Animal races you say? Why not Plants!

I aimed for a non-stock fantasy origin for the various races when I set out creating my home brew world. For instance, elves and dwarves are of celestial origin. They were more like the descendants of angels, than the descendants of fey for elves, or made from rocks like dwarves. They were sent by the goddess of civilization to aid humans during an apocalyptic event, and many remained after, though their divinity faded until they became the common elves and dwarves seen today.

On another continent around the same time, the humans there practiced a much more naturalistic/primitive life style. The nature gods had a great deal more power and influence here, and were similarly interested in protecting their worshipers. They combined the best attributes of humans with those of plants and animals to create another sapient race, called the Sumain. Those with animal origins use the halfling stat block, and plants use gnome stat blocks. When the svirfneblin were released with Season 2 D&D, I decided they were made from mushrooms.

If you make a cactus race, post it! I know the perfect place to put this race in my campaign...

Thanks, Mainprize. That is an interesting idea. 

I'm playing around with some ideas for a campaign setting of my own, and a plant-based aquatic race sounds intriguing. 

Well, let's talk this out, at least from an aquatic standpoint.

The main difference between surface plants and aquatic plants is that surface plants have a root system and aquatic plants have a holdfast, which draws nothing from the substrate on which it's attached. That can be helpful in that we wouldn't have to explain where they're getting their food source from if they don't root. Aquatic plants do gain energy by photosynthesis. In the Enemies & Encounters articles I've been writing, I suggest variants of shambling mounds made of seaweed, which might be a start.

Also, there are a lot of plant-like animals, like anemones and coral, that could act as a guideline for a plant-animal bridge to race creation.

So, basics: How big are they? Where did they develop? What do they eat? What kind of culture do they have? "Favored classes" or unique archetypes? Possible racial abilities that make them unique.

Size: Arguments could be made for small, medium, or large. Or all three; perhaps either creating 3 different races, racial variants, or simply have the player choose at character creation.
Terrain: Likely coastal areas within the sunlight zone (no deeper than 200m)
Food: Sunlight, which could be an interesting racial power that they don't need to eat, but could starve if they went below 200m.
Culture: Open to suggestions.
Classes: I would think a plant-focused druid would be first off the cliche shelf, as well as some bloodline of sorcerer that's plant focused. Deeper off the cliche shelf would be that they have a fascination with animals and focus on having companions, wildshaping, etc, kind of like a humanoid druid that adores plants; a reverse Poison Ivy. I would normally think of them as serene creatures, so flipping that on its head they could instead have some race/culture of barbarians. I suppose it could be argued that Groot had levels in barbarian he tapped into (pun intended) when his friends are threatened.
Racial Abilities: The aforementioned no need to eat. An elf-like trance effect. Dependance on sunlight, including the daylight spell. Perhaps a resistance to radiant damage that actually gives them enough food for a day/meal. If composed of relatively loose, animated seaweed then either reach or some kind of stretching ability. Advantage/bonus to stealth checks in natural terrain. Stability bonus against pushes, trips, etc.

Thoughts?

Great ideas. Love it.

I have not come up with a custom 'plant race' per say, but my father and I have come up with a circle of 'evil' aligned druids which have created a home-brew plant that they spread through out the world. These plants create small areas of blight, which kill off other plant life and replace it with this large (sometimes six feet tall and several feet wide) flower bloom which is supported on a large central stalk. At the base of this plant are large thick green leaves that lay on the floor.

The large flower bloom puts has an extremely luring aroma which smells like honey/nectar and attracts animals to it. Things like small and large game animals. Once they are attracted to the flower the leaves at the base of the plant snap up around the central stalk and animal creating a large container. This container is then filled with digestive juices which are secreted by the plant. Any biologic material (plant/animal based) is digested and absorbed by the plant. Things like metal are corroded slightly and discarded around the plant.

You can basically think of a man sized Venus Flytrap, add in some fantasy flavor and flare and this is what we came up with. This circle of evil druids are called the 'Regis Vegarus Unium'.

Just thought it was a cool plant-based idea I could share with others!

Love what is here already though!

lol we weren't really going for Latin but ultimately that is what we came up with, and whatever level your Latin is. I can guarantee you ours is FAR WORSE!