There are a lot of fun new options for players in Spelljammer: Adventures in Space. We’ve got new spells, new magical items, and new playable races. Only one of those playable races gives you the ability to glide around, though. That’s right: we’re talking about the Hadozee. Learn all about this simian race with our Hadozee 5E Guide.
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Hadozee 5E
The Hadozee are not new to Dungeons & Dragons. They are also not new to 5th Edition, at least as monsters or NPCs. However, Spelljammer: Adventures in Space has brought us our first opportunity to play as a Hadozee since 5E dropped.
What are Hadozee in D&D?
The Hadozee are simian beings with physical characteristics that leave them well-adapted to Wildspace. These creatures have not always filled the role of adventurers. Originally, they were timid creatures roughly the size of a house cat. They evolved into winged creatures in an effort to escape from predators, serving as little more than a link in the food chain for years.
Several hundred years ago, a wizard visited the Hadozee homeworld of Yazir. The wizard captured countless Hadozee and experimented on them, turning them into sapient beings. The potion used in this transformation also makes the Hadozee hardier and intensifies their panic response.
Hadozee have wings that allow them to glide, but they are natural climbers that are nimble with their hands and feet. With opposable thumbs on their feet, they can use them for any task the hands would otherwise be suitable for.
Building a Hadozee
All of the new races in Spelljammer – including the Astral Elves and Plasmoids – lack the fixed ability score bonuses that were common with most previous races. In recent years, Wizards of the Coast has moved away from these hard-coded bonuses, instead allowing players to customize their character races as they see fit. This avoids any concerns about bio-essentialism, and it also reduces the need to pick certain races in order to optimize a specific class.
Ability Scores
Wizards of the Coast has adopted the same approach to ability score bonuses in Spelljammer that they have for the races in Wild Beyond the Witchlight. instead of providing reach race with fixed ability score bonuses, each player will have a choice to make. The first option is to select a +2 bonus to one ability score, and a +1 bonus to another. The second option is to apply a +1 bonus to three different ability scores. These methods open up all classes to the Hadozee without worrying about poor optimization.
Language
The Hadozee do not have their own language, at least according to the lore provided in Starjammer: Adventure in Space. Instead, each Hadozee character will have two languages to begin with: common and another language of your choice.
Hadozee Traits Breakdown
- Creature Type: You are a Humanoid.
- Lifespan: Your lifespan is roughly 100 years.
- Size: You are Medium or Small. You choose the size when you select this race.
- Speed: Your walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a climbing speed equal to your walking speed.
- Dextrous Feet:As a bonus action, you can use your feet to manipulate an object, open or close a door or container, or pick up or set down a Tiny object.
- Glide:If you are not incapacitated or wearing heavy armor, you can extend your skin membranes and glide. When you do so, you can perform the following aerial maneuvers:
-You can move up to 5 feet horizontally for every 1 foot you descend in the air, at no movement cost to you.
-When you would take damage from a fall, you can use your reaction to reduce the fall’s damage to 0. - Hadozee Resilience:The magic that runs in your veins heightens your natural defenses. When you take damage, you can use your reaction to roll a d6. Add your proficiency bonus to the number rolled, and reduce the damage you take by an amount equal to that total (minimum of 0 damage).
You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Hadozee are fairly similar to most of the races offered in Spellajammer. You have the standard 30 feet walking speed, you are a humanoid, and you can choose between small and medium size. The unique features of the Hadozee are pretty great though. What’s more, they are equally useful no matter what role in the party your character fills.
It is not hard to see why Glide is useful. While it is no flying speed, you can glide safely for heights and essentially can cast Feather Fall on yourself at will. There isn’t a class or subclass that wouldn’t benefit from Glide.
The same is true for the Hadozee’s other primary feature: Hadozee Resilience. You have the ability to reduce the damage you take by using your reaction. This ability is tied to your proficiency bonus in more than one way, making scale well as you level. Not only does leveling up increase the amount of damage you can absorb, you can also use this ability more at higher levels as well. At higher levels, you could absorb a significant amount of damage when circumstances are right.
Best Classes for The Hadozee
I am a fan of playing the class and race combination that fits your character idea as opposed to purely optimizing them. With the change to ability score bonuses and the general usefulness of the Hadozee, you can make any character concept work without running a sub-optimal character. Between Glide and Dexterous feet, the Hadozee would be a strong option for a rogue.
A Hadozee would make for a strong tank option thanks to Hadozee resilience. Any Barbarian could soak up even more damage when raging if they were also able to spare additional hit points through this feature. the barbarian’s lack of armor would also keep the Glide option available. While a Redemption Paladin would be a good fit, unfortunately, Hadozee Resilience and Aura of the Guardian do not stack due to both options requiring your reaction.
How to Play a Hadozee
Hadozee are often loud, enthusiastic, and well-suited for the spelljamming life. there are countless ways for you to bring these characters to life. Being part of a culture that has only been sentient for a few hundred years is an interesting concept, and it would make sense for your Hadozee to have a sense of wonderment and adventure.
Hadozee Names
Spelljammer: Adventures in Space does not go into great detail when it comes to lore for these new races. While previous books offered naming suggestions for each new race, that is not the case here. Thankfully, we can look back at how previous versions of Dungeons and Dragons would name Hadozee to get some tips for the future. Hadozee did not usually rely on surnames. Instead, they chose a “ship-name” based on a vessel they took pride in working on. The relationships they forge aboard a spelljamming vessel are often stronger than blood.
- Female Hadozee Names. Bashala, Bannithi, Dashlina, Greshla, Kalla, Kasha, Mahnri, Risha, Tyeesha, Yasha, Yethni, Zansa.
- Male Hadozee Names. Banth, Darn, Darsh, Grohn, Harth, Krath, Kolth, Ranth, Rothin, Tarn, Tarath, Yeth.
Concluding our Hadozee Guide
That wraps up our Hadozee 5E Guide. While I wish there were a little more lore added for the Hadozee in this book, the mechanics of the race are very strong no matter what kind of character you have in mind. Are you enthused about the Hadozee? If so, let us know in our comment section. Need a little more Spelljammer action? Check out our Autognome 5e Guide.
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