In Defense of Race as Culture + 8 Universal Origins for People

Art @Su Jian

Often browsing internet forums or writing advice blogs, you will often hear the adage of "writing a fictional fantasy or sci-fi race with only one culture is bad writing", and this is true! Classics include Klingons, fantasy Dwarves, always-evil Orcs, and other such examples. The idea of an entire polity of intelligent beings, at least as smart or socialized as humans, yet not having even close to the same amount of diversity of cultures and ethnicities (or "races"; we're using the term race = species here as a colloquialism), does seem to raise some alarm bells and a lack of care for the detail and belivability of a fictional world.

The cause of this phenomena is talked about a lot, so I won't spend much time writing on it. Basically, everyone who writes these types of stories is a human, and humans are pretty much the only intelligent "race" of beings on our planet. As such, we see differences amongst ourselves much better then we do other living creatures. For example, most people couldn't tell the difference looking at an adult male or female tiger unless you put them right next to each other. The stripes, fur, hips, skull construction, everything is too similar unless you're some kind of zookeeper or something. Humans are designed to see differences in other humans, so we naturally gloss over the differences in a fictional nonhuman race. (One could argue this is actually genius level writing; portraying all members of a fantasy race as stereotypes is just the unreliable human narrator or the viewer own lens ignorant of the deep culture differences between deciduous forest elves and conifer-elves, but we're not gonna go there.)

Secondly, the overhead of writers and authors to create (and audiences to consume) is too much for a full human-level of detail and breakdown for different fantasy races with their own cultures and history. There is only so much room in a game or book or show or whatever else to dedicate to such extraneous fluff. As such, they are simplified. This creates a sense of "fakeness" and one-dimensionality to these fantasy races, making them walking stereotypes. Surely, the elves would have their own many factions and cultures. They can't all be tree dwelling, bow using, magical immortals with a penchant for sneering at younger races, right? Is having an entire race of ultra-capitalists in a sprawling sci-fi setting creating a less believable world, no matter how well developed they actually are? 

I think with the bottom-to-top worldbuilding design of creating and explaining every little detail of a world, yes, I think having fantasy races as monocultures is a bit lazy and could veer into bad writing. But in my opinion? Monolithic and one-dimensional races are not bad at all. This is because they are not representative of an actual fantasy race of people but, instead, are essentially the fantastical, exaggerated fantasy versions of real-life heritage and diversity.

Art @Timbukdrew (these are my favorite troglodytes ever btw)

Humans are Not a Race
Perhaps because of playing so many non-human characters, imagining settings with them, or generally consuming media with a smattering of different fantasy races I personally don't find myself with some special connection to fellow humans as portrayed in fantasy worlds. Instead, I just think of intelligent beings in fantasy as just being some vague kind of people. It also helps if we don't use the label of "human" for one or more fantasy races. One good example would be the Elder Scrolls or Lord of the Rings; while they may be "Men", the differences between them are still significant. After all, Hobbits are a race of men too, despite them being wayyyy different from the other "humans" in Tolkien's works, both physically and culturally (mentally?).

In the real world, different human genetic traits evolved due to evolutionary and selective (cultural) pressures. While this topic is obviously contentious, it is in inarguable fact of biology. It cannot be denied without a creationist argument. Even so, I still very strongly feel that the genetic difference between two of the most distant human groups still capable of interbreeding is still probably less then the differences then a Nord and a Breton, or a High Elf and a Dark Elf. They're still the same race, but the differences between them are exaggerated, made fantastical, more apparent to highlight the differences and potential gameplay impacts (which is the only thing anybody actually cares about) that your choice of character race will have on your playthrough.

Of course, "genetic distance" and DNA and shit doesn't exist in fantasy anyway. It's a misnomer. They exist but only as vague concepts that direct how the author and audience expect things to work unless something "else" is going on in the fantasy world. In the real world, somebody can't be half animal, because the genetics don't work like that. But in a fantasy world? Someone can be half horse or half bull or whatever, and potentially pass that trait on. Somebody can also just be touched by supernatural spirits, or be part of a cursed bloodline, or whatever else the author makes up. While logically or "realistically" orcs and elves and humans can't be part of the same species, they can still occupy that space thematically.

Imagine you are traveling along a road in medieval times. After a long enough walk, two villages could have totally different dialects, totally different industries and ways of living, different food and dress, different cultures and customs, and they may even look just a little bit different physically too. These differences are minor, scaling with distance traveled. In a fantasy world? It's the same, except exaggerated. Made fantastical and unreal by the creator and the reader, so much so that the next village over is not run by humans, but little badgers living in little holes under the ground. They aren't literally the same species under a complex set of genetic rules and cultural histories creating these differences; but instead a way to make that pop and become something that inspires awe and intrigue. This is why I don't mind when a fantasy race is boring or one-dimensional. They're only one-dimensional when compared to the real world, but in the fantasy world? They make up part of the tapestry.

Also to improve this rambling post a bit; a random table you can roll on to worldbuild where all your different fantasy races are actually all from the same place and we should like not fight in race wars in stuff because we're all really the same and stuff.

Universal Origins - Roll 1d8
[1] The Gods each made their own race out of the same special clay. Each is molded to look different and do different things, but in the end, they're all from the womb of the earth. Mortals can do this too, but only a fraction of their power; this is where golems come from.

[2] All of the races were uplifted are from different animals, which came first, and were magically transformed into Man-Shape. Orcs are pigs, elves from foxes, dwarves from goats, humans from flightless birds and so on. What about animal people? They were the first drafts, which is why those races are more bestial and less developed; cast aside as failed experiments.

[3] Do the Goblin Punch thing where all the races are uplifted genetic castes made for specific purposes by a precursor race. But don't make the precursors "true" Elves or some super powerful aliens; make it gnomes. Every time there is a secret plot or evil conspiracy, it's always the fucking gnomes.

[4] The first being in the world had many offspring that it split off from itself to admire creation. These beings are all just pieces of the whole. The eyes of the Elves, the arms and hands of the Dwarves, the horns of the Oni; all pieces of the true being. When the players finally arrange all the pieces together and zap it with lightning to bring it to life, it actually looks really horrific and it's basically a Lovecraftian monster that is their progenitor; not some creature of great beauty and grace.

[5] The world was actually a trial for souls, one representing each race, to overcome adversity and purify themselves to ascend into heaven to sit besides the Throne of God. Each one of these heroes was given a form that representing their emotional state and greatest faults they had to overcome. The Elf was a soul in love with nature and peace, needing to learn how to be practical. The Orc had a fiery temper and had to learn patience, and so on. The problem? The trial is over, they're all gone. It was made for individuals, and their offspring and families were just left behind later. Those ancient ancestral heroes are all chilling in heaven and don't really care about you anymore. You're just the leftovers.

[6] Each race is really from another demiplane that was once perfect for them. Endless rolling green hills for the halflings, toxic swamps with much prey for the lizardfolk, and so on. Eventually, the demiplanes fused together with cosmic planar gravity; the world is its accretion disc. Racism and stuff happens because you kinda weren't meant to ever exist together, so it's hard to adapt. Don't get mad when demons and freaky outsiders try to open portals to your dimension; they're just trying to join in with everyone else.

[7] When God made the world in all its complexity and design he took all the souls of all the people who would ever be born and asked them what they wanted to be and when all of them said they wanted to be kings and beautiful creatures and all powerful he got mad and just mixed them up in a pot and just spilled them out so that's why you're short and stubby and eat your damn mushroom soup.

[8] We all actually "evolved" over a "billions of years" from a single extremely simple creature called a "single celled organism". Scholars laugh at this nonsense; point to the statues of their Gods which look exactly like them. It just makes more sense.

[Class] Crow Reaper

Crow Reaper
HD- d6
Max AC- 14 / Minimum Hit-Points- 2

You are a Crow from another world. The bipedal birds are swift, dexterous fighters- though not as tough and durable as other races. When generating a character, roll 2d8+6 for your Dexterity score. Otherwise, roll your stats as normal. You start with +1 To-Hit and AC from passive evasion.

Your job is to harvest the souls of beings from other worlds. Most beings will simply pass on when their time runs out; but especially powerful souls have ways of extending their lifespan. When souls get too old and powerful, they begin to go insane and become demonic, hence the need for specialists when a Soul gets too tough to pass along on its own. This is where you come in.

Crow Reapers gain +1 Damage at 4th, 5th, 7th, and 8th level.

Crow Reapers gain +1 To-Hit at 3rd, 6th, and 9th level.

You can also cast spells. You have no ability to learn or prepare spells yourself, but if you are ever granted spellcasting abilities, magic dice, or other elements of magic you can use them yourself- use your To-Hit bonus as your effective caster level when you cast a spell.

At 1st level, you are assigned to collect the soul of a powerful immortal being in the setting. This could be an immortal lich or vampire, an elder dragon, an aboleth, or any other powerful being that has lived far beyond when it should. Technically, you are an immortal yourself; but your aging is "unpaused" as long as your "door" remains open.

You come from the Land of Doors. When a soul is assigned for collection, a door will open- this is your door. Your character will appear from seemingly thin air- a magical locked door that keeps the riff raff out of the Lord of Door's domain while you do your business in this living realm. When you collect the soul, you will need to bring it back through this door before it can manifest itself a body again, or fly away from you when you're not paying attention!

Upon reaching 10th level, you become a Gray Crow and can now retire to the Land of Doors as a secretary or manager role. Besides becoming almost immortal, this will grant you the ability to call in some favors and open doors between worlds. Anyone entering a door will enter into the Land of Doors, a safe neutral zone where no wandering monsters exist, and can exit out of a different door to rapidly travel between places in the campaign world. You are also free to explore the living world yourself; but the longer your door remains open, the more you will age.

While the power of the Lord of Doors is awesome, it comes with limitations. Doors cannot be placed in an area where the crow has not been, except for the first door that begins their contract. Also, doors aren't placed within random chambers, but instead at crossroads. You couldn't place a door in the treasure room of a dungeon to easily haul it all out, but you could place one at the mouth of the dungeon and one at the town, thus bypassing the need to carry it back home.

Note- Is this overpowered? Almost certainly. However, I kind of like the idea of a 1st level character being told they have to kill a giant monster or demigod and the whole campaign they're kind of gearing up and preparing for it. I think that's fair in exchange for something a decently high level magic user can just do multiple times per day anyway.

Women of Gerrstain + [Class] Squirrel Woman

Gerrstain is a fine, humble little country situated between two mountain ranges. The land is dotted with thick forests and mountainous hills; crags and canyons criss cross its body and make the place generally very rugged and hostile. There are few, if any, towns and villages. Instead, the people live in small huts or live on the side of the mountains. Most are fur trappers, some miners, many lumberjacks.

If you were to travel this land unaware; you would be surprised. Every single person you'd meet on the road would be a man or a child. There are no women, and no girls over the age of fourteen. The men are kind and hospitable, and always have room for guests with news from the outside world- they don't have much time to travel. You see, the menfolk here do the work and raise the children. They feed the young with milk from fat-teated hardy goats and build their houses halfway buried in the dirt. It helps keep in the heat but is more due to respect then anything- in Gerrstain, the men live on the ground, and the women in the trees.

The Women of Gerrstain
When a young woman blossoms into adulthood in this country, changes go through her. Changes that go through every young girl, of course, but here, it's different. The women begin to lose interest in things like pretty clothes, reading, work and play. They become more distant, keeping their hair long and unkempt. Eventually, they leave their father's houses and go far away to live in the woods. Every woman in Gerrstain lives in the trees.

You can catch a glimpse of one, sometimes. They all look the same; pale, naked female forms dancing and flowing between the branches of the thick canopy, each one with thick black hair that goes twice her height. It flows behind her like a black streaking comet, or a long tail. This is also why they are called the "Squirrel Women". They're all totally unwashed, unshaven, with long claws that grow to adapt them to nature. Their faces are even worse; like ghouls, but can be striking if you catch one in the moonlight. But it's best to take the local saying to heart; "Beautiful things are best appreciated at a distance".

They survive in those woods by hanging from the trees; they'll eat anything they can catch. Usually squirrels, rabbits, birds and a steady diet of the golden acorn. Sometimes other things wander through those woods, and sometimes you'll find their corpse, ripped half open with the heart pulled out and messily devoured. They never go bigger then a kobold, but its frightening just how close some people get to being the size of a kobold. Some find it hard to believe that these women are capable of such feats of acrobatics, despite how wild they be, but their hair moves as though it was a hand, and it is more then capable of supporting their weight- letting them sleep upside down like bats. More then one traveler has found something gone missing from their pack from a long black "snake" coming down from the trees above, grabbing something shiny, and then retreating away.

These women are also sorcerers. Since even girls who have never learned how to read will become one of them, and since the women of Gerrstain don't seem to socialize with each other at all, it is not well known where they learn these powers from. Perhaps it is something in the winds and the waters of this land, whispering the arcane secrets to those who are most respective. Some instead go by the more fanciful notion that these women are just using powers innate to all people- but only by living so close to the wild, true self can one bring it out.

Of course, this arrangement has to result in courtship at some point- and it does. Men in this country notice the change in the behavior of the Women at around mid fall; where they will creep closer to his cabin and home. They will watch him in the day, while he works, and at night will leave corpses of squirrels, twisted in half, or sometimes little stacks of three stones. Regardless of the gift, her consistency shows her interest. If the man is afraid of her, or if he has room for another child in his house, he will sneak out of his home one night without a weapon (suicidal in a monster infested country like this), and leave things up to nature. He will come home the same night; and during early to mid spring, a child may be left outside his door. There's no way to know if they are truly his, but the women in the trees are not flippant; they will never court a male that has just moved in to a place- and no unwanted child is left in those woods by accident- this is the only country on earth where leaving an unwanted child to die in the woods has a very low success rate. Any man who abandons a child given to him by a lady here will find the child returned to his home soon after and himself with one less finger once she's made the point clear.

Nobody sees the women in the Winter. That's because they're asleep. Travelers will be advised to never make camp underneath a wiry black beehive if they see one, high in the brambles, and especially don't try to knock it down. It's more convenient to explain it that way; as long as they don't disturb the women, it doesn't matter what they think.

[Class] Squirrel Women
HD- d8
Max AC- 14 / Minimum Hit-Points-3

All Squirrel Women are very agile. Take whichever stat is the highest and swap it with your Dexterity, unless if your Dexterity is already the highest. Squirrel Women are incredible climbers regardless of their Dexterity. Like the Spider Climb spell is on at all times; or they can climb any tree, building, or stone face with zero difficulty. If a truly impossible thing must be climbed such as a wall of glass- assume they have the Climb Sheer Surfaces skill at the same rate / chance as a Thief twice their level.

Squirrel Women receive +1 to hit with all attacks at levels 4 and 8.

As a rule, the Squirrel Women do not wear clothes or armor, nor do they use weapons. Their claws and magic is all they truly rely on. If forced- Squirrel Women will wear clothes and make a very base effort to go around in civilized society- constantly pulling and itching and scratching and themselves in uncomfortable clothes and holding utensils and drinking cups all wrong- much preferring their fingers and hands. They can speak, but only barely, and cannot be taught to read or write.

All Squirrel Women have very long hair that is under their control. This is the first of their magic powers. Their hair is their greatest tool and asset, and is prehensile. They can use their hair like a third arm, but its as long as they are and much stronger then a normal human arm. It can hold up their entire body weight, for example. Their hair can be used as a weapon at 1d6 damage, counting as magic damage at 3rd level and higher, and dealing 1d8 damage at 6th level. If their hair gets wet, they temporarily cannot use it.

Additionally; every Squirrel Woman is gifted in the arts of magic. At levels 1, 2, 5, 7, and 9- roll on the spell table below and add that spell to the Squirrel Woman's arsenal. They can cast each spell once per day. They can teach it to someone else only through doing, as they can't read or write. The Squirrel Women can also learn standard magic user spells too- but once again, it must be taught to them, it cannot be learned from scrolls or spellbooks. For all spells besides their own, they cast them as though they were one level lower from being amateurish spellcasters.

Finally; the Squirrel Women are tied closely to the powers of nature and are wild, untamed creatures of the forests. If they ever willingly take a bath, or are forced to take one by someone else, they are drained of one level. Note that jumping into a river or fighting sharks in the ocean doesn't count as a bath, but bathing in a hot spring or noble's bathroom with soap and bubbles and all that does.

At 10th level, Squirrel Women become Tree Matrons. Older and stronger then the others; these Squirrel Women can grow in size with no loss of dexterity, and gain considerable strength. Your strength grows to a supernatural level (+3 modifier) and you may roll on the Squirrel Women spell table every winter when you hibernate- when you wake up, you learn the new spell until you've learned all of them. 

You also become a defender of a large swathe of Gerristan forest- your territory has many juvenile Squirrel Women who will aide you in daring raids on the camps of invading orcs or to put down rampaging monsters, etc. These gatherings are always temporary, can only be done once per season, and draw 2d6 Squirrel Women of 1d6 HD / level to you for a single night.

Squirrel Women Spell Table - Roll d10
[1] Beetle Carry
Summons forth a carpet of beetles that arrive in 1 turn. The beetles pack closely together and flow like a small river. They will pick up and carry any object laying on top of the soil, or gently placed on it. If anyone steps into the beetle stream quickly or throws an object among them, they'll disperse around it like a stone in a stream. Using this, it is possible to divert but not steer the great stream.

The beetles move in the direction indicated by the squirrel woman when summonsed, and will continue their march for about three hours. They can carry a nigh-infinite amount of smaller or more medium sized items, but very heavy things like boulders won't be moved at all. The beetles march and carry stuff at about a medium speed walking pace.

[2] Extinguish
Puts out fires that are pointed at or motioned towards with the caster's hands. This spell can snuff out a small angry mob's worth of torches, a large campfire, or a volley of burning arrows in flight. Causes a save or die effect in a number of Fire Elemental worth of HD equal to the caster's level or less. These HD could be from multiple elementals, or one big one. If the HD of the elemental is over the casters level, this spell cannot extinguish their flames.

[3] Turn to Wood
This spell temporarily transforms the caster into wood, either partially or wholly. If the caster level is 1 to 3, it is only a partial transformation covering 50%/75%/90% of the body respectively. If the caster is any higher level then this, the transformation goes over the whole body.

While wood, movement is slower and more difficult, but no loss of climbing ability- sneak is negatively effected because you squeak. But if you stand still, you blend in perfectly with foliage and trees at a distance.

Additionally, you gain +4 AC while made of wood. Using this spell is how most of the Squirrel Women (who don't wear armor, remember) reach their maximum AC value while in combat. While in wood form, you become flammable and take double damage from fire.

[4] Mushroom Husband
This spell requires a tall, flowering mushroom to be the focus for the casting. Upon being cast, the mushroom rapidly grows into the height and shape of a man, become a bipedal mushroom person. The mushroom person is bound to the will of the Squirrel Woman who summoned it. It has a limited, thought still nearly-person level of intelligence. Some people claim that they see a resemblance in the faces of the Mushroom Husbands in that they look like the men the Squirrel Women fancied and who have since died, but this is probably pure superstition from the outsiders of Gerrstain.

The Mushroom Husband is physically weak and slow, but very hardy. If it is chopped apart it will reform in one exploration turn from feeding off nearby decay and plant matter. It can only make attacks by succeeding on a saving throw vs spells (using the Squirrel Woman's modifiers / chance) and on failure cannot attack or fight back for the duration of a combat. The Mushroom Husband can attack with squishy fists, dealing 1d3 improvised damage.

Additionally, whenever the mushroom man is killed or hit with a blunt weapon, it releases spores. If within reach weapon range (spear, whip, etc) you take 1d2 damage. Because of this, the Mushroom Husband can be used like a walking scout or deterrent which can be used over and over again to follow someone. If the Mushroom Husband's body is burnt or killed by a fire attack, it won't reform. The Mushroom Husband lasts for 3 days before shriveling away into dust.

[5] Cursing Howl
The caster lets out a fearsome, bone-chilling howl. Anyone who hears the howl is cursed if they do not immediately begin to leave the place where the caster considers home. For the Squirrel Women, this is the entire Gerrstain forested region, since the whole land is their home. Those who consider the same place home are immune to this spell.

If those who hear the howl and do not immediately begin to leave the area, they suffer the curse. The next time they fail a saving throw, increase the damage by +1d6 they take, if damage is taken. If no damage is taken, increase the magnitude by a similar amount. Every time they fail a saving throw, the caster of this spell can get a general sense of where they are. More howls ensure a deeper curse.

[6] Isolated Wood
This spell is cast on a forest glade. If there is a dryad within a tree nearby, the dryad will become this glade's guardian. The area of this spell is roughly equal to a few minutes of brisk walking through woodland, or a large tangle of trees separated by grasslands/rocky mountains around them.

The Isolated Wood becomes a magically enchanted place. It's like a sanctuary; it becomes quiet, with no birds or loud animals to inhabitant it. The place becomes a sanctuary for the spell caster- while they are within the Isolated Wood, they can sleep safely (they are awoken if something approaches), and once per day they can cast a magic spell as though they were one level higher. They can also send their whispers out- their whispers travel like on the wings of a bird. They can whisper on a high tree branch towards somebody below and they will hear it as though it was right in their ear.

The Isolated Wood effect ends if the wood is destroyed- a forest fire being used to flush out a forest witch is not an uncommon occurrence on the borderlands.

[7] Ivy Boots
The caster grows a pair of boots made of ivy around their feet. These boots are made of plant material and are rather light, meaning they don't grant any protection from tiny biting rats or caltrops, but they have the specific effect of granting improved movement through brush and making the user immune to the slowing effect of Entangle.

Secondly; the boots grant a bonus to stealth. The stealth bonus is equal to how heavily forested or how rich in plant life the place where they step is. On stone floors or raw dirt, the effect is minor. In lightly wooded areas or on grass, it is greater. In heavy brush or while moving through tall grass the effect is very powerful and makes each step totally silent. Grant the caster the Thief Skill of Move Silently at 20%/60%/100% respectively OR just use a ruling that they cannot be heard.

[8] Talisman
To cast this spell, the caster must create a talisman out of materials gathered and crafted by themselves. It can be of any design, but is to be worn around the neck. When this talisman is being forged, the caster must imbue within it a single curse or spell that is to activate if the talisman is destroyed, disrespected, or removed without permission from the wearer. The talisman is then presented to the target (either by force or chosen willingly) to be worn- the target of the spell will always know that the talisman is magical and taking it on is a serious thing, though they won't necessarily know why. 

The first person who wears the talisman is now under its spell; anyone wearing a talisman crafted by you can be felt at quite a distance, a general idea of what is happening to them and where they are, as well as the muffled sounds of speech or blurry sights of things that can be "seen" out of the talisman, as though it be one astigmatic eye. Covering up the talisman such as hiding it in a shirt, or bundling it under heavy clothes are some ways of limiting the caster's watchful eye.

The Women of Gerrstain hang talismans on the doors of men they fancy, usually after offering several shredded birds or skinned lizards. This is considered a form of marriage, and any man wearing a talisman is off limits to any other Squirrel Woman. At the same time, the man wearing this talisman must go about their life knowing that removing it will mean whatever curse the squirrel women has put on it will befall them; and since they will know if the talisman is destroyed or removed it will probably make her very angry as well.

[9] Brush Bandages
Requires handfuls of plant matter from a woodland or forest. These plants are then wrapped around wounds and injuries with a special spell; this requires at least two turns to cast. This spells heals 3d6 Hit Points and temporarily reduces Dexterity by the same value as the body stiffens and is infested with weeds and growths. You cannot die from this loss even if it drops Dexterity to zero or less; instead you become a tree for that duration.

Every turn, the bandages are absorbed by the body and increase Dexterity by 1 until fully restored.

[10] Devil Dreaming
This spell only works on sleeping targets. Those who are asleep have this spell magically cast on them while the caster must stare at their sleeping body; in turn, the sleeper begins to have a nightmare. The nightmare will be unqiue to the sleeper, and the caster of this spell has no control over it, but the result will be a sleepness night with poor rest. Multiple nights of this spell being cast on someone can greatly reduce their health and well being, though it requires a fresh casting each night. At 3rd level, the caster may not influence the dreams of the sleeper, letting them control exactly what they see, or even sending them messages amidst the nightmare.

Additionally, if the caster of this spell is at least 5th level or higher, the spell has an additional effect. The spell-caster may form a dark spirit from the energies and fear released by the sleeper under the effect of this spell. Their nightmares made manifest. Each night this spell is cast on them, roll a 1d6 with a bonus of +1 for each great fear or phobia the caster knows about the sleeper, which are subconsciously added to the dreams of the sleeper to further harry them. Once this number reaches the victim's Wisdom score or greater; these nightmares soldify into a lesser dream devil. (As imp; 1 HD, 1d3 claws, casts spells, etc.) From then on, the dream devil can torment people in their dreams and if they fail a save, they have a level drained, while the dream devil gains +1 HD and can become a more powerful form of evil. If the devil is slain, or the person finally has good dreams, such as from sleeping in a church, the lost levels and HD are returned to normal. 

If the victim is eventually killed by this creature or commits suicide because of it, it becomes a permanent minion under the control of the caster with its HD and powers it has upon the victim's death, stealing all it can from their pathos. While under the caster's control, it will always be Chaotic Evil and refuse to obey command to those who are not constantly looking for or give the devil opportunities to hurt more people.

The Squirrel Women use this spell to punish and harass those who enter their lands or men who displease them; but rarely become powerful or sadistic enough to create dream devils. This has, in turn, become the domain of evil wizards who have taken the traditions of witchcraft from these lands and turned them to their own ends.

[Class] Eelstronaut

Eelstronaut
HD- d6
Max AC- 12 / Minimum Hit-Points- 4

You're a big scary eel man. You're also exceptionally intelligent, dexterous, and all around nice guy. If you're playing in a more fantasy setting over sci-fi, maybe this guy is from another dimension, future timeline, or is dropped in from a cosmic spelljammer starship that crashed on your primitive planet.

Generate your Dexterity and Intelligence as 3d6+1
Generate your Charisma as 1d6+1

You have a very low Charisma. This isn't just because you are ugly and scary looking, but because of several innate biological traits that can't be suppressed. You are totally carnivorous and have to eat your prey live- eating dead prey is similar to a human eating uncooked meat. Technically possible, but unpleasant and can get you very sick. You're also prone to several gross or weird social ticts and habits; such as saying "Please pass me the plasma wrench dear. Oh yes, thank you eheheheHEHEHE." and other fits of creepy behavior. Sorry.

You are, however, an Eel person. You can't breathe underwater but you can hold your breath for an hour. If this is because of your race or if it's because of your advanced Eelstronaut training that's up to you. You can also see in darkness, especially dark water, and can fit into anything that your head can fit into letting you slip through pipes and stuff. Useful on a space ship.

You're very good with advanced technology. You can repair high tech gadgets and gizmos a number of times equal to your level before they stop working or need replacement parts. As a general rule, something high tech without a support network will keep working until it is either damaged or used incorrectly, then it has a 1 in 6 chance of failing until it fails. Eelstronauts can repair these, but they have a 1 in 6 chance to fail each time they are used from damage. You can also move around in micro gravity, which helps when hit with a levitation trap in a fantasy world.

You can also add +1 to hit with blasters and energy swords at first level. Every three levels after, add a bonus +1.

You can do a bite attack at 1d6+1 as long as you don't have your spacesuit helmet on. You find this kind of thing very barbaric however, and will need to spend at least a turn after combat grooming and picking man-flesh out of your sharp, spiky, glass-like teeth.

At 4th level, you gain the ability to perform an electric shock. You can do this pretty much as often as you want for low voltages, but for a big, high voltage attack; once per day. These low voltage shocks can be done on anything you're touching and can restart generators, run electrical circuits, or hotwire a device. The high voltage shock hits anything you are touching or that is grappling you; deals 1d8+1 damage and shorts out killer robots and stuff and deactivates them for 3 turns.

At 10th level, you become an Eelstronomer and now work in mission control, once you return to civilization (as in, a society with space ships, not a medieval town.) You no longer have to get into the cockpit, now you perform mission control and school the new generation of astronauts. You become the unsung hero the Eel space program and can retire with a comfy pension.

[Class] Knif Monke

Knif Monke
HD- d3
Max AC- 14 / Minimum Hit-Points- 2

You are monke. Eat fruit and bug. Some monke climb, some monke strong, you throw knif. Human make knif but you throw knif, don't know why, you just good at throw knif. You also climb and sneak like all monke can. No wear clothes or hard clothes like humans have. Just run and throw knif.

You get +1 to throw knif each monke. Start at monke 1 and get points to become monke 2.

At 3rd monke you throw stick and poop instead of knif, hehe, teach human to give fruit or else you throw at them, hehehe, stupid human. Human give you fruit.

At 4th monke you can open lock-hole that human put around neck. You no like work for humans, no work for humans anymore. Just throw knif and eat fruit.

At 5th monke you throw two knif at one time. At 6th monke throw three knif.

At 8th monke you can climb while holding knif in your teeth and tail. Maybe human make knif bag for you? You throw knif whatever they point, they give fruit, ok?

At 10th monke you become either very fat, happy monke (You no throw knif, but that okay, you have all the fruit you want) OR you become mean monke and learn how to throw knif at other monke. You a bad monke but now you teach other monke to throw knif too. Then you in charge of stupid human and make them give all fruit to you. Hehe, stupid human.

[Class] Baby Murderbeast

Art @Huka (kinda NSFW)

Baby Murderbeast

HD- d12

Maximum AC- 16 / Minimum Starting Hit-Points- 8

You know whenever you watch a fantasy movie and there's always some giant bipedal monster with armor on their legs who stomps through the army and is a big deal? That's you. But you're not fully grown yet, you're just a baby.

You're also CUTE.

You're about the size of a person, an adorable giant baby creature. You're bipedal, and while certainly lacking the mental sharpness of an adult of your kind or a human, you are smart enough to walk around, talk, and use basic weapons. You're a bit clumsy and are easily distracted for being so young.

You're pretty tough, which is your main “ability” starting off. Your Base AC is 12 and you deal +1 damage on a hit starting off. Increase your damage on a hit by +1 every even level. You also have preternatural Strength. Set your Strength to 17 if it is lower then 17 upon character creation. Increase your Strength score by +1 at level 3, 6, and 9.

Whenever you're about to be attacked by a monster, roll a reaction check. On a result of 7 or higher, the monster confuses you as one of its young. You get a +3 to this roll at 1^st level, which is REDUCED by -1 at 4^th and 8^th level. You're not getting any cuter, you just become more of a snot nosed kid. Intelligent creatures aren't affected by this, but most with maternal instincts or morality will have to make a saving throw to willingly kill you, since you're just a kid.

At 10^th level, you are no longer cute. You're no longer a baby, you've grown up. Of course, you aren't an adult, you are now an Adolescent Murderbeast. You get your growth spurt, awkward cracking voice, and your first sexual urges. You're not cute enough to trigger bonus reaction checks with monsters, but you're now so big and strong it hardly matters anymore. Replace your Strength with Giant Strength, meaning you only use your actual Strength score against giant creatures. Otherwise you Overwhelm lesser creatures, and always win Strength contests against mere humans.

Additionally, you get that heart breaking moment where you have to choose between your old friends and protectors or joining a group or gang of beings of your own kind who like to rampage and eat people. You can choose to fall into a gang of 2d4 other teenage murderbeasts who will give you all kinds of bad influences.

[Class] Xyloid

Xyloid

HD- d6

Maximum AC- 16 / Minimum Starting Hit-Points- 3

You're mostly made of wood. You aren't a human, but a wood person. Your arms and legs are like branches; coiling into arms and legs with fingers and toes. Because you're made of wood, you are weak to fire and take double damage from fire. If you take 6 damage or more from a fire spell/attack OR from any axe attack, you can lose a limb.

Once a limb is removed, it will grow back in segments every season. From shoulder to elbow, elbow to wrist, wrist to stubbed fingers, stubs to full dexterity. Each 'segement' grows back at one per season, except in winter when your growth is halted and the sun is dim. Your not very good at sneaking around (your joints creak too much), but you are very good at standing still. Within a forested area, you automatically hide if you stand still and carry nothing. Nobody will be able to see you unless right next to you or closely inspecting each and every tree.

If your head is severed from your shoulders, you can still control both separately. You won't die as long as somebody binds them back together within two exploration turns. Treat your Base AC as 14. Your wood is a bit tougher then normal skin and flesh.

At 2^nd, 6^th, and 10^th level, you gain +1 to hit with all weapons and magical implements, as long as they are made of wood. Magic rods, quarterstaves, clubs, bows, and so on.

You can feel the trees. You can sense the health of a land by simply observing it; though this applies only to the plant life and flora, not to the animal or human life. You can tell the age of a tree by touch, and can sense the health and what is causing harm to a plant if you can also warp it. You can even ply this power on dead plants, which means you can read any kind of book in any language, based moreso on the intent of the author and the materials uses to make it moreso then the actual words, but the message is clear enough you could be thought of as literate.

You can warp plants. This allows you to make them bare fruit, bend branches to make bridges or perform small attacks, send down a shower of leaves for a blanket or firestarters, etc. You can only do this to trees that are younger than or equal to your level in centuries. Any trees older then that are too mystical for you to control. You can also use this power to kick out or bar entry to a dyrad from entering a sacred tree.

At 10^th level, you become a Woodman and grow a mantle of leaves on your head and back. This crest makes you look majestic and grants +1 to reaction checks. Any Xyloid of this age will also receive respect from the treants, dryads, nypmhs, and elves of the wood- you can easily find and enter their hallows or hidden elf-towns as long as you have not offended them.

Additionally, this level means you are now obligated, spiritually and physically, to reproduce. To do so, you must bury a seed that carries a portion of your soul into a place that is healthy, safe, and spiritually important enough to grow a new sentient tree person. Each adventure you go without burying one of these seedlings gives you a -2 to all rolls, which compounding each time you put it off, as the guilt and obligation weighs on your mind and soul. You have 3d6+2 acorns.

[Class] Vestibule

Vestibule

HD- d8

Maximum AC- 14 / Minimum Starting Hit-Points- 4

You aren't a person. You're a gateway.

Things put inside you go to another place. Technically, you're playing as “the space”, and the person is just a puppet in the world which is the door to you, who is the space. Anything that it put inside the person (cupped into their hands, swallowed, etc.) can be disappeared. Things that go into the person are transferred to the space, who is what you are.

The person-puppet looks bad. It's a lot like an Other, but a lot more like an artifical cardboard cutout and a lot less like a fleshy monster trying to imitate another species. The fake person (your character sheet) has a Charisma modifier of -3 and you can't improve it. You always look too old or a little rotten, or a little too flat and clearly shaped roughly, or a smile rests naturally on their lips even when they frown. It's a bad copy that nobody believes. You pass as a person at a distance. Up close, people think you're a freaky changeling sent to steal souls or a hallucination, whichever is worse.

If your vestibule dies, the connection between this universe and your space is permanently severed. All beings and items trapped within cannot return.

Dungeon Rules Digression

The “Space” that is inside you (who is the real you) is like a dungeon. At 1^st level, you can make it up to 40 tiles in size. This “open space” is surrounded by walls. The “space” is the important part that you're measuring. Every time you level up, you may add your new space. However, you cannot subtract space- adding new hallways and doors off existing areas is fine, but you can't fill in gaps with walls. Instead, you would need to eat enough wood to make a door.

From levels 2 thru 5, you grow +15 tiles.

From levels 6 thru 8, you grow +20 tiles.

For levels 9 and 10, you grow +30 tiles.

This “dungeon” appears as you want. It can be a cave made of flesh or a stately manor with no windows. It can appear as an underwater coral reef (but the air here is always breathable, unless you “drink” enough water to fill up your dungeon through the Vestibule), or as a lightless abyss. Regardless, this space is yours to tinker with, and you can freely move around objects, creatures, or magical spells effects put here.

Your Vestibule is immune to poison and disease, because you aren't a person. Instead, poisons injected into you go to your dungeon, as either little drips from the stalactites or to coat the blades of the traps you had installed in your hallways. Diseases appear as miasma clouds, forever filling a room as there is no fresh air to blow them away, or they can be reduced to a powder to keep them settled, if you so chose. In the same way, machines or weapons you “eat” go into this realm and could be repurposed into tools, but are trapped inside you.

You can see everything that's happening in your space, and have a limited form of Telekinesis and Control over beings trapped within you. Every season a living thing has been trapped inside you, consider 1 of its HD “converted” to you, which can be used to control its abilities or actions, equal to the portion of its HD you control. If it's fully controlled, it is your creature to do with whatever you want, as long as its in your dungeon. At this point, it will fall apart and die if it ever leaves your space in a number of exploration turns equal to its HD- it cannot live in a more expansive dimension.

Additionally, you can only spit things up that are inside you by dry heaving them out, which takes one turn. This only works on things that you can swallow. This gets easier to deal with when you level up.

-end digression-

At 3^rd level, you grow a hatch in your Vestibule's chest that can open up. You can fit swords and stuff in here, and can have someone reach in to pull something out of your dimension.

At 6^th level, you can make a surprise attack to swallow something small by snapping open your jaw- this works as a sneak attack, but only on small creatures. This takes them to your dimension. Beings can escape your dimension if and when their HD are greater then your current hit points, giving them an opportunity to force their way out.

At 9^th level, you start to leak a fluid that “softens”things up, and with a big embrace you could potentially swallow up bigger creatures into your realm.

At 10^th level, you become a Gatekeeper. You can fold your Vestibule inwards to make it disappear from the real world, and go to the space between spaces. You can unfold it again when you want, but it has to be within five miles of the place you folded it inwards, and you can only do this once a season or else you'll shred your only portal.

Also, you can now meld your Vestibule into a door, archway, window, or pit. By doing so, they will meld that entrance into an entrance to your dungeon, of which anyone who passes will unknowingly pass into your extra dimensional space.

Author Notes-

Weird ideas like this are very fun to think and write about, but are pretty hard to get working in actual play. Hopefully this gave you enough ideas for this to hold water. I'm sure if somebody else took a crack at it, they'd come up with something pretty cool. 

[Class] Untouchable

Untouchable

HD- d4

Maximum AC- 12 / Minimum Starting Hit-Points- 4

You are of the lowest caste, born into your wretched life, or you were dropped here for catching an incurable disease or breaking a church vow (in many parts of the world, these go hand in hand). The Untouchables are the street cleaners, sewer washers, rat catchers, and chamberpot maids. The highest position one can aspire to be as an untouchable is a torturer or executioner; as their contact with human blood and tears makes them unseemly. These positions are also highly coveted by untouchables, as many among the ones who you'll kill will be of higher caste then you.

Untouchables are always dirty and a pin's drop from being ill at any moment. You may catch any disease you wish, as long as a contained person or vector exists. You still suffer all the negatives of having the disease, but this lets you catch diseases that are magical or hard to catch in case you want to be a science experiment. For example, you can catch vampirism by rubbing the dust of a slain vampire into your burst pustles on your face, or catch lycanthropy by sucking the marrow from a long dead wolf bone. Against most diseases that you don't actually want, just get +2 to saves vs disease.

At 2^nd, 4^th, and 8^th level, you get +1 damage to all attacks. Against those of significantly higher birth status then yourself, such as Kings or Temple-Priests, double this bonus.

At 1^st, 3^rd, and 7^th level, you get +1 to all stealth rolls. You're sneaky when you don't have a cough.

At 5^th level, your maximum AC increases by +1. You also gain the ability to desecrate a sacred site or object, which makes its power shut off or significantly weaker. Technically all you have to do is touch it to do this, though most untouchables will spitefully spit, bleed, or shit on the object in question. Objects that are desecrated are either permanently soiled if minor in power or importance, or must be ritually cleansed if major in importance. For example, a desecrated holy symbol will not be able to turn undead, until it is purified. Note that “purified” does not mean “cleaned”. You could shit on the steps of the church, wipe it off, and the priests will still cower in it when the hoard of zombies come, unknowing that the holy spirit that protects the place has been silenced.

You also have the ability to carry a disease with you. For every disease you choose to carry, you continue on with life with a lesser batch of systems and -1d4 maximum hit points. If the disease is terminal, you will instead only live for 1d6 years if you choose to carry it. Carrying a disease means you can still infect others, but you are spared from the worse effects.

At 10^th level, you become a Wretch. You can now willingly exude any disease you carry as a miasma cloud, which acts as a save or be infected attack- this cloud pours out of your mouth and is affected by the wind. It is also purified by sweet smelling things, which is why plague doctors wear perfumed masks. You draw followers to you whenever you decry a public official or take responsibility for desecrating holy things; a group of 2d20 city urchins, hobos, and unwashed become your loyal followers. They may be willing to do things for you, but they obviously have no money.

Additionally, when you die you will rise again as a 2 HD undead Plague Ghoul. If you died via lawful execution, make it a 3 HD Plague Ghoul. Your followers will still be loyal to you.

[Class] Peep

Peep

HD- d8

Maximum AC- 12 / Minimum Starting Hit-Points- 4

You're a fluffy, sugary bird person thing. Your entire body is made of the same puffy, marshmallowy substance that gives you life. Because of this, special attacks that deal bonus damage for targeting organs or one hit kills from pierced hearts don't work against you, these just deal normal damage. You are also immune to some spells, such as a Blood Boil, for the same reason. Because you're made of marshmallow, you're vulnerable to being eaten. Whenever you are hit with a successful bit attack, you take double damage- your body dissolves away and causes a sort of mortal terror within you.

As a Peep, you can sculpt yourself. You only require the heat of a candle to do this, but it is done with heat and your own hands. You can sculpt your sugary body to better tackle the challenges you face. Sculpt muscles into your arms, taken from your thickness of frame to increase strength but decrease constitution. Shape your head into something more substantial while reducing the pointyness of your beak, increaseing intelligence but decreasing charisma and so on. You can transfer up to 4 + (levelx2) of your stat points from one attribute to another with a turn and a heat source to sculpt.

At 4^th level, you start to go a bit stale. Increase your AC to 14 and decrease the bite damage you take down to just taking 1 additional damage from all bite attacks instead.

At 7^th level, you can now sculpt objects out of your form which can exist away from you. Sculpt your flesh into a weapon or tool. They function just fine and are “alive” so long as they are joined back into your collective by the the stroke of midnight, else they will harden and you lose the stat points you used for them permanently.

At 10^th level, you become a Peep Lord. You learn the secrets of reproduction, and can now create permanent 1 HD Peeplings by using up your body mass. You can also use points off your maximum hit points instead of attribute points for your creations or stat sculpting. Finally, you are joined by 2d8 Sugar Cultists who will follow your commands and aid your research into sugarkind, in exchange for a taste. You may attract any number of cultists and can ensure their loyalty, but in return you must give them 1 hit point or 1 attribute point worth of your flesh which is permanently lost upon consumption.

[Class] Orichalcum Chariot

Orichalcum Chariot

HD- d10

Max AC- 16 / Minimum Hit-Points- 7

You appear as a horseless chariot with a square front, and two mighty wide wheels behind. You are the color of bronze, darkened and richer, as your alloy is superior to the old metal. You are also alive, but not in the same way a golem is alive, despite you being so similar. Golems are inert things brought to life through magic words, but you are alive from your very forging, a symbol of speed and motion. You cannot be controlled like a golem can, which is why more of “you” are not made anymore. If you think of golems as men making men in the same way the Gods did, then you are like an angel who men try to make in the same way that Gods made angels.

You can hold two riders and are as fast as a two horsed chariot. At 2^nd level, decide if you want to be built for comfort or speed, or roll a 1d2. If you choose, you can become either wider and more spacious, letting you hold a third rider, or you can become sleek and are now faster then two horses pulling a chariot at full speed.

The chariot can race around and make attacks by trampling over things, but have no hands or power to attack on their own. You deal 1d6 damage if you trample a man sized creature, quickly shrinking to no damage or crashing yourself if you try to run over something big like an ogre. You are still a heavy metal chariot, so your wheel could crush a person's foot or you could knock aside a horse running alongside you. You need not driver to move. If an animal or two is hooked to your front, you can control them subtly through their minds, pretending to be a normal chariot until needed. Always count your AC as 16, as you are a heavy metal and hard to damage or scratch.

At 3^rd, 7^th, and 9^th level, you gain +1 to hit for both yourself and whoever is riding on you.

At 4^th, 6^th, and 8^th level, you gain +1 damage for both yourself and whoever is riding on you.

If your game uses Spells, you can cast Cleric spells. You cannot turn undead, as you have authority of the living as you are not alive. You can only cast spells on your rider(s). Check the list below; Sacrament is just a fancy word for “spell level”, just for Clerics.

At 10^th level, you become a Divine Vehicle. You can fly on holy days, and can take your rider(s) through the firmament of the world once per year. This lets you travel between the worlds, or to visit cosmic realms of the Gods. You are protected from judgment and the harsh energies of that realm, but your riders only are as long as they stay on you.

lvl	1st Sacrament	2nd Sacrament	3rd Sacrament	4th Sacrament
1
2
3	1
4	1
5	2
6	2
7	2	1
8	2	1
9	2	2
10	2	2	1

[Class] Nespo Nespo

The Nespo are a race of being with dark blue to purple fur, deer-like faces and hooves, as well as some avian traits like downy feathers and grasping talons for hands. These beings live in the high mountains, wandering just between the lower mountains and the timberline; the dividing area where it gets too high for trees to grow. You can sometimes see groups of them moving, silhouetted against the night sky, fading in with the shadows of the last straggling trees.

The Nespo are wise beings, traveling in all-male bands to learn new languages and secrets of lore wherever they go. Many also believe the Nespo are an all male race because of this, which is false. The Nespo race includes females, called Nespa or Nespa Nespa for a singular female, but they simply do not live with the males on this world for most times of the year. The females and the young travel to the highest mountains during nightfall to enter the Realm of Falling Twilight. They reach this realm by walking on the clouds if they are thick enough, or using magic and their pet birds and white minks to string twine around the clouds to keep them from floating away as they ascent.

The Realm of Falling Twilight is a world onto itself. There is almost no living things here, very few predators or native animals, and the entire realm is quiet. The ground is made of deep purple and black clouds and dust, the light here comes only from stars which can be reached and poked with a long pole. It is incredibly peaceful, the entire realm is as dark as the dusk and is cold. It always feels as though it is about to get colder at all times, just as the night before the chill, but it stays a livable temperature for this alpine race. The females live here and teach the young ones secrets and crafts; they drink from the energies of this place to survive, along with what little physical foods they need packed and stored from their Nespo counterparts. It is a very peaceful place that is perfect for rearing and protecting their young from the more chaotic mortal world.

Art @ovopack

Nespo Nespo

HD- d8

Max AC- 12 / Minimum Hit-Points- 3

The Nespo are a wise and hardy race. Your alpine fur and features give you protection from the cold environments, though the female Nespa Nespa has even further protection. You are also enriched by the thin mountain air; you can hold your breath for up to one exploration turn and can jog essentially forever from your inbuilt endurance.

Generate your Wisdom and Constitution with 2d8+6

Generate your Intelligence. If your Intelligence is <8, increase it to 8.

The Nespo Nespo has knowledge of magic and the healing arts. You cast spells as though you were one level greater, and you advance in healing abilities as though you were a Sage of equal level. You do not gain any benefit to turning the undead, as your religious beliefs are more family and nature oriented and do not invoke the power of the Gods to aide you.

Nespo and Nespa society is extremely conservative. You were in an arranged marriage as a boy, before you were ever let out into the normal world, and you have a deep obligation to donate at least 60% of your income to your spouse in the Falling Twilight. You still gain experience for wealth recovered, but must donate most of it in the form of cooking oils, metal objects, seeds, fabrics, and other things that cannot be readily found or made in that place. You only see your spouse or children once per year at the very most. Using magic to either transport yourself there more often or speak with your spouse using talking boxes or other such magical tricks is considered a taboo; all unnecessary contact between men and women is something to be shunned.

At 10^th level, you become a Nespo Skywatcher and find yourself put into a position of authority. You will be joined by 2d10+4 Nespo Nespo wandering sages and scribes. They can perform large scale tasks befitting their kind; such as healing a group of injuried warriors, providing research assistants for alchemy involving natural herbs and flowers, as well as a group of magicians who will participate in rain dances and so on, though their combat effectiveness is basically zero. Beyond commanding a group of Nespo sages, you may also gain the approval of enough female Nespa to try and create an expedition in a new sky realm- The Realm of Rising Dawn or the Realm of Crimson Warnings and so on. These skylit realms offer new opportunities to raise young, but these young will have fur colors that match their new homes, which could lead to subraces of the Nespo including golden furred dawnlings or silver furred moonlings and so on.

Additionally; you gain resistance to cold of all kinds, taking ½ damage from all cold spells and attacks from your now silver-edged fur. You also gain the power of innate Cloudwalking, letting you step on any fog, smoke, or steam thick enough to be opaque. Depending on the speed and stability of this vapor, you could use it as a small platform for a single jump or stand on it as a ramp, organizing bookshelves over a bubbling steamy cauldron, and so on. This also lets you easily access the realms above the Earth through going to the top of mountains and walking onto the sky.

[Class] Magon

Magon

HD- d10

Max AC- Varies / Minimum Hit-Points- 7

Magon. Monkey Dragon. It's a fusion of the two beasts, possessing the gracefulness of neither and the destructive cleverness of both. The Magon is moderately intelligent, but does not inherent much of its dragon's heritage for long plots and scheming. It prefers rough animal action, like an ape. It appears snake-like, like an eastern Long, with the jutting face of a baboon. They cannot breath fire. They are the natural enemies of Ninjas.

The Magon grows in size with level. At first level, it is three and a half feet long, and it grows about a foot and a half each level. Due to its body shape, the Magon can constrict people, which requires a save to break free; bigger Magons have bigger penalties to break free from them. Each round, the Magon gets a free “bite” attack on the person being grappled, of which no attack roll is needed. The Magon's bite, grapple, size, and AC grow with level according to the table below.

The Magon's claws and hands have rudimentary thumbs and can grasp small objects, but are incapable of complex tasks like crafting or lockpicking. These grow with level, and at 5^th level they can pick locks according to a 1^st level Thief and can use one handed weapons if they so choose. At 8^th level, the Magon can fly.

At 10^th level, the Magon becomes a Great Ape Dragon and can now take simian form. This is equivalent to a human form belonging to other kinds of dragons, but instead it is the form of a monkey-man, which lets them blend in with the monkey people, though they will always have a tell, such as an unusual height, extremely long whiskers, stark white hair, etc.

Additionally; any Magon who chooses to can become the master of a great temple monastery. They will be provided with fruit, sake, and general labor for a little patience and spouting occasional nonsense to sound wise and thoughtful. The nearby village will only tolerate 3 + (Magon's Charisma Modifier) outbursts of rage where the Magon kills everybody until they start to withdrawl their support and call heroes to go kill it.

Level	AC	Grapple Bonus	Bite Attack
1	11	0	1d4+1
2	12	1	1d6
3	13	1	1d6+1
4	14	1	1d8
5	15	2	1d8+1
6	16	2	2d6
7	17	3	2d6+2
8	18	3	2d8
9	18	4	2d8+2
10	19	4	2d10