Shub (5e Race)

Shub

As one of the thousand young of Shub-Niggurath, they wander the forests in search of something known only to them.

Physical Description

A shub is born from Shub-Niggurath, a Great Old One. The dark young, as shub are sometimes called, of Shub-Niggurath are terrifying, pitch-black monstrosities, seemingly made of ropy, clawed tentacles. They stand on stumpy, hoofed legs, with a tree-like arrangement of a body. A mass of tentacles protrudes from their trunks where a head would be, and puckered, fanged maws cover their flanks. The monsters seem roughly arboreal in silhouette as well — the trunks being the short legs and the tops of the trees represented by the ropy, twisted appendages. The whole mass of these things emits a smell like the musk of goats. If required, they can shape and shrink their bodies to be vaguely humanoid, but retain their powers. These humanoid forms are often used for shub to assume appearances when they commit deeds of espionage.

History

Shub take their name and origin from that of Shub-Niggurath, also known as The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young. The shub are her thousand young. They dwell in woodlands wherever Shub-Niggurath's cult is active. The dark young are usually called upon to preside over cult ceremonies done in Shub-Niggurath's honor. It is believed they also seek to proliferate her influence by spreading the cult influences. Shub are therefore sometimes found outside their native homes, though this is rare. One way to call a shub out is to summon them. The means for summoning them is found in the Book of Eibon and requires a blood offering. The ritual may only be performed in the deep of the woodlands at the darkest of the moon, and the victim must be sacrificed over a stone altar. Dark young act as proxies for Shub-Niggurath in the accepting of sacrifices and the worship of cultists, in the devouring of non-cultists, and in the spreading of their mother's faith across the world.

Society

The shub are often solitary. This is primarily due to the summoning ritual only ever calling one. Upon seeing a shub, one would not think to summon another. The shub also prefer to disperse themselves among their own home, though they are highly communal in their activities and alliances. Because of this most Shub will often go centuries without seeing one another. Sometimes though, a shub will wander the forests and travel vast distances for reasons unknown to all but itself and Shub-Niggurath. It is believed their decisions ultimately link back to whatever errands the dark god has for them.

Shub Names

The names of shub do not exist, for they are merely the proxy — a representation of their mother. If needed, a temporary name may be used until it is no longer necessary. In general, though, they are often given titles. Some examples of these are, simply, "shub", or the "Young of Shub-Niggurath." Other epithets include "Niggurath-lite", "Little Shub Niggurath", or even "Lil' Shub Scrub." Depending on the player, responses can range from violent to relatively docile or even endearing.

Shub Traits

Spawn of the Outer God, Shub Niggurath.
Ability Score Increase. An ability score of your choice increases by 2.
Age. Shub are effectively immortal. They are born through dark and nebulous means and live as long as the eldritch god which made them.
Alignment. Most if all shubs are neutral in some sort, uncaring of the outside world and whatever it thinks. Their darker alliances render most of their activities to skew evil.
Size. Your size is Medium.
Speed. You have a base walking speed of 25 feet.
Aberration. Your type is aberration instead of humanoid. You do not need to sleep. However, your voracious hunger means you require twice as much food as normal for a creature your size. You are immune to diseases and being poisoned from food you ingest. However, as dark young you are also vulnerable to radiant damage.
Blindsight. You can perceive your surroundings without relying on sight within a specific radius. You have a blindsight range of 30 feet, but are blind beyond this radius without relying on your normal vision. You cannot see in color.
Spawn of Shub-Niggurath. You are resistant to psychic damage. You also have tentacles and teeth, which are natural weapons that you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with either of them, you deal bludgeoning or slashing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier. You have a number of tentacles equal to your proficiency bonus. You can use these tentacles to manipulate simple objects, but you cannot wield shields or weapons with them.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Deep Speech.
Subrace. Choose from the Bruiser, Skirmisher, Juggernaut, Observer, Overseer, and Destroyer subraces.

Bruiser

Bruisers are capricious spawn. Shub-Niggurath meant for them to be the front line of fight, killing all in their way. To take and conquer areas and/or enemies in the way. Do not fall short of your design and purpose. Your form is stout and stable.

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1.
Anger. You ability to deal damage is higher than others of your kind. You may reroll the damage of any one attack roll you make once per turn.

Skirmisher

Skirmisher are aggressive shubs. They never stop and are always on the hunt to devour prey. They are viable to attack whenever they feel like it, which is a lot. Some are patient, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Aggro Speed. Your base walking speed increases to 35 feet. You can also use the Dash action as a bonus action once on each of your turns.

Juggernaut

Compared to its more emotional brethren, the Juggernauts are quietly intense and solemn, focused on crushing the dying embers of resistance under their immense hooves as they wade through a veritable apocalypse in the name of their goddess-mother. Tireless and thorough, they are what leave nothing alive and standing to tell the tale of what happened. The walking forest of hunger, ceaseless and relentless, will walk over all obstacles or die trying.

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1.
Scorn. You have been attacked many times, you have crushed equally as many. You can shrug off damage that would otherwise kill you. When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can't use this feature again until you finish a long rest.

Observer

The observers like to toy with their food and have a crooked personality. They act as memory banks and mind wipers. Their favorite foods consist of the brains of non-shubs and they also serve to help other shubs remember details.

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1
Malice. You know the Vicious Mockery cantrip. Intelligence is your spellcasting modifier for this spell. When you use this cantrip through this trait, you can cast it telepathically, not requiring verbal components.

Overseer

Overseers were born to guide other shubs. They have a lot of paranoia, as a result, and often worry about kinks in plans. They specialize in making plans and plots, trying to foresee all courses and consequences to chains of potential events. They are always wary, always waiting for the next great enemy to put down.

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1
Aversion. Alien in body and mind, you resist worldly concepts from affecting you. You have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Destroyer

True to their name, destroyers are utterly murderous. Hateful to everything, it attacks with anything it can. Reality is bent and warped and lain waste with. Strengthened with the power of the mad, it never lets one escape, even its own kind.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1
Loathing. Those who live to stand against you die failing to escape as you impose your loathing upon them. You can cast the bane spell a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, using your Charisma score as the spellcasting modifier. You regain use of this trait after you finish a long rest.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
6′ 9''	+1d10	200 lb.	× (15) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

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