Sunday, March 29, 2009

Monster: Underfolk (Tak'ti)

Underfolk
Armour Class: 4
Hit Dice: 1-3 hp
Move: 60' (20')
burrow 150' (50')
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1-3
No. Appearing: 1-10 (10-100)
Save As: Normal Man
Morale: 6
Treasure Type: I
Alignment: Neutral
XP Value: 5

With chalk-white flesh, more more than 1 1/2' tall, underfolk are strange little humanoids. They are round-bodied and hunched, with spindly yet strong limbs and broad glittering claws for digging; they possess a pair of insectile antennae, huge orb-like black eyes and a protective carapace like that of a scarab in darkly iridescent hues. Underfolk are not intrinsically hostile, but their endless tunnelling and taste for metals and gems -- as food -- causes dwarves and their ilk to regard them as vermin and worse.

When pressed, underfolk will attack with their claws for 1-3 hit points of damage. If the swarm believes it can overpower a target, they will cling and hang on after a successful attack, biting automatically with mandible-like jaws for one hit point per round until removed.

One in twenty underfolk is a swarmleader with 1-1 HD. Underfolk have infravision, and function at a -2 penalty to all rolls when in sunlight or strong magical light.

2 comments:

Matthew Slepin said...

Nice. I just created an "Underfolk" for my Anglo-Saxon Spellcraft & Sorcery campaign. Mine are a little different: they are the degenerate descendants of aboriginal Halflings. Always hostile and cannibalistic by preference.

Underfolk are cool.

taichara said...

@Matthew Slepin:

That sounds cool too -- especially anything that makes halflings a little different *grins*