Penguin (5e Race)
Penguin
Penguins are an intelligent race of flightless birds native to the arctic.
Physical Description
Penguins are flightless birds who are usually native to arctic climates but can also be found living in temperate parts of the world in relative comfort. Possessing flippers instead of wings, they are capable of swimming through the water with extreme speed and grace. Overall, penguins have a stocky, short-legged built that many people consider to be quite cute. They have a wide range of coloration on their feathers, feat, and beaks, but their bellies are a colorless white. Penguins can use their flippers for surprisingly fine manipulation and can do just about anything humans can do with their hands: Wield weapons, pick locks, perform somatic components for spells, and so on.
History
Penguins have been around for a very long time. Legend has it that thousands of years ago penguins were much larger than they are now, dwarfing even humans, but penguins of such size have not been seen in the modern day. Before contact with humanoid civilization, penguins lived simple lives, but even then they possessed a cleverness not seen in most animals, and had surprisingly advanced tribal societies.
Society
Penguins sometimes live in the wild among themselves, gathering into small tribes where they make a living catching fish and living off the sea. It is not uncommon for them to mingle with humanoid society, however, where they are commonly owned as pets. Their good nature and natural charm means that they get along well with other races.
Penguin Names
Penguins tend to have cutesy, whimsical names or nicknames.
Male: Andy, Charlie, Donny, Gunther, Joe, Norbert, Sammy, Tony
Female: Cassie, Crystal, Ella, Francesca, Marlene
Both: Domino, Flippers, Frosty, Ice Pop, Oreo, Pebble, Scout, Skipper, Snow
Penguin Traits
A small, cute race of flightless birds who are native to the arctic.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity and Charisma scores both increase by 2.
Age. Penguins reach adulthood sometime between the age of three to eight, and live 20-30 years.
Alignment. Most penguins are neutral good. As a rule, they are good-hearted and kind, but they have no more predisposition towards being orderly or disorderly than humans do.
Size. Penguins average 2-3 feet in height and are light, averaging 20-40 pounds in weight. Your size is Small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet. You also have a swim speed of 50 feet.
Snowvision. Snowy weather doesn't obscure your vision. You never have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks because of such conditions.
Arctic Native. You have resistance to cold damage. You are immune to the to the effects of both cold weather and Extreme Cold as described in the Dungeon Master’s Guide (page 110). Furthermore, you do not treat shallow water, snow, or ice as difficult terrain.
Penguin Nimbleness. You can move through the space of any creature that is of a size larger than yours.
Snowcraft. You know the shape water cantrip. Starting at 3rd level, you can cast snilloc's snowball swarm once with this trait without expending a spell slot or any components, and regain the ability to do so whenever you finish a short or long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Beast nature. You are an animal, albeit a clever one. Your type is beast, not humanoid.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common. You can also speak the language of birds. The language of birds has no written form, and sounds just like the singing, chirping, and crying of mundane birds to an untrained humanoid ear. To a bird with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher such as penguins however, it sounds like the sophisticated speech that it is, capable of communicating complex thoughts and concepts like any other language.
Random Height and Weight
| Base Height | Height Modifier* | Base Weight | Weight Modifier** |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1′ 10″ | +2d8 | 18 lb. | × (1d2) lb. |
|
*Height = base height + height modifier | |||
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