Critterfolk

Korin had been wandering the woods for about two hours now, and upon passing the same tree for a fifth time, he sat down with a defeated sigh. Hearing a rustle in the bushes, he quickly whirled round to see a fox's head poking out of the undergrowth. Korin chuckled to himself as the noise proved not to be a danger. His chuckle faded quickly, however, when the fox emerged from the bush on two legs and spoke. "You lost, human?" it asked, cocking its head.

The forests of Calar Dunn lie close to the epicentre of the Adventus Arcanum, a world-changing event which brought magic to the lands of Andara. The animals in the woods were subjected to this powerful magic and soon became intelligent and bipedal, and thus the critterfolk were born. They are scattered throughout the forest, and maintain a surprisingly strong hold the territory; with legend stating than man has not felled a tree in Calar Dunn in a hundred years.

Critterfolk Names

Critterfolk have a first name, usually taken from some kind of plant or tree, and a clan name which they wear proudly as a symbol of their heritage. Generally, males are named after trees and females named after flowers, but this is by no means a universal rule.

First Names: Aspen, Bramble, Chestnut, Daisy, Elm, Fern, Ginger, Hazel, Ivy, Juniper, Larch, Maple, Nettle, Oak, Primrose, Rue, Sage, Tansy, Violet, Willow, Yew

Clan Names: Boulderun, Creekwader, Deeproot, Frostward, Gleamborn, Halfstump, Longbranch, Mossrock, Nestmaker, Oldwood, Proudbloom, Quencher, Riverraft, Silkensong, Treeheart, Understone, Youngsap

Critterfolk Traits

Your critterfolk character has several traits thanks to your culture and biology.

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1.

Age. Critterfolk mature at around 5 years of age, and live for around half a century.

Alignment. Critterfolk are almost exclusively neutral good, with evil alignments being almost one in a million.

Size. Critterfolk average at around 3 foot tall. Your size is small.

Speed. Your have a base walking speed of 30 feet.

Beast Speech. Thanks to your heritage, you can communicate in a limited manner with beasts, as though you were under the effects of the speak with animals spell.

Perceptive. Descended from either prey or predator, your senses are sharp. You have proficiency in the perception skill.

Pure of Blood. For reasons unknown, critterfolk are completely immune to lycanthropy and vampirism.

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

Subrace. There are three subraces of critterfolk; burrowkin, riverblood and sharptooth. Choose one of these subraces.

Burrowkin

The burrowkin are descended from rodents like rabbits, hares, mice and moles. Thanks to their ancestry, they have excellent darkvision that allows them to see whilst underground. Additionally, their food storing habits as animals led to them being expert cooks as critterfolk.

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 2.

Culinary Prowess. You have proficiency in cook's utensils, and whenever a creature eats a meal prepared by you, they gain temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom ability modifier (minimum 1). A creature can only gain this benefit once per long rest.

Digging Claws. You have a dig speed of 10 feet. You can only dig through softer terrain like soil and mud.

Keen Hearing. Your powerful ears give you an advantage to any perception checks you make to perceive sound.

Superior Darkvision. 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 grey.

Riverblood

The riverblood are descended from river dwelling creatures like otters, beavers and water voles. Their domain is the rivers that run through the forests, and as such they host extensive trade networks throughout the territory.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma ability score increases by 2.

Minor Hydromancy. Innate magic within you allows you to control water to a limited degree. You know the shape water cantrip. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Semi-Aquatic. You are well adapted to moving through water. You have a swimming speed equal to your walking speed, and you have an advantage to any athletics checks or Strength saving throws relating to swimming or moving in water. Finally, you can hold your breath for a number of minutes equal to your Constitution score (minimum 10).

Linguist. People of all shapes and sizes come to trade with the riverbloods, allowing those who live by the rivers to pick up a multitude of different dialects. You can speak two additional languages of your choice.

White Waters. As something of a thrill-seeking pastime, many riverfolk will swim powerful rapids from a young ages. This gives you resistance to bludgeoning damage caused by water, as you know not to stand agaist the powerful torrents.

Sharptooth

The sharptooth critterfolk are descended from carnivores like foxes, badgers and weasles; making them unsurprisingly cunning and nimble creatures. They are also slightly harder wearing than other critterfolk, a trait which is afforded by their tougher constitutions.

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution and Dexterity ability scores both increase by 1.

Ambush Predator. Your swiftness helps you strike first in battle. You add your proficiency bonus to your initiative modifier.

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 grey.

Silent Steps. You're just as light-footed as your bestial ancestors. You have proficiency in the stealth skill, and you have an advantage to stealth checks made to hide amongst undergrowth.

Tooth and Claw. Such is your namesake, you have a fairly lethal bite. In addition to standard unarmed attacks, you can bite or slash with your claws. Your bite attack deals 1d6 + your Strength modifier in piercing damage, and your claw attack deals 1d6 + your Dexterity modifier in slashing damage. You are proficient in both these attacks.