Shambling Mound (5e Race)

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Shambling Mound

Physical Description

History

A shambling mound results from a phenomenon in which lightning or fey magic invigorates an otherwise ordinary plant. As the plant is reborn into its second life, it chokes the life from plants and animals around it, mulching their corpses in a heap around its roots. Those roots eventually give up their reliance on the soil, directing the shambling mound to seek out new sources of food. Some shamblers choose to become adventurers, either for purposes of food, or for companionship.

Society

Shambling Mounds possess absolutely no society, as they are more akin to lone wolves, with many shamblers never seeing another one in their entire life; some even believe they are the only of their kind to exist. However, they are typically accepted into both the society of Treespawn and Vinespawn, due to their powerful strength making them excellent defenders of their ill, elderly, or powerful foot soldiers.

Shambling Mound Names

Shambling Mounds do not have a specific naming theme, as they are created alone by magic, with no knowledge of others even existing until they stumble upon a society. However, some shamblers are created by wizards or druids, meant to be powerful sentries of areas, as they make excellent guardians due to them only requiring the same kind of food plants need. Ones that are artificially created might be given or take on names from the language of their creator.

Shambling Mound Traits

Very large creatures constructed of swamp plants, wood, and fungi, Shamblers can make very excellent guardians for an adventuring party.
Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1, your Constitution increases by 1, and your Dexterity gets decreased by 1.
Age. Shamblers do not age very quickly, due to their magical nature. Shamblers are formed mature, and they can live to be several centuries old, however this depends on the lifespan of the plants they are constructed of.
Alignment. Shamblers are typically more curious about the world, compared to being benevolent or malevolent, leaning closer to Neutral alignments.
Size. Shamblers are very large, being around 10 to 12 feet in height, and around three to five hundred pounds. Your size is Large.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet. You also have a base swimming speed of 25 feet.
Blindsight. Even if you have pinpricks for eyes, you cannot actually see out of them, merely use them for expressions. You have a blindsight of 60 feet, and are blind beyond this radius. If your entire body and head are covered, this range is lowered to 15 ft., as you use vibrations with your vines to see.
Lightning Origin. You were formed of lightning and magic, giving you resistance to lightning-type damage.
Lightning Absorption. When you take lightning-type damage from a magical source, you can use your reaction to absorb the lightning, making you restore hit points equal to your level. After using this trait, you must take a long rest before using it again.
Swamp Camouflage. Your swamp-like body allows you to blend in very easily, in swamp environments. You gain proficiency in Stealth, and when making a Stealth check when in a swamp-like area, your proficiency bonus is doubled for the check.
Slam. You are able to shift your weight onto a target as a bonus action, to crush it. You have a slam attack, which is a natural weapon that deals 1d8 bludgeoning damage, and counts as having the heavy and two-handed properties for features requiring them, but do not require two free hands.
Floral Rest. Shamblers don't need to sleep. Instead, they can root themselves in the favorable soil, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day and absorbing nutrients from the soil. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep. However, if the soil is not favorable, you require a full 8 hours of rest to gain the equivalent of a long rest. Rooting yourself requires an action and can only be done on a patch of soil. While in this state your speed becomes 0 and you can uproot yourself as a bonus action.
Being a Plant. As a Plant, you are not naturally a Spell Caster.
Shambler's Armor. Shamblers cannot wear any armor, unless they are warforged. Their natural armor is equal to 10 + Constitution modifier.
Languages. You can speak and write Common, Uvarin, and one language of your choice.

Subraces

Mud Shamblers

Mud Shamblers can origin from any lowland place, mostly swamps and are of any shade of green in colour.

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution increases by 1 and your Wisdom increases by 1.
Mud Skin. In addition to your abnormal size and toughness, you can spend an action to absorb mud through your roots or roam around to find some and add 1d8 + character level temporary hit points, half of which you lose after moving 100 ft. You can only repeat this after finishing a long or short rest.

Mountain Shamblers

You have come into being on a very dense mountain forest. Instead of vines, your body is covered in pine needles and pine branches, you can have several small pine treetops sticking out of your body surface. You can be either very bright yellow-orange or of any shade of green in color. You are 1 foot taller than the rest of your kin, weighing up to 600 pounds.

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength increases by 1 and your Constitution increases by 1.
Engulf. The shambling mound engulfs a Medium or smaller creature grappled by it. The engulfed target is blinded, restrained, and unable to breathe, and it must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw at the start of each of the mound's turns or take bludgeoning damage equal to your character level. If the mound moves, the engulfed target moves with it. The mound can have only one creature engulfed at a time. This feature can only be used again after finishing a long rest.

Warforged Shamblers

Once in your lifetime, you have been in a middle of a very long-lasting battle. That moment has shaped your mind and body, altering what you put on yourself instead of plants and flesh. You start gathering weapons and armour pieces collecting them inside your vines giving you additional bonuses.

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution increases by 2 and your Dexterity gets further decreased by 1.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 20 feet. You also have a base swimming speed of 15 feet.
Steel for Skin. Being a Warforged Shambler, you are able to pick up pieces of armor and attach them to your body. For each hour spent hour on scavenging for and absorbing the armor pieces, you are able to add +1 to your AC,maximum being +4. Upon getting hit or taking damage, make a Strength saving throw with a DC of 10 + your Constitution modifier. On a failed throw, you lose 1 armor and upon rolling a 1, you lose 2 armor.
Walking Armory. Being a Warforged Shambler, you are also able to collect various weapons and make them stick out of any part of your body. Upon spending an hour of scavenging a place with weapons, you can absorb any 5 weapons found up to a maximum of your character level, capped at 15. For each weapon found, you are able to chose a location from which it will stick out(Body and Legs or Arms). For each weapon sticking out of your body, the creatures attacking you within 5 feet of you will take 1 piercing damage for each weapon on your body. If you chose to add weapons to your arms, any attack that you make with them gets a bonus of 1 piercing damage for each weapon on your hand.
Pile of Discarded Weaponry. You were able to adapt to the battlefield conditions, gaining an ability to spend an action to move everything metallic that you wear on top of you, giving you an ability to disguise yourself as a pile of metal. Upon the disguisal, you can make a a Dexterity(Stealth) check with advantage. If you are seen by a creature while performing this act, that creature knows that you are the pile. While in the pile form, the part of the body that you are lying on a surface has an AC of 10.

Totemic Shamblers

Instead of being a plant and being animated by a random natural occurence, you were created with a very powerful shamanic spell from a totem. The totem is made of wood and is of a colour and form of your choice and has a pattern and or a symbol that is also of your choice.

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom increases by 1 and your Charisma increases by 1.
Totemic Power. Totems are created to bring something to the creators, which more often than not is magic. Because of that, Totemic Shamblers can be spell casters, unlike others of their kin.
Totemic Origin. Once per long rest, you are able to call upon the spirits of those who created you and heal yourself for 1d4 plus your character level health points as a bonus action. This heal can be doubled if you spent 2 turns on using this trait as a ritual.
Size. Unlike the rest of the Shamblers, Totemic Shamblers do not reach the same height as the others do, ranging only from 6 feet to 9 in height, making you a medium creature.
Smaller Size. Since, you are of a smaller size, your have less surface to protect you from damage. Your AC equals to 8 + Constitution Modifier.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
10′ ''	+3d8	270 lb.	× (10) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

For Mountain Shamblers, increase the weight by 100 pounds. For Totemic Shamblers, decrease the height by 3 feet.

Suggested Characteristics

When creating a Shambling Mound character, you can use the following table of traits, ideals, bonds and flaws to help flesh out your character. Use these tables in addition to or in place of your background's characteristics.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I only care about myself.
2	I am the lonely traveler.
3	I think of myself as an abomination
4	Flowers! How pretty!
5	I consider myself a "vegitarian".
6	I take what I want and where I want.
7	I love having a good company.
8	I always seek a better purpose.

d6	Ideal
1	Although I am perfect as I am, I can always strive to be more. (Neutral)
2	I am superior to all other races and one day I will rule the world. (Evil)
3	Life is like the winds of fall, you must follow were it leads you. (Chaotic)
4	The path to power is through knowledge. (Neutral)
5	As powerful beings, our job is to protect others. (Good)
6	Emotions must not cloud the sense of what is right or wrong. (Lawful)

d6	Bond
1	I wish I could go back to the place I came into being from.
2	I owe a debt a cannot repay to the person that took pity and raised me from the plant I once was.
3	No one else should have to endure the struggle and pain I've been through.
4	I always compared my height to the trees around me when I was growing up.
5	My forest is my home, and I'll fight to defend it.
6	The cycle of life should never be tampered with.

d6	Flaw
1	This rose looks like it wants to eat me!
2	I don't talk much, but when I do, it is something very important.
3	I have to kill even if I don't need to.
4	I love tasting everything I come in contact with.
5	I am very aggressive to everyone and everything.
6	I can watch the clouds swim across the sky for hours straight.

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