Homebrew Cave Serpentian Species Details

"We brought a Cave Serpentian down into the dungeon once. Stuck him to a plank and used him like a torch. Honestly, he seemed just happy to be included."

— Anonymous

Cave Serpentians are often seen as extremely odd-looking creatures, due to their reptilian, alien appearance and diminutive size. However, most people who take the time to actually interact with one usually leave with a new friend. Or several.

Hailing from the far-off continent of Serpentia, Cave Serpentians are distinctly known for their tunneling abilities, unique physiology, and massive colony size. Often living in groups that number no less than fifteen, Cave Serpentians' colonies have been known to exceed numbers of thirty in their strive for as much strength in numbers as possible. Many Cave Serpentians spend the majority of their lives hidden, underground, in the incredibly narrow tunnel systems they are able to naturally construct, their unique physical traits and features designed specifically for squeezing through and thriving in the dark, narrow halls they create. However, they often times will be found either leaving the surface, or expanding their tunnels' size beyond necessity for them, if it means they can keep more company; social structure conquers all in Cave Serpentians.

Vast Tunnelers

Built for tunneling, Cave Serpentians are known for spending much of their time underground, giving way to their name, "Cave" Serpentians. They are able to construct tunnels quickly and easily, due to the specialized knuckles they possess, used for cracking and digging away at rocks. It helps that Cave Serpentians have a natural instinct for being able to 'read the ground', knowing where the earth may be strong or weak, what minerals may lie around, and even how deep they are digging, roughly. This has caused some to compare them to Kobolds, however, there are several unique differences one would find in a Cave Serpentian tunnel.

Cave Serpentians' take great pride in their tunneling and the holes and homes they create. As such, it could take days, weeks, or even longer for a Cave Serpentian to truly be satisfied with how his tunnels may work. Rather than simply carving out tiny, round holes for them to curl up in at night, Cave Serpentians prefer to dig out large, dome-like intrusions into the ground, where out of that they create a sort of 'yard' or 'territory' that they possess, when they next dig into the earth and create multi-room, multi-level houses. These homes and 'yards' are often anything but bare, as a Cave Serpentian will be all too eager to decorate and liven up the area with their own flare, some Cave Serpentians creating beautiful rooms filled with artifacts of gold and silver.

Because of Cave Serpentians' need for social interaction, Cave Serpentians often leave the tunnels lacking any measure of traps or unmanned defense, instead preferring to rely on their tunnel's size or sheer numbers to keep out intruders. Chances are, however, a Cave Serpentian will be all-too-happy to greet whoever manages to fit into their tunnels and explore.

Because of the sheer time and care that Cave Serpentians take with creating their tunnels, only those who have the money and patience to handle a Cave Serpentians work actually commission or request for them to do digging work, as they are usually tasked with creating secret hide-outs or expanded basements, not preferred towards mining or sewage digging.

Unique Physique

The first and largest thing that will identify a Cave Serpentian apart from a Kobold, Goblin, or even other Serpentian species, is their extremely unique, alien-looking appearances, which include their black, slick scales, incredibly tiny stature, natural digging abilities, noticeable "head orb", and lesser known "cheek pads".

Given much of their time is spent underground, they have evolved to blend in easily with the dark, stony backgrounds, should less welcome visitors ever intrude into their tunnels. As such, their scales are typically a dark, jet black, sturdy enough for them to contort and squish through the tiny tunnels they create and stay hidden, yet firm enough to help keep back stray rocks and pebbles from cutting or wounding them. Their tiny stature is a major part in their tunnel digging, as their tiny size allows them to more easily squeeze and slide through minute holes that aggressive predators or pursuers wouldn't be able to access.

While other creatures often adapt their vision to help see in the dark caverns they may wander, Cave Serpentians seemed to take a different route, and instead evolved with a way to create their own light. Hanging off of their heads like one might see an Anglerfish, Cave Serpentians possess large, round 'orbs' that glow brightly whenever the Cave Serpentian pleases. While this is often used purely for lighting their way, Cave Serpentians also have the ability to change the color of the light, which they often do without intending to based on their mood. A sad Cave Serpentian's orb may glow blue, a happy one yellow, an angry one red, etc. This is also occasionally used for signaling purposes between Cave Serpentians.

Cave Serpentians are not often seen using tools to do the initial digout of their tunnels. Instead, Cave Serpentians have incredibly thick, dense, raised ridges that rest on their knuckles, along with sharp, powerful horns resting atop their head, and thick, spiny ridges running along down their necks and backs, ending in a stubby tail. They use these ridges, horns, and knuckles to forcefully punch, crack, shatter, and rearrange sections of the ground around them. While this doesn't help them in their inevitable later endeavors of fine decorating, it does allow them to create extremely quick tunnels, allowing them to escape predators or begin a new home at the drop of a hat.

One of the lesser known physical attributes about Cave Serpentians are the 'pads' that are kept inside of their cheeks. While they may typically be friendly, easygoing creatures, Cave Serpentians live in colonies of large number, which inevitably results in arguments and fights. To help combat the stress and tension of living in such large groups, Cave Serpentians have evolved 'pads' in their cheeks, that when rubbed, produces heavy amounts of serotonin in the body, keeping them calm when things get hot. The pudginess this creates in their cheeks has been described as 'adorable'.

Of course, the first thing many people notice about a Cave Serpentian, even before their orbs, horns, or color, is their size. Or lack thereof. Extremely tiny, Cave Serpentians average a mere 1 foot, 6 inches tall, with some very tall members stretching to around 2 feet, and shorter ones topping out at a mere foot in height. Heights above 2 feet or below 1 foot are not unheard of, but they are typically due to issues such as disease or stunted growth/genetics, and are not sought after by the common Cave Serpentian.

Sociality

Above all, being together is the most important thing for a Cave Serpentian.

In their native lands, Cave Serpentians are known to live in colonies as massive as they can make them, some of which even growing past the tens of dozens. Being small, and generally, not very strong individually, Cave Serpentians rely on numbers for strength and security. They also know that with more heads together, completing almost any task is faster and easier than doing it alone.

While a Cave Serpentian will often live in its own colonies for most of its life, those afflicted with a wanderlust are not shunned or looked down upon. However, should a Cave Serpentian decide to venture out further into the open world, one would rarely see it without company, or outside of towns or large cities alone. Instead, Cave Serpentians will commonly cling onto random traveling parties, hitchhiking on random caravans, skulking around in the back of adventuring groups, or even commonly wandering up to random, packed tavern tables and initiating sudden conversation.

Were a Cave Serpentian to find itself alone for too long, it would start to experience severe stress and mental anguish. This is not to say a Cave Serpentian cannot go five minutes without company, but a Cave Serpentian that has gone several days to a week without another face around often finds itself in extreme discomfort, often leading to psychological breakdowns if it does not find company soon enough. 

Another aspect of their extreme need for social interaction involves physical closeness. Many Cave Serpentians seem to lack the concept of 'personal space', and will often get right into others' faces, sit on their knees or laps, attempt to ride on their shoulders, or even ask or request to 'sleep together', which to a Cave Serpentian typically means, quite literally, sleeping in close proximity to one another for comfort. While some may find this 'adorable' or 'endearing', this has caused serious problems for a number of Cave Serpentians in certain societies, who often find themselves in fights with strangers soon afterwards.

While they do live in large groups, Cave Serpentians can develop extremely close friendships with particular individuals, while just as equally disliking other beings, even in their own colonies. Mates are often picked based on a number of factors, including personal relationship compatibility, digging skills, and even the size of their head orb. Larger ones are more often desired.

Magic

Back on their home continent of Serpentia, most Cave Serpentians do not get a chance to interact much with magic, besides being taught playful, entertaining parlor trick spells, like Prestidigitation, Thaumaturgy, or Dancing Lights. Those who get the chance, however, will often jump at the opportunity to learn more, with many Cave Serpentians that have moved into larger, public cities becoming quite interested in spellcasting and wizardry, as it helps make up for the lack of strength a single Cave Serpentian can possess. 

 

Food

Cave Serpentians are heavily omnivorous, feeding on both meats, fruits, and vegetables alike. However, due to their small size and underground nature, they often are not used to eating large meats, such as beef, or aquatic meats, like fish. Instead, their primary meats consist typically of poultry, or even more commonly, insects, which Cave Serpentians lap up and pick from the ground, shoveling fistfuls of bugs into their maws like candy, much to the dismay of their non-Serpentian teammates. 

Fruits and vegetables are often able to be grown underground, and Cave Serpentians take care to make sure that they receive enough light, which is often accomplished by vertical light shafts, or consistent manual light providence with their head orbs.

Roleplaying a Cave Serpentian

A Cave Serpentian is well aware of its incredibly small stature, but they rarely let that slow them down. Rather optimistic, a Cave Serpentian typically is happy to follow its group along with almost any task they are performing, unless that task presses seriously against its alignment.

A Cave Serpentian typically tends to defeat enemies in either sheer numbers and force, or, if the numbers aren't enough, magic or stealth. Lone, physical fighting is an absolute last resort option for a Cave Serpentian. A Cave Serpentian might try to solve things diplomatically, however, not all are graced with a silver tongue, nor does their size help them being taken seriously.

A Cave Serpentian absolutely despises being alone, especially for long periods of time. A Cave Serpentian will do almost anything it can to gain some company, and doesn't always do so in ways seen as comfortable or normal by others, such as unexpected table-joining or hopping into laps. Should a Cave Serpentian be stranded alone for too long, days or a week at a time, it will begin to act nervous and slightly hysterical, ultimately resulting in a mental breakdown if they do not find company.

Cave Serpentian Names

Cave Serpentians are often given names shortly after hatching from the egg, but it is not uncommon for a Cave Serpentian to change his name once he reaches adulthood at the age of 10. Cave Serpentians are given last names or 'colony names' which they hang onto throughout their lives. Due to the vowel usage in their first names, it can be difficult to separate a male or female Cave Serpentian by their first names alone.

Male Names: Semli, Inhen, Ovpen, Melno, Xomna, Ehlmen, Pentre, Folhran, Vimno, Qentras.

Female Names: Astra, Linsa, Oelia, Melni, Lindi, Racael, Sari, Kare, Brin, Patria.

 Colony Names: Hama, Kitzmil, Krog, Fairn, Gunne, Sprong, Merce, Tes, Rani, Meya.

Cave Serpentian Traits

Cave Serpentians have a number of special traits, stemming from their size and unique festures.

Ability Score Increase/Decrease

Your Dexterity or Charisma score Increases by 2, and your Strength score is reduced by 2.

Age

Cave Serpentians reach adulthood by 10, and can live up to 100, but most live to roughly 80.

Alignment

Cave Serpentians tend towards the best for the group, leaning them into Good alignments, though many lean towards more Neutral or Chaotic methods. 

Size

Cave Serpentians are between 1 and 3 feet, and average between 5 to 25 pounds. Your size is Tiny.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Burrowing

You have a natural ability to dig and tunnel, giving you a burrowing speed of 25 ft. 

Headlight

At will, you are able to illuminate the orb that hangs off of your head, controlling both the dimness and the color of the light that emanates. This allows you to be able to cast bright or dim light up to thirty feet around you, in a color of your choosing.

Strength in Numbers

You have advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of your allies is within 5 feet of you and the ally isn’t incapacitated.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Draconic.