cheezedoodle96
Been away for some time
MLP:45e Update: Abyssinian Cat-Folk
Cat-Folk
When most ponies think of a cat, they imagine a cute little ball of fur that likes to chase mice or bat at yarn. They’ve probably never met the cat-folk of Abyssinia. At first glance these kitties look just like the house cats of Equestria, except for their enormous size--they’re as large as a full-grown pony. Once they stand up on their hind legs though, the average abyssinian easily stands a head taller than even a large stallion, with dexterous tails as long as their bodies and sharp claws hiding within their soft paws.
Individually, most cats have laid-back attitudes toward life, and want to take it slow so they can enjoy all the good things it has to offer. They tend to be gregarious but guarded, quick to make superficial friendships but slow to trust. Those who venture forth into Equestria try to experience everything they can that’s new and different. Some “strays” are loners who use their charm and wit to endear themselves to others. Indeed, many cats who travel Equestria are usually the center of attention wherever they go. Some use their talents to take advantage of those fawning over them, but most simply enjoy the attention (and the occasional free tunafish dinner).
Abyssinian society is very relaxed (some earth ponies might even say lazy). The cats are renowned for their art, literature, and music. Many Abyssinians are accomplished artists, actors, or composers, and their works are highly prized by other races. Because of this ingrained creativity, Abyssinia generates much of its wealth through cultural trade with its neighbors. Unfortunately their focus on art appreciation and history of peaceful relations with their neighbors left the small nation lax in its defenses. Like the hippogriffs of Mount Aris, the cats of Abyssinia were conquered quite handily when the Storm King came knocking. He didn’t stick around though--he merely robbed them of all their valuables and left their kingdom destitute. Since the Storm King’s defeat, the majority of this wealth has made its way back to Abyssinian coffers, and the nation’s fortunes are once again on the rise.
Ability Scores: From Dexterity, Intelligence, and Charisma, choose one score to increase by 2 and another to increase by 1.
Size: Medium
Speed: 30 feet
Languages: Equestrian, Feline, and one additional language
Natural Weapons: You are proficient with your claw and bite attacks, which are finesse, heavy weapons that deal 1d4 slashing and piercing damage, respectively.
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 gray.
Keen Nose: You have the same keen nose ability as a diamond dog. To save space, the text is not repeated here.
Always Land on Your Feet: When you fall, you reduce the damage taken by 10. If this reduces your falling damage to 5 or less, you remain standing at the end of the fall.
Effortless Leap: The distance you can jump (both high jumps and long jumps) is increased by 10 feet (see page 182 of the 5th Edition D&D Player’s Handbook).
Springboard Pounce: If you move at least 20 feet in a straight line and end the movement next to a Medium or larger creature, you can spring off its head as a bonus action, allowing you to jump the entire distance of your speed horizontally and half that distance vertically. This distance is not increased by your Mighty Leap ability. At your option, you can also make a claw attack against this creature as a part of the same action. If this attack hits, the target cannot make an opportunity attack against you until the start of your next turn.
Suave: You gain proficiency in the Acrobatics, Performance, Persuasion, or Sleight of Hand skill.
Feline Fascination: You can use your alluring personality to pique the interest of others. You can use your action to cast the Charm Person spell. Its DC is 8 + your Charisma bonus + your proficiency bonus. Once you've used this ability, you cannot use it again until you complete a short rest.
MLP:45e Update: Aris Hippogriffs
Here's the 2nd update preview. There are a few liberties taken with the backstory. We're not really certain how long the hippogriffs have been exiled to Seaquestria, but it seems to be a minimum of 15 years based on Silverstream's history. The entire concept of additional colonies and a home continent is headcanon as well.
Now that true-blooded hippogriffs are an established species entirely separate from griffons and ponies, I may eventually split up the hippogriffs into a couple of subraces. Maybe there's an arctic hippogriff subrace with cold-based magic, or a desert subrace with fire-based magic. What do you think?
Aris Hippogriffs
When the Storm King invaded their mountain home almost 20 years ago, the small population of hippogriffs were swiftly overwhelmed and unable to even contact Equestria for aid. Facing the enslavement of her entire community, Novo, the hippogriff queen, led her race to retreat into the depths of the ocean. Using her magical pearl, a powerful transformative artifact, she caused all her subjects to transform into hybrid piscine forms adapted to aquatic life. There they lived for many years, until the Storm King’s conquering of northern Equestria. At the behest of Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle and her allies called upon the hippogriffs for aid, and learned what befell them. Though Twilight was captured, Princess Skystar of the sea ponies and a crew of pirates and thieves rebelled against the storm king and allied themselves with Twilight’s friends. The motley band made its way back to Canterlot and finally defeated him using the power of friendship (and a little luck).
Now that diplomatic relations have been renewed, hippogriffs and ponies once again travel freely between each others’ lands. Though ponies may still be intimidated due to the size and bold, (even blunt) personalities of hippogriffs, most Equestrian ponies are aware that without their aid they might still be under the Storm King’s rule. Hippogriffs, for their part, are quite naive of the ways of surface dwellers. The current adult generation has spent most of their lives living underwater, while teenagers and children have never known a life above the waves. Many hippogriffs have taken the opportunity of the Storm King’s defeat to return to the surface in order to experience those things they missed, see new and exciting sights, and share them with their families. Thus, hippogriff tourists are becoming increasingly common sights throughout Equestria.
Legend has it that the hippogriffs have several other independent colonies like Mount Aris spread throughout the world in remote locations that are difficult for outsiders to access, each with its own unique magical artifact to protect it from hostile outsiders. Further, there may even be an island home for all hippogriffs somewhere across the ocean from which they all originated. If any of these legends are true, the hippogriff scholars aren’t telling (or they don’t know, themselves).
Aris Hippogriff Traits
Ability Scores: From Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, and Charisma, choose one score to increase by 2 and another to increase by 1.
Size: Medium
Speed: 30 feet
Languages: Equestrian, Griff, and one additional language
Natural Weapons: You are proficient with your claw, bite, and hoof attacks, which are finesse, heavy weapons that deal 1d4 slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning damage, respectively.
Flight: You have a fly speed of 50 feet. If you are at half your maximum HP or less, your fly speed is halved and you must make a DC 15 Constitution check to gain altitude. If you are at one-quarter your maximum HP or less, you cannot fly and can only glide to the ground (see below). If you have one level of exhaustion, your fly speed is halved. If you have two or more, you cannot fly.
Cloud Walking: You can touch and interact with clouds as if they were solid (albeit soft) ground. This means you can sit or lie on clouds, move them around, gather them together, or buck them apart with your hooves. You can also stomp on thick clouds and force them to rain, or possibly even coax out a small lightning bolt if it’s a thick enough cloud.
Glide: When you fall 30 feet or more, you can use your reaction to spread your wings and slow your fall, preventing you from taking any falling damage. For every 10 feet you fall, you can move 5 feet horizontally.
Sky Hauler: You gain Sky Hauler as a bonus Cartoon Physics ability.
Aquatic Form: You possess a necklace created with a shells and pearls enchanted by Queen Novo’s magical pearl. As your action you can touch the necklace and transform into a hippocampus (commonly called a sea pony). Any clothing or armor you are wearing transforms to fit the new form or drops at your hooves in the case of things your sea pony form can’t wear, such as horseshoes or gloves. The necklace only works for you or another creature you willingly give it to. Any other change of ownership causes its magic to fade until it returns to you or to Queen Novo.
In sea pony form you gain a swimming speed the same as your normal form’s walking speed, you lose your flying speed and related abilities, and you can only flop around on land, reducing your walking speed to 5 feet. You can breathe and speak in both air and water, although you gain a level of exhaustion after each hour you spend out of water as your scales dry out. A successful DC 15 Constitution saving throw after each hour delays each exhaustion level by up to one extra hour. As a bonus action you can cause your body to illuminate equivalent to the light cantrip. This light may be a glowing glob at the tip of a forehead fin, like an anglerfish, or glowing patterns or lines along your scales or fins. Another bonus action douses the light.
If other willing creatures are touching you when you transform, you can allow each one to transform as well, gaining the same benefits and drawbacks you do for your aquatic form. This is taxing to you and the duration is limited, however. You lose one Hit Die (total) when you transform other creatures. The duration of the transformation is up to 12 hours, divided between the number of other creatures you transform. For example, you could transform an entire group of four friends at once at the cost of one Hit Die, although the duration is only 3 hours. Alternately, you could transform each friend one at a time at the cost of four Hit Dice. In this case, each receives the full 12-hour duration.
Commanding Presence: Your bold personality inspires others to fight on even through injury and hardship. You can cast the healing word spell as a 2nd-level spell (restoring 2d4 HP) on a creature other than yourself. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Once you've used this spell, you cannot use it again until you complete a short rest.
Shriek: In hippogriff form you can use your action to shriek loudly, with the same effect as the Thunderclap cantrip. The saving throw DC is 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution bonus.
MLP:45e Update: Evolved Changelings
Evolved Changelings
Unlike other changeling hives, the former hive of Queen Chrysalis underwent a rebellion, led by Thorax, Starlight Glimmer, Trixie, and Discord. The changelings of this hive learned that they could feed off each other’s’ kindness without needing to cause them harm. In her weakened state, Chrysalis was unable to telepathically drive these rebellious thoughts from the minds of her brood.
These reformed changelings immediately underwent a physical evolution. Each permanently transformed into a new body that matched their personality and abilities. Some became strong, tough soldiers, while others became speedy, elusive scouts, or masters of shapechanging, while still others found they gained strange new magical talents.
King Thorax rules his former queen’s hive with a gentle, caring hoof. He understands the prejudices of other races and is always keen to attempt diplomacy first, and he encourages his extended family to do likewise. Pharynx, his guard captain and brother, leads the defense of the hive and maintains order while Thorax is away. As the evolved changelings continue to explore the world and grow in number, their eventual goal is to expand their knowledge and caring to other hives who have yet to evolve.
Evolved Changeling Traits
Size: Medium
Speed: 30 feet
Languages: Equestrian, Undercommon, and Changeling Pheromones
Natural Weapons: You are proficient with your bite and horn attacks, which are finesse weapons that deal 1d4 piercing damage.
Flight: You have a fly speed of 40 feet. If you are at half your maximum HP or less, your fly speed is halved and you must make a DC 15 Constitution check to gain altitude. If you are at one-quarter your maximum HP or less, you cannot fly and can only glide to the ground (see below). If you have one level of exhaustion, your fly speed is halved. If you have two or more, you cannot fly.
Cloud Walking: You can touch and interact with clouds as if they were solid (albeit soft) ground. This means you can sit or lie on clouds, move them around, gather them together, or buck them apart with your hooves. You can also stomp on thick clouds and force them to rain, or possibly even coax out a small lightning bolt if it’s a thick enough cloud.
Glide: When you fall 30 feet or more, you can use your reaction to spread your wings and slow your fall, preventing you from taking any falling damage. For every 10 feet you fall, you can move 5 feet horizontally.
Sky Hauler: You gain Sky Hauler as a bonus Cartoon Physics ability.
Shapechange: You use your action to take on the appearance of any other medium-sized living, natural creature. The first time you assume a new shape, the creature you duplicate must be within 50 feet of you. You can remember a number of different forms equal to your Intelligence score. You can “forget” any of your memorized forms in order to learn a new one. Once you’ve learned a form, you can change minor details of its appearance. This means, for example, if you learn “earth pony” as a form, from that point on when you change shape into an earth pony, you can pick any subrace, gender, build, hair style and color, coat color, eye color, and cutie mark. Such variations don’t count against the limit of forms you know.
The shape’s details are based on what you can discern through your normal senses, so if the creature you’re copying has a hidden scar, a bag with unknown contents, or some other quality you can’t detect, you’re forced to guess. Your equipment blends into the new form, or takes on the appearance of some other equipment your target is wearing (your choice). Any magic items you wear continue to function.
If you change into a form without wings, you lose your flight, cloud walking, and glide abilities. If you change into an aquatic form, you gain its ability to breathe water (or hold its breath for extended periods). If you change into a form with superior senses such as an eagle’s vision, you gain that sense. Any other form you take that has some sort of special characteristic should be adjudicated by the GM, but generally any abilities you gain from the form should be (together) no more powerful than a feat. Note that changing into a unicorn does not grant you access to arcane magic.
If the form can speak, you can speak in its voice, but unless you’re familiar with the target, you don’t know its mannerisms. Close friends of the target can tell you’re an imposter if they beat you at a contest of your Charisma (Deception) against their Wisdom (Insight). If you win the contest by 4 or less, they are suspicious but see no reason to disbelieve you. If you win the contest by 5 or more, they are convinced that you are the genuine article. If, later on, something comes up where they have reason to be suspicious again, they can retry the contest.
Brittle: You have an exoskeleton which is less resilient to damage than creatures with skeletons. Whenever you take piercing, slashing, bludgeoning, or force damage, you take 1 extra point of damage.
Subrace: Chose one of the four changeling subraces for your character: Soldier, Scout, Magi, or Mimic.
Changeling Soldier (Subrace)
Soldiers are the hardened warriors of the changeling hive. Their natural form may be flightless, but they
- Ability Score Bonus: Your Strength and Constitution scores increase by 2, to a maximum of 20.
- Flightless: You have no wings, and lose the Flight, Glide, Cloud Walking, and Sky Hauler abilities common to other changelings.
- Scuttling Charge: As a bonus action, you can move up to your speed toward an opponent you can see.
- Sharp Chitin: The damage of your natural weapons increases to 1d8.
- Thick Hide: You gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class, and you ignore the Brittle trait that other changelings have.
Changeling Scout (Subrace)
Scouts are the messengers and patrollers of the changeling hive. They are fast flyers and have keen senses, making them always first to know when the hive is in danger.
- Ability Score Bonus: Your Dexterity score increases by 2, to a maximum of 20.
- Fast Flight: Your fly speed increases to 50 feet, and your walking speed increases to 35 feet.
- 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 gray.
- Keen Nose: You have the same keen nose ability as a diamond dog. To save space, the text is not repeated here.
- Perceptive: You gain proficiency in the Perception skill.
Changeling Magus (Subrace)
Magi are the changelings who spontaneously gained new magical abilities. Most have yet to master these abilities, while others have trained themselves or study with skilled unicorns.
- Ability Score Bonus: Your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma score increases by 2, to a maximum of 20.
- Arcane Magic: Your horn grants you the capability to wield arcane magic. This means that you are eligible for the wizard class and the eldritch knight and arcane trickster subclasses. While you cast or concentrate on a spell, both your horn and the target of the spell glow with a magical aura. The color of your magic aura is determined at birth and never changes (unless you use dark magic).
- Magic Initiate: You gain the Magic Initiate feat (see page 168 of the D&D 5th Edition Player’s Handbook). Choose bard, sorcerer, or wizard as the class which you wish to learn spells from. Most changelings pick Apprentice’s Telekinesis and Light as their cantrips. If desired, you can opt to learn an additional cantrip instead of the feat’s 1st-level spell.
- Skilled: You gain proficiency in one skill of your choice.
Changeling Mimic (Subrace)
Changeling mimics are master shapeshifters. They have the most powerful transformation abilities of any type of changeling, allowing them to turn into anything from dangerous beasts to cuddly bunnies or even objects like a rock or tree.
- Ability Score Bonus: Increase one ability score of your choice by +2, to a maximum of 20.
- Advanced Shapechanging: In addition to the normal changeling Shapechange ability, you gain the Wild Shape, Combat Wild Shape, and Circle Forms abilities of the circle of the moon druid class, but you do not have restrictions against choosing swimming or flying forms. When the ability refers to druid level, you instead use your total level. Like a druid, you are able to use this ability two twice, and regain expended uses after completing a short or long rest.
- Object Shapechanging: You can use your normal changeling Shapechange ability to transform into Small, Medium, or Large-sized solid object. The object cannot have moving parts. While transformed in this manner, you are indistinguishable from a normal object. You retain all your senses, but you cannot speak or move.
Magic Items of Equestria, Part 6
ARCAS LUNAE
Weapon (shortbow), rare (optional attunement)
In the early days of Equestria when danger still lay around every corner, both the royal sisters recruited their own personal cadre of trained specialists. Princess Luna established the Sagittarii Lunae, the Crescent Moon Archers. Leaders among the Sagittarii were typically druids, rangers, or clerics. Those who were worthy were gifted by the princess with one of the Implements of the Moon. These included the Arcas Lunae: magical shortbows that exemplified the powers of nature, moonlight, exploration, and guardianship.
An Arcas Lunae (Bow of the Crescent Moon) is a finely crafted composite shortbow made from magically-reinforced wood and thin mithril wrappings to provide springiness and resilience. The metal portions are engraved with images of stars, the moon in its various phases, and nocturnal creatures of all sorts. It adds a +1 bonus to your attack and damage rolls made with the shortbow. If you are attuned to the bow, the short range of the weapon increases from 80 feet to 120 feet. In addition, you gain the following abilities while you have the bow in your possession:
- You gain darkvision to a range of 60 feet. If you already possess darkvision, its range increases by 60 feet.
- Once per day, you can use the find familiar spell to acquire a nocturnal familiar such as a bat, ferret, owl, skunk, opossum, or nighthawk.
- Three times per day, you can choose to illuminate one target you hit with an arrow from the bow in the same manner as the faerie fire spell unless they succeed on a Dexterity save. The save DC is 16 or your save DC, whichever is higher. The duration is 1 minute.
- Once per day, you can use the conjure animals spell to summon up to eight creatures of the night to fight for you. Like the spell, you must maintain concentration on the summoning or the creatures disappear. If your GM approves, you can pick a mix of animals rather than all the same type:
- Group A (each counts as 1 toward the 8 total): giant badger, giant bat, giant centipede, giant owl, giant wolf spider, panther, swarm of bats, swarm of rats, swarm of ravens, or wolf
- Group B (each counts as 2 toward the 8 total): black bear or jaguar (stats of panther but 20 HP)
- Group C (each counts as 4 toward the 8 total): brown bear, dire wolf, giant crow (stats of giant vulture), or giant spider
RADIANT VESTMENTS
Armor (breastplate, half-plate, or plate armor, or silk robes), rare
In the early days of Equestria when danger still lay around every corner, both the royal sisters recruited their own personal cadre of trained specialists. Princess Celestia established the Comitis Solarium, the Companions of the Sun. Leaders among the Comitis were typically paladins, clerics, or wizards. Those who were worthy were gifted by the princess with one of the Implements of the Sun. These included Radiant Vestments: gleaming white and golden armor or robes that fortify both the body and spirit.
This armor is crafted of the finest steel or silk and weighs 25% less than normal armor of its type. It is adorned with wing, feather, and sun ray motifs. Wearing it marks you as a loyal agent of Princess Celestia.
While wearing this armor (or robe), you resist radiant and necrotic damage, and you have a +1 bonus to all saving throws.