Anthousai (5e Race)

Anthousai

“	Dryad? Silly human! I am an anthousai; dryads are for the trees, anthousai for the flowers.	”
—Poppysoul, anthousai maiden.

Singing, smiling, dancing, seducing. This is the way of the anthousai. With the beauty and the apparent fragility of the flowers, these bound beings have only one reason to exist: the being they have decided that deserves all the love and protection they can give.

Physical Description

Although they are the same size and structure as most humanoids, anthousai have many characteristics that make them easy to spot: First of all, they have a very powerful smell. Rose, jasmine, lily, gardenia... Each anthousai has a personal perfume, either smelling like a flower or mixing them in impressive combinations. Each smell is completely personalized and they are extremely proud of it. It has many uses, though it is used to make everyone around the anthousai comfortable and/or to seduce them. They can sweat it and sell it as a perfume in exceptional cases, although most of them consider this an absolute disgrace.

Their skin has the same texture as a petal and varies of color depending on the flower that they decided to bound to: From whites coming from roses or jasmines to blacks or purples coming from dark calla tulips or chocolate cosmos, with almost every color being a potential possibility.

Another thing that differentiates them is that they may have hair or not: Females tend to grow hair that feels like vines and it is even able to give little flowers able to bloom, while males tend to get petals in their head that may be a continuation to the face. Their face is very human-like, but the eyes tend to be heterochromatic: It is not uncommon for their irises to be two contradicting colors, or even a kaleidoscope of up to five colors at once.

They use clothes made by themselves, mostly made out of petals or plants, that while in contact with the anthousai will be forever green, but that once they are removed quickly perish. When materials for this are not available they can use normal clothing, although they despise any fiber that is not cotton or linen. Leather is an absolute no in their fashion style: They would rather go naked than use it.

Anthousai are the beautiful nymphs that bind themselves to flowers in Greek mythology. by 惡果 laPomme

History

Like dryads, they are bound to the material plane. Unlike them, however, the binding is of their own choosing. They may decide to be bound to the Material Plane for any number of reasons, most commonly the reason is being in love with a mortal from the Material Plane; and they bind themselves to a type of flower, most commonly the hyacinth, although it is by no means a rule.

When asked about their history, they say that when powerful fey started to punish dryads for their forbidden love, some fey spirits decided to bind themselves as a way to receive a less severe fate. Flowers are a symbol of love in many cultures and it seemed appropriate to the fey that first became anthousai to become love itself. As many of them finally got the love they always desired, they started to have offspring, becoming the first anthousai that are not bound but born in the Material Plane.

As the dryads die when their tree dies, so too do the anthousai when their flower completely dies. However, these flowers are imbued with their magic to be resistant to weather, seasons, and prying creatures. They can also survive long periods without being watered or taking sun. Not to mention they come back year after year, long past their normal lifespan.

Society

Anthousai are adept to whatever society their flower grows amongst, but will sometimes make a society based in a meadow or deep wood amongst a grove of wildflowers, or even in farming fields.

Anthousai are gentle and prefer diplomacy and reason over violence, thus, their society is a safe haven for the weak and downtrodden. When they form a society, anthousai take turns ruling over it, but only anthousai are allowed to govern. When it is not a pure anthousai society, they create a council with members of every race, where they listen to the advisement of their fellow anthousai and the races living amongst their settlements. Only when violence is completely unavoidable may they fight, being as fierce as other dryads, calling as many allies as they can or even charming or seducing the attackers into turning into each other.

Commerce with anthousai is as difficult as it is luxurious: They don't like anything involving blood, violence or metals that are not precious. Linen and cotton are always welcomed, jewels are really popular amongst them and fresh flowers will always make you a rich man. In exchange, anthousai may give you modified jewelry, magnificent dresses, and perfumes that may rival the finest perfumes created in any town.

Anthousai Names

Anthousai take their name from flower type they are bound to (full or partial) and a second word describing them in any language, but most commonly sylvan or common. Although names are not heavily gendered, some slight trends can occur. Male names are slightly day themed and female names night themed if these elements are used.

Male: Sunray, Morningvalor, Violetrush

Female: Dasiybane, Hycanthbeam, Irisburst

Anthousai Traits

Nymphs of flowers that, unlike the dryad, bound themselves to the Material Plane.
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2, and your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Age. You are fully mature at thirty and can live as long as your flower lives. Normally an anthousai can live two hundred years.
Alignment. Anthousai bound to the plane are usually neutral or chaotic but they can be lawful if they were born in the material plane. Anthousai lean toward chaotic because love is in no way orderly in the eyes of human law. They can be neutral or good, but not evil. They usually come to the Material Plane for a noble or heartfelt reason.
Size. Your height is between 5 and 6 feet and you rarely weight more than 180 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. You are adept in navigating in nighttime lighting, rainstorms, and sometimes dim ecosystems. 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.
Earthly Trance. You don’t sleep, instead, you relax deeply, your feet shallowly covered with sand, soil or water. During this time you remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep.
Speech of Beast and Leaf. You have the ability to communicate in a limited manner with beasts and plants. They can understand the meaning of your words, though you have no special ability to understand them in return. You have advantage on all Charisma checks you make to influence them.
Innate Spellcasting. You are attuned to the magical energies of nature. At 1st level, you know the druidcraft cantrip. Starting at 3rd-level, you can cast the entangle spell once, as a 1st-level spell without material components. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells, and you must finish a long rest before using this spell via this trait again.
Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed. Additionally, magic cannot put you to sleep.
Languages. Due to your fey heritage you can speak, read, and write Common and Sylvan.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
5′ 4''	+2d6	100 lb.	× (1d6) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

Suggested Characteristics

When creating a anthousai character, you can use the following table of traits, ideals, bonds and flaws to help flesh out your character. Use these tables in addition to or in place of your background's characteristics.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I don't just stop to smell the roses, I talk to them!
2	I'm a thorn in everyone's side.
3	I tiptoe through tulips and try not to cause commotion.
4	Weeds are flowers too, everybody needs a friend.
5	Flowers are breathtaking, as am I.
6	I coexist within nature, the soil is not ours alone.

d6	Ideal
1	Encouragement. Flowers are spring's gift to the world. (Good)
2	Seasonal Dance. Every season has its time, as do we. (Lawful)
3	Natural order. Mother Nature does not play favorites and neither do I. (Neutral)
4	Adaptive Radiation. We must be able to adapt with our environment and ecosystem at all times. (Lawful)
5	Uncontrollable Wilds. Nature remains unpredictable, and so will I. (Chaotic)
6	Nature's way. Thorns are not malicious, they are to protect those who are fragile. (Neutral)

d6	Bond
1	I came into the plane for love. That love is my everything.
2	My flower is my life. I'd be dead if something happens to it.
3	The meadow that I live is the only place I can call home.
4	I did leave the feywild, but I still adore it.
5	The natural world is vast and mighty. So is my adoration to it.
6	I might be alone in this plane, but that's all the love I need.

d6	Flaw
1	Herbivores terrify me.
2	My fingers shrivel like raisins when I'm dehydrated.
3	I keep bees in my hair.
4	I always forget I have thorns on me.
5	I become cranky when not exposed to sunlight for long hours of the day.
6	I get mad when I see nature abused.

4.38

(8 votes)

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