Darkshroom (4e Race)
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Darkshroom[edit]
Sentient fungi native to the caverns of the underdark.
| Racial Traits |
| Average Height: 3'5"-4'2" ft (The cap and head is about 12" thick and holds enough weight to make the Darkshroom quite top-heavy) |
| Average Weight: 75-150 lbs (including about 50 to 100 pounds of spores) |
| Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +2 Wisdom or Intelligence |
| Size: Small |
| Speed: 5 squares |
| Vision: Darkvision |
| Languages: Common, choice of one other |
| Skill Bonuses: +2 Dungeoneering, +2 Heal |
| Rooted: Rather than sleep, you root yourself to the ground for to gain all the benefits of a 6 hour extended rest. While rooted you cannot move, or take standard actions, and you gain perception +5. |
| Poison Resistance: You have resist poison equal to 5 + half your level. In addition, you gain a +5 bonus to Endurance checks made to recover from disease. |
| Nature Diplomat: You can communicate with natural plants. |
| Lurker: When you are in a square of dim light, you are considered to be heavily obscured rather than lightly obscured. |
| Mushroom Plant: You are considered a plant for effects related to that keyword. |
| Mushroom Top-Heavy: If you run or charge, you must make a saving throw before the move. If you fail, you fall prone and your move ends. |
| Explosive Fungus Cloud | Darkshroom Racial Power |
| Release harmful fungus into the air around you to blind multiple targets at once. | |
| Encounter | |
| Standard Action | Close burst 5 |
| Target: enemies in burst | |
| Attack: Intelligence +2 or Wisdom + 2 Vs. Reflex | |
| Hit: All targets are blinded(save ends) as harmful fungus flies into the air. The burst area remains and all enemies who enter the burst become blinded until they move out of the burst. But all enemies take intelligence or wisdom modifier damage as long as they remain in the zone. | |
Miss: Blinded until the end of your next turn.
| |
| Explosive Spore Cloud | Darkshroom Racial Power |
| Release explosive spores into the air around you to damage multiple targets at once. Even if the target is not blasted directly, they will take damage from the surrounding explosions. | |
| Encounter | |
| Standard Action | Close burst |
| Target: enemies in burst | |
| Attack: Intelligence +2 or Wisdom + 2 Vs. Reflex | |
| Hit: 2d4 + Intelligence or Wisdom modifier damage | |
Miss: Half damage
| |
Darkshroom are a secluded and slightly self centered race of living mushrooms that came to life when the strange magic of the underdark animated many of the vegetation in the local area. New Darkshrooms appear into the world by popping out of the ground randomly.
Play a Darkshroom if you want
- To be a species with a tortured past
- To call the dark unfathomable underdark as your home and feel comfortable in the shadows
- To use your fungus-like traits to devastating effects, blasting and blinding enemies on the battlefield
- To be a member of a race that favors the rogue, shaman, and cleric class
Physical Qualities[edit]
Standing around four feet, Darkshroom look very similar to an enlarged and colored mushroom. It is primary black or grey throughout its entire body with purple marking-like spots of various shapes that help one Darkshroom identify themselves from another. Under the cap they possess a tube-like body with two arms attached to its sides, with 3 fingers on each stubby hand. their legs are short and stubby just like their arms with no feet or toes and resemble that of a continuation of its body. Their eyes are colored either neon green, blue, purple, yellow, or rarely red and glow softly in darkness. Their skin is leathery to the touch, And they appear to waddle rather than walk or run.
Playing a Darkshroom[edit]
Once the Darkshroom were a group of peace-loving and socializing race who basked in the caves of the world. However, drow raiding parties led them to be enslaved, forced to work as the drows healers and medicine men, the Darkshroom underwent massive evolutionary changes as the magic of the underdark contaminated them. This enslavement would last for many years, with painful and gruesome punishments including the drinking of poison and forcibly being diseased, until a massive rebellion was held where the Darkshroom escaped into the recesses of the Underdark. Finding that they could not go into sunlight, the Darkshroom were forced to live their lives in the caves of the underdark, harboring a never ending hatred for the entire drow race and their wretched spider queen. Now the Darkshrooms lurk in the caves of the shadows, waiting for their chance to strike out at the race that once enslaved them, running through the shadows, and picking them off one by one.
Darkshrooms act very much like hermits, preferring to seclude themselves as opposed to coming in with a group, as such Darkshrooms in adventuring parties are extremely rare. They live out their life mostly in solitude, preferring to spend their time in quiet meditation than taking any action. As such, they have developed a very passive attitude, seemingly unconcerned about events around them so long as they can stay rooted. This is due to their servitude to the drow, after years of worrying about someone else's problems, they would very much rather tend to themselves. Darkshroom believe in liberty, absolutely hating any form of enslavement and limitation of free will. However despite this, it was through careful planning the Darkshroom were able to escape, and so most spend time deep in thought pondering before any action is taken.
Rather than communities Darkshroom prefer to live solitary lives. Each Darkshroom claims a small piece of the Underdark for themselves and call that place home, whether that home may be a moss-lined cave, or a strangely lit grove. Darkshroom rarely ever leave this territory as they are not dependent on many resources, gaining all necessities through the natural darkness of the underdark, and a ground to bury their roots in. However, once every year Darkshroom from all over gather in a cave known to them as the maw of radiant fungus. Their, each ones individual battle skills are tested to see who would go on raiding parties in drow cities to free captive races including fellow Darkshroom. Darkshroom consider this practice a rite of passage for young Darkshrooms.
Darkshroom characteristics: Rebellious, Seclusive, Passive, Self-Centered
Darkshroom names: Darkshroom usually name themselves after the geometric patterns on their cap
Darkshroom Adventurers[edit]
Three sample Darkshroom adventurers are shown below.
Polyhedorn is a self serving rogue who enjoys the thrill of stealing things from other Darkshroom. Despite this, he is viewed among his people as a slightly admirable creature, not letting the authorities limiting his actions and living life the way he wants to.
Cube is a good natured shaman who enjoys the companionship with his spirit friends. Fully embracing his races hermit-like tendencies, he went into seclusion to fully devote his time to the study and understanding of the spirit world. He found that physical companionship annoyed him, and prefers to spend time with spirits than communing with anything else.
Pyramid is a cleric who excels in his striking down his opponents with divine power. A frequent member of raiding parties of drow civilizations, he relishes the dying screams of the race that once held his people captive.
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