Arborian

Origin & Overview

Inspired by the majestic, timeless guardians of the woods, Arborians are a very specific branch of the Ent family. They are "Arborian Ents," the offspring or creations shaped by the ancient Ents themselves. Their original and unique purpose is to serve as guardians to their massive, rooted creators, obeying them without question.

While they are faithful servants designed to protect the ancient sentient trees, they are beings in their own right. An Arborian may embark on an adventure for various reasons: their Ent creator has perished, the forest no longer requires their protection, or the Arborian has awakened to a newfound freedom, rebelling against their creator to forge their own destiny.

Rooted Physiology and Martial Prowess

Remarkably humanoid in appearance, they never betray their plant essence. Though they possess two arms, two legs, and a face sculpted from wood, their bodies are coursed with sap, and their "skin" consists of rough bark plates. Their heads are often crowned with foliage, vines, or antler-like branches formed from dead wood, changing color with the seasons.

This strikingly humanoid and martial physiology allows them to wear forged armor (chainmail, plate, steel helmets) with ease, perfectly integrated into their bark. Lacking fleshy internal organs or stomachs, Arborians metabolize what they ingest as fertilizer. They can absorb decaying matter, toxins, or stagnant water without suffering, purifying these elements through their internal roots.

Arborian Names

Their names often mimic the creaking of wood, the whisper of the wind through leaves, or are direct translations of concepts related to guardianship and nature in Sylvan.

Names: Wood-Guard, Deep-Root, Crack-Branch, Heart-of-Oak, Ash-Gray, Weeping-Willow, Slow-Sap, Iron-Wood.

Racial Traits

You have the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution increases by 2 and your Wisdom by 1.

Age. Arborians are born from awakened seeds and reach maturity around 40 years. They can live for over a millennium.

Size & Weight. You are significantly larger than average, standing between 7 and 8 feet tall and weighing between 330 and 550 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your movement is slow and deliberate. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Creature Type. You are a Plant. Spells or abilities that specifically affect humanoids (such as Hold Person) have no effect on you.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Sylvan.

Protective Bark. Your skin is covered in a thick layer of wood. When you are not wearing armor, your AC is 11 + your Constitution modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you are wearing would leave you with a lower AC. The benefits of a shield apply normally. You have the physiological ability to wear manufactured armor if it is adjusted to your size.

Nourishing Fruit. You possess the magical ability to grow a unique, life-filled fruit on your branches or vines. You can use an action to bloom and harvest this fruit. A creature can use its bonus action to consume it. The fruit heals the creature for an amount of hit points equal to 1d8 + your proficiency bonus, OR allows it to regain a spent 1st-level spell slot (at the consumer's choice). The fruit loses its magical properties if not consumed within 24 hours. You must finish a long rest before you can produce another fruit.

Forest's Might. Your long, knotted arms are natural weapons that you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the normal bludgeoning damage for an unarmed strike. Additionally, when you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach for that attack increases by 5 feet.