Puca
— Leonn Mawsin, The Eye in the Woods
Often regarded as pests or vermin, puca are forced to live in the margins of other societies, sometimes resorting to thievery out of necessity. When given the chance, puca almost always prove themselves worthy of respect, and even admiration.
Outcast Fey
Puca are small, furry creatures, easily mistaken for animals at first. Despite their appearance they are often exceedingly intelligent and capable. Originally, the puca were woodland creatures that dwelled in the feywild, making small communities among the treetops and delighting in cheerful songs and art. For reasons that have now been lost, perhaps a harmless prank or misunderstanding, they fey court banished them to the material plane, forbidding them to ever return. While some solitary puca have managed to achieve standing in humanoid societies, most are still unfairly discriminated against, much like the monstrous races.
A Life in Shadows
The majority of the puca population live in large cities, making their homes under bridges, in forgotten attics, or in underground tunnel systems where they hide during the day. It is not uncommon for the city folk to be entirely unaware of the puca living beside and below them, as they have mastered the art of stealth out of necessity. They subsist partially off of small plots of subterranean gardens and the hunting of urban beasts such as sewer rats, but they rely heavily on stealing the occasional loaf of bread or fresh vegetable to feed their young. In spite of their poor lot, many puca still maintain their compassion, and will take great risks to help those who are similarly downtrodden. If a mother loses her job, or an eldest child finds themselves becoming the parent to their siblings, they may discover a lucky pouch of coins or shiny trinket, enough to make at least a small difference.
Not all puca live in cities. Many spend their lives wandering the wilderness, or integrating themselves into more rural communities. Puca are nimble and have sharp senses, making them valuable members of ranger conclaves or even mercenary bands. Many circles of druids have an elderly puca among their most esteemed members. By their open and curious nature, most puca have little trouble making friends if they find communities that will accept them.
Puca Names
Puca rarely share their names with outsiders, but those who must travel far or interact with society at large often choose to use the names they were given by their families over bothering with deception. Puca names often carry great symbolic weight, but they hesitate to divulge the exact meaning to any but their closest friends. If a distinction exists between male and female puca names, it has not been revealed to outsiders.
Puca Names. Ceili, Chlum, Craf, Cynn, Cysol, Dath, Dorcha,
Dwed, Eadr, Gafn, Geal, Grein, Gruam, Inin, Irie, Lais,
Llach, Mio, Muin, Puwt, Reamsh, Roga, Twyll, Twynn
Puca Traits
Your puca character has the following racial traits.
Creature Type. You are a Fey.
Size. You are Small.
Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a climbing speed equal to your walking speed.
Acute Awareness. 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 discern color in that darkness only as shades of gray.
In addition, you have advantage on Wisdom (Perception), Wisdom (Survival), and Intelligence (Investigation) checks that involve smell.
Claws. You have claws which you can use to make unarmed strikes. When you hit with them, the strike deals 1d6 + your Strength modifier slashing damage, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
Small Target. You can move through the space of any creature that is of a size larger than yours. In addition, when a creature at least one size larger than you that you can see hits you with an attack roll, you can use your reaction to roll a d6 and gain a bonus to your AC against that attack equal to the number rolled, potentially causing the attack to miss you. You can use this reaction a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Puca Ancestry. Choose one of the ancestry options below when you select this race:
Brownfur Recovery. You have proficiency in the Stealth and Sleight of Hand skills.
In addition, whenever you fail an ability check with a skill with which you are proficient, you can choose to roll a d6 and add the number rolled to the check's total, potentially causing it to succeed. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Blackfur Sagacity. You have advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the charmed or frightened conditions on yourself.
In addition, you can grasp things with your tail. It has a reach of 5 feet, and it can lift a number of pounds equal to five times your Strength score (minimum of 5 pounds). You can use it to do the following simple tasks: lift, drop, hold, push, or pull an object or a creature; open or close a door or a container; grapple someone; or make an unarmed strike. Your DM might allow other simple tasks to be added to that list of options. It can't wield weapons or shields, or use tools or magic items. However, it can perform the somatic components of a spell.
Redfur Positivity. As a bonus action on your turn, you can touch a creature and grant them temporary hit points equal to the number of temporary hit points you currently have. Doing so removes all your temporary hit points. Any temporary hit points granted by this feature will disappear after 1 hour.
In addition, when you succeed on a saving throw against a spell or other harmful effect by 5 or more, you can choose to gain a number of temporary hit points equal to the DC of the saving throw. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Optional Puca Feats
If your DM allows the use of feats from chapter 6 of the Player's Handbook, your puca character has access to the following special feats.
Hunter's Nose
Prerequisite: Bearfolk or Puca
Your nose is highly specialized, allowing you to navigate and hunt without light. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Constitution or Wisdom score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You gain blindsight out to 10 feet, limited only to things that have an odor and are not behind airtight walls. Creatures with a detectable odor cannot be hidden from you within this area. You lose this ability if you cannot smell, or while you are in an area permeated by exceptionally strong smells or noxious gases.
- You have advantage on Wisdom (Insight) checks against creatures within 5 feet of you that you can smell.
Puca Agility
Prerequisite: Puca
After a life of navigating the dangerous world of larger folk, you've learned how to avoid the worst threats. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Dexterity score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- When you fail a Dexterity saving throw, you can expend a use of your Small Target ability as a reaction to roll a d6 and gain a bonus to the saving throw equal to the number rolled, potentially allowing you to succeed.
- Whenever you expend a use of your Small Target ability, you can move up to 5 feet as part of the same reaction. This movement doesn't provoke opportunity attacks.
Puca v1.3 for D&D 5e
Created by: u/NotTheDreadPirateArtist Credit: - Grosnez - Azan, the Archer