Flumph (5e Race)
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Flumph[edit]
Trust a Flumph.—X The Mystics First Rule of Dungeon Survival
Physical Description[edit]
The mysterious flumphs[1] drift through the Underdark, propelled through the air by the jets whose sound gives them their name. A flumph glows faintly, reflecting its moods in its color. Soft pink means it is amused, deep blue is sadness, green expresses curiosity, and crimson is anger.
Intelligent and Wise[edit]
Flumphs communicate telepathically. Though they resemble jellyfish, flumphs are sentient beings of great intelligence and wisdom, possessing advanced knowledge of religion, philosophy, mathematics, and countless other subjects. Flumphs are sensitive to the emotional states of nearby creatures. If a creature's thoughts suggest goodness, a flumph seeks that creature out. When facing creatures that exude evil, a flumph flees.
Psionic Siphons[edit]
Flumphs feed by siphoning mental energy from sentient creatures, and they can be found lurking near communities of mind flayers[2], aboleths[3], githyanki[4], githzerai[5], and other communities of Underdark denizens. As passive parasites, they take only the mental energy they need, and most creatures feel no loss or discomfort from such feeding. Consuming psionic energy reveals the thoughts and emotions of the creatures on which the flumph feed. Since so many of those creatures are evil, flumphs are often subjected to thoughts, emotions, and hungers that sicken their pure nature. When flumphs encounter good-hearted adventures, they are eager to share the dark secrets they have learned in the hopes of casting down their evil sources of energy, even if doing so means they must seek out new sources of nourishment.
History[edit]
The origin of the flumphs was ultimately a mystery even among flumphs themselves. It was speculated that flumphs were genetically related to grells, due to some physiological similarities such as their hovering and the presence of tentacles. Given the probable genetic ties to the grells[6], most sages agreed that flumphs originated in a different world and came to this one via the same way the grell did.
Society[edit]
Flumphs live in complex and organized groups called cloisters, within which each flumph has a place and purpose. These harmonious groupings have no need for leaders since all flumphs contribute in their own way. They were also known for sometimes recruiting isolated mindwitnesses[7] into their communities. Once a mindwitness was taken in service of the flumphs, it would change its world view accordingly and was no longer an evil creature. If you make a flumph character it is a good idea to make a short history about the cloister on which you came from so your Dungeon Master can perhaps use it later on. Alternatively, you can roll on the table below to see what your cloister was like.
| d8 | Cloister Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Kindness. Kindness is the only appropriate response to evil. (Good) |
| 2 | Community. It is the duty of all civilized people to strengthen the bonds of community and the security of civilization. (Lawful) |
| 3 | Hope. Even the worst of minds have a capacity for good. (Good) |
| 4 | Tradition. One must never feed on the minds of those with evil intent least one finds themselves becoming the very evil they feed upon. (Lawful) |
| 5 | Generosity. Help those in need, guide the lost and protect the light. (Good) |
| 6 | Knowledge. Knowledge cannot be good nor evil, it is what one does with their knowledge that decides where they lie. (Neutral) |
| 7 | Free Thinking. Inquiry and curiosity are the pillars of progress. (Chaotic) |
| 8 | Logic. Emotions must not cloud our logical thinking. (Lawful) |
Whether you share the ideal of your cloister or are opposed to it is ultimately up to you.
Flumph Names[edit]
Flumphs don't normally bother with names as they communicate through their thoughts with one another but when talking with members of other races they will adopt a name based on the race of the creature for their convenience. However, some flumphs are known to adopt simple Common/Undercommon names so they are more easily reconsidered by other races.
Male: Alpha, Ander, Beta, Blath, Bran, Frath, Gamma, Geth, Lander, Luth, Malcer, Stor, Taman, Urth.
Female: Amafrey, Betha, Cefrey, Kethra, Laal, Mara, Olga, Silifrey, Tex, Westra
Flumph Traits[edit]
The mysterious flumphs drift through the Underdark propelled through the air by the jets whose sound gives them their name.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2 and your Wisdom and Intelligence scores increase by 1.
Age. Although flumphs reach physical maturity at about the same age as humans, the flumph understanding of adulthood goes beyond physical growth to encompass worldly knowledge. A Flumph typically claims adulthood around the age of 20 and can live to be 350 years old.
Alignment. Almost all flumphs are lawful good, however, there are some who might follow more chaotic or evil paths, influenced by the minds they've fed on.
Size. Typical flumphs weigh 15 pounds and are 3 feet across. Your size is Small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 5 feet. You have a flying speed of 30 feet.
Aberrant Biology. Your creature type is aberration.
Advanced Telepathy. You can communicate mentally with another creature that knows at least one language within a 60-foot radius. This creature doesn't need to share a language with you but unless they have telepathy themselves they can only receive and respond but can't initiate or terminate a telepathic conversation. You must be conscious to use this trait and cannot telepathically communicate with multiple creatures at once. In addition, you can perceive the content of any telepathic communication used within 60 feet of you, and you cannot be surprised by creatures with any form of telepathy.
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.
Knowledgeable. You are proficient in either the Arcana, History or Religion skill.
Prone Deficiency. If you are knocked prone, roll a d4. On an odd result, you land upside-down and are incapacitated. At the end of each of your turns, you can make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw, righting yourself and ending the incapacitated condition if you succeed.
Psionic Sensitivity. While your psionic sensitivity grants you abilities most wouldn't have, it also causes you to be weak to the psionic abilities. You are vulnerable to psychic damage.
Psionic Siphon. While resting within telepathic range of a sentient creature you may siphon off their mental energy. You require a full uninterrupted hour to do this and when complete you are considered to be fed for the next 24 hours, the affected creature is not aware of you doing this and receives no side effects of being siphoned off. However, when you completed this siphoning you may feel the emotions and thoughts that creature had when you fed off it. Roll a d4, on an even result you learn, a small piece of information maybe pertaining to their backstory, their current emotional state, something that is bothering them, a particular fear they have, something they desire or a certain goal they wish to achieve. The choice is up to your Dungeon Master.
Telepathic Shroud. You are immune to any effect that would sense your emotions or read your thoughts, as well as all divination spells.
Languages. You can understand Undercommon but can't speak it. You have telepathy within 60 feet.
Random Height and Weight[edit]
| Base Width | Height Modifier | Base Weight | Weight Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2'9 | +1d4 | 10 lb. | × (2d4) lb. |
Suggested Characteristics[edit]
When creating a Flumph character, you can use the following table of personality traits to help flesh out your character. Use this table in addition to or in place of your background's characteristics.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I enjoy watching others converse as I like to see what emotions they display. |
| 2 | I enjoy playing the odd prank or two on people using my telepathy. |
| 3 | I always inform people I trust when I sense someone has evil thoughts |
| 4 | I feel at odds with the world because of all the different ways people act. |
| 5 | I am wary of those who claim to know what is best for everyone. |
| 6 | I can find common ground between the fiercest enemies, empathizing with them and always working toward peace. |
| 7 | I always ask using other methods than telepathy before speaking into a person mind. |
| 8 | I know a story relevant to almost every situation. |
Racial Feat: Stench Spray[edit]
Prerequisite: flumph
You've tapped into your race's ability to produce potent and acidic fluids. Granting you the following benefit:
- When you make an unarmed strike you can deal acid damage instead of bludgeoning.
- As an action, you may expel a potent fluid in a 15-foot cone. All creatures in the affected area must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or be coated in this foul-smelling liquid. The DC for this save is equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier. A coated creature exudes a horrible stench for the next hour and is poisoned as long as the stench lasts. Creatures are poisoned while within 5 feet of the coated creature. A creature can remove the stench on itself by using a short rest to bathe in water, alcohol, or vinegar. After you have used this you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.
References[edit]
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