Chimera

Chimera are unnatural amalgams of humanoid and beast, with each individual Chimera tracing its lineage to back to the dark arts, a divine curse, or the unholy union between their ancestors and beast. While they may be shunned for their appearances, more often than not they face persectution for the blasphemies that their very existences embody.

Inconspicuous and Unique

Chimera may take a vast array of forms, each with beastly traits that range from subtle to unconcealable. The monstrous Chimera of the past that many races have come to fear are few and far between, in the modern age. Their descendants instead take the form of their civilised race of ancestral origin, such as men or elves, with varying degrees of deformity. These range from the subtlety of different coloured eyes or increased body hair, to the overtness of a tail or scales. As such, they have no easily defined or commonly shared traits.

Those that remain in society have a fondness for simple clothing and muted colours; the less attention a Chimera draws to itself, the less likely they are to be driven away from their homes.

Cynical and Nomadic

Chimera with obvious animal traits often seek out those that are like themselves, and rarely stay in the same place for too long. Even in areas where they are welcomed or tolerated, a sense of shame and fear follows them such that they tend to see all hospitality as a trickery and deceit. As a result these Chimera form nomadic tribes or settlements, where trust and loyalty to one another are of the utmost importance. Little is known of the power structure within tribes as the Chimera within them are loath to share their ways with outsiders.

Chimera whose traits are of a more discrete nature are apt to remain in the society and race into which they were born. They often take great care in disguising their true nature to maintain some semblance of normalcy. To the tribal Chimera, these so-called civilised Chimera are nothing more than privileged traitors.

There exists a small subset of Chimera that fall into neither of the above categories. These Chimera fully embrace their animal nature and tend to live alone in the wild, making their homes in forests and jungles.

Freedom and Purpose

Chimera tend to become adventures when they tire of hiding in cities and living mundane lives, or grow bored of the seclusion of their tribes. For these Chimera, adventuring serves as a test of their ability, both animal and otherwise, and as a chance to prove themselves worthy of their place in society, regardless of their heritage.

















Chimera Traits

Your Chimera character has a number of traits in common with all other Chimera:

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2.

Age. Chimera age relatively quickly, reaching adulthood at age 16 and generally living no longer than 70 years.

Alignment. Chimera tend to value their freedom highly so lean strongly to chaotic inclinations, however those that remain in society may place greater value on the law. A common trait among even the most selfish of Chimera is a sense of duty towards fellow Chimera and those who are scorned for reasons beyond their control.

Size. Chimera vary widely in height and build, from barely 5 feet to well over 6 feet tall, leaning towards the average height and build of their parent race. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Keen Senses. You have proficiency in the Perception skill.

Darkvision. Whether due to the abilities of a nocturnal creature, or the diluted form of some other extrasensory ability, you can see 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.

Languages. You speak, read and write Common and a language of your choice. Chimera often speak the language of the race they find themselves around the most.

Subraces. Though Chimera are can trace their features to dozens of creatures, one set of features often stands out against the rest.



Winged Chimera

These Chimera are part bird, and thus they have avian features, the most prominent of which being wings. They show a great aptitude for problem solving,

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1.

Talons. You are proficient with your unarmed strikes, which deal 1d4 slashing damage on a hit.

Glide. Your wings are not strong enough to support flight, but allow you to glide. When you fall and aren’t incapacitated, you can subtract up to 100 feet from the fall when calculating falling damage, and you can move up to 2 feet horizontally for every 1 foot you descend.