A free-spirited and inquisitive lot, rover bands are ever on the move, and usually accompanied by their famously well-trained canine companions. Often mistaken for being feckless and flighty, the truth is merely that rovers instead value their freedom and a zest for life over great works and grinding industry. They do, however, value more transitory works, such as unique, sensory-based art. Individual bands are usually made up of multiple families, with a loose hierarchy and an inclination towards mutual cooperation.

Characters raised in the rover culture will usually share a variety of traits in common with one another.

Dog Lover. You have a pet mastiff (or similar big dog) that follows you and is loyal to you. The mastiff is capable of independent action and excellently trained. Using verbal and non-verbal cues you can make simple requests of your mastiff (such as delivering or retrieving small objects, opening doors, activating simple switches or buttons, or even administering an opened potion vial to an incapacitated creature) as a bonus action. In combat, the mastiff rolls its own initiative and acts on its own turn. The mastiff won’t attack except as a reaction to being attacked, but it can take other actions as normal, and makes death saving throws. Over the course of a long rest , you can train another mastiff to follow your commands, but you cannot keep more than one dog at such a high level of training. Additionally, people from outside your culture are incapable of keeping up with the constant training that such a dog needs and cannot command it as you do.

Dog Sled Riders. As a rover you are expected to be proficient in Animal Handling and are also proficient in the use of land vehicles.

Life’s a Game. You have proficiency with a gaming set of your choice.

Sharp Eyes, Sharp Ears. Rovers need to keep their wits about them and be aware of their surroundings. You are proficient in Survival and Perception.

Languages. You can speak, read, write, and sign Common and another language of your choice.

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 .

Some of the strongest, most unyielding things in the natural world are plants. Mighty trees, tenacious thorn bushes, and lichen that can grow anywhere are all compelling examples of incredible resilience. It is therefore unsurprising that some might take the endurance of plants as inspiration, and from these admirers of the natural world, Oaken Fists arise.

Tertiary Spellcasting

At 3rd level, you tap into the magical power of nature to enhance your martial training. Your casting ability score is Wisdom and you can select cantrips and spells from the nature and unarmed schools. See the Tertiary Spellcasting rules for when you would acquire new spells and spell slots, as well as the rules for swapping out spells.

Wilderness Home

Also at 3rd level, you have developed the skills to survive in the wilderness. You gain proficiency with the Nature and Survival skills. If you are already proficient, you gain an expertise die . You also gain proficiency with the herbalism kit.

You also gain the plant type, in addition to other types you have.

Plant Physiology

At 6th level, your blood becomes thick and sap-like. If you would suffer ongoing damage, you may instead spend 1 point of exertion to not suffer the ongoing damage for a number of rounds equal to your Wisdom modifier. These rounds count towards the effect’s duration.

In addition, if you are in natural surroundings with direct contact with fertile soil (such as walking across it barefoot) and sunlight, you do not require Supply , instead drawing your nutrients from the soil. This latter feature does not work in barren areas such as deserts and tundra.

Wooden Fists

Also at 6th level, you can use the residual energy of your magical connection to the natural world to bolster your strikes. As long as you have unused spell slots, you can spend 1 exertion to allow your unarmed strikes to deal additional bludgeoning damage equal to your proficiency bonus for the next minute.

Deep Roots

At 11th level, you gain the ability to literally take root. As an action, you extend roots from your lower extremities into the ground beneath you, locking you in place. For the duration, you automatically succeed against any effects that would move you or knock you prone and creatures trying to escape your grapple suffer disadvantage on their saves, but your movement speed is reduced to 0 and you have disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws . While you are rooted, you gain access to the following options:

• You can concentrate for 1 minute in order to expend one Hit Die as though you were taking a short rest .
• As a reaction to grappling or being grappled, you can sprout vicious thorns that deal 1d4 points of piercing damage to any creatures you are grappling or being grappled by. Once the thorns have been produced, they last until you retract them (no action required) or you end your rooted state.

You may revert to your normal form as an action. You automatically revert if you fall unconscious , drop to 0 hit points, or die. Once you have used this ability a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1), you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.

Mighty Boughs

At 17th level, your form becomes even more plant-like. While you use your Take Root ability, you are under a continual barkskin effect for the feature’s duration, and your reach with melee weapon attacks increases by 10 feet.

Choking Pollen

Also at 17th level, you can expend a spell slot to release a miasma of pollen around yourself. The range is a number of feet equal to 10 + (5 × the spell slot level). Non-plant creatures caught in the cloud must make a Constitution save against your spell save DC or be poisoned for one minute. The cloud lasts for 10 minutes or until dispersed by a strong wind.