Lysander
2009-06-11, 12:45 PM
Wallcrawlers are a vaguely amphibious race of humanoids adapted to life in caves. They frequently live in the hollow caverns within sea side cliffs, or in moist limestone caves below forests.
Appearance
Wallcrawlers have pale green skin, webbed fingers and toes, black fingernails, and bulging white orbs with no pupils for their eyes. Their bodies are hairless, but some wallcrawlers have thick fleshy dreadlock-like tendrils of flesh coming from their head. Instead of a nose they posses three narrow vertical slits above their lips, nor do they have any ears. Their mouths are filled with hundreds of sharp needle teeth that break easily but regrow as necessary.
The only clothing Wallcrawlers typically wear is a speedo-like outfit, and a sash across the chest for females.
Culture
Wallcrawlers are carnivorous but peaceful creatures who usually sustain themselves with the fish they catch with their bare hands. Wallcrawlers living inland may emerge from their caves to hunt small game with slings and arrows, or cover holes with sticks and leaves to trick animals into falling into their domain.
A wallcrawler clan only consists of around fifty creatures since more will normally overcrowd a cave or overfish an area. Once a settlement grows much larger than that the males of the clan will hold contests consisting of wrestling and swimming races to see who will have the honor of leaving and finding a new home. Clans are ruled by a gerontocracy with the eldest fifth of the group making the few decisions needed.
Wallcrawlers have no concept of marriage or relationships, and instead share mates and raise all children communally. Females bear their young as humans do.
Wallcrawler clans will sometimes trade fish, shells, pearls and coral they can easily obtain with other races. They have little need of or interest in money, but are highly inquisitive. If threatened by a significant force of outsiders an entire clan will often simply leave en masse and find a new home.
edit: Wallcrawlers and Other Races
Wallcrawlers are highly devoted to their clan, but as communal creatures lack many of the bounds and responsibilities inherent in the nuclear family. This gives them freedom to travel, visiting other cave clans to share tales or to explore the outside world, which they refer to as "The Daylight" in their tongue. Most Wallcrawlers leave the cave for a few months after coming of age at 15, then travel only sporadically, but others travel more extensively.
While they lead a relatively primitive existence with few tools Wallcrawlers are no less intelligent than humanity, and occasionally one will rise to prominence in the human world as a wizard or artisan. Unlike most races though, a Wallcrawler who has achieved success this way will often give it up after several years, even decades, to return to fishing from their cave, their curiosity sated. They understand technological and magical progress and are intrigued by it, but have no desire to alter the lifestyle that has served their people for millenia.
Their blank eyes and evil looking teeth unsettle other races, and Wallcrawlers may face prejudice, even violence. Depending on the level of hostility Wallcrawlers may be so secretive nobody even knows they live nearby, or they may be valued as trading partners and guides, and commonly visit friends of other races in nearby villages.
Wallcrawlers may sometimes settle the sewer system of a major city and become an urban legend. Sewer dwelling Wallcrawlers are more violent and greedy than their cave brethren, and might sneak up to steal food rather than subsist on rats. Most Wallcrawlers think dwelling in sewers is disgusting though, and would rather sleep on the ceiling of a house even without comforting moisture and stone. Wallcrawlers living in sewers are typically outcasts who have been banished from their clan for moral defect and found like minded souls beneath human cities.
Attributes
*Medium Size
*+2 Dexterity, -4 Charisma
*Base land speed 20 feet
*Climbing - Wallcrawlers have microscopic ridges on their fingers and toes that allow them to climb walls, as the spell Spider Climb, as a nonmagical extraordinary ability. They can also run while climbing, even upside down.
*Exclusive Darkvision - Wallcrawlers can see in perfect darkness, but even in daylight they see in black and white.
*Hold breath - A wallcrawler can hold their breath for up to five minutes before having any difficulty.
*+4 to all swimming checks. Wallcrawlers only need to make a check for fatigue when swimming once every eight hours.
*+4 to all listen checks
*-2 to resist any effect to dazzle them
*Dietary restriction: A Wallcrawler can only digest meat, dairy, insects, and fish. They derive no nourishment from fruits, plants, or bread (though they still enjoy juice and beer as exotic beverages).
*Automatic languages: Common and Wallcrawler. The Wallcrawler tongue is a series of loud clicks and whistles that other races can hear, but neither speak nor be taught to comprehend. Even most magic spells cannot let one use this language because people of other races lack the physical capability to hear and produce all the frequencies involved. Druids and Rangers of any race are an exception though and can learn the tongue.
*Favored class: Ranger
Appearance
Wallcrawlers have pale green skin, webbed fingers and toes, black fingernails, and bulging white orbs with no pupils for their eyes. Their bodies are hairless, but some wallcrawlers have thick fleshy dreadlock-like tendrils of flesh coming from their head. Instead of a nose they posses three narrow vertical slits above their lips, nor do they have any ears. Their mouths are filled with hundreds of sharp needle teeth that break easily but regrow as necessary.
The only clothing Wallcrawlers typically wear is a speedo-like outfit, and a sash across the chest for females.
Culture
Wallcrawlers are carnivorous but peaceful creatures who usually sustain themselves with the fish they catch with their bare hands. Wallcrawlers living inland may emerge from their caves to hunt small game with slings and arrows, or cover holes with sticks and leaves to trick animals into falling into their domain.
A wallcrawler clan only consists of around fifty creatures since more will normally overcrowd a cave or overfish an area. Once a settlement grows much larger than that the males of the clan will hold contests consisting of wrestling and swimming races to see who will have the honor of leaving and finding a new home. Clans are ruled by a gerontocracy with the eldest fifth of the group making the few decisions needed.
Wallcrawlers have no concept of marriage or relationships, and instead share mates and raise all children communally. Females bear their young as humans do.
Wallcrawler clans will sometimes trade fish, shells, pearls and coral they can easily obtain with other races. They have little need of or interest in money, but are highly inquisitive. If threatened by a significant force of outsiders an entire clan will often simply leave en masse and find a new home.
edit: Wallcrawlers and Other Races
Wallcrawlers are highly devoted to their clan, but as communal creatures lack many of the bounds and responsibilities inherent in the nuclear family. This gives them freedom to travel, visiting other cave clans to share tales or to explore the outside world, which they refer to as "The Daylight" in their tongue. Most Wallcrawlers leave the cave for a few months after coming of age at 15, then travel only sporadically, but others travel more extensively.
While they lead a relatively primitive existence with few tools Wallcrawlers are no less intelligent than humanity, and occasionally one will rise to prominence in the human world as a wizard or artisan. Unlike most races though, a Wallcrawler who has achieved success this way will often give it up after several years, even decades, to return to fishing from their cave, their curiosity sated. They understand technological and magical progress and are intrigued by it, but have no desire to alter the lifestyle that has served their people for millenia.
Their blank eyes and evil looking teeth unsettle other races, and Wallcrawlers may face prejudice, even violence. Depending on the level of hostility Wallcrawlers may be so secretive nobody even knows they live nearby, or they may be valued as trading partners and guides, and commonly visit friends of other races in nearby villages.
Wallcrawlers may sometimes settle the sewer system of a major city and become an urban legend. Sewer dwelling Wallcrawlers are more violent and greedy than their cave brethren, and might sneak up to steal food rather than subsist on rats. Most Wallcrawlers think dwelling in sewers is disgusting though, and would rather sleep on the ceiling of a house even without comforting moisture and stone. Wallcrawlers living in sewers are typically outcasts who have been banished from their clan for moral defect and found like minded souls beneath human cities.
Attributes
*Medium Size
*+2 Dexterity, -4 Charisma
*Base land speed 20 feet
*Climbing - Wallcrawlers have microscopic ridges on their fingers and toes that allow them to climb walls, as the spell Spider Climb, as a nonmagical extraordinary ability. They can also run while climbing, even upside down.
*Exclusive Darkvision - Wallcrawlers can see in perfect darkness, but even in daylight they see in black and white.
*Hold breath - A wallcrawler can hold their breath for up to five minutes before having any difficulty.
*+4 to all swimming checks. Wallcrawlers only need to make a check for fatigue when swimming once every eight hours.
*+4 to all listen checks
*-2 to resist any effect to dazzle them
*Dietary restriction: A Wallcrawler can only digest meat, dairy, insects, and fish. They derive no nourishment from fruits, plants, or bread (though they still enjoy juice and beer as exotic beverages).
*Automatic languages: Common and Wallcrawler. The Wallcrawler tongue is a series of loud clicks and whistles that other races can hear, but neither speak nor be taught to comprehend. Even most magic spells cannot let one use this language because people of other races lack the physical capability to hear and produce all the frequencies involved. Druids and Rangers of any race are an exception though and can learn the tongue.
*Favored class: Ranger