Ape Escape

Winston is one of my favorite Overwatch characters, so let's add apes to D&D.

Here is a preview for paid subscribers of how I am going to treat races and backgrounds in Odyssey (that's the name of the game).

I'd like to shelve both race and background together, and use a term other than race to account for things like golems, androids (for when I do the science fiction game I have stuck in my head), and other, non-biological options.

I'm thinking of something like background = vocation + origin, but I also might be overthinking it. Extensibility is a thing for me, I guess.

In any event, I want backgrounds to offer a strong slate of flexible, non-combat options. That approach slims down class design and makes the game a lot more flexible.

Ability score mods are a separate character creation step. You just add a bonus to two stats of your choice.

In any case, here are the ape and the soldier.

Ape

You are an intelligent, talking ape. Your folk were the first druids, charged by the gods with watching over the natural world and keeping it safe from marauding orcs, ambitious humans, and greedy dwarves.

Ape Traits

As an ape, you have the following special features.

Size. You are size Medium.

Speed. Your speed is 30 feet.

Ape Agility. You have a climb speed.

Mighty Leaper. You double your jump distance.

Large Frame. You gain a +4 bonus to encumbrance.

Knuckle Runner. While your hands are free, you gain a +20 bonus to your speed.

Beast Speech. You can speak to and understand the speech of beasts.

Ape Talents

At 4th and 8th level, you gain the following benefits.

4th Level: Plant Speech

You can now speak to and understand the subtle communication of plants.

8th Level: Lord of the Wild

Animals and plants recognize you as a ranking noble in the natural order, a guardian charged by Gaia herself to protect and ward the wilds. When speaking to beasts or plants, they recognize you as a noble and do what they can to help you. They treat you with respect and obey your wishes as long as they are not cruel, arbitrary, or dangerous. In return, sometimes animals or plants may ask you to act on their behalf to protect or aid them.

Soldier

You trained as a warrior before striking off in search of adventure.

Soldier Traits

As a soldier, you have the following special features.

Skills. Athletics, Intimidation, Medicine, Perception.

Area of Knowledge. Martial.

Fork in the Road. Pick one of the following two benefits.

• Weapon Proficiencies. Martial weapons, shields, light and medium armor.

• Skills. Any two of your choice.

Soldier Talents

At 2nd and 6th level, you gain the following benefits.

2nd Level: Comrade in Arms

You gain a +4 bonus on all Charisma checks made to interact with professional soldiers and mercenaries.

6th Level: Coordinated Action

You’ve been in plenty of tight spots and have learned over the years that the best path forward is the one you take together. When making a group check, you grant a +2 bonus to everyone making that check with you.