The Humblewood campaign is done!
We banished the Scorch, fought for the Humblefolk, and accumulated a little gang of cute, animalfolk friends. A good time was had!
I think what I liked most about Humblewood was how easy it was to dive in — the familiarity of it. When I get into a campaign with unique races, I always have questions. What does my Shadow Elf eat? Does radiation affect Androids? Are Halflings more than tiny people who eat second breakfast?
Using anthropomorphized animals as PC races fixes all that. I know what my chicken-man barbarian eats: grains and worms! I know that dogmen walk in a little circle before they sit down, and that raccoonfolk are obsessed with washing their food. If I have to improvise ‘the ancient dance of my people’, I can readily do that. It would be just as easy and memorable, regardless of what race I was playing: dogfolk, catfolk, chickenfolk, squidfolk. It’s easy to imagine them all.
This same familiarity is a big part of what makes Shadowdark so great. If you’ve played any version of DnD, you already know 80% (or better) of Shadowdark’s rules. It distills the game to its most actionable parts.
So why not combine the two?
Here are a few animalfolk and beastmen ancestries for Shadowdark. They’re intended for adventures in the spirit of Humblewood, Redwall, or medieval Mr. Toad, but can also be used for high fantasy or sprinkled in as beastfolk in other campaigns.
Beastfolk Ancestries
Batfolk
Sociable insomniacs, many become criminals, lawkeepers, and priests. Love music.
You speak Common, Mammalian, and Avian.
Echosight. No Disadvantage on tasks in total darkness.
Bearfolk
Heavy sleepers. Heavy lifters. Heavy thinkers. The children of Winter.
You speak Common and Mammalian.
Bear Arms. Your clawed paws deal 1d6.
Catfolk
Clever and nimble, these warrior-poets are the most noble of the beastfolk — at least in their own mind.
You speak Common and Mammalian.
Catfall. You can fall 50ft before taking damage.
Dogfolk
Loyal warriors and favoured vassals. Ferocious, loving, and playful.
You speak Common and Mammalian.
Pack Fighter. You gain +1 to attack and damage rolls when next to an ally.
Eagle Folk
High lords and hunters. Beholden to their own cruel, Darwinian notions of chivalry.
You speak Common and Avian.
Eagle Eye. +1 to ranged attacks and finding traps.
Frog Folk
Mischievous, boastful, and louche. Honoured for holding the line against Insectoid hordes.
You speak Common, Aquatic, and Reptilian.
Tongue Lash. You can use your tongue to make a ranged attack on creatures of your size or smaller within 30ft. If you hit, you drag them into melee range and may immediately make a melee attack on them.
Hen Folk
Your Honour, I’m just a simple hyper-chicken from a backwoods asteroid.
You speak Common and Avian.
Wing Flap. As an Action, you may leap 30ft in any direction.
Mallardfolk
The premier beastfolk sailors, pirates, and explorers. Oily and cantankerous.
You speak Common, Avian, and Aquatic.
Diver. You swim at your full speed and have Advantage to hold your breath.
Otterfolk
Kind-hearted tricksters and noted illusionists. Hard-partying isolationists.
You speak Common, Mammalian, and Aquatic.
Shadowself. Once a day, you may create a single Mirror Image of yourself (as the spell) that lasts 2 rounds.
Snake Folk
Ancient enemies of all birdfolk. Noted alchemists, healers, and assassins. Monopods.
You speak Common and Reptilian.
Strike First, Strike Hard. Gain Advantage on Initiative.
Ten Beastfolk Ancestries for Shadowdark! Use some or all of them in your next Shadowdark game. And if you like this, check out Gabriel’s review of Humblewood, these five Magic Swords I wrote for Shadowdark, or this monster to haunt your PCs into burying each other.