Homebrew Karkinos Species Details
“SUCH A PARADOXICAL RACE—SO POWERFUL, YET SO peaceful. They are like the shepherds of the entire ocean, gently guiding us toward a better future. I wonder what tragedy befell their kind to bestow them with such cautious wisdom?”
The karkinos are a race of powerful but furtive crustacean humanoids. A race without a home, they are peaceful pastoralists, who drift between underwater realms, aiding those who seek it and staying out of the paths of those who would seek to harm them. Normally gentle giants, in times of trouble karkinos can become valiant heroes who rise up to protect their ocean home.
Obscure Hermits
The karkinos have a muddied origin; some say that they were once a race of surface folk who were cursed into their current forms, while others claim they migrated from the Elemental Plane of water alongside the tritons. The karkinos themselves have conflicting legends, owing to their nomadic lifestyle resulting in many cultural groups emerging, each attesting to their own lore.
Regardless of their origins, most karkinos, especially those who hold to traditional beliefs, live a life of idyllic pastoralism. Herding flocks of giant crustaceans, schools of fish, and other placid oceanic life, karkinos families spend their days gazing into the endless depths and ruminating on the nature of the sea. Some karkinos are poets, whose musings are spread far and wide through underwater society, sung and rewritten as ballads and plays. Others isolate themselves far away from civilization with nothing more than their family or flocks for company. Living lives of quiet contemplation, they meditate on ancient truths only known to the long-lived and mysterious karkinos.
Typically dwelling at the seafloor, the existence of the karkinos is something known only to daring ocean adventurers, though legends about these mysterious crustacean people do spring up from time to time amid sailors and fishermen. Tritons, merfolk, and other intelligent civilizations of the sea may interact with the karkinos more frequently, though even then the karkinos' nomadic and secluded lifestyle makes these interactions relatively rare and spontaneous.
Ocean Guardians
Despite their peaceful and quiet ways, the karkinos are known too for great heroism in times of need. With a creed to suffer no injustice and to extend aid where possible, most karkinos are happy to lend a claw to passing merfolk, triton, or even surface races where possible, though these encounters may be rare. Some karkinos go above and beyond, and utilize their prodigious natural strength and defenses to protect those who have need of it. These karkinos are often those who depart from their families to seek adventure, striking an impressive silhouette among groups of aquatic adventurers.
Even besides these heroic individuals, the karkinos have a long rivalry with malicious creatures of the deep. Sahuagin who terrorize other races, krakens fouling the waters, and other beasts of the deep are all ancestral enemies of the karkinos, and they require little persuasion to mobilize against such threats. In times of turmoil, the karkinos usually prove to be vigilant guardians who rise up above the chaos to protect the safety of the oceans. For that reason, tritons and karkinos have traditionally had a good relationship, both being defenders of the ocean.
Ancient Karkos
In ancient times, it is said that the crab-folk once had a homeland known as Karkos. A legendary city of resplendent gold and coral, it was a mythic land of plenty and wonder, considered the jewel of the sea. Many karkinos families still claim to possess relics from this wondrous age, although few truly believe they have a treasure from the fabled city itself, only an old heirloom from a bygone era.
The tale, as it goes, describes Karkos falling into a state of hubris and debauchery. The most powerful of Karkos were swayed into evil by a malicious kraken, and attempted to harness and control the very currents of the ocean, to bend the sea to their will. In retribution, the spirits of the sea sent a mighty sea titan to swallow up the entirety of Karkos, sweeping the city into the eternal depths, never to be seen again. While most karkinos believe this to be nothing more than a moral fable, they still point to it as reason for their humble life and staunch opposition to the darker denizens of the sea.
The Truth Behind the Myth
Though ancient Karkos is regarded as fable by many, it may be based on truth. This book also contains statistics for the city of Karkos, the protector of the karkinos. These statistics can be found in chapter 6, “Monsters,” of this book.
Karkinos Names
Karkinos names are often difficult to pronounce by most tongues, due to their crustacean nature, with many hard clicks and other harsh sounds. Karkinos who decide to befriend non-karkinos individuals typically have a nickname derived from a simplified form of their true name. Karkinos, being natural hermaphrodites, have little use for gender dimorphism and their names follow a similar thread, though some karkinos do choose to adopt a pronoun for ease of communication.
Karkinos Names (Nicknames): Klimkaklaeia (Limalaeia), Kaklitakades (Atakades), Kokakinikea (Konikea), Kakageakina (Aegeana), Kekantakita (Ketanita), Pakiketakea (Pakatea), Petakikekatis (Petakis), Thekakameika (Themaika), Tehikagankis (Teaganis),Takitamekika (Takameia)
Karkinos in Other Realms
There are other races throughout the multiverse that bear a striking resemblance to the karkinos - for example, the aldani of the Forgotten Realms, the sartani, and the crab men that are scattered throughout the annals of history. While these are not karkinos, their skill sets are similar enough that many with the knowledge of the greater planes often group them together under a singular common name -- crustacean-folk, or yurians.
Variant: Aldani
To represent the aldani lobsterfolk of Chuul, the following changes can be made to the karkinos traits to better represent the aldani's specific lore. As an aldani, a karkinos character loses the Pastoral Talents trait in exchange for the Scavenger's Instincts trait.
Scavenger's Instinct: You are proficient in one of the following skills of your choice: Intimidation, Perception, or Survival.
Karkinos Traits
Your karkinos character has the following racial traits.Ability Score Increase
Your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Age
Karkinos are unique in that they are effectively immortal. So long as they continually shed their shells, which takes place annually, a karkinos can continue to live through the ages, though most eventually outpace their shedding capabilities and die at the age of 500 to 600.
Size
Most karkinos stand between 5-6 feet tall, but are very bulky, weighing an average of 450 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 25 feet, and you have a swimming speed of 30 feet.
Pincers
Your crustacean pincers are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. Immediately after hitting a target with an unarmed strike on your turn, you can use a bonus action to attempt to grapple the target.
Deep Sea Adaptation
You are immune to the effects of being underwater at a depth greater than 100 feet.
Amphibious
You can breathe air and water.
Pastoral Talents
You gain proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Animal Handling, Nature, Perception.
Natural Armor
Your carapace is as hard as armor, and can turn aside lesser blows. When you aren't wearing armor, your AC is 13 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield's benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.
Shepherd's Speech
Tending to aquatic flocks for generations, your kind have a way with the creatures of the sea. You can communicate simple ideas with beasts that can breathe water. They can understand the meaning of your words, though you have no special ability to understand them in return.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and another language of your choice. Karkinos are a wandering people, and often pick up languages from other oceanborne races, such as sea elves, triton, and locathah.
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