Saru No Otoko (5e Race)

Saru No Otoko

Physical Description

By GuiserGestalt

Saru no otoko, or saru for short, means "people of monkey" in Wa-an. True to their name, they resemble anthropomorphic monkeys, with a few key features that distinguish them from other primates. Their faces are notably hybrids of simian and human facial features, with lots of facial hair and pointed ears. They are very agile due to their lithe bodies. As they age, the fur on their body change and grow accents that would serve as a symbol of their ancestry. They come in four variations, each one resembling cloud-like adornments. Their fur covers their whole body, exposing only parts of their face, hands, and feet.

History

The saru were born of two deities who are now both long dead. Their father, Udros, was a god of war and trickery. Their mother, Rymis, was a god of wisdom and magic. Four sons were born unto them. Each son would go on to populate different parts of the world, carrying along with them one trait that they inherited from their divine lineage. The first son, Soga, embraced his father's love for war. He settled in the mountains and would raise his brood to appreciate the martial arts and the way of the warrior. The second son, Nishi, inherited his mother's affinity for magic. He traveled to the forest and raised several generations of mages there. The third son, Omori, was as mischievous and cunning as his father. He traveled made his home and the jungle. He made use of his wit to become the master of this treacherous domain. The fourth and final son, Yoshihara, was given the gift of wisdom. He decided to settle in the plains. From his seed were produced many wise men, who would go far and spread their culture throughout different parts of the world. Each of the sons and their offspring retained Udros' primal instincts and Rymis' magical traits, carrying on the old traditions and making new ones.

Society

Saru live in tribes, which themselves are part of a clan. The clans comprise of a single type of saru. It is rare to find more than one variation of saru in the same clan. Tribes are made up of anywhere from 30 to 50 members, while clans can reach numbers over the hundreds. When a saru is born, it is called a saru no shōnen. They retain this name until they mature. Each type of saru educates its young ones in the ways of the tribe. And before they are deemed fully mature, each saru no shōnen must complete a rite of passage that differs slightly from clan to clan.

Saru No Otoko Names

Saru typically have names derived of Wa-an origin.

Male Names: Haruto, Yuto, Sota, Yuki, Hayato, Haruki, Ryusei, Koki, Sora, Sosuke

Female Names: Yui, Rio, Yuna, Hina, Koharu, Hinata, Mie, Mio, Saki, Miyu

Tribe Names: Sato, Suzuki, Takahashi, Tanaka, Watanabe, Ito, Yamamoto, Nakamura, Kobayashi, Kato

Clan Names: Yoshida, Yamada, Sasaki, Yamaguchi, Saito, Matsumoto, Inoue, Kimura, Hayashi, Shimizu

Saru No Otoko Traits

A race of anthropomorphic monkeys, descended from gods.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2.
Age. These monkey men mature at the age of 16 and then live to be about 250-300 years old
Alignment. Saru no Otoko are chaotic in general, but they retain a sliver of their progenitors personas.
Size. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 35 feet.
Prehensile Tail. Saru no Otoko have long agile tails that are prehensile. Your tail is muscular and very long, about the same as your body length, and can support your weight if you aren't encumbered (e.g. while hanging from a branch). While the tail is used primarily to assist in climbing and keeping the hands free for foraging and carrying, you can also use it to do the following simple tasks: lift, drop, hold, push, or pull an object up to 10 pounds; open or close a door or a container; grapple a creature that is size Small or smaller. Your DM might allow other simple tasks to be added to that list of options. Your tail can’t wield weapons or shields or do anything that requires manual precision, such as using tools or magic items or performing the somatic components of a spell.
Limit Break. When in a dire situation, saru are known to tap into their innate divine powers to turn the tides of battle. As a reaction, when you fail Strength, Dexterity or Constitution ability check or saving throw, you can reroll the check and you must take the new result. Once you use this ability, you can't use it again until you complete a short or long rest.
Simian Speak. You can communicate simple ideas to monkeys and beasts of simian nature. They can understand the meaning of your words, though you have no special ability to understand them in return.
Languages. You can speak, read and write in Common and Sylvan.
Subrace. Choose from the Mountain, Forest, Jungle or Plains subrace. Each is a descendant of the children of the gods who spawned the original Saru no Otoko.

Mountain Saru

The Mountain Saru are the most belligerent. Their fur is streaked with red accents, and are typically brownish in color. Their clan prides themselves in their martial art and combat prowess.

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1
Mountainborne. You’re acclimated to high altitude, including elevations above 20,000 feet. In addition, when traversing through non-magical difficult terrain, you do not need to spend extra movement.
Warrior Training. You are proficient with three weapons of your choice.
Unmatched Power. You are proficient in the Athletics skill.

Forest Saru

When Forest Saru mature, they usually grow gold or greenish accents on their fur. Sometimes they even have actual moss grow as an adornment for their fur, which is usually a more taupe color than brown. They value discipline and wisdom of the mind, and are the Saro no Otoko that are most attuned to nature.

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Forest Trained. You are accustomed to seeing through dense foliage for treasure and food. You are proficient in the Perception skill. Additionally, when in areas that are lightly obscured by foliage, leaves or similar phenomena, you do not have disadvantage in Wisdom (Perception) checks.
Moss Fur. While in a forest environment, you have advantage in Dexterity (Stealth) checks. You can also attempt to hide when you are only lightly obscured by things like trees, foliage, falling leaves, or similar phenomena.
Nature's Wisdom. You know one druid cantrip of your choice, which you can cast without material components.

Jungle Saru

Jungle Saru grow bluish accents on their fur with age, and they are known for their cunning. Surviving in jungles has made them crafty and they are accustomed to combatting the elements and their predators. Their fur is typically black or even a dark navy bluish color.

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence skill increases by 1.
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.
Fast Reflex. When you stand from being prone, this takes only 5 feet of movement.
Unmatched Agility. You are proficient in the Acrobatics skill.

Plains Saru

Saru no otoko of the plains variety have rather laidback lives compared to their cousins, focusing primarily on meditation and introspection. Their accents are orange and their fur can range from golden to flaxen hay. Despite their laidback demeanor, they can be hard workers when push comes to shove, and are very good at social situations.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.
Plains Tracker. Whenever you make a Wisdom (Survival) check related to the tracking of other creatures, you are considered proficient in the Survival skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.
Hard Worker. Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level.
Innate Judge. You are proficient in the Insight skill.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
5′ 5''	+1d10	160 lb.	× (1d4-1) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

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