_{Homebrew race for D&D 5th edition by Dick Jarvis}

Arnie ran out onto the lamp-lit street after he heard the crash. Two Arcanomobiles had struck each other head-on, their occupants arguing loudly outside his store. He looked to where the stop sign should be; the sign had been uprooted, leaving a narrow hole in the ground.

A trail of dirt and gravel led from the pit to the alley. Arnie steadied his nerves, slowly and stealthily following the trail into the darkness. The argument faded behind him as he rounded the side of the building. Turning the corner, he was met with familiar silhouettes of the alleyway. The back door to his store, ground littered with cigarette butts. The small table that the boys had set up to play cards, complete with parasol. The dumpster that Arnie had moved to the empty lot last week - wait a minute.

The dumpster shifted, and Arnie realized what he was looking at was a creature. The bulky silhouette turned to observe him, two glowing eyes absorbing what little light came from the back door. Strapped to it’s back was the newly uprooted stop sign, joining several other signs this creature had adorned itself with.

Through mouthfuls of gourd the creature spoke in a deep gravelly voice “Ahoy there, Arnie Barnie! Wanna hear a Riddle?”

Arnie did not give the creature a chance to play it’s games. He ran from the alley as fast as his legs could take him, the cackles of the dumpster ringing out behind him.

_{—G.E.Brindle, Beacons of Arcadia}

Under the cover of darkness, Rumbums lumber down from the mountain forests and into small towns and villages. They prefer being secretive and unseen as they steal vegetables, tear down signs, root through garbage and demolish fences. Despite their size and the frequency of their raids very few people have actually seen a Rumbum, but almost everyone living near the mountains have woken up to their wanton destruction. Rumbums inspire fear in the population. They are destructive, dangerous, and driven by urges that are difficult to understand.

Rumbums carry considerable bulk around on two hunched, stubby legs. They trudge with an incredibly awkward gait, often relying on their knuckles to help them balance. Their heads look tiny in comparison to their large bodies, giving them a comical appearance.

Many Rumbums are aware of what their physical appearance communicates. They will often feign being dim-witted and slow to draw people into a false sense of security. They enjoy being underestimated, allowing them to betray their victims with an insidious wit.

Rumbums are dangerous fey creatures. While they walk slowly, their massive arms move quickly, and they can easily beat any potential victims into submission - as long as they can trick them into arm’s reach.

Some Rumbums are happy living their lives in caves and forests. But most flock to civilization, driven by unusual desires. Each Rumbum becomes enamored with a personal fetish that takes the form of a mundane object. Lamps, cart wheels, tavern signs, hammers and saws; all are potential objects of power for a Rumbum.

Some of these fetishes are universal. Every Rumbum without exception collects red octagons. This was never an issue until the invention of the stop sign, with Rumbums responsible for most rural traffic collisions.

Rumbums love eating raw pumpkin. It goes beyond being their favorite food, and enters the realm of addiction. Farmers near the mountains either invest in some serious defences, or abandon the idea of growing pumpkins alltogether.

Rumbumbs take great pleasure in outwitting common people. They often gather treasure and magical equipment to be used in wagers with unlucky travellers. Rumbums seldom play a game where they are at a disadvantage, but love games where it seems like they’re at a disadvantage.

These games they play can become dangerous, and often carry steep consequences. The Rumbum will wager a singing sword or golden goose while the young farmers wager their firstborn child.

Rumbum games often involve riddles, which the Rumbum collects and commits to memory over time; they always seem to have a fresh riddle waiting in the back of their minds.

Rumbums are poor candidates for adventurers, often adopting the lifestyle after being outcast from their own kind. Some do voluntarily go adventuring, viewing it as a very direct way to gather magical items and pursue their unusual desires.

Every Rumbum has three names: a first and last face name they choose when they reach maturity and a true, secret name given to them at birth by their parents.

Their face names are often funny nonsense, and they always rhyme. A lot of Rumbums have a bad habit of applying this naming convention to others, rhyming the first name of people they meet with a nonsensical last name they make up.

Rumbums are incredibly protective of their true names. There are frightening consequences for a Rumbum who’s true name is revealed, as the name carries magical fey power. Their true names are often long, complicated, and difficult to remember. They are spelt in confusing ways, to keep the pronunciation ambiguous.

Face Names: Crungus Gungus, Weedle Feedle, Fiddle Diddle, Mugly Pugly, Wubble Bubble, Hoggy Boggy, Pookie Bookie, Razzle Dazzle, Hurgle Gurgle, Bromple Pomple

Secret Names: Hugwhumplescarkrusian, Szachwargl’fhildroughum, Lancidakrackicus, Whurfogrushian, Skugscrouruttouttus, Mugwrumptrouphian, Reedbeamtrouphrick

You share the following traits with all other Rumbums.

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2, and your wisdom score increases by 1.

Age. Rumbums have a similar lifespan as Humans, but reach adulthood at the age of 5.

Alignment.

• 🔵 Rumbums are tricksters, their love for riddles and outsmarting others is often a defining characteristic of their personality.
• ⚫ Rumbums seek out ways to grow their collections and feed their strange appetites, and are willing to make grave sacrifices in these pursuits.
• 🔴 Rumbums are inherently creative, and while others may see their behavior as destructive they see it as just another avenue of expression.
• 🟢 Rumbums reject the organization of society, opting instead to live far from civilization, and off the provisions of the natural world.

Size. Rumbums are between 7 and 8 feet tall. Their hulking, hunched bodies weigh around 600 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Fey. You are fey as opposed to humanoid.

Superior Darkvision. Due to their nocturnal nature, Rumbums are well suited to dark places. You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only Shades of Gray.

Sunlight Sensitivity. You have disadvantage on Attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your Attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.

Name Power. A Rumbum’s true name holds power, for allies and enemies.Your true name must be offered freely, and cannot be extracted from you by magical means; this protection does not extend to other creatures.

Name Resistance. While you are within 1 mile of an ally that knows your secret name, you have advantage on all saving throws against spells and magical effects. You also have advantage on charisma saving throws for Name Revelation.

Name Revelation. If you hear a hostile creature speak your true name, you must make a DC10 charisma saving throw. On a success, you take 2d6 psychic damage. On a failure, you are banished to the feywilds. A creature must wait 24 hours before forcing you to make this check again. If you are forced to make this check 3 times in a 24 hour period, the third time is an automatic failure.

Double Axe. Your massive forearms can be used as natural weapons. You can make unarmed strikes with a slam attack. If you hit, you deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, or 1d8 + your strength modifier when using both hands. If the target is medium size or smaller, they must make a strength saving throw, DC 10 + your strength modifier, or be knocked prone.

Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

Fey Trickery. You can cast the Fog Cloud spell as a 1st-level spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a Long Rest. When you reach 3rd Level, you can cast the Invisibility spell as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a Long Rest. When you reach 5th Level, you can cast the Meld Into Stone spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a Long Rest. Strength is your Spellcasting Ability for these Spells.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Sylvan.