Majmun (5e Race)

Majmun

Friends... allies... those of my skin, heed this message. We may be forever torn from those friends and family we once held dear. We may be 'tainted' and never able to return to the tribes we were once a part of. For all we know, we may be cursed by the spirits, having angered them in ways unknown. But we have not lost our strength. We all were once great apes and men. We are all still, in spirit, who we once were, and we all carry on our shoulders the greatness of two worlds divided. What many see as a curse, I see as a blessing. We have a chance to end the conflict between our two tribes that has been waged since the jungle was young. We all have a chance to start over. It may be the end of a lot of things, our tribes included, but it is also the beginning of something great; something that will outshine all that came before it, and something that will reverberate throughout the fabric of time, stretching onward into infinity. We are the Majmun!

Physical Description

Facial construction by John Gurche (Cleveland Museum of Natural History)

Majmun resemble slightly shorter, stoutly-built humans with the faces of apes. Their bodies are also covered in the fur of an ape, though it is not as thick, with some majmun having so little that their blackened skin shows underneath. Some majmun can even be so apelike that they are indistinguishable from apes themselves. Majmun don’t often wear clothes, but they do wear armor pieces and status symbols like jewelry and tattoos denoting their societal standing.

History

Long ago, when the land was still young, the jungles were ruled by two great tribes: the tribe of the humans and the tribes of the apes. These two tribes always fought and were never at peace. Then, one day, a shaman of great evil cursed an equal portion of both tribes to become were-apes and to be forever scarred by the other’s heritage. These new were-apes eventually defeated the evil shaman, taking his magical fetishes and tearing him limb from limb. From there, the were-apes tried to return to their respective forms, but to no avail. In the use of the shaman’s magical artifacts, they killed the land that was the home of the humans, turning it into a desert, and made feral the apes of the land, rendering them nothing more than wild animals. The last of the fetishes used turned a great portion of the were-apes into permanent ape-men hybrids. The remaining were-apes fled, and these new hybrids began to come to terms with their new selves, forming the tribe of majmun, the first tribe as it is called by many.

Society

Majmun usually build their homes on and around a close grouping of trees, which are shaped to fit their communities. The branches that face inward are tied together and logs or branches held together with twine and tree sap are laid down on top of said branches, forming the center of the community. From there, the community is expanded outward. The center will always be connected to the tribal leader’s quarters, his diviner, or shaman, quarters, and his lieutenant's quarters, as well as another 2 or 3 locations. Most tribes are patriarchal, with females only being eligible to rule if there are no valid male heirs, or if they are blessed by the diviner. Every tribe accepts female warriors however, but these females must “commit to the spear” as they say and cannot make love while a warrior. If any female is found to be pregnant while at arms, they are forbidden from ever joining the military again and are shamed for the rest of their lives. Most tribes have no access to metals and instead use stone and wooden tools. Those who do have access to metals usually have decent smiths serving them.

Each tribe has one master diviner who deals with the spirits and fortunes for the tribe, but that does not mean that there is only one. When training to be a diviner, one will often times work beside others under the same master, even reaching mastery along side these people. Those diviners that don't work with the spirits for the tribe are still useful to the tribe, if not to stand in as diviner should the current one die and not name a successor, but also as healers and leaders. If these jobs don't pique the interest of a diviner, they can also lead a life of solitude as a semi-hermit, not a part of everyday tribal life, but still part of the tribe.

Majmun Names

Each tribe gives it's own value to names and naming, but in most tribes, the diviner will read your future at birth and determine your first name that way. From there, you must do something prestigious in order to earn your dynastic name, or surname. If you do something truly legendary, or just do many things prestigious, you may also begin your own dynasty. This requires the blessing of your tribe diviner however.

Male: Ngati, Morugha, Gondo, Makalli

Female: Daja, Klema, Hondri, Thokla

Majmun Traits

A race of highly tribal and spiritual ape-men that descended from were-apes
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2.
Age. Majmun mature quicker than humans, reaching physical maturity at age 12 and can live up to 60 years, though 80 year old majmun are not unheard of.
Alignment. Contrary to their other animalistic kin, majmun value law and order, favoring a hierarchal system in their tribes.
Size. Majmun have heights comparable to humans, but a bit shorter. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. You have a climbing speed of 20 feet.
Wild At Heart. You are somewhat an animal who has the capacity to handle other animals. You are proficient in either the Survival or Animal Handling skill.
Languages. You can speak Common but you do not know how to read or write it.
Subrace. Choose either the warrior or diviner subrace.

Warrior

These are the most common of majmun. Every majmun is born with the capacity for battle, and each are expected to serve their tribe as so.

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2.
Savage Attacks. When you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, you can roll one of the weapon’s damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.
Toughness. Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level.

Diviner

Diviners are rare births within the majmun who are determined to become great shamans and scholars based on unnatural circumstances once born. They are the other half of majmun society, standing in opposition amid many warriors.

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 2.
Avatars Of Nature. You are able to use the power of nature to heal or harm. You are proficient with either the herbalism kit or poisoner's kit.
Trance. Your mental capacity is greatly enhanced, heightening your psychosomatic control. You don’t need to sleep. Instead, you meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. While meditating, you can dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive through years of practice. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep. Additionally, you have advantage in saving throws against being charmed or frightened.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
4′ 4''	+3d4	110 lb.	× (1d4) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

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