Homebrew Crawling Claw Species Details

The appearance and physique of crawling claws vary greatly from individual to individual based on the skill of the creator and the nature of the source material. Necromancers have managed to animate everything from minute crab pincers to colossal dragon claws, and though more powerful hands make better servants, they also take more skill to create and control.

Disturbingly nimble, crawling claws make almost no sound as they skitter around haunted mansions, corrupted graveyards, and ancestral tombs. Not having eyes, they rely on a sort of spiritual vision that gives them a panoramic, night vision sight that prevents sneak attacks and makes them perfect as scouts and lookouts. Their light weight and unnaturally enhanced musculature gives crawling claws the ability to leap great distances and stay in the air for longer periods of time, an effect which is often mistaken for flight or levitation by the superstitious.

Though generally able to produce only as much force as the original hand would be able to in life, crawling claws are often imbued with enchantment to make them tougher, stronger, and faster. In addition to magical enhancement, the constructed nature of the crawling claw makes it is quite easy for the necromancer to dissect it, replacing nails with steel talons, tendons with springs, and skin with studded leather. The experienced wizard will sneak a few of these improved hands into a swarm of crawling claws, presenting a formidable surprise to adventurers who will find themselves suddenly held down by an iron grip as the weaker claws rip and tear at their flesh.

Remember, though, that the crawling claw is not simply a construct, but an undead construct - If enough of its actual flesh and bone is removed, destroyed, or replaced with inorganic matter, the claw's body will no longer be able to contain its vital essence, and it will fall apart. This is the primary way by which crawling claws are destroyed, as they possess no central weak point, and physical attacks that do not remove their original biological matter will damage them much less than attacks that do. This durability only applies, of course, to crawling claws animated with the original and more lengthy ritual which imbues the entire Claw with life energies. More expedient measures, like inscribing runes on the palm or injecting the veins with magical fluids are much easier and quicker, but are also far more easily destroyed by cuts and bashes.

Incapable of direct reproduction, withered or degrading crawling claws can nevertheless be ground up into a powder and fed to animals or humans of the same species as the original claw. This powder acts as like a disease, slowly poisoning the victim, whose body largely begins to shrivel and atrophy while their hands grow to enormous size and strength. Though the effect is not very strong, if the individual is killed during its effective time period of between two and three days, their hands will tear themselves off the corpse and report to their necromancer for further orders.

Crawling Claw Traits

Crawling claws share certain racial traits due to the nature of their existence.

Blindsight

Blind Senses: You have no eyes, and are blind (and therefore immune to the Blinded condition). You have blindsight 30 ft.

Poison Immunity

You are immune to poison damage, and immune to the poisoned condition.

No Spare Hands

Because your only hand is your entire body, you are unable to use hands and move at the same time, and you lack the capability to weild a weapon like a creature with an arm to swing. you are unable to wield weapons or wear shields. In any turn in which you walk, climb, or swim, you cannot use items which require manipulation, including spellcasting foci, wands, tools, etc.