Briarborn

The briarborn are a race of plant-like humanoids 

that grow from the earth in secluded, untouched 
virgin lands. They are born of the essence of 
  nature, a distillation of that untouched terrain. 
While rare, they are not uncommon in lands 
unspoiled by other races.  
 
As a race, they are born of a collective intelligence, 
working in tandem with their brethren despite any 
distance. It is said that they also speak freely with 
nature’s creatures, and seek to right the wrongs of 
those that would bring harm to the world. 
 
The briarborn are nature’s protectors, being born 
of the world’s need for defense. When nature’s 
enemies ravage her gifts, the briarborn blossom 
and grow to protect her. 
 

Of Wood and Vine

A briarborn is a humanoid creature, standing 
nearly as tall as a man, seemingly made of bark, 
vines and foliage. They are of a kind demeanor, 
with the facial appearance of a faint and almost 
fey-like deer. They vary greatly in appearance, as 
wild as nature itself. They range the colors of all 
plant life, tending towards shades of green and 
brown. Their hair grows leaves and branches. The 
older they are, the more growths they have, 
“True ‘tis, I saw it wit’ mine own eyes! This huge an’  sometimes becoming long twisted vines that hang 
beautiful an’ sweet smellin’ flower blossomed in front of  to their waist or longer. Their flesh is odd and 
me, and out stepped a wondrous woman, made of plant  disconcerting, being rough and prickly, a number 
fibers and such. Even born just now as she was, she  of their kind having bark or even spiny briars that 
smiled knowingly at me, wrappin’ a large leaf around  protrude from within. Their eyes are said to vary, 
herself and runnin’ off. I ain’t ne’er seen such a thing in  being virgin wood green, morning sun gold, rich 
all my life!”  brown earth, or deep sky blue. 
   
– Korgan Timbersplitter, human Woodsman 
  Born of the Earth
When a briarborn is first flowered, they sprout 
from the ground, growing in an undefiled location, 
far from the eyes of other creatures. They are 

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immediately the size of an adolescent, growing to 
maturity quickly over the course of a single year. 
Briarborn Names
Once they have sprouted, the adolescent briarborn  It should be noted that briarborn have little 
instinctively knows the way to the nearest knot, or  identity of self, and that their names reflect that of 
collective home of Briarborn.   their duties and function, as opposed to any 
  personal effect. Also, no role is limited to either 
They live in communities grown from their natural  sex, the briarborn have complete equality.  
surroundings, using druidic magic to shape and   
weave the natural environment to suit their needs.  In addition, though many share the same name, 
Their homes are well defended and surprisingly  the collective briarborn never seem to have any 
well-camouflaged. Without knowing what one is  problem distinguishing among one another, 
looking for, a briarborn knot could completely  having a collective knowledge shared amongst 
elude a passerby.   themselves. Those few that leave their knots and 
  become adventurers tend to eventually take 
Keepers of the Dreaming names and find self-identity.  
 
Tree They tend to find elven or other sylvan sounding 
names pleasing, sometimes taking them on as 
The briarborn are thought to draw their collective  adventurers or when within elven locales. 
knowledge and wisdom directly from nature itself.   
At the heart of each knot is almost always some  Example Names (Male and Female)  
form of exaggerated living tree. This is a Dreaming  Digger, Elf-trader, Forager, Groomer, Grower, 
Tree, their most sacred spot within the  Hunter, Knot-ward, Lore-keeper, Orc-bleeder, 
community. It is believed that the tree has some  Plant-shaper, Skinner, Tender, Tree-herder, 
divine powers, granting the briarborn spells and  Waterer, Weapon-maker and Weeder. 
imparting knowledge about the surrounding   
environs.  
Tanglethorn, the First Knot 
 
The fabled city of Tanglethorn is an old tale, whispered on 
Should a Dreaming Tree ever be killed, all of the  the tongues of capricious druids and far-travelers. They 
briarborn connected to the knot are stricken with a  speak of a city woven together from the very fibers of 
profound sadness. They disband the knot,  nature. To the uninitiated, the city is an impossible feat of 
allowing the site to return to its natural state. They  navigation, formed of winding and weaving paths and 
will seek out other knots and feel lost until they  trails. But nature has purpose, and those that spend time 
in the city learn that it radiates around a sacred grove 
find another community. Many lost briarborn 
containing a massive Dreaming Tree and its saplings. The 
become adventurers among the other races, not  briarborn seem drawn here instinctually, and the city 
returning to their kind.   shaped with earthen magics remains remarkably 
  defendable as well as surprisingly undetected. Only those 
Fallen briarborn are allowed to lie where they fall,  the briarborn want to find the city do, and woe to any 
outsider that seeks to do harm to their sacred woods. 
quickly composting into nurturing mulch. Other 
races find this practice abhorrent, but the   
briarborn see this as completely natural. All things 
return to the world, having been born of it. 
 

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Society & Lands none speak sylvan. 
 
Briarborn live deep in the untouched, untamed  What danger the briarborn heralds is up to the GM, but 
being born to the response of evil and the corruption of the 
wilderness and their communities are even more 
wildlands, they could lead a party to investigate or destroy 
reclusive and well-hidden. Outsiders are highly  corruption within their lands. 
frowned upon, and even the presence of a guest 
that is well-known and trusted sets the community   
abuzz.  Alignment & Religion
 
These “knots” as they are known to the briarborn  Briarborn do not serve gods as a general practice, 
are small communities, usually no more than  rather serving nature itself. They also tend to be 
several hundred. Other briarborn seem to  good and neutral in practice. The average 
instinctively know where to find them, often  briarborn is of Neutral good alignment, though 
residing in nestled locales that would be next to  their communities typically have a more neutral 
impossible to discover by accident, such as in the  outlook by necessity.  
branches of a giant ancient tree or within a   
massive bramble patch within a secluded wood.  Should a briarborn become ‘lost’, it is certainly 
  possible that they could come to follow a 
The briarborn themselves are lead by a council of  nature-oriented deity. They may do so out of 
wise elders. These ancient briarborn are withered  imitation of other races, and are drawn to 
and worn, with cracking bark-like skin, and despite  nature-oriented deities. 
their hardened exteriors they have seen much and   
lead the briarborn with wisdom and patience. 
They read the earth and listen to the wind, giving 
Adventurers
guidance that ensures the survival of the briarborn  A PC briarborn is often newly-grown, still seeking 
and giving guidance to the brash newborn.  its purpose. They can be grown anywhere, even in 
  harsh climates, though they tend to be most often 
Adventure Seed  found in temperate forests. While they do form 
As the players travel, they see a large, beautiful, yet  natural cities in some deeply wild regions, they are 
unknown tree in a spectacular bloom. The tree’s center  also often found in solitude. A PC hero might be a 
holds a fibrous husk and it appears to be undulating  wanderer seeking to eliminate a blight in the 
amidst the flowers.    natural order. Other PCs could easily be those lost 
 
briarborn, whose knot community was destroyed. 
If they approach to gain a better look, they can see the tree 
begin to lean as the husk grows larger, eventually tipping  They wander looking for community, sometimes 
only a few feet off the ground. The flower petals begin to  finding kinship with other adventurers. 
fall, blanketing the ground and from the husk erupts a   
plantlike creature who tears itself free from connecting  Reasons for Adventuring
roots, at which point the tree begins to wither as though 
fall and winter have elapsed in mere moments.  D8  Reason 
Roll 
 
The briarborn is newly made, and it instinctively knows the  1  Your heart is large, and you believe that the men 
perils of the surrounding natural world. It attempts to gain  of the world can change and be an instrument of 
the character’s attention with sign language, assuming  good. You befriend them to show them the way. 

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 2  You fight with great passion against the 
unnatural creatures of the world, those things 
Boreal
that seek to unravel your existence.  The Boreal briarborn hail from the frozen northlands. 
3  You protect the innocent beasts and wild  Their material composition seems to be more rigid, 
creatures of the world who cannot fight for  made of coniferous trees and tough shrubs. 
themselves.   
4  You were born into this world, but your purpose  Ability Score Increase​. Your Constitution score 
has been muddied. You do not know yet what  increases by +1. 
you were born to correct. 
 
5  You left your knot to seek companionship among 
other races. You wish to learn their ways and in  Boshk
turn strengthen your community with that 
knowledge.  The most commonly encountered briarborn, the Boshk 
are those of temperate zones, seemingly formed of plant 
6  You heard a calling in the whispering leaves and  vegetation, bark and vines. 
have left your knot to pursue a request of the 
land itself.   
Ability Score Increase​. Your Wisdom score 
7  Your roots are small, and you feel a great need to 
blow with the wind and see many places before  increases by +1. 
attaching to new earth.   
8  You feel disconnected with your people and have 
left your knot to wander and find your purpose. 
Lostlorn
The Lostlorn are those briarborn who come from 
 
destroyed tree homes. With their sacred trees 
Briarborn Traits destroyed, they lose much of their “goodness,” relying 
upon themselves and become more dangerous, 
Briarborn have common racial traits for all of their  sometimes even fatalistic. 
kind (except as noted), as well as their own unique   
subrace traits.  Ability Score Increase​. Your Strength score 
  increases by +1. 
Ability Score Increase​: Your Constitution and   
Wisdom scores each increase by 1. 
Alignment​: Neutral 
Rune-scarred
Languages​: You can speak, read, and write  Carved with runes of power, these highly magical  
Common, Sylvan and Elven.   
Plantlike​. You don’t need to eat food and you  Ability Score Increase​. Your Intelligence or 
have advantage on saving throws against being  Charisma score increases by +1. 
poisoned, and you have resistance to poison   
damage.  Briarborn Quirks
Natural Armor​. You have an innate armor  D8  Quirk 
through the toughness of your flesh equal to AC  Roll 
12 + your Dexterity modifier.  1  You distrust anyone who wields an axe. 
Weak to Fire​. You suffer an additional +50% 
from all attacks dealing fire damage.  2  You instantly trust anyone who has a pet or 
animal companion. 
 

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 3  You talk to plants and trees about your  live among the briarborn as ambassadors, helping 
companions, as if your companions can’t hear  protect one of nature’s rarest gifts. 
you.   
4  You insist upon resting at noon every day to drink  Dragonborn [​Indifferent] 
in the sunlight.  The mighty dragonborn are a curiosity to the briarborn. 
5  You are very nervous around strangers.  They are seen as a powerful force of nature themselves, 
connected to the elements, but their dragon heritages 
6  You distrust anyone that smokes, and are  give cause for concern. They must prove themselves 
terrified of campfires. 
before gaining friendship or aid. 
7  You always tell the truth, not understanding the   
concept of lying or obfuscating the truth. 
Gnomes [​Helpful]  
8  During the daytime, you are overly energetic,  As creatures of the fey world as well as creatures of 
much to the chagrin of your companions.  nature, briarborn make quick allies with gnomekind 
  unless they prove to be adversarial. 

Briarborn Relations  
Half-Elves​[Indifferent]  
Briarborn are generally peaceful and therefore get  The briarborn are indifferent towards humans, having 
along well with most good-aligned races.  learned to keep their distance. Half-elves, with their 
  dual bloodlines are a mystery to the briarborn. They 
Aasimar ​[Helpful]  sense the elven blood within them, but are still 
The briarborn are good and neutral creatures, and can  suspicious of their human ancestry. 
sense the benevolent auras of the aasimar. While the   
shy briarborn are not likely to reveal themselves easily  Halflings ​[Friendly]  
around them, they take to them fairly quickly, or are  The halflings are often seen as jovial playmates. 
simply awed by their aspects.  Briarborn are friendly towards halflings, enjoying their 
  company. 
Drow ​[Confused]    
The dark elves are an enigma to the briarborn who  Half-Orcs​[Indifferent]  
rarely see them above the surface. They often do not  As the progeny of humankind and orc, the briarborn 
realize that these elves are not the same as their surface  steer clear from them, treating them indifferently at 
brethren until it is too late.  best.  
   
Dwarves​[Indifferent]   Humans​[Unfriendly]  
Few briarborn are familiar with dwarves, finding them  Briarborn are naturally afraid of humans, having been 
a curiosity. They love to stroke dwarves’ beards,  on the receiving end of human encroachment for ages. 
complimenting them on their fine fur-something  They attempt to hide their existence from men, lest they 
dwarves detest immensely.  come looking for them. 
   
Elves ​[Friendly]   Orcs ​[Hated]  
Most elves are steadfast allies of the Briarborn, and  Truly hated are the orcs and other Goblinkind. The 
some claim that the elves brought seeds of the briarborn  briarborn will actively seek to remove such pests from 
to the prime material plane from the Dreaming.  their lands if they find them and it does not endanger 
briarborn recognize them as ancient allies. Elves often  their knot. The orcs know of their existence and seek to 

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burn their communities to the ground. Ages of  ● Your Constitution score increases by +1, to 
treacherous guerrilla warfare exist among members of  a maximum of 20. 
these two races.   
  Photosynthetic Healing
Tieflings ​[Hated]   You heal faster when in direct sunlight. 
Born of another world, smelling of brimstone and fire,  Prerequisites​: Briarborn 
the tieflings (good or not) are immediately reviled by  Benefits​:  
the briarborn, themselves creatures of nature and good.  ● When in contact with sunlight, you regain 
While they might not attack a non-hostile tiefling, they  1d4 hit points per hour. You do not need 
would hide from them and certainly would not give  to be resting to regain these hit points. 
them aid should they be in trouble.    ● If you take a short rest while within 
  sunlight, add twice your Constitution 
Additional Abilities bonus to the result. 
● You cannot regain hit points when away 
The briarborn fight against the unnatural perils of  from sunlight. 
the world striving to correct and undo the evils   
they have wrought. Sometimes they need to grow   
some additional abilities to help them in that 
fight. 
 

New Feats

Flame-tested
You have been exposed to fire and hardened against it. 
Prerequisites​: Briarborn 
Benefits​:  
● You gain advantage on all saves against 
fire. 
● You no longer have weakness against fire 
damage. 
● Your Constitution score increases by +1, to 
a maximum of 20. 
 
Oaken Fortification
Your flesh grows as tough as an ancient oak. 
Prerequisites​: Briarborn 
Benefits​:  
● Your AC improves by +1. 
● You gain resistance to non-magical 
bludgeoning and piercing damage. 

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