Luresca (3.5e Race)

Author: the bluez in the dungeon (talk) Date Created: 20/06/2023 Status: Complete Editing: Clarity edits only please

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Luresca

A population of deep-sea fish-looking people, with natural bioluminescence, who dwell in damp caves and in the Underdark. They originate from a deep-sea fish stock, adapted to live in caves and mutated by a beholder in an effort to create slaves and guardians for its lair. Becoming popular among beholders, they were further manipulated, giving origin to different breeds of lurescai. They eventually developed consciousness and escaped. To these day beholders hate them, believing them to be unholy creatures, and a danger due to their knowledge of beholderkin.

Personality

Cautious but sociable, lurescai are usually goofy and amicable, even though they live in dangerous environments and have been mistreated by almost all evil creatures of the Underdark.

Physical Description

They look both derpy and scary, due to their angler fish-like body, mixed with expressive eyes and playful disposition. They have a moist skin, usually black or of similar dark colors, dotted with light points, which shine faintly with an eerie light. They have long fin-like arms, which can grasp things almost as good as human hands can. Theirs heads are almost like those of an anglerfish, with pointy teeth, wide eyes and a bioluminescent organ on their forehead. They have short, stumpy fish-tails.

Males are usually much smaller than females.

Relations

Their habitat isn't very populated, so most of their encounters are with the races that live in caves and underground, which are mostly evil. Because of this, they are usually happy to open relationships with good races or surface-dwelling races. They are quite primitive in their lifestyle, so much that they don't share much with more advanced races, except for the contribution as guides they can give.

Common people usually refer to them as anglerfolk.

Alignment

Most of them are neutral or chaotic, and a lot are good, but any alignment is present among them.

Lands

They usually live in dark, damp places, such caves, especially coastal or underwater, or in the Underdark. They are not amphibious nor breath water, so they need to have fresh air. They are quite primitive, living in mud huts, or stone buildings.

Religion and Society

They don't have a racial deity and each community simply worships underground gods of caves, water and hunting. Many also pray to furtive gods. They are not that spiritual though, mainly concerned with survival.

They live in hunting communities, which teach their young their traditions to help them survive their harsh home. They also narrates myths from their past, from when their ancestors lived under beholders and when they escaped their tyrannical grasp.

Language

They are strangely proficient in multiple languages, such as Common, Aquan and Undercommon, which enrich their oral tradition. They also learn languages customary for their neighbours.

Names

Their names are very similar to sahuagin's names, usually in Aquan or Undercommon.

Racial Traits

• +2 Dexterity, -2 Wisdom: They are agile and nimble, but they are also very whimsical.
• Humanoid (Anthro) 
• Medium: As a Medium creature, a luresca has no special bonuses or penalties due to its size.
• Luresca base land speed is 30 feet. Swim 20 feet. 
• Darkvision: A luresca can see in the dark up to 60 (18 meters) feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and a luresca can function just fine with no light at all. 
• Moist Skin: Having a damp skin, they always need to mantain their body moist and wet. If they don't do it for a day, they gain a -1 to all checks until they become wet again. This penalty increases by one for every week they keep going dry. As long as their skin is moist they gain +2 to Escape Artist checks. Remaining in a damp air is enough to keep their skin moist. 
• Darklure (Ex): Having a natural light source, they can use their luring light to draw closer creatures. They can use a free action to switch on or off their light, which shines like a candle. When the light is on, they can use a standard action against one enemy within 60 feet to try and lure them closer, like a command spell. The creature must pass a Will save (DC is 15 + 1/2 the luresca's HD) or be compelled to go adjacent to the luresca, avoiding any obvious danger, and remain there fascinated for as long as the effects lasts. Any hidden danger that affects the target immediately breaks the effect, and a target will not put itself in danger if there's no way to safely reach the light. If the luresca uses this ability while hidden in the dark, it will not reveal itself, even if the creature come adjacent to it, though any hostility will break the effect. This is a mind-affecting effect but mindless creatures are not immune to it and creatures with 1 or 2 Intelligence have a -4 penalty against this ability. Creatures which can see the luresca have a +2 bonus against this effect. 
• Hidden in the Dark (Ex): They can Hide while in darkness or shadowy illumination, even against creatures with darkvision or other special senses (like blindsight), but not against creatures that pierce magical darkness. 
• Light Sensitivity: Lurescai are dazzled (–1 penalty on attack rolls, Search checks, and Spot checks) in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell. 
• Biting Mouth: They have a feral bite strike with the statistics presented below. 
• Beholderkin Knowledge: Having been enslaved for long by beholders, they have come to know quite a bit about them and their tactics. They have a +2 to Knowledge checks about them and beholderkins, and always treat Knowledge (dungeon) as a class skill. They have +2 to AC and saves against beholderkins.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Aquan, Undercommon
• Bonus Languages: Dwarven, Elven, Gnome
• Favored Class: Ranger or Rogue
• Level Adjustment: +0
• Effective Character Level: 1

Biting Mouth

Light Melee

Cost:	— gp
Damage (Small):	1d4
Damage (Medium)1:	1d6
Critical:	18-20/×2
Weight2:	— lbs
Type3:	Piercing
HP4:	10
Hardness:	5

1. See Damage Increases by Size to calculate the damage for a weapon larger than Medium or smaller than Small.
2. Weight figures are for Medium weapons. A Small weapon weighs half as much, and a Large weapon weighs twice as much.
3. When two types are given, the weapon is both types if the entry specifies "and", either type (player's choice at time of attack) if the entry specifies "or", or each end of the double weapon is a different type if the entry specifies "/".
4. The hp value given is for Medium armor, weapons, and shields. Divide by 2 for each size category of the item smaller than Medium, or multiply it by 2 for each size category larger than Medium.

Pathfinder

In Pathfinder games they have also a +2 to Constitution.

Alternate Racial Features

• Deep-sea Adaptation: Having returned to a more aquatic lifestyle, these lurescai gain new abilities, while adding to their weaknesses. They increase their base swimming speed to 40 feet and become amphibious. They become immune to the effects of natural sea pressure. Their penalty from Moist Skin starts at -4 rather than -1, and they need to be fully immerged in water at least once per day to avoid the penalty. Their Light Sensitivity also worsens: in the first round of exposure they are blinded for one round and then dazzled as normal. This trait alters, but does not substitute, Moist Skin and Light Sensitivity.

• Mini-sized: Some lurescai are quite smaller than normal. Only male lurescai may choose this trait. They are Small-sized, with all its consequences. They lose their Medium size and their base land speed is reduced to 20 feet from 30.

• Oversized: Some lurescai are much bigger than normal. Only female lurescai may choose this trait. They gain the Powerful Build feat and ability. They lose their +2 to Dexterity and their base land speed is reduced to 20 feet from 30.

• Suction Cup: A luresca with this trait has one or more suction cups on its belly and/or limbs, which allow it to climb easily. It gains a climb speed of 20 feet. They lose their swim speed.

Vital Statistics

Table: Luresca Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
70 years	+4d6	+6d6	+10d6

Table: Luresca Aging Effects

Middle Age1	Old2	Venerable3	Maximum Age
150 years	240 years	340 years	+3d20 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.

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