There are many dangerous and mysterious creatures who reside in the forests of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. The player can take on the role of one of these creatures, by playing as a Deku Scrub from The Legend of Zelda.
Deku Scrubs debuted as enemies in Ocarina of Time, but they were fleshed out in later entries in the series, most notably Majora's Mask. What started out as simple enemies that taught Link how to use his shield, evolved into a regular part of the series. Deku Scrubs love to fire seeds at intruders who enter their domain. Unfortunately for the Deku Scrubs, the heroes of Hyrule are masters of using a shield and have a tendency to send their projectiles straight back at them.
Deku Scrub Stats
Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity increases by 2 and your Constitution increases by 1.
Size: Your size is Small.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
Seed Spit: You can spit a projectile out of your mouth. The Seed Spit is classed as a ranged weapon, which deals 1d4 bludgeoning damage on a successful hit. The range of Speed Spit is 60 feet. Using Seed Spit takes an Attack action. Seed Spit can only be used once per round, even if you possess additional attacks. Seed Spit cannot be used if your mouth is covered.
Natural Camouflage: You can attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured by foliage in a wooded area or swamplike. You also have advantage on Stealth checks when attempted in a wooded area or swamp.
Roleplaying As A Deku Scrub
Deku Scrubs are incredibly protective of their homes and will use the environment to their advantage. Their natural connection to woodlands means that it's difficult to engage them on their home turf, especially when outnumbered. Majora's Mask proved that Deku Scrubs could form their own societies, with their own military and royal family, so there is no reason why a Deku Scrub character shouldn't be as educated as the other party members. The overly-protective nature of the Deku Scrubs means that they can be rash or quick to anger, but they're also fiercely loyal to their friends and will be the first to defend them from harm.
Deku Scrub characters will likely come from an isolated background, as Deku Kingdoms tend to be in secluded areas that aren't visited by the other races. As such, the player will need to come up with a reason as to why their character has left the safety of their homeland. It's possible that they were exiled for several years due to committing a crime, or have been sent out on an expedition to the outside world in order to protect the kingdom, either by finding a necessary item or stopping a growing evil in the world. This kind of quest might seem like a harsh punishment for the character until they start to experience the joys (and dangers) of the outside world.
The Deku Scrubs have a strong bond with nature. As such, Deku Scrub adventurers often take on the Barbarian, Druid, or Ranger class. There are also pious Deku Scrubs who become Clerics of the gods of nature. The sneaky nature of Deku Scrubs' battle tactics means they also make good Rogues, as their Seed Spit attack would benefit from the damage bonus of Sneak Attack. Deku Scrub bards will also love to play pipes, as a reference to Link's Deku form in Majora's Mask, and the favored instrument of the Deku Kingdom from the same game.