Half-ogre PC race.

Half-ogres seem to be all the rage lately, so this is my take on it. I tried to come up with something a little different than the half-orc or goliath, while attempting to keep it competitive. Let me know what you think.

Half-Ogre

A half-ogre is a crossbreed between a human and an ogre, distinct from an ogrillon, which is the result of a union between an orc and an ogre. This interbreeding is almost never, if ever, a happy thing. A half-ogre raised by a human community will typically find himself mistrusted, possibly pitied, and sometimes outright hated by his neighbors. A half-ogre raised by his ogre kin will be looked down on until he has proven himself in battle.

As one might expect, a half-ogre is typically very large and very strong. They are bigger and somewhat more bestial in appearance than a half-orc, with skin tones ranging from pale yellow to dull brown, or even occasionally grey. Warts are common, and a half-ogre’s hair is usually dark-colored. Eyes are usually human-like, though some half-ogres are born with the black eyes of their ogre lineage.

Runts of the Tribe

Ogres look upon these half-breeds as small and weak compared to a full-fledged ogre. Until a half-ogre has a chance to prove himself in battle, he will be pushed around by his full-blooded kin. Once he manages to show the rest of the tribe his fury in combat, he will gradually gain respect. It’s not unusual for a half-ogre to be smarter than his tribemates, and it’s not entirely unheard of for a half-ogre to work his way into a position of leadership. Ogres led by a half-ogre will tend to fight with a surprising amount of strategy and tactics, rather than behave like an unruly, chaotic mob which is how ogres usually fight.

Mistrusted Outcasts

A half-ogre raised in a human community will find it extremely difficult to find acceptance amongst his human kin. Many will fear and mistrust him, due to both his size and bestial appearance. Others will outright hate him, if for no other reason than that the half-ogre is a constant reminder of a tragic chapter in the community’s past. The half-ogre learns to be a solitary survivor, untrusting of those around him.

People generally view a half-ogre as big, strong and stupid, with impulse and anger control issues. Some half-ogres can be surprisingly intelligent, though, and are commonly underestimated. The one group that a half-ogre can expect to find acceptance from is the half-orcs, who experience some of the same issues in human society. And the one line of work a half-ogre is always welcome is one that involves inflicting violence.

Half-Ogre Names

A half-ogre raised by ogres will have an ogre type of name, usually something short, simple, and harsh sounding. A half-ogre raised by humans will have a name typical for that community.

Half-Ogre Traits

Boosted Ability Score. Your Strength score increases by 2 and your Constitution score increases by 1.

Age. Half-ogres have lifespans comparable to humans. They reach adulthood in their mid teens and don’t usually live longer than a century.

Alignment. Regardless of where they are brought up, half-ogres tend more towards chaotic than not. A half-ogre raised among ogres will almost certainly be evil, while one raised by humans will not usually be terribly inclined towards good.

Size. Half-ogres are between 7 and 8 feet tall, and weigh between 300 and 400 pounds. Your size is medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision. Your ogre blood gives you superior vision in dark and dim lighting 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 grey.

Large and Threatening. You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill.

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

Ogre Toughness. Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level.

Languages. You speak, read, and write Common and Giant. Half-ogres raised by an ogre tribe are rarely literate and may not know Common.

Based on feedback, I've dropped the speed to 30 ft and added the note about literacy if the half-ogre is raised in an ogre tribe.

Grippli player character race

The grippli (humanoid tree frogs that first appeared back in 1982) seem to have recently become a somewhat popular choice for a player character race for those who want to try something a little different. My girlfriend became fond of them when they made their appearance in the Pathfinder game. I have, since 5e has come out, seen a few different takes on them. This would be mine. I hope you enjoy it.

This picture is from Greywiki.

Grippli

The grippli are humanoid tree frogs. They are a reclusive race, living deep in tropical swamps and jungles. They are nervous of outsiders, frequently using elves or fey as intermediaries.

Peaceful Hunter Gatherers

Grippli eat fruits and insects. Small insects are trapped in large quantities, while giant insects are hunted in much the same way humans hunt large game. Grippli hunt with snares and nets, as well as blowguns and occasionally spears.

Grippli commonly gather herbs to make poisons, potions and herbal tinctures. They trade rare herbs and extracts with other races in exchange for brightly colored baubles such as polished glass and quarts. Grippli are not at all warlike, but they have been known to make rapid raids to steal bright colored clothing to decorate their homes with.

Grippli only rarely wear brightly colored clothing for decoration, or for the practicality of having pockets. Most of the time a grippli will only wear a belt or loin cloth to hang weapons and the like from.

Secluded Swamp & Jungle Villages

Grippli live in villages made of small wood or mud huts, either hidden on the ground in deep shaded areas beneath swamp and jungle foliage, or built in the boughs of large trees. There may be a ceremonial area on the ground where they have bonfires. Each village is led by a tribe mother, who is a female of unusual height (almost 4 feet tall) who is capable of emitting a poisonous musk cloud. She is usually accompanied by one to three males, who are also of unusual height (around 3 ½ feet tall).

The tribe mother is divinely ordained with absolute authority, said to have the blood of their nameless froglike goddess in her veins. Most day-to-day decisions are left to experienced hunters, but only the tribe mother can speak for the tribe when negotiating with outsiders.

Grippli grafts are generally simple in nature, made from the sorts of things that are found around their villages such as wood and stone. They depict their goddess in sculptures of wood or stone, appearing as a bulbous frog with vibrant rainbow skin. Spiders and snakes are frequently depicted as demons and evil spirits.

Adventuring

Most grippli are perfectly happy staying close to their village. It is a rare event for a grippli to become curious enough about the outside world to want to venture forth to experience it. Sometimes a particularly adventuresome grippli might leave his or her village to seek out trade opportunities for things like gems or metal. Metal is highly prized, and metal heirlooms are deeply cherished.

Grippli Names

Grippli don’t place much importance on names as a general rule. Grippli only possess a given name, and are frequently known by a nickname when among other races. Common names include Bullgup, Chirk, Quartle and the like.

Grippli Traits

Boosted Ability Scores. Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Age. Grippli are born as tadpoles and become fully formed within six months. Grippli effectively reach adulthood at 12 years of age, though don’t become fully sexually mature until 30 years, and can live up to 180 years.

Alignment. Grippli are usually neutral in alignment. Grippli lean much more to the benevolent than the malevolent, so they are more likely to deviate towards good. Evil grippli are extremely rare.

Size. Grippli are typically 2 ½ to 3 feet tall, weighing roughly 30 lbs. Your size is Small.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. You have a climb speed of 20 feet.

Darkvision. Accustomed to nocturnal living as much as diurnal, 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.

Camouflage. You have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made in forest and swamp environments.

Leap. You always count as having moved at least 10 feet when you make a long jump or high jump.

Grippli Weapon Training. You have proficiency with the blowgun and the net. Additionally, you have proficiency either with the herbalism kit or the poisoner’s kit (your choice).

Languages. You can speak Common, Grippli and the Batrachian Common tongue that may be used to speak to other froglike humanoids such as bullywugs. Grippli is composed of croaks, groans, clicks, and squeaks. Grippli has no written form. Furthermore, it is rare for grippli to learn to read and write in other languages, as traditionally only the tribe mother is permitted to create written records.

My very own 5e race: The Treeling

Someone was talking about his girlfriend wanting to play a plant race in his 5e game. So it caused a bit of random inspiration and this is the result, slightly modified based on feedback from reddit.

Picture copyright of izabeaubo over on Deviant Art.

Treeling

Treelings are beings of the forest, who appear to be small trees that have grown into the semblance of the human form. They delight in nature, but also in music and artistry. When provoked, they can also be tireless defenders of their forest home, and implacable enemies.

Slender But Sturdy

Treelings stand anywhere from 6 to 7 feet in height. Though slender, they are quite sturdy, with their bark-like hide giving them additional protection against possible injury. Despite their slender build, treelings can be quite heavy, ranging in weight from 200 to 250 pounds.

They have clearly identifiable features, with black eyes and slender branches growing from their heads in the resemblance of hair. Their features are typically serene, projecting a sense of patience and tranquility.

Timeless Tranquility

Treelings live as long as elves, and have some similar views on things as a result. They rarely get excited or rush to action. They take their time deciding on matters of importance. They value peace, and will frequently simply withdraw from an aggressor, confident that they will outlive the invader. They can be provoked, however, and when they are moved to war, their fury can be devastating.

Woodland Realms

Treelings live deep in the forest, rarely having a need to venture forth from their homes. They don’t have the same need for housing as other races, and what structures they do create are grown from trees carefully cultivated into the forms they desire.

They get on well with elves as well as the fairies of the forest. They appreciate what the arcane can do, but tend to favor nature magic. While they do have a small need for food, they are very selective and careful in their cultivation of the bounty of their homes.

Adventuring

Most treelings are content to remain in their forested domain. Some, however, do experience wanderlust and a desire to see new places and things. Sometimes a lone treeling is an orphan seeking out more of its kind.

Treelings rarely feel strongly about any particular moral cause, though the obviously destructive can drive them into opposition. They don’t particularly value money, and when adventuring, they are more likely to choose items for their beauty or utility over their monetary value.

Treeling Names

Treelings don’t seem to feel the need for names when they are interacting with each other. As a result, they tend to be known to members of other races by nicknames. There seems to be little difference in the nicknames used by male and female treelings, and in fact, it can be difficult to determine if a particular treeling is male or female.

Treeling Traits

Boosted Ability Scores. Your Constitution score increases by 1, and your Wisdom score increases by 2.

Age. Treelings age at a rate similar to elves, reaching maturity at about 100 years and living to 750 years or possibly more.

Alignment. Though tending towards benevolent rather than malevolent, Treelings do not usually think of terms of good and evil, law and chaos. As a result, Treelings are most often neutral in alignment. Their ideas of morality are typically shaped by a very practical viewpoint.

Size. Treelings range in height from 6 to 7 feet. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 ft.

Natural Armor. Due to their bark-like skin, Treelings have a +1 bonus to Armor Class.

Photosynthesis. Treelings are able to use photosynthesis to meet some of their sustenance needs. As a result, Treelings do not need to eat food provided they have access to sunlight for at least an hour every day, two hours in overcast conditions. However, they require twice as much water as other races.

Berries. If your water needs are met, then you may cast Goodberry once per day.

Forest Camouflage. You have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks in forested terrain.

Tree Shape. Once per day, you may take the shape of a medium sized tree for an unlimited duration. While in tree form, even the closest inspection will not reveal you are anything other than a sapling. You are able to observe you surroundings as normal, your base armor class becomes 16, but your speed drops to 0 and attacks have advantage against you. Any items you wear or carry merge with your form when you change and do not function while merged.

Taking Root. Treelings must spend 24 hours per month in tree form so that their roots may take up nutrients from the soil. These hours do not need to be consecutive, but must be in hourly increments.

Speak with Plants. Upon reaching 5^th level, you may cast Speak with Plants once per day. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

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

Edit: I've changed photosynthesis and added taking root based on feedback I've gotten.