troglodyte monster card

Troglodyte Monster Card art by Jeff Reitz

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Troglodyte Culture, Psychology, and Lore

by Vassar Oenbring

“We follow the teachings of Those-Before, yessss. The soft-skins know nothing of the nature of the darkness. We shall feast upon them like grub worms when the Scaled One awakens. Until then, we stay true to the old ways.”

– Murgac Whiptail, Troglodyte Shaman

Culture and Psychology

Reclusive, taciturn, and prone to unprovoked violence, Troglodytes inhabit dank caves, abandoned mines, and subterranean lairs throughout the Undermere. Reviled for their foul scent and murderous habits, they are loathed by nearly all other creatures.

Troglodytes utilize only primitive tools made from naturally occurring materials. This has led to the misconception that they are stupid creatures who lack the skill to create complex objects. In fact, Troglodytes resist the use of unnatural materials such as refined metal, glass, and ceramic on religious grounds. They use their innate cunning to fashion items from bone, shell, veins of natural ore, and stone. Many weapons fashioned by Troglodyte artisans are as durable and deadly as their forged counterparts.

The Scaled One is the patron goddess of Troglodytes, depicted as an enormous centipede-lizard cocooned at the center of the world. Shamans teach that the Scaled One abhors cities, industry, and arcane invention, and that Troglodytes exist to destroy such abominations. On the rare occasions when Troglodyte tribes merge, it is almost always to form a crusade army. Led by fanatical shamans, these armies are infamous for their savagery. They are capable of overrunning large sections of the Undermere, and of making war against established communities on the surface. Troglodyte zealots kill indiscriminately, are known to torch villages, and routinely eat their enemies alive.

The scent exuded by Troglodytes, while repulsive to most, allows Troglodytes to communicate in remarkable depth with one another. Much of what passes for culture among Troglodytes is based on their sense of smell, rendering it alien and indecipherable to others. Troglodytes use scent-absorbing softwood staves to record events and transfer knowledge between tribes. During times of war, Troglodyte Tunnel-Runners guard these staves with their lives—the loss of a scent rod is punishable by death. Troglodytes also use the sticky globules secreted by their musk glands to mark territory, denote danger, and lead allies safely through perilous burrows along convoluted paths.

Special Tactics

Treachery and traps are favored tactics among Troglodytes. Only in dire circumstances, or when they outnumber their foes, will they risk open battle.

The land around a Troglodyte lair is typically thick with pit traps, deadfalls, and snares designed to kill or ensnare game and intruders. Whenever possible, natural hazards such as quicksand, loose rubble, and thorn bushes are incorporated into these traps.

Paranoid and xenophobic in the extreme, Troglodytes use spies to observe nearby settlements and sentries to patrol their own territories. When scouts spot intruders or note anything suspicious, one will always run to warn the tribe. Others may keep a hidden watch, or attempt to bait interlopers into areas laden with traps.

If forced into battle, Troglodytes employ a balance of melee and ranged attacks, and strive to close with opponents in order to make full use of their disgusting odor. They fanatically protect their Shamans and Egg Mothers, and will frenzy if one of them falls.

Qualities

Clawed Feet. Due to their clawed reptilian feet, Troglodytes can traverse natural but difficult terrain, such as mud, sand, and rubble at full speed.

Coldblooded. Troglodytes are slowed by cold and suffer -10 Speed, and -2 to hit, Saves, and ability Checks during freezing weather. They are impervious to damp environments and can live happily among molds, fungus, and humidity.

Duplicitous. Often underestimated by outsiders, Troglodytes are remarkably successful at lying, cheating, and bluffing. They have Advantage on Deception and Intimidate Checks when dealing with non-Troglodytes.

Indolent. Lazy and gluttonous, successful Troglodytes can grow incredibly fat. They sleep and eat to the exclusion of all else. All Troglodytes roll at Disadvantage to resist Sleep magic and Illusions representing food.

Scent Stalkers. Odors are a crucial part of Troglodyte life. They are peerless trackers and can discern by smell surprising details about other creatures. Troglodytes have Advantage on all Survival checks made to track creatures or identify smells. In complete darkness or when blinded by other means, they have Blindsight for combats against adversaries who give off even the faintest scent.

Zealots. When the tribe is threatened Troglodytes become zealous and unrelenting. They gain +5 temporary hit points during the first round of combat and attempt to overwhelm opponents with violence and sheer numbers.

Weapons

Melee 1. Fang Mace. This rough wooden club has dozens of fangs from venomous serpents imbedded in it. On a successful hit, poison courses through the victim’s veins. (1d6+2 piercing, DC 12 CON or Poisoned.)

Melee 2. Stone-Tipped Longspear. Troglodytes often use Stone-Tipped Longspears when hunting big game. (1d8+2 piercing, Reach 10.)

Ranged 1. Ant Bladder. Troglodytes often carry animal bladders filled with ants as snacks. These can be hurled as missile weapons and will cover any creature hit with a swarm of crawling, biting ants. (1d4 piercing. DC 14 DEX or suffer -2 AC and -2 to hit for 1 round.)

Ranged 2. Shatter Spear. The obsidian tips of these spears shatter upon impact, creating many small cuts that bleed freely unless bandaged. (1d6+2 piercing. Save DC 13 CON or take 1d2 damage for 1d4 additional rounds.)

Special Units

Egg Mother. These heavyset Troglodyte matriarchs command total obedience from any Troglodyte in their tribe. They have maximum hit points and 14 AC due to their thick scales and size.

Hunter. Patient and stealthy for their kind, these Troglodytes have Advantage on Perception and Stealth checks. Some enterprising Hunters wear goggles fashioned from thin sheets of animal hide, which allows them to go out in the day without suffering the effects of Sunlight Sensitivity.

Leaper. Lithe and nimble, Leapers have a Climb speed of 30 feet and can standing jump their full movement horizontally and half their movement vertically.

Shaman. The spiritual advisors and medics of the Troglodytes cast magic as 3rd-level Clerics, usually with either the Nature or Trickery domain.

Special Abilities

Charm Reptile. Once per day, a Troglodyte may cast Charm Animal on a reptile or amphibian.

Pheromone Cloud. Once per day, by using a full-round action, a Troglodyte may release a cloud of intoxicating scent that drives other Troglodytes within 20 feet into a frenzy for 3 rounds during which time they gain +2 to hit, +2 damage, and -2 AC.

Tail Lash. A Troglodyte may replace its claw attacks with a Tail Lash, which does 1d4+2 damage and allows the Troglodyte to initiate a Grapple as a free action.

War Chant. Three or more Troglodytes may use full-round actions to join hands and chant a prayer to the Scaled One. All Troglodytes within 100 feet who hear the chant gain Advantage to their attacks as long as they are adjacent to another Troglodyte. This effect lasts as long as at least three Troglodytes are able to chant in unison.

Movement

Run. Good. Troglodytes are quick on their feet and can traverse mud and other difficult terrain with ease.

Climb. Good. Long claws and tails help Troglodytes scale sheer surfaces.

Swim. Good. Troglodytes employ their tails to help them swim quickly.

Burrow. Average. While they prefer to inhabit natural caverns, abandoned mines, and disused halls and crypts, Troglodytes are efficient at burrowing in wet earth when the need arises.

Fly. n/a

Grudges

Troglodytes are often enslaved by Dragons, Naga, and Slaad, but are known to be unreliable slaves and cowardly warriors. Troglodytes grovel and submit to strong creatures when they fear for their lives, but betray their masters at the earliest possible moment. Few creatures can tolerate the smell of a Troglodyte. Goblins, Orcs, and even Trolls avoid them.

A rare agreement between Dwarves, Duergar, Gnomes, and Drow: Each race has centuries of enmity with Troglodytes and regards them as little more than vermin. Drow especially will exterminate Troglodytes on sight, and accounts exist of Drow and Dwarves battling Troglodytes as a common enemy prior to returning to war with each other. As a result, Troglodytes possess a withering hatred of these races and seek to undermine and torture them whenever they can.

Lizardfolk begrudgingly acknowledge Troglodytes as their distant, less fortunate, and malodorous reptilian kin. Though not inherently hostile toward their stinking relatives, they keep their distance nonetheless.

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