Gaian

Also known as beastmen

While each of the six gaian heritages are bipedal humanoid in general shape, they are each otherwise very different both physically and culturally. More detailed information on them can be found in the subspecies entries.

Civilization and Culture

History

Gaians are the descendants of the ancient Habilis tribe. Their original creation included genetic enhancements that made them more in tune with the natural world, able to tap into and manipulate the subtle, often intangible cues and changes in the world around them in a subconscious way that lent itself to be believed mystical. This made them a great curiosity for the Elder Things, who had set about systematically abducting every habilis they could find and performing experiments on them. It wasn't until the Titanswar after the Elder Things were forced to abandon their cities and experiments that the habilis reemerged.
The habilis brought this connection and the skills if afforded them to Meara during the Rise of the Tribes, since they could grow crops and tend livestock even in the harshly cold environment of the post-Ice Age period. In fact most modern agriculture knowledge exists thanks to those ancient gaians.
Everything changed for the habilis when The Effects of Magic became known. It was this period of history which saw the habilis transform into the gaians, as the mother species split into six distinct paths thanks to the long-term exposure to magic interacting with the heavily modified genetic structure of the habilis.
Since then the gaian heritages, each roughly only a sixth of the number of total gaians and thus making each quite rare, live interspersed among other species, rarely gathering in larger numbers than a family or two.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Habilis

Genetic Descendants

• Amphibian Heritage
• Avian Heritage
• Mammalian Heritage
• Piscean Heritage
• Reptilian Heritage
• Vermin Heritage

Scientific Name

Homo farrago

Gaian Traits

Ability Score Increase Your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Size Medium

Speed Your base walking speed is 30 feet (unless your subrace says otherwise).

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Your gaian character has the following racial traits.
Age. You reach maturity around the age of 15 and live to be around a century old.
Alignment. Gaians tend to extremes, making a conscious choice for one side or the other in the cosmic war between good and evil. Most gaians are good, but those who side with evil can be terrible villains.
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.
Shapeshifter. As an action you can transform into an animal that you are associated with, or back into your normal form. If you reach 0 hit points while in your shapeshifted form you immediately revert to your normal form. All of your equipment merges into your new form and becomes inert. While in the shapeshifted form you retain your personality and identity, but otherwise use the statistics and abilities of that form, losing access to all other abilities and powers. After an hour you automatically shift back to your normal form. Once you shift into your animal form you cannot do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
Connection with the Land. You may cast the wild cunning spell as a ritual. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell. You must complete a short or long rest before you can use this ability again.
Heritage. Select one gaian heritage, which represents which of the six types of gaian you are: Amphibian, Avian, Mammalian, Piscean, Reptilian, or Vermin.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.

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Gaian Heritage	Heritage Alternate Name	Shapeshifter Animal Form
Reptilian	Dragonborn	Lizard
Avian	Kenku	Raven
Vermin	Kobold	Rat
Mammalian	Tabaxi	Cat
Amphibian	Tortle	Turtle (use Crab stats but with a bite attack instead of claw attack)
Piscean	Triton	Quipper