Mothperson (5e Race)

Mothperson

“	I finally made it into the mansion, away from those horrible creatures. Then the glowing eyes appeared, one by one, in the rafters. Little did I know these monstrous eyes were the kindest I would ever encounter.	”
—Bertram Smiths account of the Mothpeople while touring Terminus

Physical Description

These strange, humanoid monsters somewhere between a moth, owl, cat, and bat. They have long leathery wings that are unlike any others. Without bones and wing fingers the wings are more like long tendrils with a membrane stretched between the two ends, allowing them to fly with grace and speed and to fold the wings around themselves like a cloak. These wings can be a solid color or patterned. Their large glowing eyes that are a solid color, which is usually red, but can be other bright colors, like blue or orange. The mothpeople are quite thin, with long clawed fingers, long birdlike legs with three frontal talons and one back talon, and long feathery antennae. They are covered in a coating of feathers that are so thick they look like shaggy fur, varying in color from black to gray to brown to white, and even brighter colors like red or blue. This covering makes them appear larger than they really are. This covering is thinner on the wing membranes and thicker around the neck, torso, upper arms and legs, and the top of the head, and almost always nonexistent on the arms and lower legs, displaying their grayish, leathery skin, although it can extend over these areas of their limbs in some cases. Their catlike mouths are hidden underneath this feathery covering, rendering only their glowing eyes visible. They are quite light, with hollow, but strong, bones and very little fat underneath their feathers. Their children, their larvae, look quite different. They look rather like large, fuzzy caterpillars, with a singular long talon replacing each of the legs, the shaggy feathers replacing the fuzz, and a face quite similar to that of their parents, albeit with the mouth uncovered. When they reach an age of around five years they enter a cocoon and transition into their adult forms.

History

The Mothpeople were said to have varying origins, from creatures from another dimension, to animals exposed to chemical or atomic wastes, magical or scientific experiments gone wrong, or even outer space. Whichever it is, they aren’t telling, as they came to Terminus, the world of peace and prosperity, to escape the curiosity of humanoids inquiring about their nature after they were discovered in a place called Point Pleasant. They roost in the rafters of KEEP OUT! Mansion in the Spirit Woods, and live in a highly social community, speaking a language called Mothspeak, that sounds like whispering mixed with the screeching of owls and bats.

Society

In the boundless interior of KEEP OUT! Mansion, the Mothpeople are a kind group that guides those lost through the creaking halls. Though they are seen as terrifying, they are usually good people. They even have the ability to tell the future occasionally, but these are unfortunately usually futures of disaster and death. Much of their culture focuses on such divination magic. When they try to warn others of these futures they are often blamed for the disasters, and they are forced to leave them to their fate. However, this fear is not entirely unfounded, as the most powerful Mothpeople can, once per year, set a curse or a blessing upon an individual of their choice, which will last forever. They have no formal government, instead leading their lives individually, finding their own way.

Mothpeople Names

Mothpeople often have names based on divination magic or mystical arts, and these names are often applied to both genders.

Names: Harbinger, Weal, Woe, Omen, Fate, Fortune, Augury

Mothpeople Traits

Mysterious but kind beings with even more mysterious origins, with a strange appearance that is a mix of humanoid, moth, owl, cat, and bat. (Based on the Mothman cryptid.)
Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 2 and your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Age. Mothpeople mature around five years old, when they metamorphosise into adults. After that they typically live for centuries, usually to a maximum of 500 years old.
Alignment. Mothpeople are incredibly varied, just like humans, and can have any alignment.
Size. Mothpeople vary to the extreme in height and build, from a tiny 4 feet tall to a towering 8 or 9 feet. Nevertheless, they are usually quite thin and light underneath their thick fur-like feathers. Your size is Medium or Small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. You also have a flying speed equal to your walking speed, which you can't use if you're wearing medium or heavy armor.
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. In addition, due to your moth-like antennae, you have blindsight within 30 feet.
Creature of Mystery. Your mysterious origins lead back to many sources. Your creature type is Aberration and Monstrosity.
Antennae. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that involve smell.
Mothspeak. Starting at 1st level, you can cast speak with animals with this trait as a cantrip. You can only speak with creatures of the night, such as owls, cats, bats, and moths using this trait.
Insect Climb. You can walk on difficult surfaces such as walls or upside down on ceilings without needing to make an ability check.
Talons. Your sharp talons can be used as weapons, dealing slashing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength or Dexterity modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
Visions. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast divination, with the following changes:

• You require no material components.
• You may also ask about specific objects, places, and individuals.
• You do not contact a god, instead recieving answers from seemingly nowhere.
• The prediction can be at any point in the future, instead of being limited to the next week, however, the DM decides when the prediction takes place. It is up to the DM whether you know when your prediction will happen. For example, you could predict that disaster will befall a particular festival, but the DM could hide the fact that the disaster will happen during a festival hundreds of years in the future.
• The fate you predict is much harder to change. It is up to the DM how hard changing this fate is.
  Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, Mothspeak, and one other language of your choice.
  

Racial Feat

Fate

Prerequisites: Mothperson, Level 20, an Intelligence score of 20 or higher
Once per year, you may cast the wish spell, with the following changes:

• You require no material components.
• You target a creature that can hear you.
• You may only use your wish to cast a curse or blessing on them. Example: "I curse you to die within the next year." "I bless that little harm will befall you on this journey."
• This wish spell can be blocked by divine intervention.
• After casting wish in this way, in addition to the other negative effects that come from casting wish, you gain a level of exhaustion that lasts until you take a long rest.

(This racial feat may be overpowered under the right circumstances, so please speak to your DM before attaining this feat.)

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