[3.5] Domovoi - Dumb Questions

[Thurbane]

So, Domovoi are small fey from Frostburn.


A typical domovoi is a 2-foot-tall human-shaped creature with a dark, sooty skin and hairy arms, a thick beard, and furry legs, chest, and back.

They also have two claw attacks, and are constantly covered in soot and ashes that make them slippery.

I'm just wondering...could they pass for a Gnome of Halfling? Or maybe a Gully Dwarf or Korobokuru? How likely is a casual observer to mistake them for a more common small Humanoid race? I would assume a Knowledge (nature) check would identify them, unless they were actively trying to disguise themselves.

If one were playing a Domovoi in a campaign where non-standard/non-humanoid races might encounter some prejudice or cause fear, how do you think a Domovoi would be received?

Cheers - T

[liquidformat]

So in Forgotten Realms I think they could be pretty easily mistaken for a jungle dwarf since those are specifically small size. I think in general they would be more likely mistaken for a gnome who are often described as at least somewhat hairy and have love for crafting rather than a halfling which tend to be described as looking more childlike. Granted that all depends on the campaign setting and how the smaller races are described. In general if they were dressing to look like a smithy I think they would go more or less undetected in most places.

[Thurbane]

Good call...I remember a couple of the small dwarf kin, but forgot about the FR variety.

[Bronk]

A bunch of bulky clothes, a pair of gloves, and a job as a chimney sweep, which would be perfect for them? They could easily pass as a gnome, or a skinnier chaos gnome.

[ShurikVch]

Note: before the Frostburn, Domovoi appeared in the "Red Sails: Fell and Forlorn Bestiary" article in Dragon #290, where it was treated as a Ghost of a Forest Gnome, with Manifestation and Telekinesis as the only available special attacks

[heavyfuel]

Any reason they can't make a Disguise check?

There's already an established penalty for disguising as another race (-2).

[Mike Miller]

Any reason they can't make a Disguise?

There's already an establish penalty for disguising as another race (-2).

I came here to say this. I was too slow

Disguise seems like the way to go.

[Thurbane]

Oh, they could definitely disguise themselves, and with a bonus to Cha, would probably be pretty decent at it.

I was just musing, if someone saw them out of disguise, what they might be taken for...

[RSGA]

Oh, they could definitely disguise themselves, and with a bonus to Cha, would probably be pretty decent at it.

I was just musing, if someone saw them out of disguise, what they might be taken for...

With enough class levels, pretty much nobody would have any idea because identifying that strange small person moves out of common knowledge and even out of a low level sage's ability to tell. But for maximum confusion, you need to get some way of temporarily getting extra hit dice of some kind.