Learn tactics and how to create a Hadozee playable character in D&D 5e
What are the Hadozee?
The Hadozee are simian humanoids that have travelled across wildspace in Spelljammer ships. While not common throughout the D&D universe, they can be found in many places.
The Hadozee are native to the world of Yazir and once lived peaceful lives in the trees there. That is until a wizard and his apprentices arrived. They fed the Hadozee ancestors an elixir that altered their appearance and intellect making them larger, stronger and more self-aware. This wizard though, intended to sell the Hadozee as slaves. Learning of this plot, the Hadozee rose up against the wizard with the aid of his apprentices and overthrew him.
From their evolution centuries ago, they have made their way to the stars. While they have no technology to build spelljammer ships of their own, they’re often keen to be hired as mercenaries and deckhands on other spelljammer ships. They often work co-cooperatively with the elves in wildspace in this manner.
Hadozee playable character rules
| Ability Scores | +2 to one ability score and +1 to another or +1 to 3 different ability scores |
| Creature Type | Humanoid |
| Size | Medium or Small |
| Speed | 30ft (climbing and walking) |
| Languages | Common and one other language |
| Traits | Dextrous Feet, Glide, Hadozee Resilience |
| Book found in | Spelljammer: Adventures in Space |
If you want to play as a Hadozee, your character will have the following traits and abilities:
Hadozee traits
Dexterous 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 – When you fall at least 10 feet above the ground, you can use your reaction to extend your skin membranes to glide horizontally a number of feet equal to your walking speed, and you take 0 damage from the fall. You determine the direction of the glide.
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 tactics
In some ways, it’s a little hard to recommend a Hadozee from a purely mechanical point of view. Their most important trait (Hadozee Resilience) is bettered by the Goliath, Dextrous Feet is rarely useful and while glide is decent, it’s benefit to increase movement was effectively cut in the revised version.
However, if you are keen to play a Hadozee, there are certainly ways to make them work reasonably well. Below are a few tactics you can use:
- Height is your friend – Heights can be deadly (both in life and D&D) but the Hadozee are mostly safe from this hazard as you can use your reaction to glide to safety. You’re also the safe pair of hands for any acrobatics up high. Of course, flight is better, but not many races have this option either.
- Survive a beating – Although Hadozee Resilience doesn’t stack up with Goliath endurance (they get d12 + constitution modifier off of some damage), it’s still a powerful tool. It’s certainly weaker than a Goliath’s ability at lower levels, but as your proficiency bonus increases at higher levels, it can stack up against this ability too. Either way, you take less damage so melee fighters can tacke a bit more of a beating.
While the old version of Spelljammer: Adventures in Space allowed for some weird and wonderful ways to increase your movement speed with some running, jumping and gliding, that’s essentially been removed from the republished version. The handy thing to note is if you do fall, you use your reaction to glide and it allows you some additional movement (up to your walking speed) as part of this reaction. This means if you do fall, you can also niftily move yourself around the battlefield. This is a rare occurrence in combat though so not a tactic to rely on regularly.
Best classes for a Hadozee
Really, we’re looking at maximising the fact that Hadozee are more durable than other races. Any other traits are just too niche in their application to build around. This means we’re looking at melee classes and particularly tanks (who need to soak up a lot of damage) and the squishier melee classes like rogues and artificers.
I’d suggest the following as the best options for a Hadozee:
For all of these classes, the main tactic is just let your Hadozee resilience soak up a bit of extra damage. For artificers, this is most effective if you’re playing a battle smith or armorer. Special mentions go to the hexblade warlock and the college of swords and valor bards who might also want to get into the fray and will need the extra protection of Hadozee resilience.
Worst classes for a Hadozee
Extra toughness is generally good and all classes take damage in combat. You may find you get less out of Hadozee resilience if you’re a ranged character though and often, these same characters are less likely to glide as they’re less likely to be scouting at the front of the party or throwing themselves in danger’s way.
While not bad options, I’d say you’ll get less out of a Hadozee if you’re playing a Wizard, Warlock, Sorcerer or Bard (other than the subclasses mentioned previously).
About the Hadozee
Appearance
The Hadozee share many features in common with monkeys such as prehensile feet with opposable thumbs, a furry body and a snout. They differ in appearance from their simian cousins through the lack of a tail and their taller, skinnier frame which, although muscular and stooped, stands about 5.5-6ft tall. They also have skin stretching from their arms to their legs that they can use to glide from lofty positions.
Roleplaying as a Hadozee
There are many ways you can play as a Hadozee but below are a few ideas you could use for your character:
- Deckhand – You work on a Spelljammer ship. You’ve always dreamed of being the captain or some great adventurer, but life’s never given you the opportunity… until now. Perhaps space pirates attacked and you helped fend them off or all the crew died leaving you to sail this ship. Perhaps a local hero has picked you to be their apprentice. Whatever the opportunity, you’ve grasped it with both hands and haven’t looked back.
- Freedom fighter – Your family or tribe were captured and you now fight against those aggressors that kidnap and perform other unspeakable acts.
- Sword for hire – You use your natural agility and resilience to fight and protect (or even attack). The right price will persuade you to taken on any job, no matter how dirty.
Other playable races
Not sure a Hadozee is the right race for you? Not a problem, there are loads of other playable races in D&D 5e. Check out our guides for them all below:
