Simani
Varying wildly in physique, coloration, and disposition, the hairy simani of the jungles still share the common traits of their ancestors. They're good at making friends and enemies, capable with their dexterous hands, and quick at picking up new skills.
Though some other species see them as unpredictable and violent, simani simply carry their emotions much more openly than many other species. Simani tribes are filled with storytellers, bards, and wisemen, and they can captivate the whole tribe with a tale around the fire. Make friends with a simani and you'll have an ally for life. Become enemies with a simani, and hope you strike first.
Cousins of all Kinds
Though their shapes, sizes, builds, and even fur colors have a tremendous amount of difference, the five tribes of simani all consider themselves closely related to one another. The term they use is "cousin", which can become confusing quickly when a simani refers to their own blood cousins. The five cousin tribes live in relative harmony, each tribe fitting into a niche in their joint society. The largest, rillin, fill physical roles like laborers or warriors; the oruga often fill spiritual and magical roles in villages; ponga slide into positions of leadership and those that require making connections; nobi frequently become healers and scholars; and the tiny bibbons find themselves working in crafts.Life in the Jungle
Simani have been known to eat almost anything they can get their hands on: fruit, vegetables, roots, game, insects, honey, and fish are all fair play. Meal times are a special moment in simani life; the tribe will gather around a fire or head table, passing plates of foods to one another and ensuring that everyone gets a chance to taste everything at least once. They're able to support these varied diets through the use of their incredible dexterity and climbing skill. No fruit tree is too tall, no root too buried to dig up without a shovel, no fish too slippery, and no hive too difficult to poke with a tool.Social Animals
There's nothing simani love more than good company. Any simani can spend hours talking, swapping stories, trading jokes, and just getting to know almost anyone they meet. Simani culture is filled with storytellers, bards, wise men and women, poets, folktales, ghost stories, songs, raunchy jokes, and all manner of puns and word play. This knack for making friends extends to those outside their own species - simani can quickly integrate travelers or newcomers into their groups, bringing a minotaur sailor home for dinner or forming a friendship with tabaxi merchants traveling the road. You can use the simani personality table to determine a personality quirk or to inspire a mannerism for your character.Simani Names
Simani are named at birth, and usually do not have a surname or clan name after their given name. Their names are known by all in the tribe, and more often than not, no simani is given a title or honorific above the rest. Female Names: Ardi, Ela, Koko, Mwu, Rama. Male Names: Anat, Ko, Lui, Orro, Wukong.Simani Traits
Your simani character has the following species traits: Ability Score Increase Your Charisma score increases by 1. Age Simani reach maturity and age at the same rate as most species. Alignment Simani lean towards chaotic or good alignments. Speed Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Skilled Climbers You gain proficiency in either the Athletics or Acrobatics skills. Your natural agility allows you to climb at full speed, rather than half. Within GM discretion, this climbing speed also applies to climbing across ceilings. Prehensile Feet Simani can hang from their feet, as well as use their feet to manipulate tools and weapons. When holding an object in your feet, your walking speed becomes 0, but your climbing speed remains full if your hands are free. Language You speak Common and Common Sign, a gesture and hand-signing based version of common for silent communication. During character creation, select one of the following subspecies of simani and apply those traits to your character.Rillin
Large and imposing, the rillin give off an aura of powerful warriors or dangerous beasts to those who meet them for the first time. Their broad shoulders, powerful arms and hands, and large humped backs can make them tower over the smaller species of the world. But in reality, the rillin are often even-tempered, proud, and quite sociable when you get them to open up to you. Behind their fierce visage is a friendly, family oriented tribe of simani. The oldest male is usually the leader, though his role is mostly ceremonial or diplomatic. Their massive strength makes rillin likely to fit into laboring roles in society, especially around their cousins. The rillin tend only to act when they must, but if the time does come for the simani to take up arms, many rillin will gladly give themselves up to protect their people. Ability Score Increase Your Strength score increases by 2. Size Rillin are the largest subspecies, averaging 6' and 350 lbs. Your size is medium. Silverback Strength Your carrying capacity and feats of strength count as one size larger. Your powerful arms also increase the damage of your unarmed attacks to 1d6 + your Strength modifier.Oruga
Often more solitary than their cousins, the oruga are wise and quiet protectors of the jungles they call home. Instantly recognizable by their fiery orange fur and long arms, oruga males also have broad, flat faces and huge cheeks. Other species tend to think of the oruga as "wild-folk of the jungle", and they're often talked about in a way reminiscent of ghost stories. Among their simani cousins, however, oruga are seen as knowledgeable and calm spiritual and cultural leaders. They've been known to be tinkerers and crafters, clerics and wizards, medicine makers and insightful hermits. While oruga may prefer a simple life away from the bustle of a city, they have no problem with visitors or companions, and often enjoy sitting and watching other folk go about their days. Though they may move deliberately and say very little, know that an oruga's mind is always working. Ability Score Increase Your Wisdom score increases by 2. Size Oruga are the second largest subspecies, averaging 5'6" and 240 lbs. Your size is medium. Inventive Minds Gain an additional tool proficiency of your choice. Long-Limbed When you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach for it is 5 feet greater than normal.Ponga
The most numerous tribe of the cousins, ponga are what other species think of when they picture simani. Their medium builds place their average height somewhere around that of the lycan. While they may look friendly from first appearance, the cheeky smiles of the ponga hide an intensity of emotion that can best be summed up as "sudden". A conversation can swap from friendly ribbing to insults and shouting when a joking comment is taken the wrong way. A fistfight between ponga can end with arms around shoulders and cackling laughter as enemies become new friends. In ponga villages, it's all about who you know. Coin or status matter much less than a favor owed to someone else, or how many buddies you can get to back you up in a personal goal. For this reason, leaders are often the best social climbers; those who've made plenty of connections and have a network of allies to call on can make moves to keep their rivals in check or exile them from the village. Ability Score Increase You gain +1 to two ability scores of your choice. Size Ponga average 5'2" in height and 130 lbs. in weight. Your size is medium. Toothy Grin You gain proficiency in either the Deception, Intimidate, Performance, or Persuasion skill.Nobi
Commonly mistaken for their ponga cousins, the nobi are similar in size and appearance, but have a much more even-tempered outlook on life and personal relationships. Known to be excellent friends and allies, nobi prefer to solve their problems with a good conversation, sharing of gifts, or profuse apology. It takes a lot to get a rise out of a nobi, but the same fury that lies in the ponga can be found if you press hard enough. Nobi are incredibly quick learners and can pick up skills they see others use after just a few repetitions. Teachers can expect young nobi to master a lesson quickly, but be wary as they become bored with material just as quickly, and will wander mentally (and sometimes physically). Ability Score Increase Your Charisma score increases by 1 and your Intelligence score by 1. Size Only slightly smaller and more slender than their ponga cousins, nobi average 4'10" and 120 lbs. Your size is medium. Quick Learner After witnessing a successful skill check, you may gain advantage on that same skill check until your next long rest. This only applies to one skill per long rest.Bibbon
Small, graceful, and surprisingly loud, the bibbon are the tiniest and lankiest of the simani cousins. They can often be seen running through the trees, across rooftops or through streets, their extremely long arms held up above their heads. Bibbon live in smaller families than many of their cousins, generally just parents and their children. Bibbon couples are usually paired up by their parents in an arranged marriage, but it's expected only to last until their children reach adolescence. The moment the kids are old enough to work, the couple can divorce if they so choose, no hard feelings towards anybody. It's not uncommon for bibbons to only marry for love in their old age, when they're looking for a partner to spend their latter years with. Other species may find this practice peculiar, but the bibbon elders will claim it's the way they've resolved land and material goods disputes for centuries. Ability Score Increase Your Deterity score increases by 2. Size Only 3' in height and averaging 40 lbs., bibbon are the smallest subspecies. Your size is small. Quick and Nimble You can move at a speed of 35 ft. walking, and 40 ft. climbing. When taking fall damage, roll twice and take the lower number.Tribal Family Tree
The simani are a peculiar people when it comes to the magical evolution of their species. Though each tribe may appear to consist of different sapient species, their similarities far outweigh their differences and all are anatomically close. The tribes in fact came from one "root" species that was first magically evolved to sapience. This wild ancestor of all the tribes seems to have had many of their features in common - exceptionally dexterous hands, prehensile feet, lack of a tail, long arms, and a highly expressive face. Scholars have attempted to get to the bottom of this splitting mystery. The evidence points towards the non-sapient ancestral simani becoming separated into distinct populations right as magical evolution began to occur. Perhaps flooding suddenly kept them apart, or a fire scattered them from their jungle. In any case, these now-distant groups were unable to co-mingle for a period of time, allowing them to rapidly change through magic into their current-day forms.Simani Cuisine
Simani love to eat, and they'll eat just about anything. An abundant ancestral lifestyle in tropical Nalendi has given them a taste for a wide variety of ingredients and flavors. Typical simani cuisine is heavy in leafy greens and fruits, with plenty of tubers, nuts, and vegetables as well. Meat isn't a staple, more like a nice treat. Fish, insects, and eggs are the most common, with red meat eaten least frequently. Seemingly all simani have a sweet tooth - sugary sweets, honey, and chocolate all fly off the shelves when they're stocked in simani towns.
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