Homebrew Brownie Race Details

"Aren't you saddened by your short life? To live for such a short time, must be taxing on you." said the barkeep.

"What are ye gettin' on 'bout? I can't imagine what kinduh hell you go through livin' for upword of 70 years, you humans. Live short and live well, and die with a mighty grin 'pon yer face."

"You don't mind if you don't make an impact on the world?" the barkeep asked, quite puzzled.

"An impact ye say?" The Brownie chortled.

"The only impact I crave is that of a pint against' me mug, and the impact of mine hips against a lady's!" he said, letting out a mighty bellow, and swigging a glass of mead.

"Drinks on the house!" roared the Brownie.

A life not lived is a life not worth living; these words embody the Brownies philosophy. Brownies are quite short lived creatures, rarely living past 20, and as such they cherish the life they have. Unlike other short lived races such as humans and half-orcs, who get caught up in worldly pursuits and are frantic to live while they have the chance, Brownies are opposites in that they live to have fun. That's not to say that they're selfish- on the contrary, if you ever found yourself in an unfamiliar place with no place to stay, a Brownie household would welcome you with open arms, and their cooking is second only to Halflings. They love hearing stories of adventure, but be warned, if you tell them your tales, you'd best be ready for them to regale you with theirs. You'll often see them wherever there's dragonborn, due to their shared past. The Brownies have only existed in Faerûn for some 100 years or so, so nobody really knows much about them, besides that their lives are quite short and they're sure to liven up any party.

Hefty and Jolly

Brownies are quite jubilant folk that are the best in whatever field they find fun and interesting. Despite standing anywhere from 3 to 5 feet tall, they rarely find themselves in danger when they cause conflict, due to their unnatural charisma and uncanny ability to ease the strain on any conversation. Many are on the heftier side, due to their philosophy of enjoying the pleasures of life, but there are those who maintain a fit body, so their weight varies wildly -- they may be as light as 30 pounds and as heavy as 60 pounds.

A Brownie's skin ranges from beige to brown to tan, and their hair is usually dark brown or dirty blonde. They have eyes of many colors, but more so than not have brown or amber eyes. They have long ears similar to that of most fey, although scholars are uncertain if they are related. They have long whiskers and, contrary to popular belief among citizens, most do not have buck teeth, but it is more common than among the other races of Faerûn.

Kind but Blunt

Brownies are an jubilant, upbeat, and self-serving people. They cherish their short lives and want to live them to the fullest. Their reasons for adventuring are rarely anything other than self-serving fun, companionship, comradery, or helping those in need. They love hearing the exploits of others and tales of far away lands, and they may even reward you for telling them your tale.

They are a very kind people, but when they have an opinion on something or you ask them a question, they don't dance around the issues and they tell you exactly what they mean. Although this has earned them a bad reputation in some circles, it is not meant maliciously, they just firmly believe that life is too short to be side-stepping issues.

Religious Nomads

Brownies aren't well versed in the faiths, likely due to their time spent elsewhere. They aren't opposed to it, and many of them embrace the concept. However, you likely won't find many Brownie Clerics or Paladins, although it's not as if they don't exist.

Fluent Interminglers

Brownies are adept at fitting into a community of humans, elves, and many other races, but rarely do due to their general rarity. Their natural charisma means they can make freinds wherever they may find themselves, and as such always have a place to stay, making them an indispensable party member.

While they do not mind their short lives, they become very enraged at the untimely end of someone else's, whether they be brownie or not. Some even describe this behavior as off putting due to their usual upbeat attitude.

Whimsical Wayfarers

Native to the continent of Laerakond, they rarely leave their home villages. When they do, it's to pursue some sort of pleasure they are unable to find back home, be it adventure, friends in other races, women, exquisite beer, knowledge, or learning a craft. Anything that a brownie is passionate about he is sure to pursue to the ends of the earth, leaving no stone unturned.



CHIPPER AND ARDOROUS Brownies get along with most everyone else. Dwarves. “Ye gotta admire the little buggers craftsmanship. Only some'un truly passionate about what they do can make gear as mighty fine as them dwarves. They're quite trustworthy, and make good companions. But some nights I find myself wonderin', would it kill em' to act a bit livelier and more optimistic?” Elves. “They know 'ow to live. They ain't too keen on lettin' the thought o' time tie 'em down, and they live their lives like a loose garment. Me only complaint is they ain't very flexible with new ideas.” Humans. “They make some great liquor, and even greater women! They may 'ave a pole up they're arses half the time, but all in all they're good folk that I'd drink with any time.”

Exploring Opportunities

Brownies usually set out on the adventurer’s path to pursue their interests, whatever they may be. Common interests include self-serving fun, companionship, comradery, learning a trade, adventure, or even helping those in need.

Subrace

The three kinds of Brownie: labourer, dexterous, and wayfarer, are more like closely related families than true subraces. Choose one of these subraces or one from another source.

Brownie Traits

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma score increases by 2.

Age

A Brownie reaches adulthood at the tender age of 4 and generally lives a good 18 years, but rarely longer than 20.

Alignment

Due to your self-serving nature and your pleasure seeking philosophy as a species, you tend heavily toward chaos. Your species is also very jolly and happy to help whenever it can, however there are a lot of selfish brownies. Your alignment is good or neutral. An evil Brownie is almost unheard of, although some may have existed in the past.

Size

Brownies average about 4 to 6 feet tall and weigh anywhere from 30 to 60 pounds. Your size is Small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Elvish. You have dealt with elves before, and they are very hospitable towards you because you both find you're attitudes click with one another.

Brave

You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.

Expedited Growth

What you lack in short life, you compensate for in your ability to learn quickly. Gain proficiency in one artisan tool. The time it takes to learn a skill or get proficiency is halved.

Brownie Charisma

You are always the center of attention, and as such you have found ways to be liked by everyone, partly thanks to your Brownie ancestry. You have proficiency in Persuasion and Performance.

Monomania

Talk with your DM and figure out a fixation, something your character wants to do to have fun, something that interests your character, etc. When you come to an agreement, write it down on your character sheet here. Whenever you make an ability check relating to your fixation, roll a d6. You may add it to the roll, before the DM decides the outcome.

Dexterous Brownie A subrace of brownie well versed with their hands. They love crafting fancy items, and are more often than not more soft spoken than their Brownie brethren. Magic Touch You may cast the mending cantrip as an action. Does not count towards your cantrip limit for spellcasters. Tinker Starting at level 2, you may spend a short rest to make a tiny contraption or nonmagical item that costs no more than 5 GP and is no bigger than your hand, as long as you have the materials to do so. You may also copy a tiny item in this way, but no magical properties are copied with it and you must have the item handy in order to copy it. Ability Score Increase Your Dexterity score increases by 1. Laborer Brownie Sometimes mistaken for dwarves, Laborer Brownies are a subrace that tends to be more musclebound and headstrong. Not particularly good at one single thing, they tend to be the anyman or the heavy lifter. Ability Score Increase Your Strength or Constitution score increases by 1. Whacking Stick You've learned to at least somewhat harness your magic origins. Starting at level 3, you may cast the shillelagh cantrip as a bonus action. Wayfarer Brownie A subrace of Brownie that takes Brownie Charisma to another level. They can be found wherever there is fun to be had duping gullible humans or partaking in dubious activities. Ability Score Increase Your Charisma score increases by 1 to a max of 20. Your Constitution score decreases by 1. Alluring Personality Starting at 5th level, you know the spell charm person, and you may cast it once per long rest.

Your Brownie character has a number of traits in common with all other brownies.