Chiang Lung (Race)

##### [Plasmoid Reskin]

Kara-Tur is home to many unique creatures, and many unique magics. However, nothing encapsulates that overlapping uniqueness more than the **chiang lung**, or more colloquially, river or noodle dragons. While the term ‘dragon’ usually inspires the image of a colossal beast of equal parts awe, respect, and fear, chiang lung see that image and twist it in unimaginable ways- figuratively and literally. Historians and anthropologists alike have struggled to map out their strange origins, yet the running theory is that they first originated from wild magic surges affecting dragon eggs, giving birth to a new type of dragon, which in itself was not even a true dragon. Others claim some form of connection to the other well-known prolific shapechangers, the baigujing, yet there is nothing to support this theory.

Chiang lung possess a staggering amount of raw arcane magic infused in their biology. While not all chiang lung can use magic in the traditional sense, all of them can manipulate their bodies in positively absurd manners, becoming completely flat, elongated, taller, shorter, wider, thinner, etc. When not pressed flat, the largest they can be is close to eight feet in height, whilst the smallest they can be is around two feet. They can even revert to a limbless blob, before they peek their heads back out, and either walk on four legs, or two, or none. The magic flowing through their veins grants them total autonomy on their body’s exterior shape and interior functioning, making them flat-out immune to many spells that would affect the average humanoid. It also makes them an incredibly mind-boggling creature to encounter, for both scholar, alchemist, and poacher. As a result, they often shy away from crowded populaces, where their bizarre physiology could attract the wrong kind of attention.

Due to their outright crazy depictions, most folk consider chiang lung to be little more than a strange tale, probably designed to entertain children. However, in reality, they are one of if not the most unique denizens of the continent, with a physiological adaptability unlike any other race. Very rarely are they known for cultivation, but the few that do are said to achieve a form beyond comprehension, pushing their dynamic bodies to the pinnacle of their ability.

## Creature Type Reflavour: Beyond Dragons

The ever-changing magical nature of your body places you outside the scope of dragons, people, and most other creatures. You are an Ooze.

## Amorphous Feature Reflavour: Malleable Self

Your body is malleable enough to allow yourself to pass through even the smallest openings, and evade the tightest of grasps. You can squeeze through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide, provided you are wearing and carrying nothing. You also have advantage on ability checks you make to initiate or escape a grapple.

## Natural Resilience Feature Reflavour: Adaptable Metabolism

The dynamic nature of your body’s inner and outer workings allows you to adapt to even the most corrosive and toxic effects. You have resistance to acid and poison damage, and you have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned.

## Shape Self Feature Reflavour: Polymorphic Prowess

Your innate magic lets you alter your bodily form at will to an impressive extent. As an action, you can reshape your body to give yourself a head, one or two arms, one or two legs, and makeshift hands and feet, or you can revert to a limbless blob. While you have a humanlike shape, you can wear clothing and armor made for a Humanoid of your size. As a bonus action, you can extrude a tail that is up to 6 inches wide and 10 feet long or reabsorb it into your body. As part of the same bonus action, you can use this tail to manipulate an object, open or close a door or container, or pick up or set down a Tiny object. The tail contains no sensory organs and can’t attack, activate magic items, or lift more than 10 pounds.

## Appearance

As reflective of their wildly unpredictable bodies, chiang lung do not have a standard appearance. They could have fur, scales, skin, bark, or something else entirely of any colour combination covering their pliable bodies. Their size and height differs dramatically due to them being able to change from quadrupedal to bipedal and vice versa on a whim. On top of that, due to their polymorphic abilities, the visage one person sees at one point could change wildly at another point, as the chiang lung could alter its limbs, size, height, and orientation. The one constant is that there is no constant when it comes to chiang lung.

## Age

Further indicative of their wild magical compositions, chiang lung have completely random ages. From what little is known, they can live at least fifty years, or up till five hundred years. However, nothing is known about what factors influence their natural lifespan. It is usually the shorter-lived chiang lung that seek out cultivation to extend their lifespan.