Madrai

Madrai Traits

Characters with the mycelial heritage share a variety of traits in common with one another.

Age. When they mature, they can reach nearly 60 years old.

Size. A madrai can be anywhere from 3 to 6 feet high and weigh between 45 and 250 pounds. Your size can be either Small or Medium.

Speed. Your Speed is 30 feet.

Helpful. When using the Help action to aid an ally in combat, the range at which you can do so is 30 feet.

Sharp Scent. You are marvelously well-equipped to sniff out things around you. You gain an expertise die to Perception checks involving smell and other rolls where scent is important.

Wagging Tail. A madrai rarely wins at cards due to their obvious tell. You gain an expertise die on Persuasion checks, but a d4 is subtracted from the results of your Deception checks.

Madrai Gifts

While there are no clearly-defined lines, many madrai broadly resemble various categories of dogs. In addition to the traits found in your madrai heritage, select one of the following gifts.

Best Friend

Just as mundane dogs are known for following their master everywhere, so too does a madrai follow their allies. You have the following trait:

Doggedly Loyal. If your movement speed is not equal to zero and you would expect to be able to move normally, then whenever a creature you consider an ally moves out of your reach, you may use your reaction to follow them until they have finished their movement, where physically possible and up to your movement score. In addition, if you are within 5 feet of an ally who is incapacitated and an enemy would enter your reach, then you may use your reaction to make an opportunity attack against that enemy.

Pack Hunter

Even more than most madrai, you are able to work in sync with others. You have the following trait:

Teamwork. You may take the Help action as a bonus action during combat.

Shepherd Dog

Some madrai resemble those dog breeds meant to move or protect livestock, or at least share their inclination towards acute concentration. You have the following trait:

Herder’s Focus. As a bonus action you may focus totally upon the task at hand. So long as you do not move from the spot you are on and no enemies are within 5 feet of you, your movement score becomes zero and you gain an expertise die on the first D20 roll you make this turn. In addition, whilst you are focusing in this way, you gain an expertise die on concentration rolls caused by the object or creature you are focusing on.

Sight Hound

Like certain dog breeds, some madrai have wiry frames built for speed and jumping. You have the following trait:

Bounding Return. As a bonus action, you can take the Dash action but must be within 5 feet of an ally at some point during that movement whilst doing so. In addition, when jumping, you are not required to move 10 feet to gain your full jump distance or height.

Madrai Paragon

When you reach 10th level, you become a better madrai and gain one paragon gift from the following list.

Peerless Tracker

Your expertise die for scent-related rolls becomes a d6. Additionally, once you’ve caught a scent you can track it to a near-supernatural degree, such as following tracks over open water or through anything other than a surface impermeable to air. If you have an item personal to a creature you wish to track, for the next hour you have advantage on Perception or Survival checks made to find it.

Finally, you can also cast locate object a number of times a day equal to your proficiency bonus, recovering all uses on a long rest . Your spellcasting ability for this spell is your choice of Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma.

Boon Companion

So long as you are with a creature you consider an ally, you gain advantage on initiative rolls. In addition, when a creature that is 10 feet or more away from an ally makes an attack roll against that ally, you may use your reaction to move up to half your Speed to interpose yourself between the ally and the creature. The attack is then considered to be targeting only you, even if that would not normally be possible, and proceeds as normal, which may cause the attack roll to miss. If half your Speed is not enough to interpose yourself, you cannot use this feature. Once you have used this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency modifier, you can’t use it again until you have finished a long rest .

Madrai Culture

Similarly to the canines they resemble, madrai are given to amiable, communal living, often happily taking up residence in cities predominately populated by other heritages. However, they are also a diverse lot, with some preferring to make permanent homes to pass down to their families and others preferring a life on the move. Regardless of where or how they live, madrai are often a joyous people eager to make friends. Once a madrai pack has chosen a place, people, or way of life, however, there are few more loyal and strident in their defense.

Suggested Cultures. While you can choose any culture for your madrai character, the following cultures are linked closely with this heritage: caravanner , circusfolk , godbound , itinerant , mischief maker , motley crew , nomad , rover , stoneworthy , wildling .