Homebrew Deep Folk Species Details

Deep folk, or as they call themselves, the drulkoi, are a race of strange humanoids. Within the world of Dafarnia, they hail from the continent of Darcrys, believed to have emerged from the bowls of the Grand Chasm, where many of their kind still live. Within Toril, the deepfolk inhabit the Underdark or in underwater caverns, where they roam, building settlements alongside subterranean bodies of water or within pockets of air, occasionally clashing with the kuo-toa when their insanity causes them to be driven towards violence.

Unbreakable Wills

The deep folk have lived and grown in areas touched by all manners by nightmarish horrors, and instead of giving in to such stressors, their minds hardened and their wills sharpened, and they gained the ability to overcome sources of madness and despair that others would easily have given in to. This means that the deep folk can appear to be cold, even alien at times. However, the truth is that drulkoi are as human as any other, only that their need for self-control means that they have difficulty expressing themselves. Managing to making a deep folk lose their cool run the risk of unleashing a brutal warrior that will stop at nothing to achieve vengeance. Deep folk are said to have played a role in the destruction of the illithid empire, their ability to resist the strange psionic powers of the mind flayers, allowing them overcome the brain-eating slavers. Additionally, mind flayers avoid areas populated by drulkoi, and often refuse to feed on them or take them as thralls.

Part Monster

Deep folk resemble humans, but tend to bear greyish skin tones that slowly fade into bluish hues on their extremities. Thick, semi-prehensile crocodilian tails emerge from their tailbones, often similar in length to that of a tiefling. These tails are used to aid in swimming, and they are a similar color to the hues of their extremities. These tails often signal their emotions in a similar manner to a tiefling's, and are often a better indicator of a drulkoi's mood then their current expression. Emerging from their brows are angler fish-like lures, which glow a variety of greenish hues. This glow is also emitted by various patches on a deep folk's skin, and can be dimmed or brightened as much as the drulkoi sees fit. A drulkoi's hair can be various shades of blue, violet, turquoise, or black, and their eyes are typically shades of gray, blue or green. Their teeth are slightly point, and along the side of their neck are sharklike gills, which they use to breathe underwater.

Deep Folk Traits

Deepfolk share a variety of traits thanks to their dark origins.

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

Deep folk mature at the same rate as humans but can live up to 300 years old, and their body ages at half the rate of a humans when they reach 25.

Size

Drulkoi are about the same size and build as humans. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking and swimming speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

Thanks to your aberrant heritage, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. 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.

Deep Ancestry

Your lifestyle and exposure to the horrors of the deep means that you have advantage on saving throws against being frightened or being mind controlled through magic. Additionally, you have resistance to cold damage and are unaffected by the conditions of very deep water.

Bioluminescent

As a free action, you can choose to illuminate a 20 foot area around yourself. You can choose to end this effect with another free action. Additionally as a bonus action, you can force all creatures within 20 feet of you that can see you to make a Dexterity saving throw, its DC equal to your Constitution score plus your proficiency modifier, up to a maximum of 17. On a failure, they take 1d6 radiant damage and are blinded for 1d4 rounds, and on a success they take half damage and no other effect occurs. You can use that ability twice per long or short rest.

Amphibious

You can breathe both air and underwater

Languages

You can speak, read, and write in Common and Deep Speech.