from the Astral Plane, where all things can be lost, found,

and remade, feathren now walk the Material Plane in search

of new ideas, materials, and direction. Filled with endless
curiosity, many make their way through the world as adven-
turers and artisans, taking care to learn what they can from
their experiences before moving on to the next one.

VARIED HERITAGE
Feathren unite remarkable aspects of two otherwise dispa-
rate species. Their strong legs are feline, while their chest,
arms, and head are avian. Despite their distant relation to
griffons, feathren stand upright as and can use their sharp
talons to manipulate objects as deftly as any other human-
oid. Their voices often bear some bird-like resemblance to
their ancestry and contain the occasional trill, coo, or caw.
Few feathren look the same. Their fur, plumage, and build
can vary widely, forming unique combinations of origin and
aptitude. While some feathren are born with the body of an
eagle and lion, others combine the likes of owls and crows
with tigers and leopards. Feathren find particular pleasure in
FEATHREN jewelry and decoration: an inescapable personality trait from
their heritage. Without wings to embellish, most turn to
Reil’s talons moved quickly across the surface, adorning themselves with baubles and rings on their talons,
tearing through concepts with her charcoal on the paper as easily feathered ears, and tail. Others enjoy body art, such as tat-
as flesh. Her piercing eyes darted about the page in search of ideas toos, paints, and other unique means of self expression. Most
feathren struggle to resist the urge to preen or adjust their
to explore. Finding none, she moved to a new sheet and put the old
worn finery whenever they catch a glimpse of their reflection.
one atop the stack to the side.
She stared at the now empty parchment in front of her and
twirled the stick of charcoal in her hand. Her feathers were ruffled
CONFIDENT AND CURIOUS
and the rings on her swinging tail clinked softly as they moved back Born with the innate gifts of two naturally skilled creatures,
and forth in concentration. feathren have a shared sense of confidence in their abilities.
The sound of hammers against metal could be heard from Feathren spend their lives learning and mastering new trades
workshop below, resonating with a familiar rhythm and ring to sate their curiosity, preferring to answer a puzzle or ques-
that matched the pace of her thought, charcoal, and tail. She was tion on their own rather than ask for help. Many feathren
find camaraderie among those that share a common passion,
a pendulum in motion: a clock that counted down to the stroke of
and while they’re remiss to turn to peers for help, they enjoy
brilliance, and when it rang out, the satisfied trills of victory would the sharing of stories and conversation about their interests.
echo throughout the chamber.
Vyrre Olmeck, The Face of Creation
FEATHREN NAMES
Feathren are the representation of something new from As is their nature, feathren enjoy experimenting with names
something old. A step beyond their ancestral griffon heri- and playing with the combinations they can make with
tage, these bipedal creatures celebrate their individuality them. Feathren are given a name at birth that’s used as a first
amidst the cries and jeers from common folk. Originally born name, but give themselves new surnames as they grow.

2 THE GRIFFON’S SADDLEBAG

 Friends, Foes, and Feathren
Despite their intelligence, many people see feathren as little
more than walking, talking griffons. As a result, they’re often
treated with the same caution their large ancestors receive,
but unless given a reason to be afraid, most people will sim-
ply steal glances at them from across the way or avoid them
Throughout a feathren’s lifespan, they may go through all together. Someone familiar with griffons can be as likely
as many as twenty surnames: some may last for years, while to belittle a feathren as they are to befriend them, depending
others are kept for mere weeks. These names are typically on that person’s history.
combinations of words that describe them and act as either Those that see past a feathren’s ancestry find themselves
loose titles or personal mantras, and can come from a variety with a lasting companion. Dragonborn, dwarves, gnomes,
of languages. and half-elves in particular are likely to be befriended by
feathren, who see them as either natural creative peers
Male Names: Acero, Astraios, Caicias, Cleve, Fhyriad, Gyrin, or kindred spirits caught between worlds. Half-orcs and
Iapet, Ipsideo, Jurat, Klost, Lostro, Quyll, Ronta, Strey, tieflings can spark this same sense of camaraderie, but often
Untreyo, Yulla, Zwayne lack the creative drive that can cement a lifelong friendship.
Female Names: Accra, Axellia, Coora, Ereya, Finneli, Fuli,
Herata, Hyla, Juip, Leies, Lucine, Lustra, Monit, Omi,
Parra, Reyda, Velrin
Example Surnames: Birthwoven, Crownfeather, Downy, Age. Young feathren are born from eggs and mature more
Gemcrest, Ghostwing, Goldtail, Mistwalker, Ricket, Right- quickly than humans do, reaching maturity by age 8 and
edge, Starborn, Wavecrushed typically living to be around 70.
Alignment. Feathren can be mercurial and admire variety
FEATHREN TRAITS and expression, and as a result tend to lean towards the
gentler aspects of chaos. They are more often good than not,
Your feathren character has a variety of natural abilities as a although some allow their vanity to turn to greed and evil.
result of its unique mix of avian and feline ancestry. Size. Feathren typically range from under 5 to over 6 feet
Ability Score Increase. Your ability scores increase tall with a range of builds based on their ancestry. Your size
depending on your feathren ancestry. Use the Feathren is Medium.
Ancestry tables to determine your combination of physical Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
features and corresponding ability score increases, choosing Darkvision. Your mix of predatory blood has given you
one Avian option and one Feline option. eyes that can cut through darkness. You can see in dim
light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in
Avian Feathren Ancestry darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in
darkness, only shades of gray.
Avian Ancestry Ability Score Increase Natural Creator. You have proficiency in two artisan’s
tools of your choice, and can gain proficiency in a new tool in
Your Intelligence score
Jay, Owl, or Raven half the normal amount of time.
increases by 2.
Talons. Your talons are natural weapons, which you can
Your Wisdom score use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal
Eagle, Falcon, or Hawk
increases by 2. slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier,
Your Charisma score instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an
Cardinal, Mockingbird, or Parrot unarmed strike.
increases by 2.
Astral Ancestry. Due to your curious lineage stemming
from the Astral Plane, you have a limited ability to magi-
Feline Feathren Ancestry cally harness the stardust that exists within all things. You
can cast identify and enhance ability with this trait, without
Feline Ancestry Ability Score Increase requiring material components. Once you cast either spell,
Lion, Panther, or Your Strength score you can’t cast that spell again with this trait until you finish
Saber-Toothed Tiger increases by 1. a long rest.
Kindred Speech. You have the ability to communicate in a
Your Dexterity score limited manner with cats and birds that are Large or smaller,
Cheetah, Serval,or Tiger
increases by 1. including griffons. They can understand the meaning of your
Your Constitution score words, though you have no special ability to understand
Jaguar, Lynx, or Snow Leopard
increases by 1. them in return. You have advantage on all Charisma checks
you make to influence them.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and
one extra language of your choice. When choosing a lan-
guage to study, feathren tend to value the sounds they make
more highly than their practicality.

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