Munchkins (5e Race)

Munchkins

“	She noticed coming down toward her a group of the queerest people she had ever seen. They were not as big as the grown folk she had always been used to; but neither were they very small. In fact, they seemed about as tall as Dorothy, who was a well-grown child for her age, although they were, so far as looks go, many years older	”
—L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Not So Short

By W. W. Denslow

Munchkins are, contrary to the diminutive connotation of their name, rather regular sized humanoids. However, they have a lower cap on their height and so they may only be as tall as teenagers even when fully matured. They are sometimes mistaken to be dwarves or gnomes, though they lack the shrewd twinkle in their eyes or the stoutness. Rather, they are simple folk. The males often are very clean-shaven, with baby-like faces, well into the twilight of their lives, when they will suddenly become extremely hirsute. They keep a plump countenance, however, and tend to hide their baldness with large hats. Female munchkins never have long hair, usually having cuts that are short, well above the napes of their necks, and swooping forward to their chins, like a curved bob cut. Like the males, they have full, youthful expressions. Munchkins never have hair too dark or too light. Only when they are old do streaks of white form, but otherwise, they usually have dark chestnut or light ginger hair colors.

Attire

Blue is known to be a favorite of munchkins as a color. If they can help it, they will always wear blue. It is a signatory of the east quadrant of the Land of Oz, where they inhabit. However, in times when the plants they draw their dyes from grow sparse, they may resort to wearing other colors, which are always vibrant. Munchkins hate to be bland or underdressed, and so they always wear very colorfully conservative clothing. Males wear shirts, tunics, boots and pants, as well as the occasional hat. Munchkin hats are odd, as they are usually adorned with bells to be noisy as the wearer moves. It is partially because munchkins love a good celebration, and this ensures they will always be ready for one, or so they believe. Females always wear dresses, usually long enough to reach their ankles, and flats. They prefer solid colors but are predisposed towards the polka dot pattern if solid options are unavailable.

Simple Folk

Munchkins are natives of the Land of Oz, where they occupy the east quadrant in Munchkin Country. They greatly respected and some even worshipped the legendary Wizard of Oz, whose exclusive Emerald City was linked to their own streets by a road lain of golden brick. For the longest time, they were under the corrupt and vile rule of Nessarose, who hated the munchkins inhabiting what she believed to be her land. She was known as the Wicked Witch of the East, often terrorizing the defenseless munchkins with her evil magic. One day, a magic tempest raged into their country as Nessarose was visiting. The storm dumped a house onto the witch, instantly killing her. The munchkins thought themselves free of the wicked rule until the Wicked Witch of the West, Nessarose's sister, vowed to take revenge upon them. They sent an envoy to beg the Wizard for help in dealing with the menace, as the witch sent her evil flying monkeys to wreak havoc upon them. Whatever transpired next is largely unknown to them, but the witch was vanquished, and their land was freed. In the process, their Wizard left their world. They resumed their lives of simple living, never quite understanding the significance of the events around them.

Corn Farmers

Munchkins lived in quaint little towns with human architecture. They are ruled by their king from the Sapphire City in the Ozure Isles to the east of Munchkin Country. Munchkins typically avoid the west, due to dangerous forests. The east is very fertile and abundant land, as Munchkin Country lies in the heart of the Corn Belt in Oz. They use a lot of land for agriculture, particularly farming corn, which is where their province gets the nickname of "Corn Basket." They provide this crop to the rest of Oz, trading with nomes, quadlings, gillikin, glikkus and winkies from the other three quadrants. Every munchkin town has a town hall reserved specifically for parties, alluding to their fondness for celebration. Munchkins also enjoy the bounty of nature around themselves by reveling in picnics and daily singing and dancing. They are considered very stupid and dull by dwarves, and gnomes in particular. However, their simple lifestyle does have one wonder how they live day to day with little question.

Religion

The central figure of munchkin worship is the Wizard of Oz, who, according to legend, was a man from another world, who gave his life to ascend above the body and drive out the witches for the first time in munchkin history. He resides in the Emerald City, supposedly always watching the munchkins and giving advice for those who follow the path to see him. His two allies are the good witches of the north and south, Glinda and Locasta. Together, they battle against the evil witches who reign over their respective areas of east and west Oz, Elphaba and Nessarose. According to legend, the witches were all once sisters, who were driven apart when the wizard came and regaled them with his wit and charm. The two older sisters were changed by jealousy into horrid witches when the wizard chose to court their younger sisters, and they swore to make the land suffer in vengeance. These two witches are seen to be dark rulers to the munchkins. On the other hand, the munchkins never ever quite questioned the wizard despite the obvious problem he bought to the world.

Munchkin Names

Munchkins have very whimsical names that sound like nonsense. Some have more human names. They have first and last names like humans.

Male: Zif, Wogglebog, Tommy, Unc, Ojo, Boq, Nick

Female: Jinjur, Nimmie, Doli, Miffy

Surnames: Kwikstep, Amee, Nunkie, Chopper

Munchkin Traits

Actually regular sized people who just have a height cap
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.
Age. Munchkins live about the same lifespans as humans if not just a bit shorter.
Alignment. Munchkin try to do good mostly, but they are very naive and inept at it.
Size. Your size, contrary to popular believe, is not that of a dwarf. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
Merrymaker. You love revelry and your demeanor is cheerful; your smile, contagious. You are proficient in the Performance and Persuasion skills.
Sheeple. The first instinct a munchkin gets when danger arrives is sadly to dig a hole and put their head in. You have disadvantage in saving throws against being frightened.
Common People. As normal, hard-working people, you know your crafts. You are proficient with two artisan tools of your choice.
Elusive. Despite not being small, you are still quite slippery, perhaps due to your haphazard fear. You have advantage on Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks to escape being grappled.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
4′ 9''	+1d8	100 lb.	× (1d4) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

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