Raesokeran Chiropterus (5e Race)

Chiropterus

Physical Description

Chiropterans are anthropomorphic bats. They stand upright on short legs in proportion to their torso and wingspan. They have long flesh webbed wings at one and a half times their height on average that allow them to fly short distances. They have a three fingered hand attached to each wing at the second joint from the shoulder. If you include the digits between the webbing and their hands, they have 8 digits in total. Their hands have unusually long bony finger-like digits with short dull claws. They have short thin fur in colors ranging from black, brown, red, tan, and pale white with natural mixtures of any or all.

Microbats, or insectivore bats, are small, have broad pig-like noses, large ears that are ribbed and fleshy on the inside, and small dark eyes that are mostly useless. They aren't entirely blind, and are in fact incredibly sensitive to bright light. They use echolocation that sounds like a series of chirps or clicks to detect objects and obstacles around them.

Vampire bats are small and have broad faces with flat noses, large wide ears, and dark beady eyes. They also have sharp teeth for piercing flesh and drinking blood, their usual choice of food. They are in the mid range of perceptions between microbats and fruitbats, switching between echolocation and vision as the situation calls for it and having the advantages and disadvantages of both.

Macrobats, or fruitbats, have foxlike faces, giving them the nickname of Flying Foxes. These are the largest of the chiropteran races. They have better eyesight than the others and no particular light sensitivity, but as a result they lack the talent for echolocation.

Some chiropterans undergo a painful and dangerous surgery to remove the webbing from their wings and some of the bones from their long finger-like wing digits to make better use of their otherwise clumsy hands. Those who have the procedure done lose the ability to fly, and their fortitude is diminished due to reduced circulation. For many chiropterans, the sacrifice is worth the dexterity boon. This procedure is permanent. Gloves are worn by wingless bats to make up for lack of padding, friction, and claws.

History

In the beginning of the Phage that began the beasts’ evolution, bats were the primary carriers of the disease. They were the main cause for its rapid spread amongst man and beast throughout Raesokera. They grew a powerful connection to the arcane energies of the Phage and nearly as strong of a connection to the contagion domain as the rats.

As they evolved, their connection to the aether grew stronger. Their strong communal instincts drove them to combine their magical strengths. One such colony of chiropteran mages came together to perform an experimental ritual. The desired outcome is unknown to historians. The ritual failed, and their combined power resulted in mass devastation that created the first ethereal scar in the forests of Western Shahalla. It caused an intense distortion and corruption of the area’s magic, killing all 347 chiropterans participating. This scar slowly drained the life from everything for miles around, transforming the once lush tropical forest into a barren desert wasteland. Many mages came from all over the continent to reverse the trans-planar tear, but their efforts only made it grow. To prevent further catastrophe, a pyramid tomb was erected by Edentatus and Rodent allies of the chiropteran arcanists to conceal and bury the scar hoping time would heal the arcane wound.

When the races of men returned, they saw the destruction caused by the unnatural beasts. In outrage, they began their merciless slaughter. The chiropterans’ initial resistance was feeble, ue to their physical weakness and lack of understanding of the races of men. Some escaped to the north to join other colonies, but most of the bats were killed. The chiropterans were nearly wiped out in Shahalla before the Beast War officially began.

The Shahallans' outrage, and their fear of the Phage returning was so great that the chiropterans were a primary target of the purge. The Shahallans were paranoid enough to send spies into Udraykeland and learn the locations of any chiropteran colonies they could find and assassinate them. Complete chiropteran genocide would have been successful if not for the protection given to many individuals that hid like fugitives. Entire villages were often razed or burned to kill even one suspected refugee chiropteran.

By the end of the war, there weren't enough chiropterans left to make up an entire colony on their own. They had been slain and scattered almost to extinction. Those who had survived were housed in villages within the Wrenchwood Forest near the seaside Chiro cliffs, so named in memorial those lost to the Shahallan purge. There they began to repopulate and help establish and maintain intermingling societies with other races. In time, most moved on to establish colonies North of Udraykeland in Grrovia, away from danger and the constant reminder of the atrocities committed by the Shahallans. The tribal wolves of Grrovia protected the Chiropterans in exchange for arcane services. With that protection, the chiropteran population has grown to safe levels.

Society

Chiropterans are communal by nature, but many have learned and prefer to live on their own. Newborns are cared for by the whole colony, each mother and father caring for all pups as if they were their own. Because of their dark history, many chiropterans are not very social until their trust is earned. They are often shy, cold, and bordering on paranoid toward humanoid races, such as humans, dwarves, and elves.

Toward other bestial races, most chiropterans are friendly and even flamboyant. These other races, excluding the incredibly communal rodentus, see this extreme physical attention as obnoxious and often offensive. It's not uncommon to see a chiropteran greet a rodentus stranger with a long-lasting embrace within webbed leathery wings followed by casual conversation in such position. Open-minded adventurers often refer to chiropterans as "eccentric and quite friendly after you break the ice".

Chiropterans are naturally attuned to arcane forces from birth. Most can cast a cantrip or two by adolescence, and those that are truly gifted are taught to be Warlocks at home or sent to the Wildehaven Mages' Academy in Udraykeland or the Vur'Tarania Arcane College in Grrovia to deepen their understanding of the arcane arts. There are enough bats in the Wildehaven Academy, let alone the Vur'Tarania Arcane College, to make a colony of their own. All chiropterans that earn respect there are offered to join the Chiropteran Scholars Colony. Those who learn at the academy are usually conscripted by the Preservation Club to learn as much as they can about the many ethereal scars throughout the continent and try to find a way to heal them. They mainly focus their efforts on the smaller scars that appear and disappear randomly throughout the continent. However, their overarching goal is to eventually remove the massive scar created by their ancestors in the center of the Endless Desert in Shahalla.

Language

Chiropteran spoken language is extremely difficult to learn for those without sensitive hearing. Their language is a series of clicks, squeaks, and chirps with many consonant sounds and long vowels. It is written using an altered form of common alphabet. Each word is underlined, overlined, or accented in a way to denote the exact pitch and frequency of the word, each having a different meaning.

As an example, the common word for fire is written as "keektk", but by adding a line above the e's, the pitch is raised to a squeal, changing the meaning to wildfire. Add another line, and the pitch rises just to the edge of human perception and the meaning changes to explosion. By instead having an accented slash above the "ktk", it becomes "firey earth" or lava. Combine the two lines and the accented slash and you have "erupting volcano."

Chiropteran Names

Chiropterans are named at birth by the birth mother and father in the Chiropterus language. They usually name their young after friends and family that they like, thus having many among them with similar names with a slightly different pitch, tone, or accent. For other races to understand, they'll adopt a short and simple phonetic interpretation of their name or the name of a person or creature they admire.

Male: Buhtau, Doomuh, Ifuhss, Eetkm, Fensuhn, Keith, Neean, Niccian, Noowahng, Rheek, Phantom, Phickksn, Zach, Zeek

Female: Banshee, Breenuh, Chksee, Eckee, Joolee, Keekee, Leeluh, Neenah, Ooma, Pheebee, Reeree, Shriek, Sairhen, Windy

Chiropterus Traits

Anthropomorphic bats from the Raesokeran continent.
Ability Score Increase. Chiropterans are quick to learn and naturally adept in the arcane arts. Your Intelligence score increases by 2.
Age. Chiropterans are unnaturally long lived due to their connection to arcane energies. They mature around age 8 and can live up to 120 years.
Alignment. Chiropterans have no particular alignment preference.
Size. Average Chiropterans are no taller than 4 ft. Your size is small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
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.
Unnatural Cunning. Choose one ability score. You have advantage on all saving throws for the chosen ability. You do not have proficiency in this saving throw unless you would otherwise have it from another source.
Flight. Your wings are prehensile and double as arms, you have a flying speed of 50 feet. To use this speed, you can’t be wearing medium or heavy armour. While flying, you cannot wield more than one weapon, wield two-handed weapons, or wield weapons with the Heavy property. In addition, weapons with the Versatile property must be wielded in one hand while flying. If your one or both of your arms are critically wounded you cannot benefit from this trait.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Chiropteran
Subrace. Chiropterus have three prominent subraces. Choose one of the following: Macrobat, Microbats, or Vampire Bat.

Macrobat

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1
Size. Macrobats are larger than their cousin subraces. Your size is Medium instead of Small.
Speed. You have an additional 5 ft. of movement.
Master of the Aether. You know the thaumaturgy cantrip. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell.
Arcane Theory. You have proficiency in the Arcana skill.

Microbat

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1
Size. Your size is small.
Superior Darkvision. Your Darkvision has a radius of 120 feet.
Daylight Sensitivity.. While in bright light you are considered to be Blinded unless wearing adequate eye protection.
Echolocation. As long as your hearing isn't impaired, you are considered to have blindsight and are not affected by the Blinded condition. When you take thunder damage make a Constitution saving throw equal to 10 or half the thunder damage taken, whichever is higher. On a failure you become affected by the blinded condition for 1d6 rounds.
Keen Senses. You have proficiency in the Perception skill.
Bat's Eye View. Whenever you make a Wisdom (Perception) check that relies on hearing you can add twice your proficiency bonus, instead of any proficiency bonus you normally apply. You have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
Master of the Unseen. You know the minor illusion cantrip. When you reach 3rd, level, you can cast the dissonant whispers spell as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When cast with this trait dissonant whispers deals thunder damage instead of its usual damage type. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the darkness spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Vampire Bat

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1
Size. Your size is small.
Superior Darkvision. Your Darkvision has a radius of 120 feet.
Daylight Sensitivity.. While in bright light you are considered to be Blinded unless wearing adequate eye protection.
Keen Senses. You have proficiency in the Perception skill.
Bat's Eye View. Whenever you make a Wisdom (Perception) check that relies on hearing you can add twice your proficiency bonus, instead of any proficiency bonus you normally apply. You have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
Vampiric Bite. You can use your elongated fangs to make an unarmed strike as a bonus action. If you hit with your fangs, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. In addition, you can choose to regain hit points equal to the damage dealt.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
3′ 8''	+1d4	40 lb.	× (2d4) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

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