Loxodon

The bipedal elephants called loxodons have earned a reputation of gentle giants among the small, scurrying species they live with. They hum or chant in sonorous tones and move slowly or sit in perfect stillness. If provoked to action, loxodons are true terrors - bellowing with rage, trumpeting and flapping their ears. Their serene wisdom, fierce loyalty, and unwavering conviction are tremendous assets to their communities.

Lumbering Giants

Loxodons tower above most other species, standing over 7 feet tall and weighing several hundred pounds. They have the heads - trunks, tusks, ears, and faces - of elephants, and hulking bipedal bodies covered by thick, leathery skin. Each of their hands has four thick digits, and their feet are flat-bottomed, oval-shapes with five stubby toes. Men grow impressive tusks when they reach adulthood, often close to a foot in length and quite sharp. Women rarely will as well, but theirs are often smaller and more rounded at the ends.
A loxodon's trunk is a useful appendage. In addition to providing a keen sense of smell, the trunk can be used to lift and even carry objects, operating like an extra hand. Though less dexterous their real hands, their trunks can manipulate objects, and are delicate enough to bring food and water to their mouths while leaving their hands free. Loxodons also commonly use their trunks as snorkels, submerging their bodies fully underwater while leaving their trunk poking above for air.

Patient Workers

Loxodons are tireless, patient artisans with an unrivaled intuition about their craft. Their gift for architecture, stonework especially, is so ingrained that they are often at a loss when they try to impart that knowledge to others. With a naturally long lifespan, loxodon are willing to dedicate decades to the most intricate of work, spending years planning and drafting before even beginning construction. Most great cities and kingdoms across the world employ loxodon architects to construct their greatest wonders. They're also known for being nurturing spiritual leaders; with the matriarchs of a community often becoming teachers, wise women, shamans, or mages.

Relentlessly Loyal

Loxodons believe that the members of a group have a responsibility to look out for each other. Once they have joined a community or bonded with other individuals, loxodons devote themselves fully to maintaining that bond. They coordinate their efforts and are often willing to sacrifice their wellbeing for the sake of the group. They expect reciprocal loyalty and commitment from the other members of their communities and can be severe in their disappointment if their trust is betrayed.

You can use the loxodon personality table to determine a personality trait or inspire a mannerism for your character.

d6	Personality Trait
1	I trumpet loudly after a victory, no matter how small.
2	I love to swim, and will gladly spend hours doing so.
3	I have trouble locating who's talking when around smaller species.
4	When eating and drinking, I prefer to use my trunk to handle utensils or cups.
5	Whenever possible, I like to stop and have a mud bath to help my skin.
6	I take meticulous notes about every facet of my journey and get frustrated when unable to.

Loxodon Names

A loxodon's name includes subtle tones, produced in a loxodon's resonant nasal chambers, that indicate status, family connections, and community roles. Since most non-loxodons can't distinguish these underlying tones, let alone produce them, loxodons often translate them into titles, such as Hierarch, Revered, Grandmother, Healer, or Saint, when interacting with other races.
Female Names: Ajj, Dooja, Fanoor, Mayja, Totoor.
Male Names: Bayul, Droozh, Ondros, Tamuj, Vasool.

Loxodon Traits

Your loxodon character has the following species traits:
Ability Score Increase Your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Age Loxodon are the longest lived of all species, and are considered young until they reach the age of 60.
Alignment Loxodon lean towards lawful alignments.
Size Your size is medium.
Speed Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Loxodon Serenity You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.
Natural Armor You have thick, leathery skin. When you aren't wearing armor, your AC is 12 + your Constitution modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield's benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.
Trunk You can grasp things with your trunk, and you can use it as a snorkel. It has a reach of 5 feet, and it can lift a number of pounds equal to five times your Strength score. You can use it to do the following simple tasks: lift, drop, hold, push, or pull an object or a creature; open or close a door or a container; grapple someone; or make an unarmed strike. Your DM might allow other simple tasks to be added to that list of options.
Your trunk can't wield weapons or shields, or do anything that requires manual precision, such as using tools or magic items or performing the somatic components of a spell.
Keen Smell Thanks to your sensitive trunk, you have advantage on Perception, Survival, and Investigation checks that involve smell.
Language You speak Common and Pachydese.

Origin/Ancestry

Nalendi

Lifespan

180

Average Height

7'6"

Average Weight

400 lbs.

Related Organizations

• Nalendi

What Grandma Says Goes

In older eras, loxodon men would leave the home after fathering children - departing to fight in wars, work on large construction projects, or send money home from their labor far away. This left all matters of the household, and often the community, to the loxodon women and mothers. Over time, this became the standard organization for a loxodon community. The oldest woman, typically a grand or great-grandmother herself, is the matriarch of the community, as has the final say in all matters that affect it. Other loxodon are free to voice concerns if they disapprove of her decisions, but swaying the matriarch's mind can be an impossible task.

Ancestor's Day

One of the most famous loxodon holidays is Ancestor's Day. It's a time to reflect on lessons learned in life, the wisdom of your elders and those who came before, and the history of one's people. At sunset, loxodon walk through the streets of their village, humming elegies with subsonic tones and carrying candles as they make their way to the cemetery. Once they arrive, they place the candles one by one at each grave, continuing the songs until all are placed. They then trumpet three times in unison, a thank you to the ancestors who came before. The gathering then breaks off into families, who go home to feast, drink, tell jokes, sing, and gamble the rest of the night away.

Long Term Plans

I followed my interviewee to the mud baths, a popular spot for loxodon in the town, to meet some of his colleagues. As we entered the depression in the earth that had been turned into this gathering place, I suddenly felt smaller than normal. I was the only non-loxodon that day. "There he is!" a large fellow trumpeted as we approached a mud bath. They all rose and slapped one another on the arms jovially. These were elite architects?
I introduced myself politely and they all "honked" in response. I spent the next several hours listening to them discuss every mundanity of life, from their current and past architectural projects, their personal family lives, the best place to get fried yams, plans for the winter months, and how one sir's best chisel had broken on a particularly tough granite slab. It was droll, frankly. The loxodon pace of life felt as if it would outlast my timus lifespan.
My ears perked up finally when they got to something dramatic - a competitor architect had been winning bids and using cheap iruxi labor to do it. They were all furious with him, and only partially for moral reasons. I listened intently as they discussed ways to defeat his takeover of the nearby markets. Petitioning the duke, getting the laborers to strike, subterfuge from within his office, stealing materials from his work sites at night; it quickly became very insidious.
"If all else fails, we simply have a crane failure. Ropes snapped, complete accident, you know the drill." My surprise must've been audible, for they all turned and looked at me.
The woman who spoke last blapped her trunk once quickly. "Sorry, little buddy. This is where we talk shop."
-Rodanté