Homebrew Molefolk Species Details

"Well, if it's miners you're after, not even dwarves can get through earth faster than a talpid digging team. I might be biased, but I'd advise you non-burrowers to never set foot underground without at least one molefolk backing you up. Just in case."

-- Dusty Burrowfoot, Talpid Ranger

 

Talpids, or molefolk, are a race that developed first in the Underdark, but they fairly quickly made their way into the Prime Material, the Elemental Plane of Earth, and even the Shadowfell. Their true origin is lost, but many mages speculate that they were developed from true moles. Regardless of their origin, molefolk have established themselves as a successful race, and they often have entire secondary cities deep beneath the streets of the better known ones above.

Underdark Origin

Talpids evolved first in the Underdark. Instead of darkvision, they navigate by sensing vibrations in the earth, which gives them a distinct advantage. Talpids appear as bipedal moles, squat mammals with velvety fur and massive front paws. Their eyes and ears are difficult to see, as their fur is patterned to protect them. Those unfamiliar with them often focus their attention on the nose, which stands out from the fur and can have fleshy, sensory appendages on it which give it a star-like shape. They are stout, and are typically dressed in practical clothing with subdued tones.

Expert Tunnelers

A talpid's most powerful ability is their potent digging power. Their front paws are huge for their size, bigger even than hands on the largest races, like goliaths. These paws have long claws on each finger, that are both robust and sharp. These allow for both delicate motor functions and startlingly swift digging. While most talpids are restricted to digging in dirt, mud, sand, or ice, a few have managed to hone their skill to tunnel through stone, albeit at a significantly slower pace.

Unusual Habits

Talpids live a substantial portion of their lives underground. Even those who deal with them extensively have only rarely seen their young, who don't even see the sun until they've reached adulthood. While this proclivity towards the subterranean has offered great protection, it has left them with norms that other societies find odd. Molefolk eat insects, often alive and wriggling, and they keep pets that other races find bizarre, like giant centipedes and tamed bulettes.

Natural Excavators

Due to their inherent connection with the earth, most talpids can find easy work as archaeologists, tunnelers, gravekeepers, and miners. Those who become adventurers often dedicate themselves to paths that benefit from an ambush style of attacking, such as assassins and gloomstalkers.

Talpid Names

Talpids have first names and surnames, as many other races do. Oftentimes, these names allude to their subterranean lifestyle, as an easy way to break the ice with surface dwellers.
Male Molefolk Names: Dusty, Clay, Delver, Desmen, Urotrich, Surico, Tenrec, Flint, Byron, Grant, Roark, Brock.
Female Molefolk Names: Bertha, Opal, Condy, Lura, Mogera, Roxanne, Amethyst, Amber, Jade, Agatha, Ametrine.
Molefolk Surnames: Talpini, Scaptonychini, Neurotrichini, Scaptonyx, Burrowfoot, Spadeshoe, Warrener, Diggums.

Talpid Personality

Living without sunlight for most of their lives, talpids are seen as strange by many surface-dwellers.

Talpid Quirks

d8	Quirk
1	You suffer from agoraphobia, and you cannot sleep under an open sky.
2	You keep a gnome-constructed, clockwork device that buzzes all night as a tremorsense white noise machine.
3	You have a bad habit of tunneling out of buildings, instead of using doors, which causes damage.
4	You compulsively make puns about how much you "dig" things and how you get "tunnel vision."
5	You sleep-burrow.
6	You get really defensive when you find something or someone that tunnels faster.
7	You find underdark critters cute, and keep things like big spiders as pets.
8	You pick at your claws the same way other humanoids pick at their nails; it's just a lot more noticeable.

Racial Feats

Adamantine Claws

Prerequisite: Talpid
Your claws become tougher and are better built for tunneling. You gain the following benefits:

• Your burrow speed increases to 15 feet.
• Your claws deal 1d6 slashing damage instead of 1d4, and they count as magical for the purposes of overcoming damage resistance.
• You deal double damage to objects and structures with your claws.
• You can burrow through stone at a speed of 5 feet, which does leave a tunnel.

Star-Shaped Nose

Prerequisite: Talpid
Your nose develops more and you sprout tentacle-like feelers around it. You gain the following benefits:

• You have advantage on investigation, perception, and survival checks based on your sense of smell.
• Your nose can rapidly emit and retract small amounts of gas, allowing you to use your sense of smell while effectively holding your breath. This ability functions underwater.
• The range of your tremorsense extends to 10 feet above ground and 30 feet while burrowing.

Molefolk Traits

Your talpid character has certain traits deriving from the species evolving and living their lives underground and in the underdark.

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

Talpids mature fairly quickly, with pups reaching maturity by age eight, and they live until age eighty.

Alignment

Talpids are as varied as most other humanoids, so they trend towards a neutral alignment.

Size

Talpids average around three feet tall and around about fifty pounds. Your size is small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Tunneler

You have a burrow speed of 5 feet through dirt, mud, sand, and ice. With dirt and ice, you may choose to leave a 3-foot diameter tunnel behind you. Small creatures can move at full speed through this tunnel, and Medium creatures can squeeze to get through.

Tremorsense

Using the natural vibrations in the earth, you can sense the shape and position of objects and creatures within 15 feet while you are burrowing or otherwise entombed. Creatures that are moving stealthily can still evade your detection, as normal.

Claws

You have long claws that augment your unarmed strikes. They deal 1d4 slashing damage and have the light and finesse properties.

Hold Breath

You are accustomed to digging in closed tunnels and living in low-oxygen environments. You can hold your breath for up to fifteen minutes without penalty.

Languages

You speak Common and Undercommon.