Papolian (5e Race)

Papolian

“

Someone thought that ridiculously colored wings on a panda would help them survive better, I guess.

”

Biology

By ManservantManny

Papolians resemble ordinary pandas except for a pair of butterfly wings that grow from the small of their backs. They are sometimes called pandaflies for that reason. In addition to the bizarre wings, they also are born out of chrysalis pods rather than the normal mammalian live birth, making them monotremes. They are articulate and intelligent, as well as able to stand on their hind legs, and have prehensile paws. Unlike normal pandas, they do not eat only a single plant, but also feed on nectars and sometimes insects. Their wings are often underdeveloped to carry their weight until they grow to a certain age of maturity. For the most part, the wings serve to flutter often and just protect them from bad falls.

History

The Great Mother Chauntea had boundless hearts for grief when staring upon the wasteful deaths of creatures as endangered as the panda in Kara-Tur. Together with Liu, the god of crops from the Chinese Pantheon, they devised a plan to give the pandas the power of flight to help them survive. So they took the gracefulness of the butterfly and granted it to a small group of pandas as a prototype. The result was the papolian. This chimerical creature proved too heavy to take advantage of its wings from birth, and so was not a real success. But the diversification of its diet helped improve its versatility, and this gladdened Chauntea. She gave the beast her blessing and instructed it to be taught by farmers of the ways of man, against the influences of Talona, goddess of pestilence. Thus, the papolian learned speech and ways of the land, and they developed a taste for insects that destroy crops like weevils and aphids.

Society

Papolian society is centered around agriculture and stewardship of the land. Their villages are scattered about the mountains carved for irrigation. They maintain highly sustainable farming and foraging techniques so as not to strain the bounty of nature. Many papolians form small groups to go on pilgrimages to spread their ideas and techniques to better the lives of farmers and the quality of the land. They hold Chauntea and Liu as their primary deities, and despise the worshipers of Talona and her poisonous influence. Through their disciplined regimen, papolians have developed a resistance to poison as an aid for them in their endeavors against pestilence and poison. They believe in a pure lifestyle that gives and takes from the land in perfect harmony. When a papolian is finally able to fly, they are considered mature. This varies in time for every papolian.

Papolian Names

Papolians typically use Sylvan names, but are also known to adopt the name's of the races they live closest by.

Male: Ori, Sien, Rya, Mytu, Leir, Nixe, Eila

Female: Aria, Mana, Quala, Rona, Nysie, Larya, Naru

Papolian Traits

Flying pandas with butterfly wings
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.
Age. Papolian mature at varying stages, but most live until they are about 150.
Alignment. As stewards of the land, they tend to lean towards neutral and good. Some are frequently known to be mischievous or chaotic.
Size. Papolian's are about five to seven tall and weigh anywhere from 190 to 310 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Chauntea's Blessing. You stand with the Great Mother against the influences of her arch-nemesis. You are resistant against poison damage, and you have advantage in saving throws against diseases and being poisoned.
Wings. Your wings will eventually develop so you can fly. As a reaction, when you would take falling damage, you can furiously flutter your wings to slow your fall and land on your feet, taking no damage. At 5th level, your wings are string enough to carry you at last, and you gain a flying speed of 30 feet. You must not be wearing armor to use this speed.
Nature's Stewards. As keepers of the grain and fields, you know your way around plants. You are proficient in the Nature skill.
Beastly Nature. Your creature type is beast instead of humanoid.
Overcome Venom. You can make a spurt of energy pulse through you with the healing of Chauntea to cleanse yourself of poisons or pestilence. As a bonus action, make a Constitution saving throw against a DC equal to 8 + the Constitution modifier of the creature who poisoned you. On a successful save, you are no longer poisoned. As it is a physically taxing endeavor, you must finish a long rest to use this trait again.
Languages. You can speak, read and write Common and Sylvan.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
4′ 9''	+3d10	190 lb.	× (1d4) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

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