Homebrew Races

## **Treefolk**

The smaller entities in the treant family, known to dwell in the Feverborn Jungle as well as in the denser forests around Rhodes. With treant seen as the ancient shepherds of the forest, treefolk are seen as its inhabitants.

These creatures are mostly known for their knowledge of distant pasts, passed down through the ancient speech of the ents. Normally a less hasty people, preferring to take its time and react to actions as they occur. Generally kind but menacing in size. Seldom seen with armor consisting of anything other than bark, and if so, often seen as an omen of war by elderly people.

*Not the most social nor ones you want to rub the wrong way as they have the age, memory and tenacity to bear a grudge until your great great grandchildren are long gone.*

### **Traits:**

**Ability Score increase:** Your Constitution score increases by 1. Your Wisdom score increases by 2.

**Age:** Treefolk (also referred to as 'Saplings') are long lived creatures. They reach adulthood at about 50 years. Nobody knows how old they can get, but at about 250 years they tend to wander into the woods, take root and live among the trees, only communicating in a low rumbling commonly referred to as Entish.

**Alignment:** Saplings tend to be of neutral alignment. If the land they spring from is corrupted or otherwise different than it's natural state would be this may reflect in the alignment of Saplings hailing from that part of the world.

**Size:** Treefolk are between 6 and 8 feet tall but can grow even taller in their later years. Even the smallest ones are imposing figures to a normal human. Your size is medium.

**Speed:** Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

**Force of Nature:** You know the Druidcraft cantrip. Once you reach 3rd level, you gain the 1st level spell Goodberry. At 5th level you can cast Entangle. You can use these spells once per day and need to complete a long rest for them to be available again. The spellcasting ability for these spells is Wisdom.

**Vulnerability to Fire:** You take double damage from Fire.

**Resistance to acid and poison:** You take half damage from poison and acid damage.

**Natural growth:** Limbs are able to be regrown over a series of days or weeks based on the caring and nutrients attributed to the healing process.

**Photosynthesis:** You don't need to eat. While you have the ability to consume and process solid food, you may as well draw nutrients from fertile ground and energy from the sun. To do so you must stay rooted in fertile soil for one hour during any point of the day as well as be exposed to sunlight for one hour. These does not have to happen simultaneously. If no fertile soil is present, a prolonged nutrient absorption is necessary. The soil quality can be seen reflected in your appearance, such as the color of your bark and the smell of the flowers you might naturally grow on your body.

**Hard exterior:** When you are not wearing armor your AC is 8+your CON-modifier+your STR-modifier. Your unarmed strikes deal 1D4+your STR-modifier of bludgeoning damage and have Reach (p. 147).

**Powerful build:** You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

**Languages:** You are proficient in spoken and written Common, Elvish/Druidic/Sylvan/Entish and a third language, usually the language most commonly spoken in the land you hail from.

**Subraces:** Treefolk have three main subraces, based on from where they originate: Cacti, Douglas Fir and XXX.

### **Subraces:**

#### *Cacti Traits:*

*A more chubby and thickly build member of the Treefolk. Often only seen in the deserts or near water wholes in warmer climates.*

**Desert Denizen:** You can go up to a week without water and can gather a days worth of water from an hour of light to heavy rain.

**Aloe Balm:** As an action you can secrete a solution that acts as a disinfectant with natural healing properties. A dose holds enough for one creature, who regains health equal to your level. The dose looses its potency after one hour if not used. Once you use this trait, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.

**Needles:** If hit by an unarmed attack, grappled or grappling, you deal 1D4 dmg to the opponent.

**Slow Trot:** Your base walking speed is reduced to 20 feet.

#### *Douglas Fir Traits:*

*A slender build member of the Treefolk race. The most respected due to their age, but also the least adventurous.*

**Aged Wood:** These Treefolk are the oldest of old, living almost indefinitely and more than likely being the oldest living inhabitants of Alera. You can grow to more than 1000 years of age, but are seldom, if ever, seem moving about after the age of 250.

**Preserve Life:** You are proficient in one of the following skills - Animal Handling, Medicine or Nature.

## **Marat**

A dark- to light brown skinned tribal people living in close connection with nature and the old gods. Extremely fierce, fearless and territorial people. A people feared and hunted by the Alerans all over Alera although no official law stands against them. A people known as the center-piece or igniting spark of several great conflicts throughout the ages.

Living in a tribal society they have a close connection to nearby tribes and can easily and quickly call upon help in the uprising of war to gather unheard of numbers of their brethren. This people is also big on trades and often possessing something of great value, though seldom something of any material worth to the average commoner.

Marat bonds to a particular animal at a young age and as they grow up they often gain attributes attributed to the animal. - A bonding to a horse 'chala' as they call it may give the marat an increased speed, bonding to a Rivan Mountain White (a sheep at the size of a small cow with thick fur and curly horns, known for knocking climbers to their death), a fine fur might spring from their skin, giving warmth in the dark of night. Most often the majority of a given tribe are bonded to the same species of animal.

### **Traits:**

**Ability Score increase:** Your Dexterity score increases by 2. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.

**Age:** The Marat are long lived compared to humans, often living for up to 120 years. They reach adulthood at about 18 like humans, with the event signified by a challenge of strength, wit and cunning, issued by the clan leader. Upon failure the individual is expelled from the tribe.

**Alignment:** Marat tend to be of lawful alignment. They might not have an innate tendency toward evil, but many of them end up there due to the general view of the populous directing their fierce nature.

**Size:** Marat are between 6 and 7 feet tall, standing above most humans. Your size is medium.

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

**Languages:** You are proficient in spoken and written Common, Guarani (the tribal language of the Marat) and a third language, usually the language most commonly spoken in the lands you hail from.

**Menacing:** You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill.

**One with nature:** You gain proficiency with nature and Animal Handling

**Darkvision:** 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.

### **Common Marat traits:**

#### ***Akula Chala***

*Akula being a six-legged horse with a rough hide, one of the fastest ride-able mounts found in Alera. However their rarity, natural intelligence and resilience towards being tamed makes them all but impossible to have as a mount except for the marat people.*

The connection giving the marat distinctive longer and leaner legs and hair on their head often changing to the same color and hue as the chala, often worn in a ponytail or a mohawk resembling the chala's mane.

The movement speed of the marat increases to 35 ft and gains Feline Agility, allowing it to double its speed for a turn, without using an action. It has to spend a turn not moving to refresh this ability.

#### ***Rivan Mountain White Chala***

*Rivan Mountain White being a sheep like creature at the size of a small cow with thick fur and curly horns, known for knocking climbers to their death.*

Small curly dense hair grow from the most exposed parts of the skin, always in a bleached white. Barely visible to the naked eye in the sun, but somehow obscuring the darker skin in colder climates, quickly growing a thicker more bushy white layer.

The marat becomes naturally adept to cold climates and high altitudes with advantage to hide in snow or similar terrain. In addition gains +2 to climbing checks.

*EXTREME COLD RULES:*

*Whenever the temperature is at or below 0 degrees, a creature exposed to the cold must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw at the end of each hour or gain one level of exhaustion. Creatures with resistance or immunity to cold damage automatically succeed on the saving throw, as do creatures wearing cold weather gear (thick coats, gloves, and the like) and creatures naturally adapted to cold climates.*

*HIGH ALTITUDE RULES:*

*Traveling at altitudes of 10,000 feet or higher above sea level is taxing for a creature that needs to breathe, because of the reduced amount of oxygen in the air. Each hour such a creature spends traveling at high altitude counts as 2 hours for the purpose of determining how long that creature can travel. Breathing creatures can become acclimated to a high altitude by spending 30 days or more at this elevation. Breathing creatures can't become acclimated to elevations above 20,000 feet unless they are native to such environments.*

#### ***Taurg Chala***

*Taurg being a three-quarter-ton beast with horns like a bull and skin as tough as armour. Its four feet as flat and wide as an adult elephant making it almost unable to top over. An Aggressive beasts that, if given the chance, will trample or dismember you without a care in the world. Strong hind legs and almost tireless in its pursuit of an offender who's stupid enough to attack it.*

The marat skin naturally toughens to thick leather giving them an unarmored AC of 12+Dex and Toughness (one more HP per level).

## **Glaberkin**

The Glaberkins are naked molerat creatures who live in large underground colonies in a strict matriarchal hierarchy.

They live in colonies ranging from 20 individuals, up to more than a thousand, and sometimes even more. Their society is a strict one with few roles in it. At the top is the queen, secondly the soldiers, thirdly the workers and lastly the caretakers. Though there are few classes in this society they all share equally in their bounty of food.

**The queen:** The Queen of the colony is not born a queen, but has fought her way to the top to become mother of the colony. Only the Queen and few others are permitted to breed within the colony, everyone else is forced into celibacy. Queens tend to live from 22 to 54 years, as competition can be fierce and as such queens are extremely hostile to other females producing hormones to becoming Queens. When the Queen dies another females rises to take her place, sometimes through a violent struggle with her competitors.

**Soldiers:** Soldiers are the sturdiest and most aggressive of the bunch, raised early on to guard the colony and the queen. The best are picked to breed with The Queen specifically for their strength. They defend the colony from foreign invaders and other Glaberkin not from their colony.

**Workers:** The Workers tend to do near everything in the colony, gather food, dig tunnels and construct supporting structures.

**Caretakers:** Caretakers are responsible for rearing the young until they are mature enough to become soldiers or workers, or occasionally another caretaker.

**Names:** Glaberkin names are normally spoken in their racial language, which is a mix of squeaks and clicks. Though when closer to other species, they give themselves names resembling theirs.

### **Traits:**

**Ability Score increase:** Your Constitution score increases by 1.

**Age:** Glaberkin have the longest lifespan of near all rodent like races, their life span is up to 75 years

**Alignment:** Glaberkin live in strict hierarchies and lean towards lawful alignments.

**Size:** Your height is around 3 to 4 feet tall and weight around 50 to 90 pounds, your size is small.

**Speed:** Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

**Languages:** You are proficient in spoken and written Common and Glaberguri.

**Burrowing Speed:** You and others of your race are expert diggers, you gain a burrowing speed of 10 feet in soil.

**Superior Darkvision:** Your race spends near all their time in darkness. Granting you darkvision out to 120 feet. 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 color in darkness, only shades of gray.

**Mild Sunlight Sensitivity:** While in sunlight, you have disadvantage on ranged attacks rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.

**Perceptive Smell:** You have advantage on perception checks that rely on smell.

**Resistant Skin:** Your kind are resistant to acid damage.

**Disease resistant:** Your kind have advantage on saves to resist diseases.

**Subraces:** Glaberkin have three main subraces: Soldiers, Workers and Caretakers.

### **Soldier Traits:**

**Ability Score Increase:** Your Strength Score increases by 1.

**Fury of the Small:** When you damage a creature with an attack or a spell and the creature's size is larger than yours, you can cause the attack or spell to deal extra damage equal to your level. Once used you cannot use this trait until you complete a short or long rest.

**Aggressive:** You can dash as a bonus action towards an enemy of your choice that you can see or hear. You must end this move closer to the enemy than you started.

**For Queen and Cave.** You gain proficiency in any three simple or martial weapons

### **Worker Traits:**

**Ability Score Increase.** Your Strength and Dexterity Score increases by 1.

**Relentless endurance.** Working for your queen by digging through tunnels until you drop, your endurance rarely falters. When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can't use this feature again until you finish a long rest.

**Nimbleness.** Expert in passing by others while you work, you can move through the space of any creature that is of a size larger than yours.

### **Caretaker Traits:**

**Ability Score Increase:** Your Charisma Score increases by 2.

**Trance:** Glaberkin caretakers are used to staying at least semi-awake rearing the young, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day in place of sleeping. You gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep.

**Guiding Hand:** Raising the young is a difficult job, and often they require guidance. You are able to cast the Guidance Cantrip.

**Convincing Argument:** Sometimes the young are tough to convince and persuade, but after sometime looking after them you've gotten the knack for it. You gain proficiency in the Persuasion Skill.

## **Canim**

    An exceptionally ruthless and merciless race of wolf beasts. Not a race native to Alera nor one that lives there but is often spotted near the western coast during their pillaging raids on the smaller cities.