Talpid (3.5e Race)

Author: Eiji-kun (talk) Date Created: 4-25-15 Status: Complete Editing: Clarity edits only please

Rate this article Your rating for this article: Favor Like Neutral Dislike Oppose Submit | Cancel Discuss this article

Talpid

Talpid are a race of quite literal mole men. Living deep underground, they are mostly insular and harmless. The surface world is rather terrifying after all. Every so often though, one gets curious and wanders off into the upper world...

Personality

Talpid are content with their lot in life. If dwarves are industrial workers in the underground, the talpid are the farmers and masters of agriculture. Living in the depths, they tend to farms of insects, mushrooms, and strange oozes and materials good for eating. They end up being a major producer and exporter to other nations of the underground and underdark. The fairly peaceful talpid get away with a life of peace by making deals with other factions of the underground. None dare attack them physically when they can fight an economic war instead. And even if it did become violent, the talpid are as bad as kobolds when it come to traps, denying access, and other such things when on their home turf.

The talpid in general aren't so much lazy as much laid back and passive. Rarely are they the first to action, and rarely do they act alone. They are pragmatic, sensible, and easygoing.

Physical Description

Talpids are short hairy barrel chested beings not unlike bipedal moles. They come in various "breeds", but the universal traits are general dark and earthen colored fur, long snouts, and tiny beady eyes. They have large claws on their hands, but remain fairly nimble with them.

Relations

Talpids try to make a complex web of economic dependencies and alliances with others, for such complexities are a net of safety for them. In places where such cannot be done, they prefer obscurity to moving to violent action, because they aren't usually as good at the art of war as other species.

Alignment

Talpids generally are true neutral.

Lands

Talpids live underground in soft and fertile soils, and in caves and places rich in water and minerals. They feed off of bugs, small animals, and fungus.

Religion

Talpids do have religions, but they are rarely organized and often varied. The most common are simple animism and druidic traditions.

Language

Talpid speak Common and Terran. Talpids who live in the underdark usually speak Undercommon instead of Common.

Names

Talpids choose "boring" names local to the area. They figure that by being unremarkable, no one can trace them back. Also, they may not be terribly creative.

Racial Traits

• -2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom: Tough and sensitive to changes in the environment, they don't typically get used to agility and motion in the tight cramped spaces of their tunnels.
• Magical Beast (Earth): Talpid are more mole than man. 
• Small: As a Small creature, a talpid gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a –4 size penalty on special attack (bull rushes, grapples, overruns, and trips) checks, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but it uses smaller weapons than humans use, and its lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a Medium character.
• Talpid base land speed is 20 feet. Burrow 15 ft 
• Darkvision: A talpid can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and a talpid can function just fine with no light at all.
• Low-Light Vision: A talpid can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. She retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions. 
• Clouded Vision (Ex): Talpid vision is terrible. They cannot see anything beyond 30 ft with any of their vision modes, everything beyond is a blur. However at 5 HD, the range of their vision expands to 60 ft. 
• Deep Breathing (Ex): Talpid can hold their breath for a long time. They can hold their breath 2 minutes per point in their Constitution score instead of 2 rounds. They also have no penalties in low-oxygen environments. 
• Light Blindness (Ex): Abrupt exposure to bright light (such as sunlight or a daylight spell) blinds talpids for 1 round. On subsequent rounds, they are dazzled as long as they remain in the affected area. 
• Natural Weapons: Talpids have two claw attacks that deal 1d6 damage, with a 20/x3 critical due to their size. 
• Scent (Ex): Talpids have scent. 
• Tremorsense (Ex): Talpids have tremorsense out to 20 ft. At 10 HD, their tremorsense expands to 40 ft. At 15 HD, their tremorsense expands out to 60 ft. 
• Skills: Talpids gain Diplomacy, Sense Motive, and Survival as class skills, and gain a +2 racial bonus on those skills.
• Automatic Languages: Common (or Undercommon), Terran.
• Bonus Languages: Common, Draconic, Drow Sign Language, Dwarven, Elven, Goblin, Undercommon.
• Favored Class: Druid or Ranger
• Level Adjustment: +0
• Effective Character Level: 1

Vital Statistics

Table: Talpid Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
8 years	+1d4	+1d6	+2d6

Table: Talpid Aging Effects

Middle Age1	Old2	Venerable3	Maximum Age
32 years	56 years	80 years	+3d8 years
At middle age, −1 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At old age, −2 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At venerable age, −3 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.

Table: Talpid Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	2' 5"	+1d6	30 lb.	× (1) lb.
Female	2' 3"	+1d6	25 lb.	× (1) lb.

---

Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Races

Eiji-kun's Homebrew (5656 Articles)

Eiji-kunv