene and wise of the three, the Green is the mother of the verdant fungalings, embodying their calm nature. She is a firm but gentle creator, and wishes for her children to teach others of the ways of nature.

***The Great Red.*** Explosive and vengeful, the Red is the father of the crimson fungalings, a true icon of their powerful nature. He believes that those who harm nature deserve nothing more than violent judgement, though he advises his children to be gentle around druids, rangers, and other followers of the natural way.

***The Great Violet.*** Loud and swift, the Violet is the father of the shrieking fungalings, embodying their deadly screams. His children are made by him to destroy those who are against him, regardless of who they are.

Not all fungalings listen to their creators, however; a crimson fungaling could easily be a serene sage, or a verdant fungaling could be a violent warmongerer.

### Ever-Growing

Just like how nature is ever-changing and growing, so too are fungalings. While fungalings begin their sentient life at around the same height as a dwarf, with each passing year, they slowly grow in height and mass, until they surpass even the tallest of orcs in size.

### Fungaling Names

Originally created as a method to harass creatures for consuming mushrooms, many fungalings are named after desserts of sentient creatures, lacking genders for their names. This is to symbolize that to the fungalings, it is as if people are eating their children.

Fungalings also take on a surname which is a combination of their respective creator's color, and a suffix based on their early appearance, thoughts, location, and achievements.

**Fungaling Names:** Brulee, Butter, Cake, Cocoa, Cookie, Cream, Pudding, Souffle, Truffle

**Fungaling Surnames:** Green-Grass, Green-Leaves, Green-Warrior, Red-Axe, Red-Cave, Red-Spots, Violet-Sentinel, Violet-Slinger, Violet-Stone

### Fungaling Traits

Your fungaling character has the following racial traits.

***Ability Score Increase.*** Your Constitution score increases by 1.

***Age.*** Fungalings first start their life as sentient mushrooms, and slowly grow an adult body over the course of 10 years. Fungalings can live to be hundreds of years old, and keep slowly increasing in height, until they can no longer support their size with sufficient nutrients.

***Alignment.*** The majority of fungalings tend to keep to themselves, being neutral in conflicts, however a rare few become aggressive towards humanoids for consuming mushrooms and plants, driving them to chaos or even evil.

***Size.*** Fungalings are first able to walk and talk while they are about 4 feet tall, but each year they age adds another inch to their height, and roughly about another pound. Your size is Medium.

***Speed.*** Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

***Superior*** ***Darkvision.*** Your sight is adapted to seeing in dark caves or forests during the nighttime. You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern colours in darkness, only shades of grey.

***Mushroom Whisperer.*** You are proficient in Nature. Also, you can cast the *speak with plants* spell at will, however when cast in this way, you can only speak to plants, not command or move them, and the only plants you can speak to are mushrooms.

***Plant Self.*** You can spend 1 minute clearing away loose soil and ground to plant yourself in the ground, exposing only your head. When you do so, you have advantage on all Dexterity (Stealth) checks, you are prone, and if you spend at least 4 hours planted in fertile ground, you are fully nourished for the next 24 hours. You can unplant yourself as an action.

***Languages.*** You can speak, read, and write Common.

***Subrace.*** Three kinds of fungalings exist; the two cave-dwelling kinds, crimson and shrieking, and the ones that live on the surface world, the verdant.

#### **Crimson Fungaling**

Crimson fungalings embody the violent nature of the underdark, boasting larger size and physical prowess than the rest of their kin. They take on the fury of nature, and are the favored ones of the Great Red.

***Ability Score Increase.*** Your Strength score increases by 2.

***Fungal Violence.*** When you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your proficiency bonus, which last for 1 minute.

***Great Red's Flail.*** As a bonus action, you can form roots in your free hand, which harden and become a flail you are proficient with that you cannot be disarmed of. You can retract the roots as a bonus action.

***Bonus Language.*** You can speak, read, and write Undercommon.

#### **Shrieking Fungaling**

Shrieking fungalings take on their name from their ability to produce extremely loud sounds, known for swiftly moving into packs of their prey and destroying their ears. They are the favored ones of the Great Violet.

***Ability Score Increase.*** Your Dexterity score increases by 2.

***Shrieking.*** You know the *thunderclap* cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the *thunderwave* spell as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the *blindness/deafness* (deafness only) spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for these spells, and you only provide verbal components for these spells, regardless of what components they normally require.

***Great Violet's Whip.*** As a bonus action, you can form roots in your free hand, which harden and become a whip you are proficient with that you cannot be disarmed of. You can retract the roots as a bonus action.

***Bonus Language.*** You can speak, read, and write Undercommon.

#### **Verdant Fungaling**

Verdant fungalings are the only fungalings that live on the surface, usually being inactive during the day and sprouting at night. They are known for their wisdom and serenity, and are the favored ones of the Great Green.

***Ability Score Increase.*** Your Wisdom score increases by 2.

***Nature's Blessing.*** You know the *shillelagh* and *druidcraft* cantrips. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

***Fungal Wisdom.*** Before you make a Wisdom ability check, you can choose to have advantage on that check. After using this trait, you must take a short or long rest before doing so, again.

***Great Green's Staff.*** As a bonus action, you can form roots in your free hand, which harden and become a quarterstaff you are proficient with that you cannot be disarmed of. You can cast the *shillelagh* cantrip on the quarterstaff as part of the same bonus action, and you can retract the roots as a bonus action.

***Bonus Language.*** You can speak, read, and write Sylvan.