Grung (grung)

Grungs are intelligent froglike humanoids indigenous to the vast rainforests and tropical jungles of Lanali. Most grungs are fiercely territorial, never leaving the deepest parts of the jungle. Because of this, they were discovered by others only two centuries ago, and integration into the current society of Aolara remains fresh and tense for all parties involved. In recent decades, many grung have begun to emigrate, leaving their jungle homes behind. Some claim their ancestral homes to no longer be safe.

Appearance

Adult grungs usually stand anywhere  between 2 and 3 feet tall. Males are generally smaller than females. They resemble small humanoids with strong toad or frog-like legs that end in webbed feet. Their torsos and heads are less amphibian and more humanoid. They have muscular forelimbs and their hands have opposable thumbs. Grungs stand upright erect and can move about in either quick, short hops or more conventional humanoid motion.

The evolution of grungs gave them intelligence, opposable thumbs, and ingenuity, but took away their prehensile tongues, which are common among other amphibian races. This adaptation left grungs with wide, sharp teeth-filled mouths. Their bright-coloured skins need to be kept slick and wet as they breathe through it. Grung eyes are comparatively smaller than those of frogs or toads and are crowned with hard protective ridges. Their eye colour varies from grung to grung, however yellow and black are the most common.

Producers of Poison

All grungs secrete a substance that is harmless to them but poisonous to other creatures. A grung can also use this venom to poison its weapons. It is rumoured that some organisations use grung poison as a form of torture for their enemies. The poison is said to have hallucinogenic properties and cause the victim to live in a continual state of fear. A creature afflicted in this way over a long period of time becomes a shell of its former self and can be restored to normalcy only by magic.

Being amphibious, grungs require water to live; any grung that fails to immerse itself in water for at least 1 hour during a day becomes quite exhausted.

Class and Order

Grung society is a caste system. Each caste lays eggs in a separate hatching pool, and juvenile grungs join their caste upon emergence from the hatchery. All grungs are a dull greenish grey when they are born, but each individual takes on the colour of its caste as it grows to adulthood. From lowest to highest caste, grungs can be green, blue, purple, red, orange, or gold.

Green grungs are the tribe's warriors, hunters, and labourers, and blue grungs work as artisans and in other domestic roles. Supervising and guiding both groups are the purple grungs, which serve as administrators and commanders. Red grungs are the tribe's scholars and magic users. They are superior to purple, blue, and green grungs and given proper respect even by grungs of higher status. Higher castes include orange grungs, which are elite warriors that have authority over all lesser grungs, and gold grungs, which hold the highest leadership positions. A tribe's sovereign is always a gold grung.

A grung normally remains in its caste for life. On rare occasions, an individual that distinguishes itself with great deeds can earn an invitation to join a higher caste. Through a combination of herbal tonics and ritual magic, an elevated grung changes colour and is inducted into its new caste in the same way that a juvenile of the caste would be. From then on, the grung and its progeny are members of the higher caste.

Since their recent introduction into the wider world, thousands of grungs have had to come to terms with living outside of their caste status. While those who are born into the current era may never experience the old traditions of grung hierarchy, there are those who left a traditional grung society behind and have had to learn to accept a new and equal way of living. The wider world can be overwhelming. In some Aolaran cities groups of grungs have come together to make small communities. Many of these grung neighbourhoods still practice the caste system, however, with outside influence from other races, some grung neighbourhoods are beginning to shun their old ways and live more equally.

Grung Traits

Ability Score Increase

When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. You cannot increase an ability score above 20.

Age

Grungs mature to adulthood in a single year, but have been known to live up to 70 years.

Size

Grungs stand between 2 ½ and 3 ½ feet tall and average about 30 pounds. Your size is Small.

Speed

You have a walking speed of 25 feet. Your sticky finger and toe pads give you a climb speed of 25 feet.

Arboreal Alertness

You have proficiency in the Perception skill.

Amphibious

You can breathe air and water.

Poison Immunity

You are immune to poison damage and the poisoned condition.

Poisonous Skin

Any creature that grapples you or otherwise comes into direct contact with your skin must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 minute. A poisoned creature no longer in direct contact with you can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

You can also apply this poison to any piercing weapon as part of an attack with that weapon, though when you hit the poison reacts differently. The target must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or take 2d4 poison damage.

Standing Leap

Your long jump is up to 25 feet and your high jump is up to 15 feet, with or without a running start.

Water Dependency

If you fail to immerse yourself in water for at least 1 hour during a day, you suffer 1 level of exhaustion at the end of that day. You can recover from this exhaustion only through magic or by immersing yourself in water for at least 1 hour.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Grung, and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character.

Grung

Type - Grung
Size - Small
Alignment - N/A
Preferred Terrain - Jungles, Rainforests, Swamps
Abilities - Amphibious, Poison Affinity

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- Big King Skumple