Christmas Day, I threw out a bonus to my Patrons to let them request new races along with the Trayed and Tested promotional races. And here is what I got back:
- Qunari (from Dragon Age)
- Panda People (this article)
- Playable Tarrasques (seriously)
The request for pandafolk had the following notes:
I wouldn’t mind an anthropomorphic Panda race similar to the Pandaren of WoW or Po from Kung-Fu Panda… or an amalgamation of different interpretations of Panda-Folk… possibly with two subraces: Giant Panda species (heavy set, strong for physical) and Red Panda species (small, raccoon, agile).
Playtest Content
The material here is presented for playtesting and to spark your imagination. These game mechanics are in draft form, usable in your campaign but not refined by
final game design and editing. They aren’t officially part of the game.
Constructive feedback is welcome and appreciated in either comments or social media. If you can give me a valid reason with examples why something is off, 9/10 I’m likely to make changes to the content and credit you for doing so. Otherwise, feedback without anything to back it up gets ignored (or at most a smile emoji like this 🙂 ) Thanks!
Errata:
- 12/28/2018: I gave two different sizes for each race type and made it so Giant shungmo have the powerful build feature.
Who are the Shungmo?
Shungmo are pandafolk, friendly humanoids that live in the forests surrounding Rokugan. Wise and amiable, shungmo enjoy most things in life, especially eating, drinking, and sleeping. However, an angered shungmo is a fearsome sight.
Shungmo Traits
Your shungmo character has certain characteristics in common with all other shungmo.
Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Age. Shungmo mature at the same rate humans do. They are considered adults when they reach 15 years of age and can live until they are just over 75 years of age.
Alignment. Most shungmo are good-natured, even the red shungmo who tend to be a bit more chaotic than their giant brethren.
Keen Smell. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Bear Claws. Because of your claws, you have a climbing speed of 20 feet. In addition, your claws are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Rokugan.
Subrace. Two main subraces of shungmo populate the worlds of D&D: giant shungmo and red shungmo. Choose one of these subraces.
Giant Shungmo
Giant shungmo are the largest of the shungmo subraces, sturdier and stronger than red shungmo. They are also much more pleasant, although many of the Rokugan races consider them lazy.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2.
Size. Giant shungmo stand between 5 to 6 feet tall and can weigh between 150 to 225 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Burst of Strength. When you make a Strength ability check or saving throw, you can roll a d6 and add the number rolled to the check or saving throw. After you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Natural Athlete. You have proficiency in the Athletics skill.
Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when you determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Red Shungmo
Often mistaken for raccoonfolk, red shungmo are smaller, faster shungmo. They tend towards roguish lifestyles and are often found scheming or pulling pranks.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2.
Size. Red shungmo are smaller than giant shungmo. They stand between 2 to 3 feet tall and weigh between 60 to 90 pounds. Your size is Small.
Fleet of Foot. Your base walking speed increases to 35 feet.
Natural Acrobat. You have proficiency in the Acrobatics skill.
Deftness. You can take the Dodge action as a bonus action. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a short or long rest.
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Art by Blizzard Entertainment.
I made something similar for my son to play as his character (he loves pandas, and it got him to agree to play D&D with us…now he is hooked!).
The only change I have from your base setup is the unarmed strike/claw damage.
I used the Werebear damage table from the Monsters Manual as my starting point. This also gave him a Bite attack. (Limitation I added was he only got a second attack if he succeeded on grappling the enemy bringing them in range of his maw to allow for a bite attack.) He is playing a Kung Fu Panda…so he will eventually get additional strikes per turn, but it allowed for him to not be too OP at the start, making it easier for me to adjust for the new character type.
I also increased his damage to 1d6 for bite and 1d6 (+STR) for claw attacks. (This changes from slashing to bludgeoning based on his attack choice, claw vs punch; making him think more about his attack choices and roleplaying decisions.
I am very happy someone else is also thinking about this character type! He really loves playing it and has caused some of my other young players to float the idea for a future character.
Lenny.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing! I make stuff for my son, too, so he can have fun.
I’m using this to get my dad into dnd.
That’s great!