Korp' Ulance Races
Briars
Infused Brute
Traits
- Average Height: 5'0" - 6'0"
- Average Weight: 150-250 lbs.
- Ability Scores: +1 Strength +1 Dexterity
- Size: Medium
- Speed: 35 feet
- Echoes in Silence. You have ears that can pick up the sound of a snapping twig across vast distances.
- Natural Sprinter You make all Acrobatics skill checks relating to running at advantage.
- Languages: Common and one other Language
- Ravenous Maw. Female Briar's jaws is lined with sharp buck teeth. These can be used to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
- Vicious Claws. Male Briar's hands end in tough rending claws that help you tear apart your quarry. You can use your claws to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1D4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. When using your claws for unarmed strikes in this way you may treat your unarmed strikes as having the light and finesse weapon qualities.
- Domestic Stealth. Your more bestial traits are either subdued or easily hidden. Choose one other race of your same size category, you have advantage on Deception checks to appear as a member of that race.
Hospitality
The Briars worship a saint only known as the Undying Sacrifice... a great wizard they feel indebted to and several believe to be their deity. People scoff at their insistance that the Sacrifice had anything to do with the War of Sho'karr. Many even seem more knowledgable then one would expect about the war considering their kind have only been recorded to exist post the giant mushroom nuke. They have taken on a druidic philosophy and tend to develop good tendencies.
Special Agents
Briars are often used as scouts and spies by Korp'ulance due to their speciality in disquising themselves as another race. Many usually learn some form of accent to take on in their chosen specialty to help differ from their normal persona. They are often sent on missions deemed impossible for other deputies. There are those who fear what would happen if one of these special agents went rogue and the fallout that would follow. However, they have yet to turn on their chosen home.
Noh
Fully Corrupted
The young man’s mind drifted back unbidden to his early time under his ‘care’— being strapped to a table by heavy leather bands, chains better belonging to a ship’s anchor over them. He remembered the stench of the lit candles, a noxious brew of chemicals and Tyr knew what else bubbling away on a flame.
He remembered the cuts, and burns, the searing pain. And that was just in becoming what he was, a Noh Body— a pithy joke by him describing what they all were now: his new foot soldier; a Noh Body, and cannon fodder— nobody. Faceless blank shadows created by the dozens for his masters.
Those eyes: red like glowing embers as big as coals in a fire. Haunting him for months afterward in his dreams and even in waking, always at edge of vision, always watching and studying.
“BANNO!!” Aerryn screamed, his already raw and tired sounding voice ripping his throat as he howled out— anger and pain filling his voice where shy distance had only been heard before, “BANNO!! I’LL KILL YOU AGAIN!” He howled, fingers digging at the ground under him, tears flowing down his tar-dark skin, eyes staring wide ahead, sightless to anything beyond the horrors of his own mind — those red eyes, a smile that brought only pain and suffering, and that voice.
Traits
- Average Height: 5'4" - 6'0"
- Average Weight: 150-240 lbs.
- Ability Scores: +2 wisdom
- Size: Medium
- Speed: 30 feet
- Vision: Darkvison
- Languages: Common
- Nohs Matter: As a result of the racial prejudice Nohs face, you push yourself to be talented in a few fields. You gain proficiency in two Skills of your choice.
- Faceless: As a result of their cursed form and quiet nature Nohs gain advantage on all deception checks, as well as stealth checks in crowded or public areas.
- Formless Legacy: Due to the unique nature of their curse which renders them featureless, Nohs gain advantage on checks to resist Curses and Transmutation spells.
Shy Guys
Noh are, due to their tortured/cursed nature, more introverted and shy than most other races — having ones’ individuality stripped away leaving only skin as dark as a starless night will do that.
To combat this the Noh have created a tradition of wearing personalized, decorative masks to return that sense of identity.
Noh also tend to be silent, not out of a cultural or religious need, but because their voices are raw from screaming when they were being tortured and transformed; however, Noh can breed true, and their children and those cursed by wild magic don’t suffer from ‘extremely scratchy throat’.
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Cannon Fodder
A race of cursed humans caused by the evil that is the Cult of Sho'karr. Nohs are unique amongst the races as they have been striken both physically and mentally of their former selves.
Sho'karr needed minions who would not ask questions and who could blend in and out of the populace supernaturally. That could not be slowed with reconfiguration of their minds and bodies.
As a result of the heroes which fought back and destroyed Sho'karr, these poor souls were freed from their control. They have been slowly reintegrating into society. They have formed a political party known as "Noh Lives Matter" and they've instantly regretted it after hearing others say it out loud.
The race has continued to propogate due to their ability to breed. Though Korp'ulance and its unique influx of wild magic has passed the curse to literal Shy guys and gals.
Yurei
Fully Infused
While elves are more naturally attuned to magic, the closet equivalent of mutated infested by the Wild Magic which radiates from Korp'ulance find themselves in an interesting situation. The Yurei find themselves slightly unbound from the material realm, able to pass through walls as if a ghost when not observed.
It has been theorized by many researchers that this is a result of an oversaturation of magic. This results in the yurei being pulled between the Material and Ethereal Planes. It has not helped that the Yurei Druid Myrin has constantly been spreading rumors about their race.
In a way, this has resulted in even more reclusion by those elves who wish to learn more about this new development. It has been rumored that several of these experimental elves are looking at ways to use their newfound existance to find immortality.
Traits
- Average Height: Under 5' to over 6'
- Average Weight: 150-240 lbs.
- Ability Scores: +2 dexterity
- Size: Medium
- Speed: 30 feet
- Vision: Darkvison
- Keen Senses: You have proficiency in the Perception skill.
- Languages: Common, Elvish
- Fey Ancestry: You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.
- Trance: Elves don't need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep.
- Misty Step: As a bonus action, you can become incorporeal and fly up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space. You can pass through walls and solid objects. Once you use this trait, you can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest. You can only do this when unobserved.
Spectral Wizards
The yureis are insular in a sense where theyve surrounded their part of Korp'ulance with their mini-battle wagon tracks as well as tall walls. Non-Yureis are forced to go through a series of gates and procedures before crossing by rope bridges into the inner workings.
Korpulance has taken advantage of this bizarre obstable by placing their jail cells against the walls. When pressure is needed on their prisoners, they deactivate the runes for the room that protects the rest of the building from the constant engine noises.
Victoria, the artificier who focuses on wild magic powered items and prostetics is an outcast amongst her tribe as they focus more on drawing from the wild magic in more arcane ways and because shes a very short elf.
Magically Animated
One of the specialties of the higher-up Yurei who live inside the city is the magics which correspond to the mimicry of life in non-organic materials. It is not uncommon to find a Yurei Noble followed by a Paper Golem carrying their things, their magic making up for the weakness of the material that they use.
It is a not uncommon theory that this is one of the many experiments towards immortality. After all, a story often outlives their writer... maybe there's a way to expand on that with magic. However no one has had the nerve to confirm this theory with a Yurei noble.
Shade
A Balance of Corrupted and Infused
The shadows have ears in Korp'ulance and they give as much shade as they hide inside. The shades are pranksters true and true, the odd result of two mutation mixing in the most incredulous ways. Far too often they cause trouble to their half-'brothers' in the Nohs, giving the poor shy guys a bad reputation.
Traits
- Average Height: Under 5' to 6'
- Average Weight: 150-240 lbs.
- Ability Scores: +1 Wisdom +1 Dexterity
- Size: Medium
- Speed: 30 feet
- Vision: Darkvison
- Languages: Common, Undercommon
- Fey Ancestry: You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.
- Bathed in Moonlight: You are proficient in the Stealth skill. In addition, you can attempt to hide while you are only obscured by dim light.
- Shadow Movement: When you move through an area of darkness, you can move an additional foot for every foot of darkness you travel through, to a maximum additional distance traveled equal to half your base walking speed. When you move this way, to any creature that sees you, you appear as a formless mass that moves through the shadow.
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Dancing Shadows
Due to the unique nature of sharing Noh and Yurei traits, Shades have developed the ability to fade into whatever darkness may rest around them. It has been theorized this is a mixture of the Nohs ability to fade into a crowd and the Yurei's ability to pass through matter unobserved.
As a result, Shades find themselves in high demand as guards and security staff during the night. They often lead nocturnal lives to take the most advantage of their unique skills. The few who do not are often confused for Nohs as they have a tendency to wear cloaks and hoods regardless.
Twilight Tricksters
Much like their half-elf brethren, Shades are very chaotic in nature. Coupled with their ability to hide in shadows and nocturnal lives, it truly does not help the Noh's cause that they can be confused with them. The temptation to mess with others can be uncontrollable at times
As a result, Shades often work temporary jobs that change week by week to attempt to curve their boredom. The few that maintain a job often require it to be chaotic, ever-changing, and dangerous. It's no wonder that so many take positions of authority in local militia.
Kodami
Infected Infused
Kodami have, through slow magical changes wrought by their mushroom god, become a true fusion of flesh and fungus similar to Halflings. They are born without mushroom caps, but they quickly begin growing in after a few months. The Kodami's half plant nature gives them resistance to mind affects and poisons, and lends them a strange and whimsical way of thinking.
The Kodami is the first mutated race to populate Korp'ulance due to their connection to the strange giant mushroom that sprouted at the end of Sho'karr's last stand. The city itself was built around the humongous fungus and many have jokingly referred to it as a "mushroom kingdom".
The current ruler of Korp'ulance is the first halfling to bond to the giant mushroom, Princess Bellis.
Traits
- Average Height: Around 3'
- Average Weight: 35-45 lbs.
- Ability Scores: +1 Dexterity +1 Constitution
- Size: Small
- Speed: 25 feet
- Vision: Darkvison
- Halfling Nimbleness: You can move through the space of any creature that is of a size larger than yours.
- Languages: Common, Halfing
- Fungal Synergy: Kodamis gain advantage on rolls vs mind-affecting effects and poison.
- Fungal Symbiosis: As a bonus action, Kodami can cast Speak With Plants once per day at level 1 to speak with fungi.
Mushroom Kingdom
The kodami are focused on rebuilding and spreading across the land, doing good things in thier gods name as repentance for what its creators had done to bloom the mushroom god. Many hold military positions as well as government positions due to their natural affinity with the vegetation that spread through the city.
Of all the strange races in Korp'ulance, the Kodami are the ones most associated with the city. This is mainly due to their connection to the most striking feature of the city.
Fungi People
At best, the kodami are confused with Agaricans, those infected by a mind-controlling fungi which had eaten the hosts brain. At worst, others saw them as undead abominations animated by mutated flora. Far too many believed the second.
Though there is some slight truth to these rumors... The first beings to start building the city were Agaricans and Mynocids raised by the newborn mushroom god. It wasnt until Princess Bellis's expedition into the land that non-fungi individuals lived on the land.
Princess Bellis was a druid and quickly came to an accord with the mushroom god. Her people would protect it in return with becoming symbiotically and able to stand the wild magic which infected the land.
Ghoomblins
Infected Corrupted
"It is why I am here now. They know too much." He responds calmly, nodding in the two ghoomblin's directions. "They were Lord Kop'ahs top plumblers. His... fixers. Of things, of people. Until it became too much for them." He almost sneers at this. "As if the blood would ever come off."
Luigi stiffles at this. "We built machines you flacid shell head. Your boss gave us directions but never told us what we were building them for! We thought we were helping with the construction efforts..." Mario nods in response. "You made our work into weapons, not us."
This race of goblinoids permanently mutated it's whole species by dabbling in profane fungus rituals, and now seek to restore themselves.
Traits
- Average Height: 3' to 4'
- Average Weight: 40-80 lbs.
- Ability Scores: +1 Wisdom +1 Constitution
- Size: Small
- Speed: 30 feet
- Vision: Darkvison
- Languages: Common,
- Fungal Synergy: Ghoomblins gain advantage on rolls vs mind-affecting effects and poison.
- Artificer’s Lore: Whenever you make an Intelligence (History) check related to magic items, alchemical objects, or technological devices, you can add twice your proficiency bonus, instead of any proficiency bonus you normally apply.
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- Tinker: You have proficiency with artisan’s tools (tinker’s tools). Using those tools, you can spend 1 hour and 10 gp worth of materials to construct a Tiny clockwork device (AC 5, 1 hp). The device ceases to function after 24 hours (unless you spend 1 hour repairing it to keep the device functioning), or when you use your action to dismantle it; at that time, you can reclaim the materials used to create it. You can have up to three such devices active at a time.
Tinker
When you create a device, choose one of the following options:
Clockwork Bo-bomb: This toy is a clockwork animal, monster, or person, such as a frog, mouse, bird, dragon, or soldier. When placed on the ground, the toy moves 5 feet across the ground on each of your turns in a random direction.
It makes noises as appropriate to the creature it represents. At the end of a number of turns determined by the player on deploying it (representing winding the bomb up), or on being destroyed, the clockwork toy explodes, dealing 1d4 fire damage in a 5 foot radius.
On a hit, the target takes 1d4 fire damage at the start of each of its turns. A creature can end this damage by using its action to make a DC 10 Dexterity check to extinguish the flames.
Fire Starter: The device produces a miniature flame, which you can use to light a candle, torch, or campfire. Using the device requires your action.
Music Box: When opened, this music box plays a single song at a moderate volume. The box stops playing when it reaches the song’s end or when it is closed.
Brain Twisters
Ghoomblins are surprisingly smart and hospitable as long as they have a problem ot solve. While not all Ghoomblins are of lawful alignment, it is very easy to distract one from moral quandaries through mental stimulation. Some have theorized this may be a result of the jump in intelligence between being a Goblin to a Ghoomblin. A commonly used tactic is a square brick toy of alternating color grids which rotate on each axle. A Ghoomblin can spend hours working on this cube fascinated by the puzzle it presents.
Plumbers
In the Koop'ah Kingdom, the smartest were called plumbers due to their ability to find solutions to 'clogs' in the government's plans. The most famous ghoomblins are the brothers Mario and Luigi, the most dedicated of Koop'ahs minions until they realized their mistake. Koop'ah's personal air ship was their greatest achievement.
Since facing their moral mistakes, the two defected to Korp'ulance and have started making amends as Bellis's personal advisors. They can often be found at Grubbing with Ghoomblins, their personal built inn where they experiment with odd concoctions.
Ferals
Infected Brute
Traits
- Average Height: 5'0" - 6'0"
- Average Weight: 150-250 lbs.
- Ability Scores: +1 Strength +1 Constitution
- Size: Medium
- Speed: 30 feet
- Scent. You rely on your nose to catch the scent of your quarry. You make Perception checks relating to smell at advantage.
- Languages: Common
- Mangy. Your kind has learned to endure repulsive environments that the civilized races have chosen to ignore. You have advantage on saving throws against poisons, and you have resistance to poison damage.
- Smashing Tail. Your kind possess a strong, muscular tail that can bash into your enemies, particularly dangerous in close combat brawls. You can use your tail to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. When grappling a creature or when grappled, you may make unarmed strikes with your tail as a bonus action.
- Swamp Stride. You can move through any sort of natural difficult terrain at its normal speed while within a swamp. Magically altered terrain still affects you normally.
Survivalists
Ferals do not take caution when it come to the strange wilds that are the environments that surround Korp'ulance. This is one of the main reasons it's rare to see one inside the city walls without reason. They feel more comfortable in settings which fit their ferocious nature. While most have not reached the point where they run around unclothed like Werewolves, they typically do prefer a freedom of movement when it comes to their limbs and extremities.
Hospitality
Despite their unusually ragged appearance and tendency to live in the harshest of regions, Ferals are nothing but hospitable to their neighbors and those they consider kin. They are well known for their cuisine due to their habits of venturing where few others would to look for food. This is one of the few trades which in the Ferals have found a place in society as rare delicacy chefs... though they still retain their rustic charm and appearance.
Meowsers
Fully Brute
Traits
- Average Height: 6'0" - 8'0"
- Average Weight: 250-450 lbs.
- Ability Scores: +2 Strength
- Size: Medium
- Speed: 20 feet
- Blood Tracker. Your kind have minds hard-wired to sense the weak and wounded. You have advantage on all Wisdom (Survival) checks made to track any creature whose current hit points are below their maximum hit points.
- Imposing Visage. Your presence is particularly threatening and bestial, a quality you’ve learned to embrace. You are proficient in the Intimidate skill.
- Languages: Common
- Powerful Build. You count as one size category larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
- Natural Armor. Your skin is leathery and tough or thick with coarse protective fur. When you aren’t wearing armor, your AC is 13 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield’s benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.
Animalistic
Similar to Lycans, Meowsers take on a slightly animalistic bent to their form. While they do not shapeshift, they nonetheless can be fierce looking creatures which use their mangled forms to their advantage. Many Meowsers have a tendency towards being bad tempered and angry. It is inconclusive however if this is a feature of their race or if it is a feature most Meowsers had before their transformation. Many reject social graces when dealing with someone they hate, especially former family members.
Foolhardy
Meowsers live quick and dangerous lives as a result of their animal influence. Those born Meowsers tend to grow at an accelerated rate reaching adulthood at 5. It is fortunate should a Meowser live into their 40s due to their action-filled lives. They live life to the fullest that they can and refused to see anything as a reason to 'slow down' and 'take in the scenery'.