Lost Company Press
With luminescent fungi sprouting from their crusty skin, the troglodytes are subterranean beings that have evolved in the dark, damp caves. Their blind, milky white eyes can detect movement and heat, making sight in the traditional sense nearly irrelevant. They communicate with a series of guttural clicks and hisses, echoing through the underground. Their elongated limbs end in sharp, rock-hard claws used for both burrowing and combat.
Motive: Defending territory and satisfying a ravenous hunger
Environment: Underground cave systems and ancient ruins (Underground)
Health: 6
Damage: 2 points
Armor: 2
Movement: Short
Modifications: Climbing as level 5; Attacks and Speed defense as level 4 due to agility
Combat: Troglodytes revel in close quarters combat, using their clawed hands for rending flesh and ripping through armor as easily as they tunnel through the earth. Every successful claw attack forces the opponent to make a Might defense roll. On a failure, the troglodyte grabs and viciously mauls its target, causing an automatic additional moderate wound (4 points) next round unless the victim succeeds in a Might-based task to escape.
Interactions: While not inherently evil, troglodytes are fiercely territorial and show little hesitation in attacking intruders. They perceive the world through their own cultural lens, making diplomacy a complex and challenging endeavor, most often defaulting to a 'might makes right' philosophy.
Uses: The characters need a crystal found only in caves known to be inhabited by troglodytes, or are traveling through tunnels where these creatures are the apex predators.
Loot: Rare subterranean herbs or crystals, possible ancient artifacts lost to the above-ground civilizations.
GM Intrusion: A troglodyte's claw attack unexpectedly releases a burst of spores from a bulbous growth on its back, temporarily disorienting anyone nearby and imposing a disadvantage on all actions for one round.