Silt Runner (5e Race)

Design Note: While easily transferable to any setting with deserts, silt runners originate from and are associated with the Dark Sun setting.

Silt Runner

Physical Description

Dave Allsop

Silt runners are small, gaunt lizard-humanoids with brow, dull green, or tan scales covering their lanky frames. Some have some isolated strands of hair on their scalps, but most outsiders that see them instead pay attention to their large mouths filled with very sharp teeth, though silt runners are actually omnivores despite the suggestions of a purely carnivorous diet. Moving downward, silt runners have hunched backs that force them to stoop and broad feet with webbed toes that let them walk on liquids or muds without issue as long as they stay in motion.

Most silt runners wear nothing beyond the barest of loincloths, though some will decorate themselves in the spoils of their pillaging such as jewelry or elf bones. Silt runners reproduce via eggs.

History

Nobody knows the evolutionary origins of silt runners, but the most common theory is that they were kobolds that got lost in the desert and abandoned by dragons. Left to fend for themselves, they ended up regressing to total savagery without even the dangerous cunning kobolds are feared for with their traps. Elves or other fey may have been involved in such a scenario as all silt runners bear an egregious hatred for their kind, even to the point of ignoring larger threats just to attack any pointy eared humanoids they see. That also might be their taste for the flesh of any creature with fey ancestry. They also sometimes get into conflicts with desert-dwelling giants over resources, but such interactions just involve the silt runners fleeing after stealing from the giants while the giants try to stop the vermin.

Society

Silt runner is entirely tribal in nature with leadership going to whoever is the biggest and strongest. These are also the only silt runners allowed to breed, save their mates. Most of their tribes consist of 100 to 200 silt runners living in isolated desert oasis, the shores of larger water bodies near a desert, or the tunnels they dig to connect their few sources of water beneath the desert and allow relatively safe travel through harsh environs. Silt runners have little ability to manufacture goods or tools for themselves beyond stone age technology, so they rely on raiding for wealth and survival. Experts in the art of ambush, silt runners can use their speed to quickly close on a target, strike them down, and flee if the battle turns against them. That said, silt runners will never attack a party where they don’t have at least triple the numbers of the target, especially if they are well armed or armored. If a raiding party’s numbers are ever reduced to merely doubling their enemy’s any silt runners that notice will immediately rout.

Silt Runner Names

Silt runners are not an advanced people with advanced language skills. Most don’t even speak common. As such most have simple names to reflect their simple lives.

Any: Ecci, Kin, Naj, Sarm, Tym, Wudo, Yatra, Zam, Zog

Silt Runner Traits

Fast desert lizardfolk that can scuttle over liquid dirt.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2 and your Constitution score increases by 1.
Age. Age Silt runners reach adulthood at age 5 and can live up to 100 years but rarely do so.
Alignment. Silt runners tend towards a chaotic evil alignment.
Size. Your size is Small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 35 feet.
Darkvision. 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.
Fey Foe. When you succeed on a saving throw to avoid or end the charmed condition on yourself, you gain advantage on your next attack roll against the creature that tried to charmed you within 1 minute.
Pack Ambush. When you roll for initiative, you can give a number of other creatures equal to your proficiency bonus within 30 feet of you advantage on their first attack roll during the first round of combat. You have advantage on all attacks against surprised creatures during the first round of combat.
Silt Stride. When you use the dash action, you can move across liquids without falling during the move until the end of your turn.
Top Soil. Moving through difficult terrain caused by dirt, mud, or sand costs you no extra movement. You also have advantage on Strength checks to escape quicksand.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Draconic.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
3′ 0''	+2d6	30 lb.	× 1 lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

Desert Deserter

Few silt runners ever leave their isolated tribes or interact with any other beings beyond killing or stealing from them. What prompted you to explore the wider world?

Desert Desertion Table

d8	Reason
1	I unearthed a hidden power while excavating a new tunnel. It let me see how small a life I as living.
2	I was captured by big folk during a failed raid. I escaped them, but not before I was taken far from my home dunes.
3	I’m too small to ever challenge my tribe’s chieftain for supremacy, but too smart to accept another dictating my limits.
4	Me and my lover were caught producing eggs. Our tribe smashed my progeny, killed by mate, and exiled me.
5	I met some kobold adventurers, and they encouraged me to reclaim my draconic roots, if I actually have any.
6	I saw ships sailing along the coast and wanted to try riding. I think they call raiding in boats ‘pirating’.
7	I was thirsty. Very thirsty. Seriously. You have never felt thirst like I felt out in that sun bake.
8	I was growing too large, so the tribe leader tried to kill me before I became a threat to them. I fled instead.

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(0 votes)

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