My world doesn’t have orcs and goblins –
it’s got grues and rat-things. Something
strange and different, and I don’t want to fall back on the regular ho-hum
monsters. I want creatures to have
cultural flavor and purpose.
And yet, I don’t have intelligent, subterranean savage
humanoids to throw at my players. What
should I do?
Taking inspiration from Tolkien’s goblins of Moria, and the
Hobbit’s description of Gollum, the deformed orcs from the Lord of the Rings
films, and also HG Wells’ morlocks (from the books and both movies) I came up
with something that seems a bit familiar, but is still different enough to be
unique to my world and a bit of a mystery to my players. I also made sure they are not just bags of
hit points to create a vanilla encounter
Orlocks
might have been men once, long ago, but have descended into the depths of the
earth and live in the uttermost dark.
They have rough, pale grey skin, and would be 7 feet tall if they stood
upright, with rough features and wide white eyes. Their arms are much longer than normal, and
they have a lumbering gait, dragging their arms on the ground. Their eyesight is very poor, so they use
their hands to feel about, and are greatly disturbed by bright light. They also have thick hides, often deformed
with tumors and deformities. They are
hunters and raiders, able to move quite silently and pounce unsuspecting on
prey, be it subterranean fish or a hapless wandering soul.
Orlocks
communicate in a whistles and clicks amongst themselves, but High Orlocks often
speak in the tongue of grues and dwarves.
Larger bands
of Orlocks tend to have leather or hide armor carved from creatures that dwell
underground, and wield spears and axes.
Every group with more than eight orlocks have an Orlock Brute, and any
group with more than 20 orlocks have a High Orlock.
Orlock: Init +1; Atk claw +1 melee
(1d4) or as weapon +1 melee; AC 13 + armor; HD 1d8+1 (5 hp); MV 30’; Act 1d20; SQ:
darkvision 120’, daylight aversion, long reach, mottled hide, SV Fort +2, Ref
+0, Will -1; AL C.
Orlocks are most often encountered
equipped with clubs and no armor to speak of.
When exposed to bright light, Orlocks
suffer a -2 to skill checks and attack rolls.
Because of their long reach, Orlocks have
a further +2 bonus to grapple their foes, climb, or swim.
Due to their thick, uneven skin, Orlocks
have a base armor class of 13, plus any armor they might wear. As well, their hides blend well with the
rocks of caverns and caves, and in such an environment have a chance to sneak
and hide at +6 to their skill checks – even working against those who have
infravision.
Orlock Brute: Init +1; Atk claw +3
melee (1d4+2) or as weapon +3 melee (damage +2); AC 13 + armor; HD 3d8+6 (20
hp); MV 30’; Act 1d20; SQ: darkvision 120’, daylight aversion, long reach, mottled
hide, SV Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +1; AL C.
Orlock brutes are often equipped with
handaxes made of stone and leather armor.
When exposed to bright light, Orlocks
suffer a -2 to skill checks and attack rolls.
Because of their long reach, Orlocks have
a further +2 bonus to grapple their foes, climb, or swim.
Due to their thick, uneven skin, Orlocks
have a base armor class of 13, plus any armor they might wear. As well, their hides blend well with the
rocks of caverns and caves, and in such an environment have a chance to sneak
and hide at +6 to their skill checks – even working against those who have
infravision.
High Orlock: Init +2; Atk claw +3
melee (1d4) or as weapon +3 melee; AC 13 + armor; HD 5d8+5 (28 hp); MV 30’; Act
1d20; SQ: darkvision 120’, daylight aversion, long reach, mottled hide, one
with the darkness (+4 casting check – darkness, resist cold or heat, chill
touch), SV Fort +2, Ref +0, Will -1; AL C.
High Orlocks are often equipped with spears
and hide armor.
When exposed to bright light, Orlocks
suffer a -2 to skill checks and attack rolls.
Because of their long reach, Orlocks have
a further +2 bonus to grapple their foes, climb, or swim.
Due to their thick, uneven skin, Orlocks
have a base armor class of 13, plus any armor they might wear. As well, their hides blend well with the
rocks of caverns and caves, and in such an environment have a chance to sneak
and hide at +6 to their skill checks – even working against those who have
infravision.
High Orlocks are attuned to the dark and
the deep, and can call on the power that lies deep in the earth, much like a
shaman or druid might do in the world above – they can cast darkness, resist
cold or heat, and chill touch as a cleric of 3rd level,
with a +4 bonus to casting.
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