[Setting] Deepseeker

[JonSetanta]

Deepseeker
An underground D&D setting for 3e.


Premise

Deep within the bowels of a tectonic plate lays the cavernous subcontinent of Deepseeker, honeycombed with fungus-lit air pockets and entire oceans of sunless wonders.
Cities and fortresses battle for safe zones among the wild and dark tunnels of secret horror.


Resources

• Space
There can never be enough room to build. Having a zone of control within tight caverns means the luxury to expand a community as well as store possessions.
While any community can simply dig some new spaces, the risk of collapse or monstrous invasion is all too common; hence, mining is only performed once heroes have cleared a zone, and only in safe zones.
Buildings tend to stack like Tetris pieces, climbing atop each other to the point wherein one rooftop becomes another's front porch. Alleys are slim. Ceilings are low. Owning excessive material possessions is scorned.

• Time
The circadian rhythms of above-ground lands are similar. The setting of Deepseeker may be daylight-free but this does not distance life from the orbit of planet around star and alterations in magnetic fields.
The world (whichever world) Deepseeker's underground tectonic plate belongs within follows the same 4 season, 52 week, 365 day schedule as most humanoid-dominant worlds have.
This game setting uses the following time periods to determine resource production and certain abilities;
○ Years
○ Seasons (4 per year)
○ Weeks (12 per season)
○ Days (7 per week)
○ Hours (24 per day)
○ Minutes (60 per hour)
○ Rounds (10 per minute)

• Minerals and Gems
The pursuit of quality over quantity drives the prices of shining and precious minerals dramatically high; dwarf nobles would rather own one fantastically crafted trinket than a hoard of tacky junk.
While gold is nice to have, more solid materials such as mithril are prized for the ability to last the weathering of time.
Gems command the highest price as they are both the most rare and more difficult to acquire.
Moonstone, a magically radioactive opalescent crystal, is used by goblinoids to alter their genetic structure to increasingly dramatic forms. Feudal and commune factions use Moonstone to construct magical items and infuse magic into their bodies. Moonstone occurs in Uncommon quantities.
Hellstone is a type of magically infused iron alloy prized by Infernals and Abyssals in the use of constructing permanent gates and keys, and a kind of fuel for Undead beings. Its radiation powers fiendish constructions temporarily long enough to gate in more of their kind. For Undead, the more Hellstone is consumed, the more powerful an individual becomes. Other races have generally no use for Hellstone but it easily attracts Undead when exposed to open air, making its (accidental) discovery an illfated event. Hellstone occurs in both Uncommon and Rare quantities.

• Barter and Services
In addition to a cultural preference for space and quality, immaterial trade is common.
Bartered goods are an easy yet fickle means of transferring wealth without piling too much extraneous currency, and legal promises are valued as much as any rare mineral.
Breaking ones capitalistic agreement for a service owed in feudal factions has severe consequences.
Deepseeker economy for sapient cultures functions on multiple tiers of trade, which are only marginally interchangeable.

A few thousand units of a lower tier resource is only barely worth that of a single higher tier one.
Roll 3d6 and drop the highest result, adding the remainder. Multiply this total by 1000 for the equivalent lower tier resource per single higher tier unit.

When exchanging from a low tier to a high tier, there is a 95% chance (rolling anything but a 20 on a d20) the NPC owner of a high tier resource simply does not require any more of the low tier resource, and denies trade.
When exchanging from a high tier to a low tier, there is a 95% chance the NPC owner of a low tier resource simply does not have enough payment of any kind to continue trade.

○ Common
This tier deals with the mining, refining, production, and trade of basic cultural goods. Resources such as granite, marble, gems, gold, silver, iron, and other minerals are exchangeable here.
The average trade currency is a single printed gold alloy coin. Obviously, the more coins one has, the more they can buy.
The average time span for this tier is a day of labor, which is only a fraction of what is required to make money (see the Profession skill for more)

○ Uncommon
This tier deals with the refinement, production, and trade of magical goods, and the owing of favors. This includes Moonstone in its raw form, which is essential to the production of magical items and the use of many spells. Fulfilling favors is an important part of Deepseeker humanoid culture as dedicated labor is pretty much the backbone of civilization.
The average trade currency is a pound of Moonstone crystal in its natural form, a single unit. Refining it for use with magical items is a DC 20 Craft check. 1 unit of Moonstone is required and vaporized for every 1000 gp worth (rounded up) of magical item to be produced, reducing its gp cost by a same amount; the difference is still in gold due to parts cost.
In fact, this exchange of Moonstone for gp cost of an item is required in the production of ANYTHING magical.
The average favor and time span for this tier is a single week of labor, enough to produce a trade's worth of resources with mining (hopefully, and pray you don't find Hellstone).

○ Rare
This tier deals with at-times immaterial goods such as souls, wishes, and property. Even trade between types of Rare resource is fraught with danger and legal binding, as those that deal with such things tend to be powerful enough to take what they need anyway. A single life or estate is worth more than anything. An individual being only has one soul, and trading it away is obviously rare (and fatal, in some contexts), but this also includes the trafficking of slaves and indentured servitude. However, the descendants of indentured servants are born free.
The average trade currency is a single wish, or a lifetime of servitude.
The average time span for this tier is a season.

• Life
The bottom of many food chains here begin with lightless bacteria, diverse fungus, and even true plants that take advantage of the ambient twilight. The seasons are the same in climate, but simple animals still follow the yearly schedule, usually breeding in the spring when the ground near upper caverns is ever so slightly warmer.
While the phosphorescent fungus that abounds in Deepseeker emits low levels of UV radiation through chemical synthesis enough to supply humanoids with a base amount of nutrition, although much of the vitamin intake is from simple roots, fungus, and animals farmed.
The details are actually negligible due to the abstraction of RPG settings. Not knowing the how and why of Deepseeker fictional microbial ecology won't affect the game at all, since that's not the scale we're dealing with here. I only mention it for the pseudoscience freaks out there.

Setting Parameters
The continent of Deepseeker is of unknown size. Generations have dug up, down, left, and all cardinal directions, only to find more rock, more monsters, and more darkness. Rather than give up hope, the sapient races instead adapted and made it their home. To imagine anything else is unthinkable.
The cultures within this setting are a mash of dungeonpunk, steampunk, and typical shit-shoveling peasantry wallowing in their own filth. Like Earth cultures, there are rich, poor, and the in-between. There is no direct comparison between Deepseeker factions and real-world cultures in appearance, although some traits might seem similar. No political or racial commentary is implied.

Certain magical effects are suppressed or denied here:
• Teleportation and scrying only works by line-of-sight. You can't teleport or scry through walls due to some magical mineral interference. Or something.
• Planar travel only works for the gates Infernals and Abyssals build. Hellstone is required, and only works for their constructions in the way they use in.
• Summoned monsters are created from astral archetypes rather than called to the world.
• Calling spells don't work. At all.
• Deities are immaterial, low-powered, ignorant of day to day workings of their followers, and distant. They grant spells through veneration but not much else.
• Creation effects with a duration of Instantaneous instead only last until the caster is unconscious or 24 hours pass, whichever occurs sooner.
• Wish effects only work once each Season per individual. This includes those activated from scrolls and items, since it's the user for which the limitation applies, but multiple-use items also simply don't work past this limit.
• Effects that contact powerful Outsiders for advice (such as Commune) instead consult ones ancestors, nature spirits, or cultural pantheon. Only Infernals get to consult powerful Outsiders, and even then it only works within their faction and near their Hellstone gates.

---

[JonSetanta]

Factions
The factions are as follows:
• Feudal
• Commune
• Empire
• Monstrous
They war with each other and within themselves.
The type of faction determines their cultural setup.

Feudal
The Feudal factions have a representative republic government and well-founded structures within their relatively stable zones. Little travel is needed since most of any population has everything they need in one or few caverns, and very little is exported since goods are consumed by the populous as soon as they are produced.
These nations have the most consistent locations and trade routes, although political battles and economic turmoil tends to be a larger problem than monster invasions.

• Dwarfoid
Dwarflike beings dwell in the middle to upper classes of society.
Lords of each dominant house may be of any subrace, each clan owning a private interest in a specific area of resource gathering or production. They make decisions by means of vote; one vote per house.
Craft skills and ownership reaches back dozens of generations per house, with loyalties solidified by mergers and marriages.
Mining is generally carried out by dedicated laboring dwarfoids due to a matter of both pride in their training and "keeping it in the family", but often a simple lack of trust in the ability of other beings to do quality work.
Dwarf nobles wear shades of grey with mithril adornments, while the laboring and craft houses wear more coarser brown and black.
Registered warriors commonly carry guns and/or sharp axes, but plenty of nobles are dedicated spellcasters and require no more than a staff.

• Humanoid
Humanoids dwell in the middle to lower classes of society. They have the right to own property and hire servants but have no say in government matters.
The living arrangements tend to be sloppy and poorly managed, but functional.
They perform the less desirable tasks of culture, including adventuring and monster slaying.
Humanlikes sampled as a whole wear a rainbow variety of colors and styles from the ancestry they represent, which tends to become garbled and confused over time as bloodlines mix. Intense blue garb is favored by traders, city militia wear white and red, while adventurers tend to prefer black and washed out tones.

Tribal Nomad
Tribal factions have no property within Deepseeker but come and go where fortune attracts them.
Caravans might travel common tunnels, earthglide, or teleport between settlements, but almost never venture outside safe zones.
Many tribes specialize in entertainment and barter since magical services and banking is dominated by noble houses in many cities.

• Elf
Elf tribes carry a verbal history of their fey ancestors and ancient tales of glory in sun-lit worlds. Such tales are regarded as pleasant bedtime stories for children by many, but the elves take it solemnly as fact.
Elves tend to be piebald with pale shades of white, grey, and black, red-eyed, wearing sheets of green and black robes with jeweled wooden adornments. Entertainers wear black and white patterns with painted white masks.

• Orc
Orcs, rather than being a mess of howling berserkers, are some of the most adventurous yet Spartan traders many cities have known. They are willing to take less traveled paths and make risky ventures in efforts to save expense and earn glory.
Orcs are tusked, maned, dusky green-grey, and wear very little, preferring the bare minimum of coverings. Body paint and makeup are common, as are a preference for black leather and spikes.
Entertainers paint their entire nude body and sport ornate wigs or hats.

• Scalefolk (Dragonborn, Saurian, Lizardfolk, Tortle, Yuan-Ti, Kuo-Toa, Troglodyte)
The scaled races are a variety of reptilian and amphibian beings that are actually one race. While they appear to be different species, this is due to a mild shapeshifting trait. Each generation produces a rainbow of different forms as each scaled one adopts a different personality as they grow and learn.
Scalefolk are vibrantly colored like tropical birds and wear near nothing; their smooth hides protect them from a variety of harsh elements, although the climate of Deepseeker tends to be mild already.
Entertainers wear the skins of beasts during acts, or mockingly imitate the attire of noble houses.


Commune
Communes strive for the good of all at the expense of the individual. The death of a generation or settlement is mourned but the loss of one is merely mentioned.

• Goblinoid
The diverse goblinoid species use the rare arcane mineral Moonstone to enhance their genetic growth, devolving themselves sterile yet powerful beings of ancient form.
Smaller goblinoids scout, farm fungus, and breed, while larger and stronger races combat and perform mining. Crafts are left to the elders while younger members take care of food production and upbringing; this leads to a culture with a solid history of material goods and even simple mechanical devices, but poor in the way of knowledge about the world at large. Hence, each generation sometimes leads massive campaigns against "invaders", even if such neighboring nations have peace treaties and a history of trade.
The first and foremost priority of goblinoid culture is to ensure the next generation is safe. For this end, entire cities go to war just to clear any nearby threat to their young.
Goblinoids are considered barbaric, even with their technological achievements rivaling that of the dwarf nations, due to their lax attitude towards consumption of sentient beings.

Goblins begin life as the Green variety. 50% of all goblinoids remain the small, large-eared, beings they always were, but 30% develop into the lithe and sulfur-orange Hobgoblins by adulthood. The remaining 20% become hairy and bulking just before adulthood, growing into the Bugbear form.
Roughly 10% of any goblinoid population has been transformed into trolls by use of Moonstone rituals. 20% of these goblinoid trolls are greater forms.

• Aberration
Either naturally occurring or by magical mishap (a Wizard did it), aberrations recognize the plight of their own kind and band together. While not very complex, their sparse form of culture and cooperation gets needs fulfilled. They find it easier to enslave the weak and steal from other cultures than actually produce goods or trade, readily using and abusing their inborn abilities.
Poweful, at times semi-divine, aberrations secretly alter the minds of lesser ones so that they recognize each other on sight, creating a form of forced alliance that is difficult to break. They can not even be magically commanded to turn on each other, refusing to move.
Aberrations reproduce by spores, budding, hermaphroditic coupling, mobile gametes, and other protean varieties of reproduction. If commanded by powerful aberrations, members of different species can be engineered to produce samples of any aberrant subspecies, due to all of them containing the genetic code for each other form within them.
The preferred diet for aberrations is a variety of fungus within Deepseeker, and most encounters are the result of efforts to protect (or expand) such at-times poisonous fungal-ridden "farms", but unfortunately for other factions some develop the taste for flesh.
Their ecology begins with two forms of fungus; Shrieker and Violet, both of which pop up frequently from spores left behind by all aberration types after occupying a fertile region. After each week 2d6-3 levels worth of aberrations mature from their stable node networks in areas of at least 1 mile in area, feeding off the diverse ambient subterranean ecosystem and occasional pool of aquatic life.


Empire
• Infernals
Reaching across time and space comes the glory of the oppressive Infernal empire of fiends.
Their regional leader is Duchess Beld, a devil locally powerful enough to grant divine magic to her devotees.
Their monarchy is strictly regulated and almost a meritocracy among the lower beings (devils less than level 11, and all types of demons) but they can not override the command of devil nobility (devils of level 11 and higher). Fiends that specialize in spellcasting and belong to the upper class of nobility are called devils, while the lower class of warriors are called demons. Spells and items that work against or for one type also work for the other in this setting as if all fiends had both devil and demon subtypes.
Rather than kill their enemies outright, anyone or anything that can be mind-controlled or physically bullied into slave labor is sent to mine Hellstone and build interplanar gates. Infernals realize that there is much gain to be had when others do all the hard labor, since subjugation comes easy given their abilities.
Compared to Undead, Infernals are woefully outnumbered. They prefer to use deception, superior magical tactics, alliances, and willingness to give up areas to save lives, whereas Undead fight to the death by tooth and nail.
For the lower caste, the demons loosely follow the slightly Democratic rule of the Demon Princes, although such votes are usually cast through infighting and powerplay. Stagnation of decision is common, leaving demons to their own devices and chores without supervision. Regardless, each individual knows what to do, and does it without direct orders. Orders from a devil of higher level always supercede that of a mandate from the Demon Princes, but the devil nobles follow Demon Prince instructions rigidly. They can't be everywhere, though..
All of their resources and efforts are placed into two portions; becoming more powerful, and using that power to acquire Hellstone from others. The death of other factions is mere consequence as they do prefer the taste of living flesh but have no further use for such "lesser beings".


Monstrous
• Undead
Undead bring more of their kind into Deepseeker by throwing living or dead organisms into their black tarlike pits and feeding the morass with mined or stolen Hellstone.
Eventually individual forms emerge, each imbued with a corrupted urge to consume life and wicked cunning.
Within each Undead pit is a large crystalline mass of Hellstone sediment. If destroyed, the Undead spawning capabilities are stopped and all captured organic material immediately shrivels.
In contrast to the Infernals, Abyssals would rather prey upon pre-mined Hellstone in transit, or lurk just out of sight to wait for another faction to accidentally discover a deposit.


• Ooze
Some living things are simply too stupid to form organizations. These protobeings are the oozes, an unfortunately common encounter in the most remote reaches of forgotten caverns.
They breed in cesspools of slime-ridden swamps and bubbling vats that no other living thing goes near.
Theory has it that they have been around long before any other species in Deepseeker, and will remain long after if everything else were to die.
They have their own complex ecosystems, but are rarely encountered near other types of oozes as a group; when an ooze is found, it is almost always alone, due to the food intake requirements and roaming territory of each colony-being.

• Insectoid
These primordial arthropods are of various unallied species.
While dangerous at close range, they have generally two goals; food and reproduction. If either is interrupted they attack but flee if seriously injured.
Insectoids of different types will fight over territory and kill each other for food. They have no culture, create only corpses and shit, and have no interest in minerals or trade.

---

[JonSetanta]

Racial Traits
• A character may have only one Racial feat. Acquiring a new one replaces the old one, but most species don't get a change to change Racial feats aside from the application of a Wish or certain items such as Moonstone for goblinoids.
• Generally only Aberrations, Infernals, and Abyssals may freely change their race within their level limit, and doing so costs them a Rare resource, but goblinoids do so by using an Uncommon amount of Moonstone.

Dwarfoid Species
Humanoid (Dwarf)
Size Medium
+2 Constitution
Stability (+4 racial bonus to checks for resisting movement)
Longevity: Human age categories x2
-10 Land speed
Bonus Racial Feat

Dwarf Racial Feats

Mountain [Racial]
Darkvision 60
+2 Wisdom
+2 racial bonus saves against Poison
+2 racial bonus saves against Magic
Stonecunning

Deep [Racial]
+2 Wisdom
Darkvision 90
+3 racial bonus saves against Poison
+3 racial bonus saves against Magic
Stonecunning
Light Blindness: Blind for the first round when exposed to light, and -1 all checks while continually exposed to bright light

Gnome [Racial]
Gnome subtype
Size Small
+2 Intelligence
Low Light Vision
+2 racial bonus Listen
+2 racial bonus to saves against Illusions

Halfling/Weefolk [Racial]
Halfling subtype
Size Small
+2 Dexterity
+2 racial bonus Listen, Climb, Jump, and Move Silently
+1 racial bonus to all Saves


Humanoid Species
Humanoid (Human)
Size Medium
+2 Intelligence
Bonus Racial Feat

Human Racial Feats

Aasimar [Racial]
Celestial subtype
+2 Wisdom
Darkvision 60
Longevity: Human age categories x3
+2 Diplomacy and Sense Motive

Elfish [Racial]
Elf subtype
+2 Dexterity
Low Light Vision
Longevity: Human age categories x3
+2 Spot, Listen, and Search
Door Sense

Mongrelfolk [Racial]
Size Medium
+2 Constitution
Low Light Vision
Emulate Race: Qualify as any humanoid race for item use, +4 Use Magic Device to emulate non-humanoid
Sound Imitation: Mimic any sound heard within the same day, Listen DC 10 + 1/2 level + CHA to notice difference
+2 Hide and Listen

Orcish [Racial]
Orc subtype
+2 Strength
Darkvision 60
+2 Intimidate, Search, and Survival

Shifter [Racial]
Shapechanger subtype
-2 Intelligence
Low Light Vision
+2 Spot, Listen, and Survival
Alternate Form: Gain +2 Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution, and two of the following traits;
• +2 Natural Armor
• A natural attack 1d6 + 1/2 STR
• 2 Claws 1d4 + STR
• +10 Land speed
• Climb speed 20
• Swim speed 20 and Hold Breath 4 X Constitution number of rounds
• Constant "Speak With Animals"

Tiefling [Racial]
Devil and Demon subtypes
+2 Constitution
Darkvision 60
Longevity: Human age categories x3
+2 Bluff and Disguise


Elf Species
Humanoid (Elf)
Size Medium
+2 Dexterity and Wisdom
Darkvision 60
Low Light Vision
+2 Spot, Listen, and Search
Door Sense
Longevity: Human age categories x3

Orc Species
Humanoid (Orc)
Size Medium
+4 Strength
Darkvision 60
+2 Intimidate, Search, and Survival

Orc (Grimlock) [Template]
Must be an Orc completely blind either by birth or injury
Blind
Blindsight 40
Scent

Scalefolk Species
Humanoid (Reptilian, Shapechanger)
Darkvision 60
Hold Breath: 4 x Constitution score number of rounds
+2 Natural Armor
Bite attack 1d4 + 1/2 STR
Alternate Form: Switch between 2 forms with the following chosen traits;
Choose 1: Size Medium or Small
Choose 1: +2 Strength, +2 Dexterity or +2 Constitution
Choose 2: +2 Climb, Jump, Swim, Tumble, or Balance



Goblinoid Species
Goblinoid subtype
+2 Dexterity
Darkvision 60
+4 racial bonus to Move Silently
Bonus Feat

Goblin Racial Feats
• Any goblinoid may exhange their Racial feat for a Troll feat by consuming an amount of Moonstone units equal to their current level.

Green [Racial]
Size Small
-2 Strength
+2 Dexterity
+2 racial bonus to Climb, Hide, and Listen

Hobgoblin [Racial]
Size Medium
+2 Constitution
+2 racial bonus to Spot and Listen

Bugbear [Racial]
Size Medium
+2 Strength
+2 Constitution
-2 Charisma
+3 Natural Armor
+2 racial bonus to Search and Survival
Level 3: Scent

Troll [Racial]
Requires level 6
Giant and Troll subtypes
Size Large
Bite attack 1d6 + 1/2 STR
+6 Strength and Constitution
-2 Intelligence
-2 Charisma
+3 Natural Armor
Fast Healing 3
Scent

Greater Troll [Racial]
Requires level 12
Giant and Troll subtypes
Size Large
Bite attack 1d6 + 1/2 STR
2 Claws 1d6 + STR
+12 Strength and Constitution
-4 Intelligence
-4 Charisma
+5 Natural Armor
Regeneration 5
Rend: After two claw hits, deal damage equal to 2 claws + STR
Scent


Infernal Species
• Any Infernal may exchange their Racial feat for a higher one by consuming an amount of Hellstone units equal to their current level.
• Infernals can not sense Hellstone, so they use enslaved and amputated low-level Undead to seek it out.

Outsider (Devil, Demon)
+2 Constitution
Darkvision 60
Ageless: No age bonuses or penalties beyond Adult, does not die of old age
Bonus Racial Feat

Infernal Racial Feats
Diabolic [Racial]
Size Medium
Disguise Self 1/hour, lasts until sleep
+2 Charisma
+4 Bluff and Disguise

Sahuagin [Racial]
Requires at least 3
Size Medium
Swim speed 60
+2 Strength
+2 Dexterity
+4 Intelligence
+2 Wisdom
-2 Charisma
Bite 1d4 + 1/2 STR
Blindsense 30 when in water
2 Rake attacks 1d4 + 1/2 STR while in water
Amphibious
+5 Natural Armor
+4 Hide, Listen, and Spot while in water

Gargoyle [Racial]
Requires at least 3
Size Medium
+4 Strength
+2 Constitution
-4 Intelligence
-4 Charisma
2 Claws 1d4 + STR
Glide speed 30 (Average)
+2 Natural Armor
+10 Hide in stone surroundings

Hag [Racial]
Requires level 8, female only
Ogre subtype
Size Medium
Low Light Vision
Swim speed 40
2 Claws + STR
+8 Strength
+2 Constitution
+2 Wisdom
+4 Charisma
Change Shape (Su): Appearance of any humanoid of the same size or one smaller
Eyebite (Su)
Scrying 1/hour
Nightmare 1/day
+4 Natural Armor

Ogre [Racial]
Requires at least 4 levels of Giant
Giant and Ogre subtypes
Size Large
Low Light Vision
+10 Land speed
+10 Strength
-2 Dexterity
+2 Constitution
-4 Intelligence
-4 Charisma
+5 Natural Armor

Ogre Mage [Racial]
Requires level 8 and at least 4 levels of Giant
Giant and Ogre subtypes
Size Large
Low Light Vision
+10 Land speed
+10 Strength
+4 Constitution
+5 Natural Armor
Invisibility (Su)
Air Walk (Su)
Change Shape (Su): Appearance of any humanoid of the same size or one smaller

Gorgon [Racial]
Requires at least level 6, female only
Gorgon subtype
Size Medium
+4 Dexterity
+2 Intelligence
+2 Wisdom
+4 Charisma
Bite (Snake Hair) 1d4 + 1/2 STR + Poison
Poison: Fortitude DC 10 + 1/2 level + CON, 1d6 STR/2d6 STR
Petrifying Gaze (Su): Move action, 1 target within 30 feet, Reflex DC 10 + 1/2 level + CHA, take 5 x level Earth damage and Slowed for 1 round, if killed by this attack the target is Petrified

Cambion [Racial]
Size Medium
+2 Strength
Bite attack 1d6 +1/2 STR
+4 Intimidate and Hide

Kobold [Racial]
Dragon subtype
Size Small
-4 Strength
+2 Dexterity
-2 Constitution
+1 Natural Armor
2 Claws 1d4 + STR
+4 Search
Light Blindness

Gnoll [Racial]
Gnoll subtype
Size Medium
+4 Strength
-2 Intelligence
-2 Charisma
Bite attack 1d6 +1/2 STR
+1 Natural Armor

Skum [Racial]
Requires at least 2 levels
Swim speed 40
+8 Strength
+2 Dexterity
-4 Charisma
2 Rake attacks 1d6 + 1/2 STR while in water
+2 Natural Armor
Amphibious
+4 Hide, Listen, and Spot while in water

Minotaur [Racial]
Requires at least level 6, male only
Minotaur subtype
Size Large
+8 Strength
+2 Constitution
-4 Intelligence
-2 Charisma
Gore attack 1d8 + 1/2 STR
+5 Natural Armor
+4 Listen, Spot, and Search
Scent

Howler [Racial]
Requires at least level 6
Size Medium
+10 Strength
+6 Dexterity
+2 Constitution
-4 Intelligence
+4 Wisdom
-2 Charisma
Bite 2d8 + 1/2 STR
Alternate Form: Switch between no hands and +20 Land speed, or 2 Claw attacks 1d8 + STR
Howl (Ex): After each hour, all non-Demons that hear the Howl roll Will DC 10 + 1/2 level + CHA or take 1 Wisdom damage (Sonic, Mind-Influencing)

Lamia [Racial]
Requires at least level 9, female only
Size Medium
+30 Land speed
+8 Strength
+4 Dexterity
+2 Intelligence
+4 Wisdom
+2 Charisma
2 Claws 1d4 + STR
Change Shape (Su): Appearance of any humanoid of the same size or one smaller
Ventriloquism (Su)
Charm Monster 3/day
Suggestion 3/day
Wisdom Drain (Su): Touch, 1d4 Wisdom damage
+9 Natural Armor
+4 Bluff and Hide

Drider [Racial]
Requires at least level 6
Size Large
Climb speed 15
+4 Strength
+4 Dexterity
+4 Constitution
+4 Intelligence
+4 Wisdom
+4 Charisma
Bite 1d4 + 1/2 STR
+6 Natural Armor
+4 Hide and Move Silently

(See Fiend Classes for more, and Dragon Classes for Evil/Chromatic dragon types)




Undead Species
• All Undead sense the presence of Hellstone within 1 mile.

Zombies HD2 (human or dwarf commoner) CR1/2
Zombies do not progress past HD2. Instead, they become Ghouls.
Ghoul HD2 CR1
Ghouls gain 1 level per Season to a maximum of level 4.
Ghast HD4 CR3
Ghasts evolve from level 4 Ghouls.
Mohrg HD14 CR8
Mohrgs evolve from Ghasts by consuming 14 quantities of Hellstone.
Devourer HD12 CR11 + 5 Levels of Rogue : HD12+5 CR16
Devourers evolve from Mohrgs by consuming 17 quantities of Hellstone.
Nightcrawler HD25 CR18
Nightcrawlers evolve from Devourers by consuming 25 quantities of Hellstone.
Changes: Add Wish (SpL) 1/season

Aberration Species

Fungus (Shrieker) 1
Fungus (Violet) 3

Darkmantle 1
Grick 3
Otyugh 4
Cloaker 5
Aboleth 7
Chuul 7
Destrachan 8
Delver 9
Yrthak 9

Xorn, Minor 3
Xorn, Average 6
Xorn, Elder 8


Insectoid Species
Aranea
Ettercap
Remorhaz
Spider Eater
Rust Monster 3

Centipede, Monstrous
Centipede, Swarm
Spider, Monstrous
Spider, Swarm

Giant Ant, Worker HD2 CR1
Giant Ant, Soldier HD2 CR2
Giant Ant, Queen HD2 CR2

Attacknid Drone HD1 CR1
Attacknid Warrior HD3 CR3
Attacknid Queen HD6 CR6

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[JonSetanta]

New Monsters

Attacknids
Attacknids live exclusively in the Deepseeker region, an underground maze of caverns and tunnels.
They are always neutral.
They appear as hairy goblin-like spider mutants with bulging eyes, gangly limbs, and a bulbous gut. A mane of fur sprouts from their heads and necks, and two large fangs hang from their wide mouths.
Attacknids speak their own language and can communicate with spiders.

Attacknid Traits: An Attacknid possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature’s entry).
• Hive Mind (Ex): All Attacknids within 50 miles of their Attacknid Queen are in constant communication. If one is aware of a particular danger, they all are. If one in a group is not flatfooted, none of them are. No Attacknid in a group is considered flanked unless all of them are.
• Immune to Mind-Influencing effects
• Resistant to Acid and Cold 10
• Climb speed 30

Attacknid, Drone
Small Monstrous Humanoid (Augmented Vermin)

Hit Dice: 1d8+ ( hp)
Initiative: +
Speed: 30 ft. ( squares)
Armor Class: ( size, + Dex, + natural), touch , flat-footed
Base Attack/Grapple: +/+
Attack: Bite + melee (1d+ plus )
Full Attack: Bite + melee (1d+ plus )
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks:
Special Qualities:
Saves: Fort +, Ref +, Will +
Abilities: Str , Dex , Con , Int , Wis , Cha
Skills:
Feats:
Environment: Underground
Organization: 3d6
Challenge Rating:
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually
Advancement:
Level Adjustment: -

Drone Attacknids are short, standing 3 feet at the shoulder with a hunched back. They weigh no more than 40 pounds.


COMBAT
tactics

(Ex):
(SpL):
(Su):

Skills:


Attacknid, Warrior
Medium Monstrous Humanoid (Augmented Vermin)

Hit Dice: d+ ( hp)
Initiative: +
Speed: 30 ft. ( squares)
Armor Class: ( size, + Dex, + natural), touch , flat-footed
Base Attack/Grapple: +/+
Attack: Bite + melee (1d+ plus )
Full Attack: Bite + melee (1d+ plus )
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks:
Special Qualities:
Saves: Fort +, Ref +, Will +
Abilities: Str , Dex , Con , Int , Wis , Cha
Skills:
Feats:
Environment: Underground
Organization: Solitary or 2d6
Challenge Rating:
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually
Advancement:
Level Adjustment: -

Warrior Attacknids are like skinny insectoid gorillas, standing about 5 feet at the shoulder. They weigh about 200 pounds.


COMBAT
tactics

(Ex):
(SpL):
(Su):

Skills:



Attacknid, Queen
Large Monstrous Humanoid (Augmented Vermin)

Hit Dice: d+ ( hp)
Initiative: +
Speed: 30 ft. ( squares)
Armor Class: ( size, + Dex, + natural), touch , flat-footed
Base Attack/Grapple: +/+
Attack: Bite + melee (1d+ plus )
Full Attack: Bite + melee (1d+ plus )
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks:
Special Qualities:
Saves: Fort +, Ref +, Will +
Abilities: Str , Dex , Con , Int , Wis , Cha
Skills:
Feats:
Environment: Underground
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating:
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually
Advancement:
Level Adjustment: -

Queen Attacknids are bloated and lumbering beasts with diminutive limbs. They stand 10 feet tall and weigh 2,000 pounds.


COMBAT
tactics

(Ex):
(SpL):
(Su):

Skills:

[JonSetanta]

Minigames

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Control
Factions fight for control of limited space. They each have their own objectives, but a commonly shared goal is to eliminate or make peace with all other factions in the immediate area.
While true peace might never be obtained due to differences in what humanoids might consider essentially alien or at times hazardous reproductive cycles, the main regions of each faction are unharassed by opposing factions due to well-entrenched detections and defenses of various types.
The frequent battles are carried out by small encampments, parties of a half-dozen adventurers, lone monsters, and fledgling footholds.
While the level of detail in this minigame tends to be... Gygaxian... the actual worth is decidedly up to the enjoyment of the players involved.
You could just skip straight to the Mining minigame without any further interruptions, granting the player group resources and encounters per week of mining without the hassle of a tiny RISK setup. Monster encounters would then be instead more story-driven but still remain CR-appropriate. Still, it's there if you want it.

The typical size of an basic area of control is 1 square (or cubic) mile. The region must be either patrolled, populated, or roughly visible from the central point of command, which makes most simple tunnels NOT an area. Caverns with generally flat flooring or pools of water are the expected type of area.

A collection of Areas is called a Region. Each Region has 3d6 Areas. If all Areas within a Region are controlled at the same time, it is declared "safe" and immune to further intrusion by small parties or contested control.

When beginning the Control minigame, it is assumed a new Region has been discovered by the player faction. Their own faction is not assumed to have any Areas other than the one they begin, but other factions have a random chance to be found here already.
1. Roll 1d4. The result is how many factions are found in the Region, to a maximum of the number of Areas present. Within each faction, the DM decides which species are present.
2. Roll a d20 for each faction. The possibility for each one to be present is 50%, an 11 or higher on the die result. Out of those present, eliminate any excess over the 1d4 result for the variety of factions present; the DM chooses which factions are removed.
3. Each enemy faction controls 1d4 areas, to a maximum allowed by the Region.

Turns take place on a scale of Weeks as the unit of time.

Each faction present begins with 4 characters per Area, in any combination of types, each with maximum level no higher than that of the player group's highest level member.
They also have a command point, a structure (or fungal node) that produces more units. Feudal and Commune (goblinoid) factions teleport new units in from their cities by a series of Moonstones that redirect the teleport through previously controlled tunnels. Aberrations grow more from fungal nodes. Infernals gate in through Hellstone portals. Undead capture living or dead enemies and threw them in necrotic Hellstone pits.

If an Area has no units present and an enemy faction controls their command point, it may be destroyed at the end of that Week. The new faction present places their own by the end of a Week (7 days).

• Making Units
Each outpost or major settlement produces the equivalent of 2d6 levels worth of characters at the end of each week, each with individual level no greater than 2, no matter which faction or Challenge Rating.
After each Season ends (12 weeks), if an area was controlled for the entire Season, all characters dwelling there increase by 1 level.

The level cap for NPCs is that of the player group's highest level. This is to prevent inappropriate CR encounters.

• Supply
It is assumed that food for each area is reliably imported, grown, or hunted to sustain 12 Medium size beings, 6 Large, 3 Huge, or 1 Gargantuan.
Undead and Infernals do not need to eat, but are still limited by this supply amount. Assume it's Hellstone consumption or something.

• Combat
Combat between PC and NPC groups is as normal for D&D 3.5e rules.
Combat between two NPC groups is as follows:
1. Roll a d20 for each group.
2. Add the number of levels for each group to the check.
3. Whichever group has the higher result utterly destroys the other. Ties mean nothing occurs for that Week.
Factions tend to send scout parties of 1d4 units first in waves, gradually weakening the opposing faction. If a target has at least 50% less units than another, all but one unit will march in for the sure kill.

---

Mining
20 index cards are used with the Mining minigame.

Mining Result (20)
10 x Common
5 x Uncommon
2 x Rare
3 x Danger

Alternatively, one may roll on the following chart, but it's less fun;
Mining Result (d20)
1 : Danger
2 : Danger
3 : Danger
4 : Common
5 : Common
6 : Common
7 : Common
8 : Common
9 : Common
10 : Common
11 : Common
12 : Common
13 : Common
14 : Uncommon
15 : Uncommon
16 : Uncommon
17 : Uncommon
18 : Uncommon
19 : Rare
20 : Rare

For NPC factions, 1d4 units are sent out to mine for that week, and either return with the goods they need or not at all.
PCs may choose how many go to mine per Week up to a limit of 4 units.

The number of units sent to mine gives a matching number of rolls with the Mining Result.

• Common
A Common result is the same as that from a Profession (Mining) skill check.
An amount of gold worth in minerals is gained equal to half the best Profession (Mining) check result. Assist Other actions may be used, once per unit beyond the first.
All NPCs are assumed to have Profession (Mining) at full ranks.

• Uncommon
Roll 1d4 to determine which Uncommon minerals have been found:
1 : 1 unit of Hellstone*
2 : Edible Fungus (completely heals living non-Outsider units in a mining group)
3 : Gems worth highest PC level x 1,000 gp
4 : 1 unit of Moonstone

• Rare
Roll 1d4 to determine which Rare minerals have been found:
1 : 1d4 units of Hellstone*
2 or 3 : Gems worth highest PC level x 10,000 gp
4 : 1d4 units of Moonstone

* If a Danger card is revealed in the same turn that gives Hellstone as a result, a Monstrous encounter occurs again.

• Danger
A Danger card implies that either a collapse has occurred, a leak sprung, or a Monstrous faction has attacked.
If the mining group is comprised entirely of NPCs, they have a 50% chance of survival.
If the group is at least partially comprised of PCs, they have a level-appropriate encounter with CR equal to the level of their highest level member.
Roll 1d4 to determine the Monstrous encounter:
1 : Infernals
2 : Undead
3 : Ooze
4 : Insectoid

[CatharzGodfoot]

Your racial feats are really bizarre. Having, say, a 'human' race, a 'dwarf' race, a 'civilized' feat, a 'forest dweller' feat, and a 'troglodyte' feat would allow you to generate 6 races from 5 chunks of information (and could be arbitrarily expanded to multiplicative effect by adding more races and feats). Instead, each race is still limited to a single (active) racial feat taken from its own list, which actually results in slightly greater complexity than just having normal subraces. Plus, it leads to clusterfucks like a player with a dwarfiod (deep) character taking the gnome feat suddenly shrinking and changing powers (as well as being screwed out of a feat).

You've also got characters getting progressively dumber (troll feat chain), and creatures now arbitrarily classified as outsiders (minotaurs don't have souls, and kobolds never eat or sleep), but are taking levels of Monstrous Humanoid. Plus, for some reason there are no female minotaurs, which means it's a good thing that kobolds (which can make babies) can become minotaurs if they're experienced enough.


What the hell, man?

[JonSetanta]

Eh.. I've been playing a lot of Wesnoth and Dungeon Crawl.

And this is a work in progress. Greatly. I've only just begun.

That's all I can say on the matter, for now.


Should the races be templates rather than feats?
Indeed, some get dumber, but the reproduction strategies for various factions are meant to be at times.... bizarre.

The 'evolutions' between Infernal and Abyssal types are meant to be Pokemon-like but make sense within the Outsider biology.
Everything is mutable. Nothing is meant to make absolute sense.
There's probably never any breeding in the first place, but no one will ever know, since they just walk through a magic gate made of hellstone.
I threw in some Monstrous Humanoid and similar classics to the fiend factions because I want a place for them within the monolithic evils, and and to be at war with each other.
The gender-specifics are mostly due to the prevalence of gender-specific mythological examples, and it doesn't really matter with Outsiders since they do this anyway (Succubus for example, where's the Incubus?)

EDIT: Removed Kobold from Scalefolk species. It was an artifact before I moved them to Abyssals.

[JonSetanta]

Updated, and minigames are up. Not happy with the outcome of the Control minigame. It could be simpler..

[JonSetanta]

Changed Abyssals to be an underclass of Infernals, all the same Empire now.

Working on major cities, those stupid "attacknids" my brother invented, and place names.