Simiosaurus (5e Race)

Simiosaurus

Physical Description

A pair of simiosaurus running through the forest by Dinomaster337

Simiosaurus, a name given by scholars meaning "monkey lizard", are roughly human-sized theropod dinosaurs found in remote regions of the world. One thing sets them apart from other dinosaurs, however: their intellect.

Their heads are raptor-esque with a crest of feathers in the back. Their jaws are lined with a set of teeth, which become duller and flatter as you go further back. Their skulls are larger in proportion to their bodies than other theropods, to support a large, sophisticated brain. Their feathered crests and cheeks are red, surrounding a mask around their large eyes. The colors of their coat range from various shades of tan, gold and brown, with a white and brown spotted underbelly.

They carry their backs at a 45-degree angle, as a compensation for their arms which are long for dinosaurs. Their hands have three digits; two fingers and a thumb. Their legs are long and muscular, with three weight-bearing toes. The innermost of these toes has a large, heavy claw used for combat.

History

While simiosaurus' ancestors are older than the elves, modern simiosaurus are about as old as them. According to their religion, there was a great disaster that destroyed most of the world leaving only a few creatures left. This disaster is known to them as "the Crumbling," in which a large body known as the Sky Mountain fell from the heavens in a fiery blaze. The elves have theorized the description of the Sky Mountain be a large asteroid, which is consistent the Mountain's description of a large mass of rock and dust. Either way, this would explain why dinosaurs are only documented by a few people and limited to remote regions.

Society

Simiosaurus are a semi-nomadic race. They mark an expansive territory and gather food within that expanse. While they are omnivores, most of their dietary intake comes from meat; they forage, hunt, and fish for their food. They naturally defend this territory with their lives, although peace between neighboring tribes is usually maintained through arranging marriage.

Primal Tribes

Simiosaurus live a far from advanced life, however, that doesn't mean they're animals. They have a culture, social structure, and religion, just not very advanced ones. The tribe is almost always lead by an absolute patriarch. This patriarch has first access to mating rites and gets to mate with the majority of the tribe. However, he has to defend this position fiercely, as all the males of the tire are gunning for his position. Challenges takes the form of a duel, where the combatants use their claws to tear at each other.
Their social structure is not particularly complex in any way. As tribal hunter-gatherers, they have no need of a complex social structure and specialized occupations. While they build tools, this rarely extends to construction as they're nomadic. To keep from war, simiosaurs practice the exchange of males and females from one tribe to another. This allows tribes to grow and prosper without conquering each other.

Rite of the Pack

The hunt is an important part of their culture and makes up the basis of Kiiooltiin, a very important game. This sport is a sort of scavenger hunt, to test the individuals' skill in tracking, stalking, and landing the kill. The hunter with the most kills in the least amount of time wins, and the loser may be subjected to perform a humiliating task.
When a simiosaur reaches adulthood, they must perform a daring task to prove their use to the tribe. This passage is known as the Rite of the Pack, and it is an initiation that is seen as the greatest honor that can be given. The recipient must participate in a hunt for the tribe and make the final kill. If they don't make the kill, they must at least contribute in a meaningful way. If they pass, their success is celebrated with a feast and a reenactment of the hunt. In addition, the new adult gets second access to mating and gets mating rights second only to the patriarch, for 10 days. Preferably their mates are other individuals who have recently passed the Rite of the Pack.

Simiosaurus Names

Most simiosaurus names are screechy and avian sounding.

Male: Kriewk, Sciaww, Skraith, Gakiq, Sciketh, Skrianai, Scenniwk, Cuka, Sqashruacuat, Skekarrek

Female: Crooh, Koot, Gieth, Zhiria, Qeice, Alliw, Zricat, Zresha, Eyinnaww, Kielitet

Simiosaurus Traits

Run. Leap. Climb. Take the world by storm, from the land of lost beast.
Ability Score Increase. Your people are descended from arboreal theropods and thus are gifted with great strength and grace. Your Dexterity increases by 2 and your Strength increases by 1.
Age. Simiosaurus mature at age 4 and can live to be about 95.
Alignment. As they're wild creatures, simiosaurus are almost never lawful.
Size. Simiosaurus grow to roughly 8 ft. long and 4 1/2 ft. tall. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 40 feet. You also have a climbing speed of 20 feet.
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.
Lithe. You always count as not proficient in medium or heavy armor for the purposes of your movement speed being reduced.
Close Cousins. You gain proficiency in the Intelligence (Nature) and Wisdom (Survival) skills and can speak with avian creatures and dinosaurs through sounds and gestures.
Primal Weapons. Both your claws and bites are as strong as the manufactured blades of more civilized races. Your claws deals 1d4 + Strength slashing damage, and your bite deals 1d6 + Strength piercing damage. You can use your Dexterity modifier in place of your Strength modifier for attacks with your claws.
Simiosaur Craft and Training. You have proficiency with woodcarver's tools.
Slippery. You have advantage on saving throws and ability checks made to escape a grapple.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write in Common, Draconic. You can also speak Simiosauran, but not write. Simiosauran is a language of chips, coos, caws, cackles, hisses, growls, gurgles, and squawks that are near indistinguishable from birds or other dinosaurs. As such, it is a language that is hard for humanoids to learn and cannot be put in writing.

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