Gloom

Species (Homebrew), Medium

Available with DM subscription

Racial Traits

Speed 25 ft.

Age Glooms reach maturity within three years of germination and can persist for two centuries if their bog remains fed, though most rot into dormancy long before.

Languages Common, One additional language of your choice, Sylvan (understood through spore-scent, spoken as a slow, mulchy approximation)

Alignment Tendencies Neutral, Neutral Evil, Chaotic Neutral

Ability Score Increases

Peat-Bog Gloom

STRENGTH

CONSTITUTION

River-Mouth Gloom

DEXTERITY

WISDOM

Drowned-Citadel Gloom

INTELLIGENCE

CHARISMA

Racial Features

Darkvision

You can see in Dim Light within 60 feet of yourself as if it were Bright Light, and in Darkness as if it were Dim Light. You discern colors in that darkness only as shades of murky green and gray.

Usage: Constant

Rooted Stability

You have Advantage on saving throws and ability checks made to avoid being Pushed, dragged, or knocked Prone while you are on wet ground, mud, or other soft terrain. You also gain Advantage on saving throws against effects that would move you against your will when standing in water at least ankle-deep. Additionally, difficult terrain composed of mud, muck, or shallow water doesn't cost you extra movement.

Usage: Constant

Carrion Scent

You have Advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks made to track creatures, provided the creature is Bloodied, wounded, dead, or decaying. You can also identify by smell whether a creature or corpse within 30 feet of you is dead, undead, Diseased, or merely unconscious.

Usage: Constant

Grub-Column Spine

The symbiotic rot grubs lining your body grant you an unusual resilience. When you fail a Death Saving Throw, you can instead treat the roll as a 10. Once you use this benefit, you can't use it again until you finish a Long Rest. Additionally, you have Resistance to Poison damage and Advantage on saving throws against the Poisoned condition.

Usage: 1/Long Rest (death save benefit)

Dormant Rot

You don't need to sleep. Instead, you sink your root-mass into damp earth and enter a dormant trance for 4 hours, gaining the benefits of a Long Rest in half the usual time. If no suitably damp earth, mud, or water is available, you can still complete a full 8-hour Long Rest normally. While dormant, you appear to be a cluster of dead reeds, granting you Advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in swamps, marshes, or areas of dense plant life.

Usage: Constant

Sunless Nature

You are a creature of damp decay. You have Vulnerability to Fire damage in exchange for your fungal hardiness. You don't need to eat normal food, but you must consume at least 1 pound of fresh or decaying flesh once per week or gain one level of Exhaustion that can't be removed until you feed.

Usage: Constant

Rules Compatibility

Primary Ruleset D&D 5.5 / SRD 5.2

Compatible Rulesets D&D 5.5 / SRD 5.2, D&D 5e / SRD 5.1

Ability Scores Base species grants no ability scores; every combination reaches exactly +3 total via the lineage's +2/+1 package, in line with SRD 5.2 flexible ability score norms.

Balance Notes Base species grants +0 ability scores, 25-foot speed (compensated by terrain-ignoring traits), and four flavorful utility traits plus a vulnerability/flaw package. Each of the three lineages completes a legal +3 package (+2/+1), so no combination exceeds budget. Lineage traits are narrow: River-Mouth's repositioning and Drowned-Citadel's short single-turn Charm are each Proficiency- or twice-per-rest limited and weaker in effect than a 1st-level spell. The Fire Vulnerability balances Poison resistance and the group utility features.

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