Homebrew Cristata Species Details

As I traveled through the caverns underground in my tireless search to find my way back home to Edyn, I came across a rather peculiar sight. The floors and walls of the underground were littered with freshly dug tunnels and holes. These passageways resembled similar ones from the surface that an average rabbit, groundhog or other vermin would have dug. I knew I shouldn’t veer off course, but as it often does, my curiosity got the best of me. Venturing into the tunnel I found myself lost more times that I would like to admit, the twists and turns quickly becoming dizzying. Despite my best efforts of backtracking to my initial path, I was unsuccessful. Fearing that this may be the end of the great Dhelvouz (such a pitiful way to go too) I hatched a plan. I searched through my belongings for anything disposable that I could leave as a trail behind me. Finding some unused parchment and scrolls, I decided to leave a literal paper trail to better track where I had already explored. Coming to a dead end, I turned myself around to follow my trail back to another turn. To my surprise I found myself face to - I suppose, nose (I am honestly still not sure) - with a bristled monstrosity. I gasped and quickly began backing up, readying myself. Again, to my surprise, as I backed up I was able to take in more of the creature. I could not have prepared myself for what I would be greeted by… a giant mole…

Excerpt from Dhelvouz’s Book of Lost Secrets

Cristata are a race of humanoid insectivores, found most often deep in underground caverns, tunnels or other cave-like areas. Stout in size, cristata are characterized as hard workers, spending most of their days digging underground labyrinths that would be impossible for the average adventurer to navigate. This manner of living finds most cristata leading rather lonely, isolated lives.

Busy-Bodies

Cristata take great pride in their tunneling capabilities and generally dislike downtime. Some will gladly take on work for mining operations - quickly becoming foremen on their crews as their work ethic has them cracking down on the job long after others have quit for the day. Others will find themselves working for cartographer guilds, their natural instincts making them experts in subterranean geography. And even a few cristata may find themselves joining an adventuring party, as their tremorsense can aid in locating a monster, or searching for treasure.

 

Displaced

Most cristata trace their lineage back to the caverns of The Dark Below, where they lived more communally until the unfortunate arrival of the fleeing mages from the surface. These proto-Edynites (as their beloved Edyn had not yet planted itself into the bedrock) found caverns dominated primarily by cristata to be a suitable location for their subterranean city, and thus claimed them as their own. Adding insult to injury, the Edynites erected their artificial sun in this region, shedding bright light in the dark depths which irritated the cristata to no end. Over the generations that followed, the cristata often found themselves at odds with the Edynites, as these interloppers near-constant expansion and tunneling kept forcing the cristata to uproot and move further and further away. This displacement has caused most cristata to harbor feelings of ill-will towards the Edynites, and to be especially sensitive to others being forced from their homes (as cristata will normally side with the downtrodden and look for ways to help mitigate their struggles). A common children’s rhyme sung among cristata is as follows: “The Edynites cursed the comfort of night with their infernal light, driving us from home and hole in the blessed Dark Below.”

Hardy Disposition

Cristata stand between three and four feet tall, with stout bodies of coarse wirey hair covering their taunt muscles. Small beady eyes mislead the careless into assuming that they’re unobservant, as generations spent in the near pitch-black tunnels and caves have caused them to develop a reliance on senses greater than sight. Most often known for their red-colored, star-shaped noses, a cristata’s sense of smell is second to none; their ever-twitching snouts even said to be able to detect changes in air pressure and gauge the depths of their descent while burrowing through the crust of the earth with their massive claws. Cristata are said to be able to burrow for days at a time, almost as if entering a state of catharsis while carving through the depths.

Cristata Names

Cristata tend to have very guttural, deeply resonating names.

Male Names: Clog, Boghat, Dug, Gurgug, Igabat, Lugdum, Oguk, Purbag, Targhed and Wrukog.

Female Names: Arog, Burzog, Gharol, Gulfim, Hormaz, Morog, Oghash, Ragash, Sharog and Urog

Cristata Traits

As a cristata, you have the following racial traits:

Quick Burrow

When you would be hit by a melee attack, you can use your reaction to burrow underground and avoid the attack. While underground, as part of your reaction you can burrow and pop up to the surface of another unoccupied space 10 feet away from where you first burrowed. You can only use this feature while you are on sand, earth (dirt), mud snow, ice or similar terrain. Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until after you finish a short or long rest.

(Optional) Adjusted Ability Scores

 Your Wisdom score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.

Alignment

Cristata tend to live isolated lives, spending most of their days tunneling through caves and mountains underground. Due to this rather lonely lifestyle.

Creature Type

You are a Humanoid.

Age

Cristata have an average lifespan of 45 years, and reach maturity around the age of 5.

Size

Cristata are normally 3 to 4 feet tall and weigh around 175 lbs. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 20 feet and you have a burrow speed of 40 feet. You can burrow through sand, earth (dirt), mud snow, ice or similar terrain. Once per long rest you can also burrow through stone at half your normal burrowing speed, leaving behind a 3-foot wide hole in your wake.

Claws

You can use your claws to make unarmed strikes. When you hit with one of your claws, the strike deals 1d6 + your Strength modifier slashing damage, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Darkvision

You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Keen Hearing and Smell

You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.

Stereo Smelling

Your sense of smell is so powerful that each of your nostrils can smell and distinguish between two different scents at once. You have disadvantage on Constitution checks made to resist becoming poisoned by a smell such as a Troglodyte's Stench trait.

Sunlight Sensitivity

While in sunlight, you have disadvantage on attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.

Treacherous Traveler

You move normally through non-magical difficult terrain.

Tremorsense

 You have tremorsense and can detect and pinpoint the origin of vibrations within 60 feet provided that you and the source of the vibrations are in contact with the same ground or substance.

Languages

You can read, speak, and write Common, Undercommon and Terran.