Mousefolk

Mousefolk

Pharosian Name: Meledari
Sylvan Name: Momo'qu

Mousefolk are a prolific race among Eashavar's human societies, making it one of the only race of Fey to have left their naturalistic lives largely behind. Instead, most Mousefolk prefer the tight conditions of urban life. They often find themselves living in cramped spaces and slums which comprise almost entirely of fellow Mousefolk, but they are nevertheless happy to be around so many friends. Mousefolk fill all manner of practical artisanal roles within society, but they always feel a bit like outsiders with dreams of wandering beyond their little world.

General Information

Physical Description

Mousefolk carry a rodent-like appearance, about the size of Halflings, with long and thin tails, big rounded ears atop oversized heads, and a slight characteristic hunch to their stance. Many prefer to run on all fours rather than to be bipedal, though either stance is ergonomically acceptable to them. Mousefolk tend to have large stomachs and abdomens, and they will go to extreme lengths to keep themselves clean. They are rarely mistaken for Ratlings, which are much larger, gaunt, and typically unhygienic - if not outright diseased. All Mousefolk have long whiskers extending from their murine noses.

Mousefolk have minimal sexual dimorphism, and are in fact born hermaphroditic. A Mousefolk's sex is determined at the point of puberty, at which point their reproductive tissue first develops. The type of puberty they undergo is heavily influenced by social factors such as their gender identity, leading to skewed population dynamics in many Mousefolk communities (see Gender and Relationships below). Some Mousefolk in particularly skewed populations have been known to be able to change their sex post-puberty, undergoing a process of "second puberty" which reverses the first. This is far more common in the direction of males becoming females, and the mechanism behind it is not fully understood.

Community Structure

Mousefolk live in expansive family networks, which include very distant relatives and even close family friends unrelated by blood. These networks may live in the same home, or between multiple homes, as Mousefolk like to build tunnels beneath the ground that connect them, often termed warrens. This leads to much annoyance amongst the cities in which they live, as these tunnels may prove to be hidden hazards for construction projects, and they are routinely closed up in many places around the world. These warrens mimic the preferences of Mousefolk families in the wild, which tend to live in caverns or ravines that they extensively tunnel within.

Mousefolk are highly social, but somewhat insular. They will quickly feel alienated and depressed if not around their large family network, but they are wary and skittish around non-Mousefolk and other outsiders. They are slow to trust, but quick to open up once trust has been established. These trust issues don't extend to other Mousefolk, who they will accept immediately - after all, the likelihood of them being related is quite high with how prolific their people are, and any relation may as well be a cloe family relation to a Mousefolk.

Mousefolk use singular names in typical day-to-day life, though large warrens and neighborhoods will adopt a unified surname to distinguish themselves. This surname tends to be more frustrating than useful when it comes to legal paperwork, as in a given city, every Mousefolk might have the same name - and they might be thousands of them. Most Mousefolk will also have a unique frequency of chitter in their special language, Chitterchat, which acts much like a name within the warren. This noise is preferred to the use of an actual name, and Mousefolk will rarely use "real" names amongst each other. This is also the primary use of Chitterchat, though it can be adapted to convey basic messages when established and agreed upon.

Gender and Relationships

Though Mousefolk have no obvious sexual characteristics and are born hermaphroditic, they do tend to have concepts of gender inherited from the societies in which they reside. A Mousefolk's gender is typically decided upon some time in their youth, and is heavily influenced by the types of roles their immediate family takes on. For instance, a warren of Mousefolk that specialize in blacksmithing might tend to be primarily masculine in human societies where blacksmithing is considered more of a male job. Mousefolk have no issue taking on gender roles, and don't even really question them much or find them confusing like other Fey might.

Mousefolk relationships tend to be complicated, as their family networks might imply. They tend to form one-directional polycules with multiple people, in the sense that one Mousefolk might have five partners, but none of those partners are partners with each other. Adding to one's polycule extends the family network, which is never a bad thing in the eyes of a Mousefolk. The same can be said about reproduction, which is aided by the fact that a female Mousefolk can carry multiple males' children at once, remaining fertile throughout the entirety of her pregnancy.

Race (5e)

Mousefolk (5e)

ability score increase: +1 Constitution

age: Mousefolk mature around the age of 12. They can live to be up to 60 years old.

Size: Small

speed: 25ft

Languages:

race features:
Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Squeeze and Squirm: When attacked by an attack of opportunity, you may use your reaction to impose disadvantage on that attack. Additionally, when you take the Disengage action on your turn, you may use a Bite attack as a bonus action, dealing 1d4 piercing damage with the Finesse property.
Natural Scavengers: You can move through Tiny sized spaces as if you were Tiny size. You gain advantage on Perception checks that make use of smell.

Ancestry (Pathfinder 2e)

Mousefolk feats emphasize their rodent physiology, their adaptation to tight and cramped spaces, and their willingness to fight dirty.

Mousefolk

Hit Points

6

Size

Small

Speed

25

Ability Boosts

Dexterity, Intelligence, Free

Ability Flaw

Strength

Traits

Humanoid, Fey, Mousefolk

Languages

Human Common, Chitterchat, additional languages equal to your Intelligence modifier (if it's positive)

Special Abilities

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Darkvision: You can see in darkness and dim light just as well as you can see in bright light, though your vision in darkness is in black and white.

Heritages

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Longsnout Mousefolk: The long snouts that run in your family give you a keener sense of smell than most Mousefolk. You gain imprecise scent with a range of 30 feet. This means you can use your sense of smell to determine a creature’s location. The GM will usually double the range if you’re downwind from the creature or halve the range if you’re upwind. In addition, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Perception checks to Seek a creature or object within the range of your scent.
Proper Mousefolk: Through effort and luck, your family managed to build wealth and rise in the ranks of society. You take incredible care to bathe regularly and separate yourself from other Fey. You become trained in Diplomacy and one Lore skill of your choice.
Roadrunner Mousefolk: You likely grew up traveling the roads. You have a leaner build than other Mousefolk, with longer limbs and short fur. If you have both hands free, you can increase your Speed to 30 feet as you run on all fours. In addition, environmental heat effects are one step less extreme for you, and you can go 10 times as long as normal before you are affected by starvation or thirst. However, unless you wear protective gear or take shelter, environmental cold effects are one step more extreme for you.
Urban Mousefolk: Your incredibly small bones allow you to easily compress your body and squeeze through gaps. You gain the Quick Squeeze feat as a bonus feat, even if you aren't trained in Acrobatics. Tight spaces not tight enough to require the Squeeze action aren't difficult terrain for you.

Ancestry Feats

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Name	Traits	Level	Prerequisites	Benefits	Details
Cheek Pouches	Mousefolk	1	-	Your cheeks are stretchy, and you can store up to four items of light Bulk or less in these cheek pouches.	Show spoiler Your cheeks are stretchy, and you can store up to four items of light Bulk or less in these cheek pouches. None of these items can have a dimension longer than 1 foot. As long as you have at least one item in your cheek pouches, your speech is noticeably difficult to understand. Placing an item in your cheek pouch or retrieving one is an Interact action. You can empty your mouth with a single action, causing everything you had stored in your cheek pouches to fall to the ground in your square.
Pack Rat	Mousefolk	1	-	Years of packing for travel have taught you how to cram vast quantities into small spaces.	Show spoiler Years of packing for travel have taught you how to cram vast quantities into small spaces. You can fit an additional 50% of the listed Bulk capacity into mundane storage containers or vehicles. For example, you can fit 6 Bulk in a backpack, or 12 Bulk in a chest. This doesn't alter the items' Bulk, nor does it change how much you can store in a magical or extradimensional storage space, such as a bag of holding.
Momo'qu Lore	Mousefolk	1	-	Years of experience among Mousefolk communities have made you nimble, and you've learned to run and hide when enemies threaten.	Show spoiler Years of experience among Mousefolk communities have made you nimble, and you've learned to run and hide when enemies threaten. You gain the trained proficiency rank in Acrobatics and Stealth. If you would automatically become trained in one of those skills (from your background or class, for example), you instead become trained in a skill of your choice. You also become trained in Mousefolk Lore.
Tinkering Fingers	Mousefolk	1	-	You're good with your hands and can quickly improvise a fix for broken or damaged equipment.	Show spoiler You're good with your hands and can quickly improvise a fix for broken or damaged equipment. You're trained in Crafting. If you would automatically become trained in Crafting (from your background or class, for example), you instead become trained in a skill of your choice. You can Repair an item without using a repair kit without taking the –2 circumstance penalty, improvising tools from whatever you have at hand.
Vicious Incisors	Mousefolk	1	-	You've let your incisors grow long enough to serve as formidable weapons.	Show spoiler You've let your incisors grow long enough to serve as formidable weapons. You gain a jaws unarmed attack that deals 1d6 piercing damage. Your jaws are in the brawling group and have the finesse and unarmed traits. Unlike most creatures, you can file down your teeth and regrow them later on, enabling you to select this feat at any level, and to retrain into and out of this feat.
Warren Friend	Downtime, Mousefolk	1	-	You're adept at making contact with other Mousefolk.	Show spoiler You're adept at making contact with other Mousefolk. When you arrive at a new settlement, you automatically find the nearest Mousefolk enclave by spending 1 day of downtime searching, provided one exists and its members aren't actively hiding from you. Once you've made contact, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Gather Information and Earn Income in the settlement.
Warren Navigator	Mousefolk	1	-	You're particularly good at solving mazes and navigating twists and turns.	Show spoiler You're particularly good at solving mazes and navigating twists and turns. You gain the trained proficiency rank in Survival. If you would automatically become trained in Survival (from your background or class, for example), you become trained in another skill of your choice. When you Sense Direction or attempt a roll against a maze spell, you get a result one degree of success better than you rolled. You don't take a penalty to Sense Direction when you lack a compass.
Cornered Fury	Mousefolk	5	-	When physically outmatched, you fight with unexpected ferocity.	Show spoiler When physically outmatched, you fight with unexpected ferocity. If a foe of a larger size than you critically hits and damages you, that foe is flat-footed to you for 1 round.
Gnaw	Mousefolk	5	Vicious Incisors	With enough time and determination, you can chew through nearly anything.	Show spoiler With enough time and determination, you can chew through nearly anything. You deal double your jaws damage to an unattended, inanimate object.
Lab Mouse	Mousefolk	5	-	You've spent more than your share of time in an alchemy lab.	Show spoiler You've spent more than your share of time in an alchemy lab. You might have been an alchemist yourself, an assistant, or perhaps even a test subject. Either way, you have been exposed to a wide variety of alchemical poisons and elixirs, leaving you with increased tolerance of their effects. You have a +1 circumstance bonus to saves against poison and harmful effects from elixirs. If you roll a success on your saving throw against an elixir or poison, you get a critical success instead.
Mouse Magic	Mousefolk	5	-	There always seems to be a little mouse around to carry messages for you.	Show spoiler There always seems to be a little mouse around to carry messages for you. You can cast animal messenger once per day as a primal innate spell. When you do, the animal that responds is always a mouse. If there are no mice within range, the spell is lost.
Plague Sniffer	Mousefolk	5	Longsnout Mousefolk heritage	You can sniff out the pungent tang of disease.	Show spoiler You can sniff out the pungent tang of disease. When you detect a creature by scent, you can also detect if that creature is suffering from a disease at a non-carrier state. If the disease is particularly subtle, you might need to attempt a Perception check against the disease's DC (subject to the GM's discretion).
Quick Stow	Mousefolk	5	Cheek Pouches	You are adept at quickly moving items into your cheek pouches.	Show spoiler You are adept at quickly moving items into your cheek pouches. You Interact to store one held item in your cheek pouches (provided it fits).
Mousefolk Roll	Move, Mousefolk	5	-	Your ability to curl up into a tight ball comes in handy.	Show spoiler Your ability to curl up into a tight ball comes in handy. You roll up into a ball and move up to four times your Speed in a straight line down an incline. If you reach the bottom of the incline or hit an obstacle during this first turn of movement, you stop rolling safely. Otherwise, you automatically keep rolling at this Speed during subsequent turns until you hit the bottom of the incline or an obstacle ends this movement (which can happen in the middle of your turn). You're slowed 2 each turn after the first that you keep rolling, and if you hit an obstacle on a turn after the first, you and the obstacle both take 4d6 bludgeoning damage and you stop rolling.
Big Mouth	Mousefolk	9	Cheek Pouches	Your cheek pouches are especially stretchy.	Show spoiler Your cheeks are stretchy, and you can store up to four items of light Bulk or less in these cheek pouches. None of these items can have a dimension longer than 1 foot. As long as you have at least one item in your cheek pouches, your speech is noticeably difficult to understand. Placing an item in your cheek pouch or retrieving one is an Interact action. You can empty your mouth with a single action, causing everything you had stored in your cheek pouches to fall to the ground in your square.
Overcrowd	Mousefolk	9	-	Your physiology is slight, and you can pack into small spaces with others of similar stature.	Show spoiler Your physiology is slight, and you can pack into small spaces with others of similar stature. As long as you are Small, you can end your movement in the same square as a Small ally. Only two creatures total can share the same space when using this ability or a similar one.
Uncanny Cheeks	Mousefolk	9	-	You squirrel away useful objects and seem to retrieve them at just the right time.	Show spoiler You squirrel away useful objects and seem to retrieve them at just the right time. You gain the Prescient Consumable and Prescient Planner feats, except that you always withdraw the objects from your cheek pouches. This means the object you retrieve must fit in your cheek pouches; this is generally an item of negligible Bulk unless you also have the Cheek Pouches feat.
Shinstabber	Mousefolk	13	Overcrowd	You can dart around and between your larger allies' legs without tripping them up.	Show spoiler You can dart around and between your larger allies' legs without tripping them up. As long as you're Small or smaller, you can end your movement in the same square as a Medium or larger ally. Only two creatures total can share the same space when using this ability or a similar one.
Skittering Sneak	Mousefolk	13	-	You squish, slink, and skitter from cover to cover with great speed and stealth.	Show spoiler You squish, slink, and skitter from cover to cover with great speed and stealth. You can move up to your full Speed when you Sneak.
Warren Digger	Mousefolk	13	-	You've learned to put your sturdy claws to work digging through the earth.	Show spoiler You've learned to put your sturdy claws to work digging through the earth. You gain a burrow Speed of 15 feet.

You Might...

• Build or maintain small hidden spaces, shortcuts, or tunnels wherever you rest.
• Treat every Mousefolk you meet as family until proven otherwise.
• Speak quickly when excited and retreat into silence when overwhelmed.

Others Probably...

• Marvel at how you keep yourself and your belongings immaculate even in the densest and dirtiest of spaces.
• Find your trust slow to earn but surprisingly wholehearted once granted.
• Think your family networks are impossibly tangled and hard to keep track of.

by AI-Generated (NovelAI + Dzine)

by AI-Generated (NovelAI + Dzine)