Darakhul

Darakhul arise from members of other races who fall to ghoul fever, but darakhul PCs can start play directly as darakhul. Any bonuses, penalties, and abilities of the previous race are gone; only memories, skills, and cosmetic features remain..

Physical Description Darakhul are the size of their original race, and still retain semblances of those features. This includes their hair and eye color, but their skin takes on the gray pall of the undead and their flesh withers somewhat. Their fingers are clawed, and their teeth grow longer and more pointed.

Society Darakhul in the Empire of the Ghouls lead the Imperium’s army, serving their emperor with fervor. Darakhul venturing outside of this environment don’t become a part of other societies, as their undead nature makes them outcasts in most lands – and they have serious problems keeping their hunger for flesh in check.

Relations Outside of their ghast and ghoul servants, the darakhul do not have positive relations with other races. Most fear them.

Alignment Most (but not all) darakhul share the lawful evil alignment.

Adventurers Surface darakhul are often itinerant, seeking a place to fit in, or a place to build a home for themselves—generally, away from others. Like other adventurers, they have an interest in gaining treasures and magic: things that can increase their status and access to material comforts.

Names Darakhul names favor the character’s original race.

Standard Racial Traits

  • Ability Score Modifiers: +2 Charisma, No Constitution: You have no Constitution. You use your Charisma score in place of your Constitution score when calculating hp, Fortitude saves, and any special ability that relies on Constitution. These racial adjustments supersede and replace any previous racial adjustments. (When generating a darakhul character using a point-buy system, you must still spend sufficient points for a Constitution score of 10.)
  • Size: Small or Medium: Reflecting their origins as members of other races, almost all darakhul are Small or Medium creatures. If Medium, you have no bonuses or penalties due to your size. If Small, you gain a +1 size bonus to your AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a –1 penalty to your CMB and CMD, and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks. No matter your size, you retain some resemblance to your stock race, but your nature as darakhul is immediately apparent.
  • Base Speed: You have a base speed of 30 feet if Medium, 20 feet if Small.
  • Type: Undead. You have the undead subtype and its associated traits. You gain immunity to ability damage and drain, death effects, disease, energy drain, exhaustion/fatigue, mind-affecting effects, nonlethal damage, paralysis, poison, sleep effects, and stunning. You are immune to effects requiring a Fortitude save, but are susceptible to effects that target undead. You are not at risk of death from massive damage, but are immediately destroyed at 0 hp. You cannot be returned to life/undeath by raise dead or reincarnate, and resurrection and true resurrection return you to life as your original stock race. You do not breathe, eat, or sleep.
  • Languages: A darakhul begins play speaking Common and whatever languages the character spoke in life. A darakhul with high Intelligence can choose bonus languages from the following: Abyssal, Aklo, Draconic, Drow Sign Language, Gnome, Goblin, and Undercommon, as well as the bonus languages available to his base race.

Other Racial Traits

  • Negative Energy Affinity: Your connection to negative and positive energy is reversed; that is, you are healed by negative energy and damaged by positive energy (see negative energy affinity for details).
  • Daylight Weakness: You suffer a –4 penalty to attacks, skill and ability checks, and saving throws when in full daylight. A daylight spell inflicts a similar –2 penalty on you as long as you remain in the affected area.
  • Hunger for Flesh: You must consume a meal of raw meat each day or suffer the effects of starvation. You use your Charisma when making checks regarding starvation and always suffer lethal damage from its effects. If you suffer damage from starvation, you become “fatigued” until the damage is healed. (Undead are not typically susceptible to fatigue; hunger, however, will make a darakhul feel effects identical to fatigue.) Damage from starvation cannot be healed by magic or anything else but spending 1 hour consuming an amount of raw meat equal to a Small creature. Separate from the starvation hazard, if you’re a darakhul spellcaster, you only recover your spells after enjoying a leisurely, 1-hour-long meal of raw meat. If you need to heal starvation damage and recover spells, you must eat two Small creatures over a 2-hour period. While you will gladly devour any meat any time you can, you can regain spells only once every 24 hours.
  • Channel Resistance: You are susceptible to the effects of channel energy but gain channel resistance +2.
  • Burrow: You gain a burrow speed of 10 feet.
  • Darkvision: You can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
  • Natural Weapons: Your heavy jaw is powerful enough to crush bones to powder, and you have a 1d8 bite attack. This bite does not transmit darakhul fever; in fact, those killed by your bite do not rise as undead.
  • Weapon Familiarity: Darakhul are proficient with weapons by class and base race.

ECOLOGY

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Advanced Races: the Darakhul. Copyright 2013, Open Design LLC. www.koboldpress.com. Author: Ben McFarland.

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