Playful, Playable Tanuki
A call for a new playable race randomly floated through the Discord server yesterday: "Why is there no playable Tanuki race yet?" The suggestion may have been half in jest, but the more I thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. Tanuki originate from common regional folklore, just like so many of the other races and monsters in D&D. What's more, it seems to me that the Hengeyokai from previous editions is at least partially related to this same legend, so really, why not?
Tanuki
Tanuki are playful and capricious—if slightly oafish—shape-changing humanoids which possess the ears, tail, and short, patterned fur of their raccoon-like ancestors. There are countless tales of Tanuki wandering deep forests, using their unique shape changing magic to play tricks on travelers or other unsuspecting passersby. Depending on the story, these tricks may be harmless practical jokes, or insidious and deadly traps.
Tanuki themselves are closely related to the creatures of the Feywild, and as such tend to have an affinity for sprawling forests and woodlands. This relationship to the fey is the origin of their innate magical abilities, most notably their ability to make themselves appear as someone else. And the ability to change shape is not the only thing mystical about their physiology: Tanuki also possess the ability to glide through the air, as well as to drum on their own bellies, magically producing an impressive, resonating sound, as one would expect from a masterfully crafted performer's drum.
Tanuki Traits
Your whimsical Tanuki nature grants you a number of traits inherent to your kind.
Ability Score Increases. Your Charisma score increases by 2, your Dexterity score increases by 1, and your Wisdom score is reduced by 1.
Age. Tanuki reach maturity at about the same age as humans, but live to be much older: Tanuki have been known to live as long as 200 years.
Alignment. Tricksters through and through, Tanuki are naturally chaotic. However, there's no telling whether an individual Tanuki will use their tricks for good, evil, both, or even neither.
Size. Tanuki are roughly the same size as humans, though they tend to be slightly shorter, and their physical build can vary just as widely as a human's. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base movement speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. Accustomed to prowling dark forests at night, 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.
Natural Trickster. You have proficiency in the Deception and Stealth skills.
Trickster's Form. The characteristic talent of all Tanuki is the innate ability to magically change their appearance. You know the disguise self spell and can cast it without expending a spell slot. When you do this, you must complete a short or long rest before you can do so again. Your spellcasting ability for this spell is Charisma.
Glide. On your turn, you can use a bonus action to jump off a ledge and begin to glide, falling only 10 feet per round. If you get at least a 10-foot running start, you can travel up to your full speed horizontally each turn for the duration of the glide, otherwise your horizontal speed becomes 10 feet until you land. If your are incapacitated or knocked prone while gliding, you immediately begin to fall as normal.
Magical Drummer. You are proficient with percussion instruments, and you can use your magically-resonant pot belly as a makeshift drum.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, Sylvan, and one other language of your choice.
