Homebrew Malebranche Race Details

The Malebranche stand slightly shorter than the average man. In their true form, they resemble gremlins, with squat faces, upturned noses, beady reptilian eyes, sharp fangs, and pointed ears sticking horizontally from their head. There is no pattern to the horns and antlers the Malebranche possess, as they can be seen sporting everything from small bumps to curling ram's horns to full racks of antlers. In their true form, they also have large wings, covered in glossy black feathers; these feathers seem to glow faintly from the inside, as if each contains a small ember. They have a 54-5 foot long, thick tail, which they use both as a third point of contact on the uneven crags of hell, and as an expressive addition to communication, similar to talking with one's hands. (This has led to the Malebranchen idiom "talking with one's tail," to indicate that someone is lying, sometimes without their own knowledge, usually is an expressive and charismatic way) Their hands are adorned with short claws, and their feet resemble that of an eagle or hawk. Their skin is a bright red, and smooth; their scars glow a soft red, like a hot coal. When in hell, they often wear no clothes at all; this is as much to do with their hedonistic tendencies as with the fact that any clothes would quickly become burned and soiled. The thick hair that coats their legs easily repels any pitch that may splash from the lakes, and their thick skin is extremely resistant to heat. When in hell, they rarely, if ever, clean themselves, leading to a fine coating of ash and grime all over them.

Using an action, a Malebranche may change between it's "True" and "Human" forms. The term "Human" form is somewhat misleading, as they more closely resemble Tieflings. Their skin is a ruddy red, and they have slender, slightly branching antlers sweeping back along their head from their temples. In their True form they are hairless, while in their Human form they have dark brown hair. Their eyes are copper colored, with vertical pupils, and they have sharp canine teeth. Their tails remain the same, as do their ears. Their hands no longer end in claws, and their legs are completely human, and no longer covered in fur. Their wings are hidden and unusable; in order to use them, a Malebranche must return to their True form. Changing between these forms takes 10 seconds, and may only be done 4 times per long rest. Human form grants +2 to persuasion and -2 to intimidation, and the ability to walk among humans without aggravating anyone. True form grants -2 to persuasion and +2 to intimidation, and flight; however, humans that see the true form either flee, or become aggressive. (Roll 1d20+ constitution modifier. On a roll higher than 10, the creature becomes aggressive; lower than 10, the creature flees.)

The culture of the Malebranche (and, indeed, of most of Hell) is one of hedonism and debauchery; that said, they are not anarchistic. In Dis, the capital city of Hell, where most of it's denizens live, there are bacchanalian parties nearly every night, yes; but there are very few murders, assaults, or other crimes. Dis runs on the principle of self-contained personal freedom; "You can do whatever you want, as long as it doesn't infringe on me doing whatever I want." With that is a laissez-faire approach to social interaction; nobody cares if you're rude, loud, or boisterous. It is normal to hear shouts and jeers from total strangers, mocking you as they pass; the citizens of Dis just laugh it off, usually followed by a jab of their own. Outside of this, Dis is known throughout the multiverse for its surprisingly soft, delicate, and complex classical music; despite what one would expect from demons, devils, ghouls, and other such creatures, it is incredibly light and beautiful, full off flutes and woodwinds. Likewise, Dis' operas are incredible; Infernal, a usually rapid fire, guttural language, filled with harsh consonants, is hauntingly beautiful when slowed down and sung. Tourists from across the Multiverse come to see these beautiful productions. Which leads to another surprising fact about Dis: their openness to visits by the living. Dis is a reasonably popular tourist donation for those hedonistic travelers that want to experience some of the craziest parties in the Multiverse. Although, its not recommended, nor is it safe, to stray from the beaten path. While there are laws against murder in Dis, including against tourists, there is no punishment for accidentally killing someone. And the parties of Dis are known to get crazy and dangerous fast, and without warning. Additionally, unless given a Gate Visa by Dark Office (Dis' governmental agency), any tourist found outside of the city walls will be executed on the spot. Luckily, there are guards at every official gate, which cuts down on travelers sneaking out; not that they would get very far. Within the walls of the city, a complex array of spells and sigils keep the city tolerable for those without heat resistance; even with this, most tourists dress very lightly, with some particularly brave (or drunk) travelers electing to go completely nude.

The names of Malebranche, through various coincidences throughout history, are derived from the Italian dialect of Common, and are often very descriptive. Malebranche children are not named until they reach 10 years of age, the age at which they are able to make friends and explore. This is because female Malebranche only give birth once every 10-15 years, with the exception of occasional twins. During the first 10 years, young Malebranche grow up at home, helping around the house, and learning by watching their parents. Common Malebranchen names include: Malacoda, Alichino, Calcabrina, Libicocco, Draghignazzo, Ciriatto, Farferello, Rabicante, Barbariccia, Cagnazzo, Graffiacane.

Malebranche Traits

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength Score increases by 1, your Dexterity Score increases by 2. Your centuries of working in the Eighth Circle, as well as your infernal ancestry, have given you increased strength. Meanwhile, your powerful wings grant you increased mobility.

Age

Malebranche mature at half the rate of humans, and can live around of 300 years. Malebranche age much slower than humans do, generally reaching maturity after around 50 years. Those who work and live outside of Dis (the sprawling, metropolitan capital of hell), usually torturers and meat farmers, have somewhat shorter life spans, generally only living to be 200 years old. Those inside the city can live up to a century longer, with most Malebranche dying around 310 years of age. They generally subsist on a purely carnivorous diet, devouring the bodies of those who's punishments have ended; however, Malebranche who have left Hell are capable of digesting most foods.

Alignment

Malebranche tend towards Chaotic alignments, with most being stuck firmly in Chaotic Evil. In the scheme of the multiverse, it is the job of the Malebranche to punish evildoers (that have not been saved by their various deities). As such, they do not care about what a person did in life. They don't care if the punishment is justified, or if the person deserves to be in hell. It is there job to punish them and that is what they will do. They do not bother themselves with morality or ethics; indeed they are taught early on that all the creatures sent to hell deserve it, and that every creature has evil inside of them. As such, most Malebranche are firmly Chaotic Evil; they enjoy causing pain and suffering, and would treat the greatest saint and evilest sinner the same way. There are some who take a more Chaotic Neutral stance; they believe it is not there place to judge whether a punishment is justified, and that anyone in hell must be there for a good reason. That is not to say all Malebranche fall into these categories.

Size

You are slightly smaller than a typical human, with a similar build. Your size is Medium. Malebranche are only slightly smaller than typical humans. They make up for this by being exceedingly strong and agile.

Speed

Your walking speed is 30. Your flying speed is 30. Malebranche's legs, and powerful wings, give it great maneuverability, allowing it to keep pace with most other creatures. However, they can only fly when in their "True" form.

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. The Malebranche, despite living in hell, surrounded by lakes of fire and pits of lava, have excellent vision in the dark. This allows them to see clearly in the dim light cast by the fires of hell.

Hellish Resistance

You have resistance to fire damage. The Malebranche live most of, if not all of, their lives deep in Hell, surrounded by flames and intense heat. Because of this, they have developed a resistance to high temperatures, and to fire. This is not to say they are immune to it; indeed, falling into one of the many pits and lakes of lava is a common cause of death in Hell. However, they have adapted to tolerate high heat, as well as limited, direct contact with fire.

Difficult Terrain

While in "True" form, take no movement penalty from rocky or unstable terrain. The Malebranche, in there "True" form, are very adept at traversing the rocky terrain of Hell. Their bird-like feet allow them to easily grip rocky surfaces, while their wings give them a chance to recover should the ground beneath them give way. However, when in "Human" form, they cannot take advantage of this ability.

Form Change

As an action, you can change between your "True" and "Human" forms. Transformation takes 5 seconds. Can be done 4 times per long rest. The Malebranche can transform between "True" and "Human" forms. While in their "True" form, they have -2 to persuasion, +2 to intimidation, the ability to fly, and can benefit from their "Difficult Terrain" trait; however, NPCs and creatures who see them in this form will either become aggressive, or run away. While in their "Human" form, they have +2 to persuasion, -2 to intimidation, no flight, and no benefits from their "Difficult Terrain" trait; however, they can interact with NPCs and creatures without automatically aggravating them.

Flare Up

At level 3, once per long rest, you may take one of three actions. 1) Cast level 2 Burning Hands. 2) Cast level 2 Flame Blade. 3) Add 2d6 fire damage to a melee weapon you are wielding, for 10 minutes. Once you have taken one of these actions, you may not do so again until after a long rest. Every once in a while, a Malebranche is born with innate magical abilities. These abilities manifest as the Malebranche becomes more experienced, and matures. There is some research to suggest that being around magic could have an effect on a Malebranche's abilities; however, this has not been confirmed.

Language

You can read and write in Common, Infernal, and Abyssal. The official language of Hell is Infernal. All sign post, store fronts, and official documents are written in it, and most, if not all, of the denizens of Hell speak it. However, most Malebranche, in addition to reading and writing in Infernal, speak Abyssal in their day to day lives. It is the language of demons, after all, and the Malebranche use it to communicate with each other, as well as with other demons. Additionally, most torturers and farmers know at least some Common, as most of the damned they torture or harvest speak it. All Emissaries and Dignitaries of Hell, as well as those who have left, speak Common, the universal language of the Multiverse.

Due to their abyssal lineage, and demonic biology, Malebranche all share some key characteristics.