Bullywug
Bullywugs are a species of bipedal amphibians who resemble the wild frogs and toads that are commonly found in semi-aquatic climates. The bullywugs are a musical folk who are just as at home in the water as they are on land or in treetops. Most bullywug homes are partially underwater, with submerged rooms and watery halls.
Generally friendly if strange people, bullywugs welcome outsiders to their lands, but don't always understand why other species have a difficult time adapting to their lifestyles. Travelers will know a bullywug village is near when they hear a chorus of frogs singing into the night.
Amphibious Lifestyle
Bullywugs are perfectly adapted to the swamps and wetlands they call home. Using their suction-cupped fingers, they can clamber along the trees, and with webbed feet, mud and water pose no obstacle. Their skin is also a powerful adaptation - bullywugs can breathe either air or water through the pores in their skin. However, bullywugs must routinely soak their skin in water or mud to retain its moisture, at least twice a day, to prevent it from drying out and causing them illness. When possible, many bullywugs prefer to sleep by burying themselves in mud or soil up to their eyeballs to help protect their fragile skin.Unique Demeanor
As bullywugs are the only speaking amphibian species, other species may find it difficult conversing with the frog-folk. The tendency to slip from Common into Ribbish mid sentence can leave conversations confused, and bullywugs often forget that other species don't navigate the world in the same way they do. Following a bullywug through their village might mean suddenly being asked to swim or dive underwater as if it's a common occurrence. If one bullywug begins to sing, odds are that any others nearby will join in mid-song, taking a pause at whatever they're doing until the song is complete.Lords of the Swamp
In entirely bullywug societies, there's a trend of each individual bullywug claiming to be the lord or lady, king or queen, or emperor or empress of the village and surrounding swamp. As each village typically consists of somewhere between 15 and 70 individuals, the number of frog-folk claiming nobility is somewhere in the tens-of-thousands. This seeming lack of hierarchical structure, with each bullywug claiming to be the lord of their home and surroundings, can lead to confusion when traveling diplomats or merchants ask to speak with villagers of high stature, only for everyone from a bartender to the local shaman instantly accepting the role. Bullywug scholars from bigger cities have suggested a mistranslation as the root of these humorous incidents: the villages seem to operate with a flat structure, each bullywug the same status as his or her neighbors. Since there is no true village leader, simply whoever is speaking on behalf of the village at that time, every villager will take up the role when they need to. This context is lost when translating from Ribbish to Common, and the easiest Common equivalent for the bullywugs who speak very little is to simply use a word they know means "leader" for anyone who is around, including themselves. You can use the bullywug personality table to find a personality trait for your bullywug character, or inspire a new one.Names
Bullywug are given a name when they mature from tadpoles into young frogs. Their childhood name is not gendered, and often relates to a physical trait or characteristic unique to them. Upon reaching adulthood, bullywugs choose a nickname in common to refer to themselves as around other species, as their childhood names are in Ribbish. Childhood Names: Brribit, Krrkiip, Puppup, Ryep, Tuttat. Common Names: Bubble, Croak, Hopper, Peep, Sploosh.Bullywug Traits
Bullywug can vary greatly among the three sub species, but they all share common traits. Ability Score Increase Your Dexterity score increases by 1. Age Bullywug mature slightly faster than most species do, and are considered adults by the age of 12. They tend to reach old age in their 50's. Alignment Bullywug trend towards neutral and chaotic alignments. Speed Your base walking speed is 30 feet and you have a swimming speed of 30 feet. Amphibious You can breath air and water. Darkvision You have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Swamp Walker You do not take penalty for movement from swampy terrain. Prehensile Tongue A bullywug's tongue is long and dexterous, able to grab and pull objects of up to 20 lbs. The range of the tongue is limited to 10 feet from the bullywug. You can also use your tongue to grapple an enemy using normal grappling rules and the same 10ft range. Language You speak Common and Ribbish. During character creation, select one of the following three subspecies of bullywug and apply those traits to your character.Bufofo
Large, covered in thick warty patches, and with noticeably broader builds, the bufofo look like humorously oversized bullywugs. Better adapted to warmer and drier environments, the skin of a bufofo is more resistant to drying out or cracking, and they can go for longer periods of time without submerging in water. Due to this, they're more common in areas farther from their swampy homes. You're more likely to spot a bufofo in a major city across the World than a ribibi or drobaba, though this isn't a guarantee depending on local climate. At home in their villages, many drobaba find work as laborers or hunters, using their thicker musculature to do the heavy lifting or take down bigger game than their smaller cousins. Ability Score Increase Your Constitution and Strength score increases by 1. Size Your size is Medium. Toad Toughness Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level.Ribibi
Though they may be less common outside of the swamp, the ribibi are by far the most numerous bullywugs and are the typical image of one. With slender limbs, round fingers and toes, and large eyes set atop their heads, they're the spitting image of wild frogs given sapience and size. The ribibi have powerful leg muscles that allow them to jump incredible distances, which many use to aid in hunts or exploration. This ability comes in handy in more urban environments as well, allowing a bullywug to navigate a city from a higher vantage point or easily leap between roofs or windows. Ribibi come in a rainbow of colors, from dull browns or greys; to vibrant greens, yellows, and blues. Ability Score Increase Your Constitution and Charisma score increases by 1. Size Your size is small or medium, chosen when you select this subspecies. Leap Frog Your long jump is up to 20 feet, and your high jump is 10 feet from a stand still. If moving or dashing, this increases to 30 feet long, and 20 feet high.Drobaba
The smallest in size and physique, the drobaba zip around bullywug villages like little colorful streaks. With their lighter weight, they're also the best climbers of all bullywugs, able to easily scamper along the sides of buildings or up a large tree. Possessing a unique adaptation to help them escape swamp predators, the drobaba can ooze a poisonous coating over their skin, harming whatever unfortunate creature attempts to eat or grab them. If the poison isn't washed off in water and dries on a drobaba's skin, it can cause it to crack and hurt the same way it can from drying out. They're the most brightly colored of all bullywugs, often with a bright green or yellow base tone, covered in stripes or spots of reds or blues. Ability Score Increase Your Wisdom and Charisma score increases by 1. Size Your size is small. Speed You gain a climb speed of 25 ft. Poison Coat You are immune to poison. Once per short rest, as a reaction against an enemy making a melee attack against you, you can trigger your poison coating. The attacker must pass a Constitution saving throw to avoid taking 1d6 poison damage.Hunting Parties
When a bullywug village runs low on meat stores, the best warriors from the community will form a hunting party and venture forth into the swamp, hoping to bring down big game. These hunting parties have a few things in common regardless of where they live in the World: bullywugs, with their natural climbing and swimming capabilities, tend to prefer ambush tactics and try to keep a safe distance from their quarries. Spears, bows, and bolas are common weapons, as are traps like nets and snares. Whenever possible, hunters try to surround their prey on all sides before launching the surprise attack. These tactics apply to more foes than just giant beasts, of course. Bullywug adventurers might use these techniques against a variety of enemies, magical, sapient, or otherwise.Bullywug Art
In the city of Lugella, located in the Empire of Erenthill, the bullywug composer Grip Flibbit started an all-bullywug choir that has become quite renowned over the past half-century. They've been invited to perform at exclusive venues for nobles vacationing in Lusia, as well as at a number of holiday festivals, and at universities and musical schools around the World. Recently, a mysterious group of bullywugs has been painting graffiti across the city of Saza by dipping their hands and feet into paint, and crawling across the sides of buildings.
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