Background

Jovial and quick on his feet, Ollie is known in his community as much for his kindness and compassion as his noticeable appearance. Taller than his halfling kin, and with shimmering  and fin-like ears that he inherited from his dragonborn grandmother, Ollie sticks out in a crowd — but it’s in a crowd that he’s usually found, usually with a lady on one arm and a drink in the other. It’s often the same drink all night, as he’s too busy talking, laughing, and drumming with his ever-present mallets to drink.

If Ollie isn’t laughing, he’s singing and dancing to nearly any musical form imaginable, but he’ll also stop to clean up after himself and his friends if he sees them leave behind a mess, even if they’re not quite finished. This also makes him popular with barkeeps.

The tune changes when he sees pain or oppression, and woe to those who would cause tears instead of laughter. Ollie will stop at nothing to bring the sparkle back to eyes and hearts alike.

Plot Hooks

• Unusual monsters have appeared near the town and are attacking farms in the area. Ollie has fought some of them off, but he can’t be everywhere at once. He sends the party to another farm that also needs help; they must work together to find the source.
• When the party runs into trouble in an inn or similar establishment, or after an encounter with significant property damage, Ollie steps in to calm everyone down and prevent a brawl.
• Ollie learns about a local noble who’s persecuting one or more villagers. Since Ollie is well-known in town, he can’t investigate as easily without being noticed. He asks the party to gather evidence

You learn skills more slowly than others. When you gain experience points, you gain (IE) × 20% less than usual or, when not using XP, when gaining a level, you need an additional (IE)d20 days to gain the bonus, and you have a −(IE) penalty on all Intelligence ability checks. If you have multiple traits, you may choose Disinhibited Social Engagement as one of them.

Intelligence in fifth edition

The word, “Intelligence” can have many meanings. In 5th Edition, “Intelligence measures mental acuity, accuracy of recall, and the ability to reason.”

In this supplement, we use it specifically to refer to acquired areas of knowledge and the ability to learn them, not a character’s ability to make beneficial decisions or think or communicate clearly. Avoid common tropes such as the inability to make moral choices (including being inherently innocent or evil), being easily manipulated, or incapable of complex thought or emotions.

Real-world Examples

Intellectual Disability, Down Syndrome

Assistive Options

You need people to treat you as a peer, with respect and patience, helping you when you ask for help or when they know you well enough to know your specific challenges.

You experience heartburn: a burning or stabbing pain in your lower chest area. Any action that requires concentration (e.g., maintaining a spell) requires a successful DC 6 + (IE) Constitution saving throw per round to maintain concentration.

Real-world Examples

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, Hiatal Hernia, Down Syndrome

Assistive Options

Avoiding certain foods can help reduce heartburn. If you avoid smoking, caffeine, alcohol, large meals, and spicy and acidic foods for a day, you can make a DC 10 + (IE) Constitution saving throw. On success, the IE reduces by 1.

Magical Assistance

Magic effects that provide resistance to acid damage reduce the IE of Acid Reflux by 1.

Your skin is soft and thin like velvet. It bruises, scars, and tears easily and heals slowly. You heal (IE) × 20% less hit points from a rest (minimum 1). If you have multiple traits, you may choose Dislocation or Flexibility as one or more of them.

Real-world Examples

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Marfan’s Syndrome, Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum, Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Down Syndrome

Assistive Options

Skin hyperelasticity doesn’t have standard assistive help, but extra time for healing when needed is helpful.

Magical Assistance

Damage taken while affected by a hardening effect such as Barkskin and Stoneskin will heal at the normal rate.

You are unable to get enough air, sometimes feeling a tightness in your chest, or you can’t take deep enough breaths. You have a −(IE) penalty on all saving throws against gas-based poison attacks and Constitution checks related to exertion. After three rounds of strenuous physical action such as melee combat, you must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or take one level of exhaustion until you stop the activity and rest for (IE)d10 minutes. Each round you continue, you need to succeed on an additional saving throw, and the DC increases by 1 each round. When traveling without a mount or vehicle, you cover (IE) × ten percent less distance. Travel in a low-oxygen area, like mountains, increases the IE by 1–2, depending on the elevation. Because you’re used to assessing your physical capacity and finding creative solutions to perform physical tasks, once per long rest, you can choose to roll a Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution check with advantage.

Real-world Examples

Anxiety, Asthma, Heart Arrhythmia, Anemia, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Cardiomyopathy, Congestive Heart Failure, Down Syndrome

Assistive Options

Some sitting, standing, and breathing exercises can help to fill the lungs more easily. If you use one or more of these techniques during a short rest, the IE reduces by one for 1d4 hours. Using these techniques consistently for a least three days will maintain the IE reduction for the whole day as long as you continue these exercises.

You have a −(IE) penalty on all saving throws against disease.

Real-world Examples

Addison Disease, Celiac Disease, Dermatomyositis, Graves Disease, Hashimoto Thyroiditis, Multiple Sclerosis, Myasthenia Gravis, Pernicious Anemia, Reactive Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Sjögren Syndrome, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Diabetes, Down Syndrome

Assistive Options

This is managed by avoiding diseases when possible.

Magical Assistance

Magic that cures diseases can cure a disease once infection happens but cannot be used proactively.

You gain weight unrelated to diet and exercise. After every adventure or major campaign arc, you must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Constitution saving throw. On failure, your weight has increased by IE × 2d6 percent. On success, your weight has decreased by IE × 1d4 percent. For every fifty percent increase, you have a −1 penalty on Dexterity (Acrobatics) and Strength (Athletics) checks. For every ten percent decrease, you experience Temperature Sensitivity for 3d20 days as your body acclimates itself and must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or experience Fatigue until you succeed on the saving throw, which you can attempt daily after a long rest. You have a +(IE) bonus to Strength (Athletics) checks for swimming.

Real-world Examples

Hypothyroidism, Depression, Insomnia, Menopause, Cushing’s Disease, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Congestive Heart Failure, Sleep Apnea, Edema, Diabetes, Down Syndrome

Assistive Options

Because this gain is unrelated to diet and exercise, little can be done besides acceptance.

You have trouble sleeping, or your sleep is disrupted in some way. Note the rules on p. 87 of the Basic Rules regarding rest and other fifth edition sources regarding exhaustion. As elves and other creatures of fey ancestry don’t sleep, the GM can determine whether they should reroll or whether this affects their meditative condition. If you have multiple traits, you may choose one or more Baseless Emotions as one or more of them.

• Confusional Arousals. You wake from sleep and act as if under a Confusion spell for (IE)d10 minutes and then return to sleep. You retain no memory of waking up.
• Exploding Head. As you awaken from sleep, you hear loud explosions. They startle you, and you must succeed on a DC 5 + (IE) Wisdom saving throw or have disadvantage on all Intelligence and Charisma checks for (IE) rounds but have +1 to initiative rolls due to hyperawareness.
• Hypersomnolence. While you might seem to sleep fine at night, you still feel Fatigue during the day. You have a −(IE) penalty on saving throws against magic effects that induce sleep, and (IE)d4 times per day, you must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or become unconscious as if affected by the Sleep spell. (This condition could be ruled to cause characters of fey ancestry to need to sleep when they normally don’t.)
• Insomnia. You have trouble falling or staying asleep or both (equal chances of each). When beginning a long rest, you must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Constitution saving throw to fall asleep quickly. On failure, you lose the difference between your result and the number needed in hours of sleep and lose benefits of rest accordingly unless you sleep longer at the end of the long rest to compensate. If your form of insomnia wakes you while sleeping, determine the time you wake randomly by subtracting the loss from the total hours attempted, and roll 1d(difference) to determine how many hours you sleep before waking. If your insomnia is mixed, follow the above, but then roll to determine how many of the lost hours are at the beginning and how many happen after waking.
• Night Terrors. When you’re sleeping, you awaken at a random time during the rest and scream for (IE)d12 minutes. Each time this happens, you must succeed on a DC 5 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or have another screaming episode in 1d20 minutes, repeating until success. This will awaken anyone else sleeping near you who can hear and draw the attention of any nearby creatures. If awakened, you will be disoriented for (IE) rounds and have disadvantage on all Intelligence and Charisma checks.
• Nightmares. You experience frequent, vivid nightmares. Every time you sleep, you must succeed on a DC 15 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or have a nightmare 1d4 hours after falling asleep. The dream lasts 1d10 + 10 minutes. After the dream, you must succeed on another DC 15 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or have a nightmare 1d4 hours later, repeating the process until the end of the rest. Because of the trauma of these dreams, you experience (IE) Baseless Emotions for (IE)d6 × 10 minutes before a long rest and must succeed on a DC 10 + (IE) Wisdom saving throw to go back to sleep after the dream, repeating the saving throw every ten minutes on failure until successful.
• Sleep Aggression. You act violently while sleeping. Every time you sleep, you must succeed on a DC 15 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or begin attacking the closest creature with unarmed attacks 1d4 hours after falling asleep. The episode lasts until you take damage or succeed on a DC 10 + (IE) saving throw, which you can attempt each round. After the attack, you must succeed on another DC 15 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or attack again 1d4 hours later, repeating the process until the end of the rest. If your companions restrain you before sleeping, you must succeed on a DC 8 Constitution saving throw or experience Insomnia due to the discomfort of the restraint unless the method allows freedom of movement, such as a cage, and when the episode begins, you attempt to escape the restraint until the episode ends. With IE 1 Sleep Aggression, you remain prone and only attack anyone in bed with you or within your reach if you’re sleeping on the floor or a mat, but at a higher IE, you will get out of bed to attack.
• Sleep Behaviors. Every time you sleep, you must succeed on a DC 15 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or have a nightmare 1d4 hours after falling asleep. The dream lasts 1d10 + 10 minutes. During the nightmare, you act out the dream and perceive the creatures around you as the villains or monsters in your dream. You begin to twitch and moan, which escalates in 1d20 rounds to attacking if not awakened. On a successful DC 8 + (IE) Wisdom saving throw, you attack the nearest creature. On a failed saving throw, you are frightened and flee. You can be easily awakened by normal means or when you take damage. After the dream, you must succeed on another DC 15 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or have a nightmare 1d4 hours later, repeating the process until the end of the rest.
• Sleep Enuresis. You urinate while sleeping (IE)d4 times per week. Without support and understanding from allies, you must succeed on a DC 10 + (IE) Wisdom saving throw once per week or experience 1d4 Baseless Emotions until succeeding, making the saving throw once per day.
• Sleep Paralysis. When you awaken from sleep, you are paralyzed for (IE)d4 minutes. Because of the trauma of this experience, you must succeed on a DC 10 + (IE) Wisdom saving throw or experience (IE) Baseless Emotions for (IE)d6 × 10 minutes before a long rest.
• Sleep Sorcery. Every time you sleep, you must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or cast a random prepared spell at the lowest available spell slot 1d4 hours after falling asleep. After the casting, you must succeed on another DC 8 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or cast another spell 1d4 hours later, repeating the process until the end of the rest. If you do not have the necessary spell slot available or if you do not have the necessary focus or components within reach, the spell fails, and nothing happens. When the rest finishes, you will have used up spell slots for all spells successfully cast within four hours of the end of the rest.
• Sleep-Related Breathing Disruptions. You don’t get enough oxygen while sleeping, either due to apnea, chronic snoring, discharge, or failure to absorb enough. You experience IE 1 Fatigue, and every twenty-eight days, you must succeed on a DC 5 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or develop IE 1 Hypertension, the IE increasing on each failed periodic saving throw.
• Sleep-Related Hallucinations. When falling asleep or waking up (both equally likely), you experience Hallucinations.
• Sleep-Related Movements. You move excessively in your sleep, either random movements, leg Cramps, or teeth grinding, which keeps you from getting sufficient rest. At the end of every long rest, you must succeed on a DC 8 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or incur IE 1 Fatigue for the rest of the day.
• Sleep-Wake Disruption. Your internal sleep clock does not correspond to your intended pattern. If you cannot follow your internal pattern, follow the rules for Insomnia accordingly.
  

  d10	1d10 if you have IE 4 Blindness	Sleep-Wake Disruption
  1–4	1–3	Irregular Rhythm
  5–9	4–7	Delayed Phase
  10	8–10	Non-synchronized Circadian Rhythm

  • Irregular Rhythm. In order to achieve the benefits of a long rest, you must instead take (IE) short rests.
  • Delayed Phase. Your pattern of sleep begins (IE) × 3 hours before or after the time typical for your culture, and in order to gain the benefits of a long rest, you must begin your long rest within one hour of that time.
  • Non-synchronized Circadian Rhythm. Your internal sleep clock functions as if the day is (IE) hours longer or shorter (equal chances) than it actually is, which adjusts the time your body expects to take a long rest to a new time every day.
• Sleepwalking. Every time you sleep, you must succeed on a DC 15 + (IE) Constitution saving throw or have a dream 1d4 hours after falling asleep. The dream lasts 1d10 + 10 minutes. You act out your dream, walking, interacting with your environment, but with disadvantage on all Wisdom (Perception) checks. The GM should determine the nature of the nonviolent dream. If awoken while sleepwalking, you will be disoriented and have disadvantage on all Intelligence and Charisma checks for 1d10 rounds. An ally can make a DC 8 + (IE) Charisma (Persuasion) check to gently guide you back to bed on success.

Real-world Examples

Sleep Apnea, Sleep-related Hypoventilation Disorders, Sleep-related Hypoxemia Disorder, Kleine-Levin Syndrome, Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder, Sleep-wake Phase Disorder, Irregular Rhythm Sleep-wake Disorder, Non-24 Sleep-wake Disorder, Narcolepsy, Parkinson’s Disease, Lewy Body Dementia, Down Syndrome

Assistive Options

Most of these require patience and understanding by your allies most of all. If a party sets up a night watch, the person watching can also monitor you while you sleep and wake you if necessary when noticing behavior relating to disrupted sleep. Earplugs and a sleep mask or an otherwise dark and quiet environment can assist with sleep phase disruptions to allow for sleeping in sunlight and daytime activity.

Magical Assistance

A Sleep spell can help you get back to sleep when you can’t sleep, but it has no duration, so it won’t prevent waking or other traits that occur during sleep.

Your bones grew more than normal (50 percent) or less than normal (50 percent).

If more, then your height is (IE) × 10 percent more than the typical maximum height for your ancestry. Because of the strain that this puts on your body, you have a −(IE) penalty on all Constitution checks, and clothing and armor usually costs an additional 100 percent + (IE) × 10 percent.

If less, your height is (IE) × 10 percent less than the typical minimum for your ancestry. The same hormonal deficiency that reduces growth also reduces some organ development, so you have a −(IE) penalty on Constitution saving throws.

Real-world Examples

Acromegaly, Gigantism, Growth Hormone Deficiency, Down Syndrome

Assistive Options

These traits have no mundane assistive devices. Some with these traits pose as those of other ancestries such as short humans as halflings, although halflings and those familiar with them notice the difference in body proportions.

Magical Assistance

The Enlarge/Reduce spell and items that duplicate its effects assist with the size difference but do not remove the Constitution penalties.

Your legs get weak due to muscle tone or neurological failure. This reduces your movement speed by (IE) × 25 percent without assistance. Consider the Strength attribute to be (IE) × 3 less for all Strength checks involving leg strength. Every round spent standing requires a successful DC 8 + (IE) Constitution check, the DC increasing by +(IE) each round. Failure results in you immediately needing to sit or be prone.

Real-world Examples

Slipped Disc, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, Peripheral Neuropathy, Parkinson’s Disease, Myasthenia Gravis, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Down Syndrome

Assistive Options

Braces, wheelchairs, or other mobility devices are helpful. Leg braces reduce the IE by 1 while worn but must be removed during long rests to gain the benefits of the rest. Adding crutches with the braces reduces the IE by an additional 1 but must be held to move during combat, requiring creative attack strategies.