Homebrew Chiropteran Species Details

Sequestered in deep dark caves, the chiropteran, sometimes called batfolk, evoke fear and mystery. Many Chiropteran are from the Underdark, festering deep within caverns and within small cut-outs on the sides of cliff faces. 

They are immigrants, refugees, scouts, and explorers, their outposts functioning as terrifying labyrinths and networks normally living in herds of hundreds.  

Fanged and Furred

These unruly, repulsive creatures look like what you'd imagine when you think of an enlarged bat. If you stumbled upon these creatures in a cave you would be enveloped by a winged creature, skin stretched thinly across their bones, malnutrition, and lose fur plagues those that choose to sequester in the horrors of the Underdark. 

The simple evolutionary difference between a typical bat and chiropteran is the additional two appendages with opposable thumbs. This is opposed to the normal species of bat as they have arms attached to wings. This gives the chiropteran a humanoid appearance allowing them to become users of simple tools.     

 

Cave Wardens

Nowhere is the chiropteran more comfortable than in the caves. They can spend hours in the Dark, and some go as long as days, locking their wings in place and curling into a tightly knit blanket with their wings and clinging to ceilings. In battle, they prove dynamic and acrobatic fliers, moving with remarkable speed and sporadic energy, diving to lash opponents with weapons or talons before turning and flying away.

Once sequestered, a chiropteran leaves its cave with reluctance. In their native habitat, they can rest for days only waiting to hear the subtle noise of a rodent or lizard. They feed their young with giant bugs, rodents, and whatever else they can find. They sometimes forget or ignore vertical distances, and they have nothing but pity for those earthbound people forced to live and toil on the surface.

Batty behavior

The resemblance of chiropteran to bats isn’t limited to physical features. Chiropteran display many of the same mannerisms as ordinary bats. They are constantly biting away at dieases and rough patches of skin that seem to spread throughout their bodies as well as scratching away any tiny passengers they might have picked up. When they do come up from the caves that they do so to hunt and bath.

Many chiropteran punctuates their speech with squeaks, sounds they use to convey emphasis and to shade meaning, much as a human might through facial expressions and gestures. A chiropteran might become frustrated with people who fail to pick up on the nuances; a chiropteran’s threat might be taken as a joke and people may laugh at the squeaks and screeches that come from the filthy creature.  

The concept of emotional attachment to objects baffles chiropteran. The chiropteran simply assigns all their items as useful or not useful and disposes of items that are not useful or necessary. They tend to steal things on impulse if they think that they need that object or that it will be of service to them. Shiny, glittering objects catch their eyes.

They find it hard not to pluck the treasure and bring it back to their settlement to include it in a collection of gifts. A chiropteran who spends years among other races can learn to inhibit these impulses.

They dislike interaction with others and tend to be quite opposed to even others of their own kind if they are not close-knit with them. 

Cave dwellers

Most Chiropteran reside in the Underdark or in deep caves, living amongst colonies of hundreds. They cling to the topside of caves moving between there and small cravings in the sides of cave walls. Here they build colonies and raise their children and build their tools. They have a tribalistic system of leadership praising the strongest chiropteran although they don't tend to listen to what this assigned leader has to say. Realistically they only really assign this leadership to have someone to handle conflicts with other races, something that all chiropteran deeply hate. 

Their caves can't be described as anything but repulsive. Dead skin, spit and rotten fur covers the ground alongside corpses of animals they have recently hunted. This lair of garbage adds a solid extra 10 feet off the cave floor in the larger colonies. They store some of the most valuable possessions within the repulsive flooring as they have discerned that most races tend to react poorly to the sight. 

They are excellent navigators and they have many different outposts and lairs that they have extensive knowledge of how to locate.

 

 

Vampiric allies

Chiropteran and vampires have had intertwined fates for centuries. The ability for vampires to shapeshift into bats was perfected by the earliest of vampires, honed and crafted by those touched by evil and darkness. Although in the early stages of development the magic was in an experimental phase and not all vampires were as skilled at the craft. The Chiropteran was created from the early mistakes of this arcane development. The Chiropteran represent exactly this as they are a failed version of the experiment, a mix between vampire and bat. The Chiropteran was created by Damien the Dark, a young vampire (122 years old) who experimented with the new creation of his kind. On this fateful night, Damien attempted the transformation but he instantly regretted it as his skin started to stretch and elongate, wings transmuting and protruding out his body in a gruesome manner. Damien was changed. mentally and physically into what we now recognize as Chiropteran. Damien was distorted and twisted, his mind lost to the insanity of his transformation. Centuries down the line and generations of perfection of the genome, vampires, and Chiropteran have an intense connection and relationship. Now they are not entirely against conflict but the two races have a sort of kinship to each other and they don't see each other as very different. Now vampires are quite egotistical but they respect Damien and his early work in the arcane relations they now abuse so they respect his bloodline in return.     

Although their vampiric bloodline does not translate into burning in the sun. Actually, chiropteran can handle themselves quite well in sunlight although their vision is quite limited.  

 

 

Chiropteran Names

Chiropteran uses squeaks and screech in their speech so names have been made to revolve around them. 

A chiropteran of either gender may have one of these short names: Skiy, Scry, sceeh, Cree, cwak, eery, crept, Scarye or sqark. 

Chiropteran Backgrounds

Backgrounds that are most appropriate for Chiropteran include the outlander and the hermit

Chiropteran Traits

As an chiropteran you have certain traits in common with your people. Being able to fly at high speed starting at 1st level is exceptionally effective in certain circumstances and exceedingly dangerous in others. As a result, playing an chiropteran requires special consideration by your DM.

Blindness

Chiropteran have fairly poor eyesight and because of this Chiropteran have disadvantage on perception checks.

Screening sense

You emit a high pitched screech that travels out 120 ft. At the beginning of your next turn, the sounds you released returns in a black and white image of the local layout. This image does not show information behind walls and is blurred around corners beyond 10ft. Your passive perception for this image is 10+ your spell casting modifier. you can cast this as a bonus action. 

Darkvision

As a Chiropteran you have been born and raised in the dark and because of this, you can see exceptionally in the dark. 

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

Chiropteran reach maturity by age 16. Compared to humans, chiropteran don’t usually live longer than 45 years.

Alignment

Most chiropteran are neutral and rarely choose sides when it comes to law and chaos. Tribal leaders and warriors might be evil, while explorers and adventurers might tend toward neutral or evil.

Size

chiropteran are about 5 feet tall. They have thin, lightweight bodies that weigh between 50 and 70 pounds. Your size is small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Flight

You have a flying speed of 50 feet. To use this speed, you can’t be wearing medium or heavy armor.

Talons

Your talons are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Chiropteran and Deep speech