Crab People (11 RP)

Why not crab people!? A truly devious race, the crab people are able to don specially made disguises that they use to blend in with other societies. They can even talk like people. The smartest of the crab people become kings, while others act as scientists and doctors in some capacity. While considerably smart when it comes to knowledge of their own kind, crab people lack a basic understanding of other races, which can cause confusion and lead to paranoia or war.

Physical Description: Different groups of crab people can look more like typical crustaceans, with multiple legs and giant pincers, while others can appear more humanoid, with smaller claws, two feet, and a fin that flares out when they grow angry or upset.

Society: Crab people society broke down as a result of civil war many ages before the first humans eeked out a kingdom of their own. These days, the race hides among others, secretly trying to build up their numbers and their strength once more.

Relations: Crab people get along with those they can either domineer, or who they fear might be more powerful than themselves. It’s not that they’re all cowards, just that they know when to stay in line and when to stand out.

Alignment and Religion: While the things they do can seem nefarious, crab people are not inherently evil. A practical people, they worship the gods of the races with whom they live, if any.

Adventurers: Crab people are a nomadic race, prone to taking up adventure by accident more than anything. They rarely seek trouble without prompting, but will stand by their allies should trouble brew around them.

Names: To blend in best, crab people choose names best suited to the societies in which they live, but will sometimes indicate their true nature through subtle use of terms in their names such as Shelly, Clawdia, or Sebastian.

Random Starting Ages
Adulthood Intuitive1 Self-Taught2 Trained3
18 years +2d4 years
(20 – 26 years)
+2d6 years
(20 – 30 years)
+3d6 years
(21 – 36 years)

1 This category includes barbarians, premium characters, oracles, rogues, and sorcerers.
2 This category includes agents elite, bards, cavaliers, fighters, gunslingers, interns, paladins, rangers, summoners, trainers, and witches.
3 This category includes alchemists, clerics, culinarians, druids, inquisitors, magi, monks, and wizards.

Random Height and Weight
Gender Base Height Height Modifier Base Weight Weight Modifier
Male 4 ft. 4 in. +2d8 in. 150 lbs. +(2d8×7 lbs.)
Female 4 ft. 0 in. +2d8 in. 115 lbs. +(2d8×7 lbs.)

Standard Racial Traits

Crab people usually have the following racial traits.

  • Ability Score Modifiers: Crab people are physically powerful, while things like Intelligence are ignored outright. They gain +2 Strength, +2 Charisma, -2 Intelligence.
  • Type: Crab people are humanoids with the crustacean subtype.
  • Size: Crab people are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
  • Base Speed: (Slow and Steady) Crab people have a base speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.
  • Languages: Crab people begin play speaking Aquan and Common. Crab people with high Intelligence scores can choose Abyssal, Draconic, Dwarven, Giant, Gnoll, Goblin, and Orc.

Defense Racial Traits

Offense Racial Traits

  • Claws: Crab people receive two claw attacks that each deal 1d4 piercing damage on a hit. These are primary natural attacks.
  • Adhesive Spittle: Once per day, a crab person can spit an adhesive fluid at another creature, potentially catching it in place to be captured or eaten. This functions as the entangle spell, except that the cause of the condition is the crab person’s saliva. The crab person’s caster level with this spell is equal to its character level.

Movement Racial Traits

  • Scuttle: Crab people moving diagonally always count those squares as 5-ft. of movement.
  • Swim: Crab people have a swim speed of 30 feet and gain the +8 racial bonus on Swim checks that a swim speed normally grants.

Senses Racial Traits

  • Low-Light Vision: Crab people can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.

Alternate Racial Traits

crab people can select any dwarf or orc alternate racial traits that replace traits listed here. In addition, crab people can select the following racial traits.

  • Fintimidation: Crab people occasionally develop a fin on their head or back that, when angry or upset, flares out to distract and frighten enemies. As a move action, they gain a +4 racial bonus on Intimidate checks for 1 round. This replaces camouflage.
  • Large Claws: Crab people will sometimes grow larger claws to warn off potential predators. Their claws deal 1d6 damage on a hit, with a x3 critical multiplier. This replaces adhesive spittle.
  • Stench: As a swift action, a crab person can release a terrible stench from its pores. This sickens every creature without stench that is within 10 feet of the crab person unless that creature succeeds at a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 the crab person’s level + its Constitution modifier). The crab person can use this ability for a total number of rounds equal to 3 + its level each day. These rounds do not need to be consecutive. This replaces claws and low-light vision.
  • Thick Shell: Some crab people grow thick shells that make it difficult for them to swim, so instead they float to where they’re going. These crab people gain a +1 natural armor bonus. This replaces swim.

Favored Class Options

The following favored class options are available to all characters of this race who have the listed favored class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the favored class reward.

  • Brawler: Reduce the Hardness of any object made of clay, stone, or metal by 1 whenever the object is struck by the brawler’s unarmed strike (minimum of 0).
  • Darkseeker: Add +1/4 to the darkseeker’s effective class level to determine the extra damage he deals because of shadowed strike when wielding a light pick or a heavy pick. If the darkseeker has the Slashing Grace feat or another similar effect, she can treat the battleaxe, handaxe, or vardatch as a one-handed piercing melee weapon, and he gains this benefit when wielding the appropriate weapon for the feat as well.
  • Fighter: Grant allies who can see and hear the fighter a +1 bonus on Will saves against fear, to a maximum of his bravery bonus. This counts as bravery and doesn’t stack with similar bonuses.
  • Kineticist: Add 1/5 of an Extra Wild Talent feat that must be spent on a fire element wild talent.
  • Midnight Legate: Add a +1/3 bonus to the damage dealt with counterstrike.
  • Paladin: Add +1 to the amount of damage the paladin heals with lay on hands, but only when the paladin uses that ability on himself.
  • Ranger: Add +1/2 on critical hit confirmation rolls made while using a dwarven weapon, orcish weapon, or vardatch (maximum bonus of +4). This bonus does not stack with Critical Focus.
  • Rogue: Add a +1/2 bonus on Intimidate checks.
  • Shaman: The shaman gains 1/6 of a new shaman hex.
  • Shifter: Add a +1/2 bonus to the shifter’s damage rolls with claw attacks.
  • Slayer: Gain 1/6 of a new slayer talent.
  • Vigilante: The vigilante gains 1/6 of a new rogue talent.
  • Witchblade: Add a +1/2 bonus to the save DC of the witchblade’s hexes (max +4). This doesn’t stack with feats that grant a similar bonus.

Racial Archetype

The following racial archetype is available to crab people:

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    Section 15: Copyright Notice

    The Book of Many Things: Decidedly Laughable Collection, © 2019,Samurai Sheepdog; author Kevin Glusing.

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