Branchborn
The Branchborn are a mysterious and ancient race of sentient plants with a deep connection to the natural world.
Branchborn spring to life with knowledge from the ancient world and a shared set of core memories passed down through the generations. They are considered mature from the moment they gain sentience, and there is no record of them ever dying of old age. It is believed that they eventually yield their individuality and become Treants, massive and powerful beings with immense knowledge and wisdom.
Branchborn do not sleep, but instead rest by digging their roots into fertile soil. Branchborn are sensitive to the weather, and their moods can be slightly affected by changes in the elements.
When a rooted branchborn dies, a new sapling springs to life in the exact spot one year later, retaining all the memories of the previous individual but none of their emotional connections.
Due to their unique nature and seeming immortality, branchborn are highly revered by most arboreal cultures for their connection to the land. Cultures that value academia hold branchborn in high regard and seek them out to glean their knowledge of the ancient world.
Stolon Legacy. When a rooted branchborn dies, a new sapling springs to life in the exact spot one year later. They retain all the memories of the dead branchborn, but in a jumbled, confusing mishmash. Further, the new branchborn retains none of its emotional connections to those memories and is in effect a completely different conscious entity.
Ancestral Traits
Age
Branchborn are considered mature the moment they gain sentience. There is no record of them dying from old age.
Creature Type
Plant. Branchborn are sentient plants, not humanoids. They are not considered trees or shrubs unless they are rooted. When rooted, a Branchborn may be used as a point of origin or destination for the tree stride spell. The closest Branchborn can be located with the locate animals or plants spell. Your GM may choose to create Branchborn as part of the awaken spell.
Speed
Walk 20-30 ft. A Branchborn's speed is directly related to its size.Size
Branchborn never stop growing. A branchborn’s size is directly related to its age. Branchborn may choose to prune their leaves and bind their limbs to arrest their growth.
| Age (in years) | Maximum Size | Maximum Speed |
|---|---|---|
| 0-10 | Tiny | 20 ft. |
| 11-50 | Small | 25 ft. |
| 51-250 | Medium | 30 ft. |
| 251-625 | Large | 30 ft. |
| 626-2000 | Huge | 35 ft. |
| 2001+ | Gargantuan | 40 ft. |
Random Height and Weight
You may roll for your character's height and weight on the Random Height and Weight table. The roll in the Height Modifier column adds a number (in inches) to the character's base height. To get a weight, multiply the number you rolled for height by the roll in the Weight Modifier column and add the result (in pounds) to the base weight.
| Base Height | Base Weight | Height Modifier | Weight Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|
11" + (25 × age)½ |
(1 × age) lb. |
+ 2d6 |
+ (age / 1d4) lb. |
Damage Resistance (Bludgeoning)
You have resistance against bludgeoning damage.
Damage Vulnerability (Fire)
You are vulnerable to fire damage.
Root
Branchborn don’t sleep. Instead, they plant their feet and bury roots into the earth beneath them. While rooted, your speed drops to 0 but you are otherwise completely conscious. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefits that other humanoids do from a long rest. Branchborn cannot root through solid objects, structures, or in inhospitable terrain (ex: glaciers, deserts, salt water). If knocked unconscious, a Branchborn's body attempts to root.
Rooting in Combat
A Branchborn can use their action to Root in combat. Once rooted, they are treated as one size category larger when determining the outcome of the Grapple, Shove, Shove Aside, and Climb onto a Bigger Creature actions.
Interwoven Protection
Your body has natural bark which can be enhanced with armor:
You gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class.
You can only don armor with which you have proficiency. To don armor other than a shield, you must incorporate it into your body over the course of 1 long rest, during which you remain in contact with the armor. To doff armor, you must spend 1 long rest removing it. While enhancing your body in this manner, you may not use the Treelike Appearance or Long Limbed ancestral traits.
While you are conscious, the armor incorporated into your body can't be removed against your will.
Long-Limbed
While making a melee attack on your turn, your reach for it is 5 feet greater than normal.
Treelike Appearance
While you remain motionless and unarmored, you are indistinguishable from a normal tree.
