My daughter Emma and I discussed some D&D character ideas the other night. I then wrote this yesterday on my way into work.
Penguinoids
Noble but rare and often somewhat reclusive, the Penguinoids of the polar regions live in settlements scattered across the polar tundra. Many fear outsiders, but a select few venture forth to trade and to see the world.
AI conceptions of Penguinoid adventurers. All pics via Microsoft's Copilot app.
Penguinoids revere nature and their great Goddess of Frost. Tribal Arctic Penguinoids tend to be Druidic, living close to the land. More civilized Emperor Penguinoids live in a handful of large towns that dot the Arctic coastline.
Penguinoid Characteristics
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 can't raise any of your scores above 20.
Though Penguinoids can be good at anything, most Arctic Penguinoids are more nimble than humans (Dexterity), while Emperor Penguinoids tend to be stronger (Strength) and/or more charismatic (Charisma). Penguinoids generally tend to be far heartier (Constitution) as well. This owes to their culture; they mostly spend their lives in the icy wilderness of the polar tundra.
Age. Penguinoids have far shorter lifespans than humans. They reach maturity at about 10 years of age and generally live to be about 50.
Alignment. Penguinoids are noble, often spiritual creatures, and they are almost always highly committed to the good of their communities. They must be for their culture to survive in the harsh Arctic wilderness. They therefore tend towards Lawful alignments.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
Arctic Adept. You have resistance to Cold damage. Your speed increases to 30 feet on icy ground. You do not treat icy surfaces as difficult terrain.
Natural Swimmer. Your Swim speed is 35 feet. You can hold your breath for up to an hour.
Tundra Training. You are proficient in your choice of two of the following skills: Animal Handling, Nature, Perception, or Survival.
Aquatic Hunter. You are proficient with the spear. Whenever a power, spell, or class feature calls specifically for the use of any kind of sword, you may substitute a spear instead.
Belly Slide. As an Action, you can move up to 35 feet by sliding on your belly. During this slide, you have Advantage against Opportunity Attacks. You may make either a melee attack or a melee spell attack at any point during this slide. On a hit, this attack knocks your target prone. Once you’ve used this power, you may not use it again until you’ve completed a Short or a Long rest.
Languages. You can read and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character.
Arctic Penguinoids often know Aquan. Emperor Penguinoids often know Elvish or Draconic.
Size. Arctic Penguinoids stand a little over 3 feet. They are size Small. Emperor Penguinoids stand as tall as 5 feet and are size Medium.
Overview
Legend has it that the great Frost Goddess fell wounded in battle with the dread Volcano God. Fearing death, she called for help to a colony of nearby penguins. These brought her fish and shelter and helped nurse her back to health, and in return she blessed them with reason and culture.
Thus begat the Penguinoid People.
Penguinoid culture revolves around family, colony, and community. Penguinoids live in a harsh, unforgiving climate where they survive and indeed thrive only because they work together. Penguinoids share everything, “From each according to their abilities; to each according to their needs.” The worst insult one Penguinoid may level at another is an accusation of Selfishness.
Penguinoids mate for life. They share child-rearing duties evenly in families and indeed, across communities.
Though Penguinoids exist as a single species, two ethnicities exist, each with its own unique cultures and traditions. These two types of Penguinoids do not hate each other by any means, but neither are they apt to intermingle.
Arctic Penguinoids
Arctic Penguinoids live in small tribal colonies scattered throughout the Arctic coast. Though few in warmer climes have ever seen or even heard of them, Arctic Penguinoids are actually quite common in the polar latitudes. Any adventuring party traveling the Arctic Coast is bound to run into a tribe or two.
These tribes, technically called “colonies”, may be either friendly or hostile to outsiders. The Penguinoids’ disposition depends largely on the colony’s relative strength and its perception of outsiders. Arctic Penguinoids are rarely evil, but outsiders can be few and fair between in the frozen tundra, especially during winter. As such, a certain amount of natural mistrust should be expected.
Arctic Penguinoids are a nomadic, animistic people. They revere nature, interpreting the Frost Goddess as a primordial spirit of the land and sea. These Penguinoids live by small-scale fishing and by hunting along the Arctic coastline, often following colonies of seals or walruses, whom they sometimes domesticate as farm animals or mounts.
Not surprisingly, Arctic Penguinoid adventurers tend to become Druids or Rangers, though some may also become Barbarians or even Fighters.
Arctic Penguinoids rarely use metal, substituting bone or shell where applicable. When they use magic, they generally use Natural or Primordial magic, and indeed, if Arctic Penguinoids travel the planes, they usually journey onto the Elemental Plane of Ice.
Emperor Penguinoids
Emperor Penguinoid colonies have built a few large towns along the Arctic coastline. These Penguinoids are far more civilized than their Arctic brethren, often using arcane magic and metallurgy where Arctic Penguinoids live more as hunters and gatherers.
Emperor Penguinoids have a more formal conception of the Frost Goddess. For them, she is a regal deity whom they worship in great frozen cathedrals. Noble Emperor Penguinoids may also have relationships with the powers of Faerie, especially Fey of the Frost Court.
Similarly, Emperor Penguinoid colonies often give fealty to a powerful patron, whom the common Penguinoids revere as an avatar of the Frost Goddess. This may be a greater fey, a storm giant, or even a silver dragon. This creature may not be physically present in the town itself, but it is often close by, either physically or else colocated on a nearby parallel plane. Colony civic and religious leaders speak to this patron on behalf of the colony, making entreaties and seeking redress for perceived wrongs as well as protection from outside threats.
Alas, balancing the competing interests of multiple patrons within a single town can sometimes become a delicate task. Competing patron interests sometimes give rise to civic and even violent conflicts amongst Emperor Penguinoid colonies.
Unlike Arctic Penguinoids, Emperors survive almost entirely by farming and fishing. They sail small but well-designed fishing and whaling vessels and have domesticated great colonies of seals and walruses along with pods of dolphins and killer whales. Emperor Penguinoids generally build structures using ice blocks or stone, buttressed by great whale bones. For Penguinoids, wood is a rare and precious commodity.
Emperor Penguinoids tend to be religiously devout. As adventurers, they often become Paladins, Clerics, Mages, or even Warlocks of the Fey Pact. Some few may also become Bards or Rangers. When Emperor Penguinoids travel the planes, they typically visit the Feywild.
Penguinoid Short Spear
Some Penguinoids cut the hafts off of spears for close-in fighting, creating a kind of short spear similar in purpose and usage to a regular short sword. These short spears are one-handed weapons costing approximately 10 gp. They deal 1d6 piercing damage and have the Light and Finesse properties.
Penguinoid Adventure Hook
In the arctic town of Icy Fjord, one of the local Emperor Penguinoid colonies has fallen under the influence of an evil white dragon following the death of the colony's former patron. Penguinoids from other colonies are loathe to attack their neighbors, but the dragon's demands have introduced greed and sloth into its followers' colony with winter coming soon. This puts the entire town at risk.
Can the adventurer's free the colony from their oppressive new master?
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