Sciurian (5e Race)

Scuirian

Pronounced skwee-ree-yan

Physical Description

"The Rodents" by Johannes Holm

The scuirian are a very easily spottable race. They resemble humanoid squirrel-like beings that have either bright orange, shimmering grey, or glossy black fur. Large pointed ears protrude from the top of their heads and are often crested with tufts of fluff. Their tails alone are usually larger than the majority of their small bodies. While normal squirrels have a poorly formed thumb on their paws and therefore need both hands to grasp something, the scuirian have fully prehensile hands. Their arms are rather short in comparison to their long body. Many of them don the attire of warriors, usually armor and such. They wear their battle scars proudly.

History

The scuirian were a race of forest-dwelling humanoids from times of when Abeir-Toril was still young and Chauntea was a guileless goddess. They served as protectors of the land and were one of the new lives to have sprung from the warmth bought from the Plane of Fire. Due to their devout faith to the land, Chauntea wanted to give them a gift that would aid in their work. She settled on the idea of speed and decided that squirrels were the fastest in the land. And so the humanoids turned into the scuirians. People laugh at this so-called blessing, as this form severely diminished the scuirians' strength and size. It also had given them a mental propensity towards curiosity and leaping before looking. However, the scuirians took this in stride and continue to be guardians of the forest. One of the plus sides of this form is that they are indeed nimble. Their numbers have also greatly increased due to enlarged litters.

Society

The scuirian communities are tight-knit and very much bound to their duties as a race of land protectors. Most of the scuirian population is based around their tree cities and other coniferous dwellings where they can survey the forest. They mainly stick to themselves, with only a few ever growing into the independent phase to leave home and travel. They are built around a loose regiment of militaristic activity in their cities, always on guard for evil creatures that might harm the land. Their forms as these furry, adorable creatures have often fooled many a foe. Due to their aid in many battles against orcs and goblins in the High Forest, they have earned the respect and alliance of the elven community. They put full faith in nature gods like Eldath and Chauntea, though they also respect the Seldarine.

This cuteness factor also aids any who decide to strike out on their own. However, this is sometimes problematic as people do not always recognize scuirians to be sentient. There are scuirians in black markets sold as pets due to their appearance and soft fur. Many take working positions as mascots of guilds. Others are part of serving staff or general figureheads that never truly wield power but instead made power look cute and harmless. Most people have heard of scuirians and are very welcoming of their race.

Personality

Scuirian weakness is their hyperactivity, which is known to guide their actions and emotions to polarized ends. They mean well often, but can sometimes go too far. Despite their jitters, scuirian are not flighty. They believe in holding the line for others, surrendering only for the good of the group. As such, they make stalwart and steadfast allies despite their appearance. Due to their diminished strength, scuirians have learned to rely on other tactics to defeat enemies. In their home territory of the woods, they often employ traps, as a kobold would. On the road, they are usually much more cautious, particularly in unfamiliar settings like bustling cities or waterside coast towns.

Scuirian Names

These cute but brave humanoids are usually being named for the distinct colors of their furs. However, each name has masculine or feminine qualities so there are still naming conventions.

Male: Red, Greyson, Silver, Ash, Brick, Ecrus

Female: Scarlet, Ginger, Midnight, Cherry, Cocoa, Maron

Scuirian Traits

Humanoids imbued with speedy squirrel qualities
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1, and your Charisma score increases by 1.
Age. Scuirian mature at the age of 7 and generally can live up to 60 years old.
Alignment. Scuirian are almost always chaotic in nature due to their hyperactivity. However, they often mean well and lean towards good.
Size. These are not large creatures, never really growing past 4 feet. Your size is Small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. You have a climbing speed of 30 feet.
Naturally Nimble. Your squirrel-like form grants you super reflexes and amazing agility. You are proficient in the Acrobatics skill.
Land Stewards. Your speedy heart and love for adventure fuels you, long rests are hard for scuirians and if they spend over 12 hours doing little to no activities they will get restless and will have Disadvantage on all wisdom rolls for the next 12 hours. Its hard to talk sense into a hyperactive scuirian.
Footpads. You reflexes are well equipped to save you from falling to your death. You take no falling damage if you fall from heights of 60 feet or less.
Languages. You can speak, read and write Common and Scui. Scui is a language of nose movements, tail flicks, and various different squeaks. It is written using Elvish script.
Subrace. Choose a subrace from red scuirian, grey scuirian, or black scurian.

Red Scuirian

While arguably the cutest of the scuirians, they pride themselves more for their speed.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.
Scurry. Your size and limber form allow you to slip by other creatures. You can move through spaces occupied by creatures of Medium or larger size as though it is difficult terrain.

Grey Scuirian

These scuirians are much more intellectually developed, being very curious. They are less about direct combat and more on reconnaissance tactics.

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1.
Discerning Eye. Your eye is trained to find things of interest. You have advantage in Intelligence (Investigation) checks to look for items.
Curious Hobby. You like to try new things and figure out how they work. You are proficient with tinker's tools.

Black Scuirian

The strongest of the scuirians have black fur and are stalwart front-liners in battle.

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1.
Military Training. You are proficient in one weapon of your choice.
Tacticial Thought. You have advantage in Intelligence (History) checks when recalling battle formations and war positions.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
2′ 6''	+3d6	60 lb.	× (1d4) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

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