Kraidyl

There have always been beasts lurking in the wet caverns and murky waters of the underworld, primordial hunters, perfectly adapted to stalk prey in the darkness of the endless caves.

Kraydiles and Kraidyl

Kraydiles are unevolved primordial predators, still a danger in the Underworld but simple beasts (use the statistics for a crocodile but with a superior darkvision of 120 feet.). Kraidyl are the ultimate expression of the potential locked within simple kraydiles and can cite the creatures as their ancestors, but unlike their reptilian predecessors, kraidyl are intelligent, have full limbs, and walk upright.

For a great many years kraydiles remained as they were, apex predators propagating without incident and masters of their domain-simple beasts for a simple, if strange, world. When the gods wrought the first races the reptiles swam on, oblivious. As the draconic slaves of the progenitors sculpted the tunnels of the Underworld kraydiles hunted the fools that fled into their territories, but otherwise paid the reshaping of the world around them no heed.

Powerful kraidyl shaman know the truth of their origins, and that the wealth of the ire and wrath that drove them down into the swamps, and transformed the reptilian beasts, forever changing their species. Powerful energies changed short, stubby arms and legs into powerful limbs as long as a man’s.

Since their ascendance, kraidyl have almost completely driven vestraadi from coastal settlements, deeper into the waters of the forever deep. Only the most powerful funglets dare to oppose the reptilian menace, and the half-eaten corpses of gitwerc and drow spies can be found across Underworld bayous. Though the Underworld races have little to band together and stand against, loose alliances are forming in fear that the tribes of kraidyl may join together, creating a force capable of wreaking bloody havoc throughout the endless caves, a rampage that none could stand against alone.

Physical Description

Kraidyl are densely muscled and extremely heavyset with huge torsos containing lungs capable of inflating to quadruple their normal size. The off-white and light purple arms, legs, back, and neck of a kraidyl are covered in hard bony ridges that protect it from harm.

Baleful red eyes stare out of its predatory head, placed just above its many-toothed snout and powerful jaws.

Huge cords of thick muscle run down a kraidyl’s spine into a long, powerful tail that sways behind it.

Society

There is little hidden beneath the surface of kraidyl society. Their lives are similar to the apex predators they evolved from-highly territorial and extremely aggressive. There is little trade or teaching shared among kraidyl outside of tenuous apprenticeships for the retention of vital trades and skills, or brief mating periods. Aside from essential commerce, each keeps to their own, fiercely protecting their young. Weakest before reaching maturity at the age of 11, the young are almost always found in the company of a parent (typically the mother), learning how to hunt and stalk in silence. In larger territories under kraidyl control, an alpha female rises to a tenuous position of power, meeting opposition to her authority with swift, violent reprisal.

Relations

More hated than even the gitwerc, kraidyl are feared for their aggressive natures, often snapping (literally) at a moment’s notice for perceived slights. They have contempt for all the living races and though they find the dødelig to be amusing and dvergr to be amiable, kraidyl instinctively hate colliatur and draaki, often striking out at them with at the first opportunity.

The kraidyl harbor an extreme distaste for religion of any kind, destroying shrines whenever they are encountered and often attempting to make meals of clerics, druids, paladins, priests, and the devout of any kind.

Alignment and Religion

The core tenets of what passes for faith among the kraidyl can be found in the drive debauched rites performed before a great hunt or raid on another kraidyl territory, and they believe their souls are sustained by the death throes of creatures slain by their jaws.

Clerics, oracles, paladins, priests, and shamans are not common throughout kraidyl society. They may be paid a measure of respect, but they are kept at an even further distance. These fanatics worship death in all its forms, but it is their love of chaos that brought them attention.

Note: Most kraidyl worship entropy and death, and can only access the following domains: chaos, death, deception, entropy, luck, trickery.

Adventurers

Kraidyl adventurers are stealthy, resilient warriors.

The powerful forms and menacing jaws of the kraidyl make them natural-born barbarians and fighters, lethal rangers and charismatic kraidyl can become menacing bards or sorcerers. Though rare, divinely-empowered kraidyl are fearsome combatants, capable of sustaining their kin while destroying their foes.

Names

Male Names: Alrdag, Craindee, Krekarr, Loxar, Praskk, Tarkalgar

Female Names: Agral, Drethsa, Gralza, Nollsgra, Raassei, Sorrlesk

Kraidyl Traits

Your profane reptilian powers manifest in a variety of unique traits that represent your prowess as a true predator.

• Ability Score Increase. Your Strength or your Constitution score increases by 2 and your Wisdom score increases by 1.
• Age. Young kraidyl grow quickly. They are taught to hunt and survive by their parents from an early age. Provided the underworld does not kill them prematurely, Kraidyl can reach ages of up to 170 years.
• Alignment. Kraidyl tend towards a world-view that distinguishes only between predator and prey, with a slew of nihilism and fascination with death thrown in for good measure. Kraidyl generally gravitate towards evil and chaotic alignments.
• Size. Kraidyl are taller and heavier than humans, standing well over 6 feet tall and weighing at least 200 pounds, though they can weigh up to ten times as much. Your size is Medium.
• Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. You also have a swim speed of 30 ft.
• Bite. You can use your bite as a simple melee weapon with which you have proficiency. Your bite has the light property, a reach of 5 ft. and deals 1d6 points of piercing damage.
• Darkvision. Accustomed to the hunt in the endless caverns of the underworld, you can see in the dark. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
• Hold Breath. As a reptilian predator, you can hold your breath for a number of minutes equal to 2 + triple your Constitution modifier (minimum 2 minutes).
• Hypnotic Gaze. Your gaze is so intense, it conjures up primal responses of dread in others, stopping them in their tracks. As an action, choose one creature within 30 feet of you. If the target can see you, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier or stare at you in primal terror for 1 round. The creature is considered to be charmed and can’t attack you with harmful abilities or magical abilities. Unlike the usual effects of the charm condition, you and your allies from now on suffer from disadvantage on any ability check to interact socially with the creature. However, the creature’s speed drops to 0 and the first physical attack against the creature has advantage. On subsequent turns, you can use your action to maintain this effect, extending its duration until the end of your next turn. However, the effect ends if you move out of range, if the creature can no longer see you, or if the creature takes damage. Once the effect ends, you cannot use this ability on that creature again until you finish a long rest. After you use your hypnotic gaze, you can’t use it again until you complete a short rest.
• Light Blindness. Abrupt exposure to bright light blinds you for 1 round.
• Necrotic Resistance. Your race’s devotion to death and slaughter makes you less susceptible to the forces of entropy. You gain resistance to necrotic damage.
• Profane Healing. Your race’s profane preoccupation with death and the kraidyl’s predatory nature interferes with most types of magical healing. Whenever you are subject to a healing spell or effect that does not explicitly also affect undead at full potency, whether it’s derived from a spell, item or class feature, you treat all numerical variables as though you or the caster had rolled 1s on them, unless you have killed a creature with a challenge of at least 1/2 your HD in the same round in which you received the healing. In this case, you receive the maximum numerical benefits. Magical healing that does not have any variables is instead halved in its potency. This does not affect your natural healing.
• Radiance Vulnerability. Due to your profane body, shaped by generations of bloodshed and racial devotion to death, you suffer from vulnerability to radiant damage.
• Stalker. You have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks.
• Sunlight Sensitivity. You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.
• Tail. You have a powerful tail you can use in melee as either a bonus action upon damaging an enemy with a melee attack or as an opportunity attack. Your tail deals 1d6 + your Strength modifier bludgeoning damage. A creature hit must succeed on its choice of either a Strength or Dexterity saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your choice of either Strength or Dexterity modifier). On a failed save, it falls prone.
• Languages. You can speak, read and write Common and Undercommon. You need to understand the most common coordination attempts of your prey, after all.