Pale One (5e Race)
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Pale One[edit]
"The Pale Ones have very long lifespans. The one captured and held locked up in the dungeon of sir Boyd the Second survived for three generations, despite rough treatment. It was put to display at the yearly summer festival by the Boyds. By the time Castle Boyd was destroyed by the foul magics of Ephagina, the beast was so large it could barely be pushed out of its cell. There are reports of other overgrown Pale Ones, and it is likely that they can survive and grow to become giants if left alone in the deep caverns of the world. While the captive beast was blind and grossly fat, it is likely that an Ancient Pale One living in its natural habitat would be both strong and clever." -Benedict Livesey, chief archivist to King Aesc.
Physical Description[edit]
Pale ones are large and vaguely humanoid creatures that inhabit subterranean bodies of water and lightless caverns. As such, their smooth skin is a deathly white everywhere except for the bright pink of their hairy gills which wreath their necks and heads. Crowning their round face is a single gigantic eye, like that of a cyclops, which shares the surface only with an equally large mouth. Pale ones are a naturally large race, with the young adults typically standing multiple heads taller than most humanoid races. But the combination of the facts that they can live for almost half a millennium and never naturally cease to grow means that an exceptionally old pale one can be a huge creature.
History[edit]
Even the pale ones are not entirely certain just when their race came to be. But they are sure that they were born of the womb of the deep earth itself, fertilized by the magical waters of the underworld. For untold generations they have lived lonesome lives in the wet catacombs of the world. Only in recent centuries have they largely begun to venture out into the wider world.
Society[edit]
Pale one society is decentralized and slow in pace. There is almost no survival reason for pale ones to form groups in their natural habitat. Only with the increased threat of violence by other forms of life have the pale ones begun to form what other races would recognize as a civilization. Where they exist, the form organized pale one societies take are almost always a theocratic gerontocracy: rule by the most elder and learned priests. Despite what their frightening appearance might bely, almost all pale ones are patient, amicable, and love all kinds of lore. Even a relatively young pale one is likely to know enough about one or two topics of intellectual interest to keep up with most human experts. Because of the nature of themselves and their typical homes, pale ones' military capabilities are sorely lacking. Their immense strength can only take them so far when they cannot properly aim a projectile weapon, comprehend open battlefield tactics, or design a weapon more complex than a spear. While many pale ones struggle to catch up to the advancement of surface societies, many others choose to remain solitary. These lone pale ones often use their unique abilities of multiple habitation to serve as middlemen between races in different living situations. They can act as traders and diplomats between races of the surface, underground, and undersea.
Pale One Names[edit]
Pale ones seem to universally have a very simple naming convention. At some point in a pale one's early life, they will decide on two words that they like and combine them to make their name. Sometimes this results in a name designed to describe an aspect of their character they feel is important. Sometimes it is completely without meaning and only phonetically satisfying in their own language. Sometimes it's their favorite gemstone to eat, followed by the signifier that they like it. There is essentially no differentiation between male and female pale one names.
Names: Deep Thought, Etching Minder, Sapphire Gill, Darkest Water, Warmth Enjoyer, Cavern Swimming, Echo Singing, Tunnel End, Garnet Crunch, Granite Bones, Good Advice, Worm Talking, Stone Carver, Gem Sight
Pale One Traits[edit]
Amphibious, one eyed giants born to a long life of lonesome comfort in their lightless caverns.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2 and your Intelligence score increases by 1.
Age. Pale ones reach maturity at roughly the age of 30 and can live to be 500 years old.
Alignment. Pale ones are almost all true neutral, though some might lean toward lawful neutral.
Size. Pale ones begin life rather tall to begin with. An adult pale one will range between 9 and 15 feet, making them large within 5e rules. Especially old and thus even larger pale ones are not playable for the purposes of balance. Your size is Large
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. You have a swimming speed of 30 feet.
Darkvision. Spending most of their lives in complete and utter darkness has allowed the pale ones to evolve excellent darkvision. You can see in dim light within 120 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.
Mineral Consumption. Pale ones consume rocks and gems instead of organic matter. This makes it very easy for them to survive in otherwise inhospitable places. You can consume inorganic matter like stones instead of food to fulfill your daily food requirement.
Amphibious Nature. Pale ones possess gills that can take oxygen from air as easily as from water, making them equally comfortable above and below water. You can breathe both air and water.
Monocular Vison. Having only one eye makes it very hard for pale ones to judge distance. You cannot add your proficiency bonus to any ranged weapon attack.
Cold Blooded. Since the caverns far down at the roots of the world are mostly uniformly warm, the pale ones have no need to maintain their own body heat. Unfortunately, this is a major disadvantage when they venture to cold places. A pale one will gain a level of exhaustion for every hour they spend exposed to below freezing temperatures without a source of warmth.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, Undercommon, and one additional language of your choice
Random Height and Weight[edit]
| Base Height |
Height Modifier* |
Base Weight |
Weight Modifier** |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9′ 7'' | +5d12 inches | 200 lb. | × (1d6+2) lb. |
|
*Height = base height + height modifier | |||
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