Verminkind

Homebrew

Verminkind

I remember a merchant boy I once knew, he was brave, certainly, but he was a fool for a tradesman. So when he heard of the Scar, the great chasm that opened up to the Neath, he thought its denizens would be good customers, so he travelled there, descended into The Neath with all his wares, he left with none, and no gold to fill his pockets, just bruises to mark his skin, and blood to fill his lungs.

-Bardok Broadmane, Storm Council Scholar

ability score increase: Dex +1

age: Verminkind are usually fully mature 6 months after their birth. On average, they live for about 20 years.

alignment: Most Verminkind are Chaotic, their greedy, power-hungry nature often opposes with most traditional senses of society. Almost all Verminkind are also neutral in nature, they don’t act cruelly out of malice, nor do they save someone out of benevolence, Verminkind act out of self-interest to pursue their own desires.

Size: Small

speed: Your base walking speed is 40 feet. Wearing any armour decreases this to 25 feet.

Languages: You can speak and read Common and speak Verminous. Verminous is sharp, snarling language that has no written form, and the snappy mannerisms common in Verminous likely seep into you other languages.

sub races:
Neath Vermin
Surface Vermin
Swamp Vermin

race features:
Darkvision. Accustomed to life underground, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. 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 colour in darkness, only shades of grey.
Padfoot. You have +2 to Stealth and Acrobatics checks whilst not wearing Heavy Armor.

Endless Thirst

What the Verminkind thirst for isn’t water, ale, or anything that those of the service might relish in drinking. No, they thrive for strength, and whether it be the surprisingly dense muscles that knit together their small frames, or their brains, that have a flare for constructing the most complex, conniving of plans. Generally, the Verminkind are content when they’re not at the top of their species, as long as they are actively crushing others under their feet.

Unnaturally Adaptable

The Verminkind, at least in the few records that the Surface Races have on them since their first emergence from the world below two hundred years ago appear to be adaptable to an almost unnatural degree. Evolution seems to be a foreign concept for the creatures, whenever Verminkind are born, in the 6 months it takes for them to grow to adulthood, they appear to adapt almost perfectly to their living environment.

Xenophobes

For a race of creatures that believe themselves to be better than all others of their own race, the only thing the Verminkind appear to agree on is that their entire species is far superior to any other species, although the Verminkind are yet to outwardly declare war on any of the surface dwellers, many believe that the Shadowskulk’s, a remarkably organised clan of Verminkind are currently acting to unify their species to come to the world in teeming masses and claim whatever they desire from the land above.

Illiterate

With their short lifespans and habits of destroying most things they create, the Verminous language has no written form and thus, most Verminkind are illiterate, however, after their initial discovery upon entering the world above some Verminkind have taken to speaking, reading and writing with common, though these are few and far between, and no written form of the Verminous language exists.

Bands, Clans and Consortiums

Due to their vast, ever-growing numbers, Verminkind are often measured in three units of population. Bands are typically gathering of anywhere from 5 to 500 Verminkind, in smaller communities like these, the Verminkind are usually family, and are often not drastically different from one another in form. Bands are however exceptionally unruly, with most collapsing in on themselves as the Verminkind eliminate each other as they vie for power.
Clans come next, a Clan of Verminkind is somewhat more ruly than that of a Band, though more often than not, most Verminkind Clan Chieftains rarely last more than a few months. These clans are where Verminkind hierarchies begin, with the weakest of a clan’s members being delegated to either extremely dangerous or extremely laborious work. The lowest of the low of Verminkind are known as ‘Ditch-Rats’ often due to the nature of the paths they have to dig for their mushroom colonies and latrines. Above these are the Rat-Drivers, tasked with keeping the Ditch-Rats in-line, but most importantly, working. Above these are warriors, hunters and craftsmen, all of whom are given some respect for their trade, and are protected by their Chieftain, who recognises their value. Typically, most clans are made up of 500 – 2000 Verminkind.
Consortiums are massive swarms of Verminkind, led by a ‘Great Vermin’ that use their massive numbers, reaching the tens of thousands to take whatever they want, and whoever they want. Ironically, Verminkind consortiums are often less productive and ruly than the clans, the massive numbers of Verminkind make it practically impossible for them all to be kept in line, and Consortium’s rarely form, the last true consortium was an entire Verminkind’s Lifetime ago.

Verminkind Names

The Verminkind ‘names’ are more like descriptors and titles than true names, often referring to a Verminkind’s physical attributes or personality. With their respect for power, most Verminkind insist that their title be stated before their name as well, though the lower classes, like the Ditch-Rats often don’t insist upon this.
There is also no notable distinguishable difference between the names of female and male Verminkind, outside of mating, the Verminkind see no difference between both sexes, after all, a Ratwoman with a knife is just as deadly as a Ratman. Sometimes even more so.