Browl (5e Race)

Browl

Hairy, placid-looking, and damned hard to understand, sure. But tough as an Ogre, skilled as any Human, and more loyal than a Paladin, that's what you get when you take up traveling with a Browl. Mind that temper though

Physical Description

Wookie Reimagined by Hooman Raad

Covered in shaggy, dense hair of various shades of brown, black, and grey, Browl appear as imposing bestial beings complete with large incisor teeth. Beneath the wild visage though, the Browl look upon the world with intelligent eyes and expressive facial features. While covered in long hair all over, their coats tend to recede around the facial regions exposing smooth-skinned faces with some light fur coating. This facial coating thickens with age, often enveloping their entire head, leaving only ears, eyes, nose, and mouth exposed. Many browl braid and weave their hair in intricate patterns, often adorned with crafted trinkets. These patterns can indicate social standing, clan affiliation, and history, or personal achievement.

The browl tower over most humanoid races, reaching between seven to eight feet in height, standing on long and powerful legs they use to traverse their sky-reaching homes among the mountains and alpine forests. Powerful arms, adapted to climbing mountain faces and the upper reaches of trees, end in large, hairless hands with clever digits, adept at skillfully wielding tools and weapons alike. Both their hands and large feet grow short claws to further aid them in their arboreal lifestyle. While ranging in size as most races do, the browl typically have broad shoulders but often appear lanky, though still heavily built. Some browl however, especially those of the lower alpine tribes, are built stockier, rivaling firbolg and goliaths in stature.

History

The origin of the browl is a mystery shrouded by millennia of apathy by the browl, despite their long lifespans. Living amid the incredible wroshyr trees and surrounded by mountains in the Kashyryk region, the bestial people consider their origin a trivial thing amid the many other creations of nature. For the browl, the only truth that holds any importance is that they came into existence between the forests and mountains, therefore establishing their place in life. From this philosophy, the browl never fell under the sway of the gods like the other races. While not in the form of a worshiping religion, the browl revere the towering trees. Such reverence was answered in kind by the wroshyr trees who, bearing primal intelligence, would allow their growth to be shaped and directed by the browl. The browl, in turn, strove to ensure the well-being of their sentient homes.

Historically, the Browl were a pastoral people, ranging out from their villages to hunt and gather what was needed to sustain their tribe. The browl developed many methods of crafting, utilizing the natural shelter of the wroshyr trees and stone of the mountains. Despite the growth of their society, they never exploited the land's resources as other races were want to do, working instead to maintain harmony with their homes.

Eventually, the browl came into contact with a small number of other races as territories expanded searching for resources. Due to the isolation provided by the mighty mountain chains of the region, these incursions were usually small and easily dissuaded from pressing further into browl lands. While the browl engaged in some trade with the other races, they maintained a peaceful distance. The exception lay with the dwarves and elves with whom browl craftsman eagerly learned as much as they could from. In particular, they learned to harness metal from the dwarves. Due to the increase in outside contact and wishing to protect their mystical homes, browl began to settle lower on the mountain slopes near the borders.

As with most societies, calamity eventually reached the secluded beings. Word of the wondrous forests and rich resources began to draw the attention of powerful entities. While valiant and staunch defenders, the browl could not hold back continuous incursions from numerous sources. Slowly the browl were forced deeper into their own forested territories as covetous forces pressed in, cutting the browl off from the few allies they had. The generations of attrition by the avarice driven nations had nearly broken the wills of the browl as a whole. Despairing, the tree speakers communed with their great wroshyr trees, seeking some means to protect their treasured homes. In a surprising turn, many of the trees responded with far more than their usual wordless shifting. A violent storm surged forth enveloping the entire region as a deafening roar erupted from the very trees themselves. Wood grinding, the wroshyr trees extended their boughs wide as the tempest reached its fiercest, waves of dark pastel energy suffusing the howling winds until the entire region was obscured by a luminous shroud of wind.

When the dust settled the browl and their wroshyr forest home had vanished from the material plane, leaving a desolate crater that spanned the region. Over time, the barren waste became filled with sea water.

For 500 years, the browl homeland and its people resided on another plane of existence unmolested by the strife of their original homeland. Nearly a century ago, though, as the moon rested high on the winter solstice, a great storm enshrouded the mountains and sea of the former browl lands. After several days of the tempest raging, the entire region mysteriously returned, anchored once more to the ancestral location of the browl. And this time, tee browl meant to not only stay, but to ensure their lands were never threatened again.

Society

Browl society exists to support their clans and thereby ensure the prosperity of worshyr trees. As invaders sought out the resources of the gargantuan trees with increasing greed, the browl grew ever more protective; the already established symbiosis growing more fervent. Browl life, while not always directly interacting with the worshyr, works to ensure prosperity for the region be it by communing with the trees, tending the ecosystem, guarding the realm, or adventuring to gather information and learn about the outside world to help protect the forests from incursion.

While not avowed isolationists, the browl are weary of outsiders venturing into their lands especially in the last one hundred years since their return. Those who venture into Kashyryk are met at the border by ranging bands of browl warriors who escort travelers to the nearest border town. While many traders are grateful for the extra security, the wise know that the fierce warriors aren't there for their protection, but to make sure they do not stray and attempt to venture into the heart of the forest. Despite the constant vigilance of their borders, browl welcome traders to the border towns located on the lower slopes of the Skystone mountains. It is by means of the trade caravans that browl have begun exploring the surrounding regions, often sending younger warriors to take in the world and gain experience amidst the other races to bring back and share.

Browl Names

Browl names tend to consist of multiple syllables and usually contain a combination of O's and W's.

Male: Aw'oron, Bakalorow, Dehgowan, Gworolow, Oma'waro, Wenlogwor.

Female: Amwolowa, Kelwora, Lorgowa, Mowagwal Tamworowa, Terowa'raw.

Browl Traits

A race of bestial humanoids that fiercely defend their mystic trees. A secluded people recently returned to the material plane slowly integrating with the other races.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength and Dexterity scores each increase by 1, and your Constitution score increases by 2.
Age. Browl live extended lives, often reaching 600 years though known to reach over 800 in some cases. Browl exhibit quick physical development in the first 5 to 10 years but mature slowly, reaching adolescence near their 20th year. Adulthood is achieved by deed and clan consent rather than at an arbitrary age. The browl believe adulthood is earned, some achieving this honor as early as 30, though the typical range is from 40 to 60 years of age.
Alignment. Most browl are inclined towards lawful and neutral good alignments, valuing their clan and the worshyr trees as important aspects of life. Some of the grimmer clans residing on contested borders follow lawful and true neutral alignments.
Size. Browl stand between 7 and 8 feet tall, weighing between 270 and 320. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Browl Endurance. When you complete a long rest, you gain temporary hit points, equal to 1d4 plus your Constitution modifier (minimum 1). This increases to 2d4 at 8th level, 3d4 at 13th level, and 4d4 at 18th level. These points expire at the beginning of your next long rest.
Climbing Adept. Whenever you make a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check involving climbing, you are considered proficient in Athletics and Acrobatics. In addition, while you are not encumbered or wearing heavy armor, you have a climb speed of 30 feet.
Fur Coating. You have advantage on Constitution saving throws against effects that deal cold damage and extreme cold, as described in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master's Guide.
Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Browlish, though speaking Common can come across as guttural on account of browl vocal chords. Browlish is a throaty language that, to outsiders, often sounds like growls and roars. The language does in fact use words through their meaning can alter based on the inflections of growls. Browlish has incorporated elements of dwarven runes and elvish script into their written language. Writers of those languages may recognize symbols but are unlikely to understand individual words or phrases and vice versa.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
6′ 4''	+2d10	180 lb.	× (2d4) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

Suggested Characteristics

When creating a browl character, you can use the following table of bonds to help flesh out your character. Use this table in addition to or in place of your background's characteristics.

d6	Bond
1	The worshyr trees of my village are sacred and I strive to live by the lessons gleaned from voices of the trees.
2	The mountains have kept me within this valley my entire life, but now I wish to see the world outside.
3	I wish to share the wonders of my home and its people with new friends and allies.
4	Outsiders cannot be trusted within the forests. I will become strong to deter any threat to our home.
5	The elders have entrusted me to venture into the neighboring lands to gather knowledge and allies.
6	There is power here, and I will make sure that it benefits the browl though the cost may be high.

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