Call me old school, but I’ve always been more of a fan of weenie humanoid monsters than high CR epic level encounters.
Gimme a kobold, goblin, or skelie over a lich, dragon, or tarrasque any day.
And sure, there’s a fair amount to choose from between the three main monster books for the fifth edition. But hey! I still want to make some of my own.
Design Notes
When looking at humanoids in Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition, there are a few common motifs:
- The base stats for the creature type are rarely higher than commoner NPC norms.
- Humanoids always have a commonly shared trait. For example, goblins have Nimble Escape, kobolds have Pack Tactics and Sunlight Sensitivity, etc.
- Most humanoids have 2-3 “improved” versions of the base creature. Usually, this improved archetype is a chief/war boss or a spellcaster.
So what kind of weenies should I make?
I want my weenies all to be Small, I know that much.
And I want them each to have their own culture rather than be some summoned elemental (magmin, mephits) or celestial construct (modrons).
Next, Jack, my six-year-old suggested I make an anthropomorphic mouse weenie race that is super fast. He also suggested I give them teleport powers. Sure! Let’s do it!
Thinking on Jack’s idea, I thought: why not just anthropomorphize a whole bunch of the creatures in the back of the Monster Manual, Appendix A?
Literally, just go through each and every monster and turn it into a Small humanoid with a commonly shared trait. Then give them a name that sounds like a folklore.
Lacking a decent name generator (I searched… nothing!), I just decided to pull up IMDB.com, take the first celebrity I saw on the page, take the first three letters of their first name and first four letters of their last name and voila: folklore humanoid race name!
I love it. Let’s do it.
Errata:
- 9/13/2018: changed the alignment of the laicosts to lawful evil.
5 New Small Humanoids for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition
Oscisaa
Deep in the jungles of Chult lives a race of proud, powerful beings known as the oscisaas. These diminutive ape men are fiercely territorial and don’t take kindly to strangers, especially those bigger than they are.
Many oscisaas are great warriors, although some of their kind known as binders practice powerful elemental magic. Although there are six styles of binding magic, the oscisaa volcano binders are most common. This volcano worshipers bend flame and smoke to their will.
Manpati
Manpatis are strange, flightless bird people with massive beaks; they are believed to be descendants of axe beaks. These ill-tempered humanoids are known for their short tempers and innate magic ability.
Laicost
Don’t assume that laicosts are gentle because they look like adorable mouse people. In fact, laicosts are dangerously fast cutthroats, known to haunt under-patrolled backroads and dimly lit city alleys.
Laicosts often run in groups called nests which are lead their fastest member, a laicost nest boss. The nest boss’s favorite tactic is to make a hit-and-run attack on a creature, then command all its underlings to attack the same target in a dizzying display of speed and weapons skill.
Note: Jack wanted these guys to have teleport powers, but I felt that giving them misty step or something similar was a bridge too far. Plus, I’m always giving my monsters misty step (it’s my favorite spell for monsters).
These three creatures are free for you to use in your fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. Just not commercially! And the art isn’t mine–borrowed!
Oscisaa
Small humanoid (oscisaa), lawful evil
Armor Class 17 (half plate)
Hit Points 22 (4d6 + 8)
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
Abilities Str 15 (+2), Dex 14 (+2), Con 14 (+2), Int 10 (+0), Wis 10 (+0), Cha 9 (-1)
Skills Athletics +5, Perception +2
Senses passive Perception 12
Languages Oscisaa
Challenge 1 (200 XP)
Inferiority Complex. The oscisaa deals one extra die of its weapon’s damage when it hits a creature that is Medium size or larger.
Maul. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) bludgeoning damage.
Rock. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 25/50 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 2) bludgeoning damage.
Oscisaa Volcano Binder
Small humanoid (oscisaa), lawful evil
Armor Class 12 (15 with mage armor)
Hit Points 27 (5d6 + 10)
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
Abilities Str 15 (+2), Dex 14 (+2), Con 14 (+2), Int 10 (+0), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 14 (+2)
Skills Athletics +5, Perception +2
Damage Resistance fire
Senses passive Perception 12
Languages Ignan, Oscisaa
Challenge 2 (450 XP)
Inferiority Complex. The oscisaa deals one extra die of its weapon’s damage when it hits a creature that is Medium size or larger.
Innate Spellcasting. The oscisaa’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma. It can innately cast the following spells (spell save DC 12), requiring no material components:
At will: mage armor (self only), speak with animals
Spellcasting. The oscisaa is a 3rd-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit with spell attacks). It regains its expended spell slots when it finishes a short or long rest. It knows the following warlock spells:
Cantrips (at will): eldritch blast, mage hand
1st-2nd level (2 3rd-level slots): burning hands, comprehend languages, fog cloud, hellish rebuke, heat metal, hex, misty step, scorching ray
Actions
Club. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) bludgeoning damage.
Rock. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 25/50 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 2) bludgeoning damage.
Manpati
Small humanoid (manpati), chaotic evil
Armor Class 16 (chain shirt, shield)
Hit Points 10 (3d6)
Speed 40 ft.
Abilities Str 10 (+0), Dex 12 (+1), Con 11 (+0), Int 7 (-2), Wis 14 (+2), Cha 7 (-2)
Senses passive Perception 11
Languages Manpati
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
Temperamental. If the manpati takes damage it has advantage on attack rolls made against the creature that damaged it until the end of its next turn.
Innate Spellcasting. The manpati can innately cast sacred flame (spell save DC 12), requiring no material components. Its innate spellcasting ability is Wisdom.
Actions
Multiattack. The manpati makes two attacks: one with its beak and one with its shortsword.
Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) piercing damage.
Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 +1) slashing damage.
Laicost
Small humanoid (laicost), lawful evil
Armor Class 16 (chain shirt)
Hit Points 7 (2d6)
Speed 60 ft.
Abilities Str 7 (-2), Dex 17 (+3), Con 10 (+0), Int 10 (+0), Wis 11 (+0), Cha 11 (+0)
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages Common, Laicosti
Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)
Hit-and-Run. The laicost doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks when it moves out of an enemy’s reach.
Keen Smell. The laicost has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Actions
Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) slashing damage.
Laicost Nest Boss
Small humanoid (laicost), lawful evil
Armor Class 18 (studded leather, shield)
Hit Points 21 (6d6)
Speed 60 ft.
Abilities Str 9 (-1), Dex 19 (+4), Con 10 (+0), Int 10 (+0), Wis 11 (+0), Cha 13 (+1)
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages Common, Laicosti
Challenge 2 (450 XP)
Hit-and-Run. The laicost doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks when it moves out of an enemy’s reach.
Keen Smell. The laicost has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Actions
Multiattack. The laicost makes two attacks: one with its scimitar and one with its dagger.
Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d4 + 4) slashing damage.
Pistol. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 30/90 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d10 + 4) piercing damage.
Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) slashing damage.
Mark for Death (Recharge 5-6). The laicost makes a melee weapon attack. Regardless of whether or not the attack hits, until the start of the laicost’s next turn, all of its allies have advantage on their attack rolls against the same target.
Thanks for reading!
I don’t know about you, but my imagination is up and running with these new humanoids. Pretty sure I’m going to use the laicosts right away in my own campaign.
Let me know which one is your favorite down in the comments. The first person to answer and I’ll create 3 new variants for that race.
Don’t be surprised if I create an adventure incorporating one or more of these weenies.
See you next time!
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