DM-Nastics #107: Wetter is Better

It's been quite some time since we have tackled building a race together, and I figured it would be fun to pull that type of exercise from the depths on the forums!

Grab ONE of the following, and lets build a new race together for Dayeimbe!!

1. Name of the race, name of subraces? Y'ch A'wah. Pronounced Itch Ow-ah. In honour of Rich Howard. The king of underwater gaming.

I should add that these are phoentic elements i believe can all be made with the vocal equipment a dolphin has. percussive clicks and elongated whine / squek type noises. I hope Rich doesn't mind! - tigrannosaurus

2. Origin. Did they evolve from an animal? Were they made by a god? Are they a hybrid of two other races?
The Y'ch A'wah were created by their old god, Rengurar, who molded his servant race in his image. For time untold, the Y'ch A'wah served their master, who loved and cared for them as his own children. Until Itch'khk came. Their god and eternal patron was slain in battle and the Y'ch A'wah were given a choice, worship her as their new god, or perish. The once good natured and stoic race bowed before their new goddess and reluctantly did her bidding - including sacrificing some of their own to appease her. Some secretly prayed for the return of Rengurar, but in time the influence of Itch'khk corrupted the Y'ch A'wah and turned them to evil, and they systematically began hunting down the last of their own kind who held onto the old ways and became what the world sees today - a savage, violent race dedicated to a ruthless goddess. - 00dlez

3. Distinguishing physical features: What makes them outwardly non-human? How long do they live? What is their preferred diet? (average height and weight, body proportions, differences between male and female, differences between subraces?) So I found this online and thought it would be perfect. Humanoid octopus, basically. They would be able to walk on land with their powerful tentacles, but choose underwater due to it being easier. They live for up to 400 years, as the water pressure makes them hardy. They eat both sea flora and some fauna (mostly small creatures, but they have been known to hunt sharks and other large creatures like men do on land with land based creatures). The men and women both have about average size torsos and arms as a human, but the women have more prominent tentacles, which is a sign of status, making it a mostly matriarchical society, but both genders are capable of being equally fierce warriors. Weight is human weight plus 25% due to the tentacles. - Lord Neptune


4. Distinguishing psychological characteristics: Do they fit some stereotype, ala hippy elves and greedy dwarves? Do they tend to subscribe to one religion or philosophy? (additional information on culture, social structure, ideologies, etc.)
From the Journals of Professor Argos Agrippa Fludinus, Oceanic Anthropologist of the Gnomish University of Ephemeral and Supernatural Studies

I have recently spent time with the most curious of species, with a rich and fascinating culture.

In the last eight months, I have lived amongst the octopus people (include proper name in paper) to learn about their faith and society. I am told that what I have learned is only true for the region that I studied at, and that members of the species from far off waters have vastly different cultures.

In regards to food preparation, I was amazed to see a form of cooking underwater. A pot (made from sand and a kind of clam mucus that hardens like cement) is filled with the food to be cooked, then a bright red fish is agitated and thrown into the pot before the lid is thrown on and turned to lock it in place. Apparently the agitated fish is a relative of the puffer fish, but instead of inflating it emits enough heat to boil water.

Shortly after the first meal of the day, the entire colony gathers in the "village square" for religious services. Offerings are made to their patron deity, including to my horror one of their own. The family that I was staying with told me that the individual being sacrificed was an old man that had lived for nearly 390 years. In that time he had fought in five wars, killed countless sahuagin, merrow, grindylow, even aided in the killing of a kraken that had terrorized the region.

Their patron deity, Itch'khk is the closest that I can make to the name, is a vicious, ruthless goddess that is said to live in a coral reef grown over the body of Rengurar, a dead kraken god. That explained the multiple squid being sacrificed and in a number of their dishes. I couldn't help but wonder if Rengurar is the same kraken deity that some coastal cults worship with their whole "what is dead may never die" nonsense. I point to undead as a rebuttal of that line.

When I inquired about writing, I was told that writing as I understand it, ink and parchment, does not exist underwater. I assumed as much, given that I have been forced to write my findings at night in the little boat I have anchored not far from the colony. What they have instead are scars and "clay" tablets. The substance used to make their cooking pots are scratched into with spines from the puffer fish before it hardens. By binding stacks of tablets together a sort of book can be made.

When I spoke to the colony matriarch, I inquired about whether there were any cities of their kind. I was informed that there are in fact several cities of Y'ch A'wah, though the closest one is a three day swim through sahuagin infested waters. The largest city is called Y'wah T'k, and is built out of the coral reef that formed over the body of a kraken. However, most y'ch a'wah prefer to live in much smaller colonies, or what would be called villages on the surface. - meribson

5. Do they have a favored habitat (mountains, deserts, etc.) or are they adaptable and ubiquitous? What is the cause of this? What is the effect of this?
They prefer to be underwater, but have the ability to be above ground. - joatmoniac

I think I'll try adding to this. The Y'ch A'wah are fairly adaptable to any aquatic environment and most are able to adapt to land unaided. Their main preference is the shallow waters of the ocean, around up to around 200 meters below the surface, still enough to see in the euphotic (sunlight) zone:

Ocean light penetration chart


But they are known to also have some settlements below the euphotic zone, even some into the aphotic (midnight) zone, also known as the Underdeep. The dysphotic (twilight) zone tends to see a mix of all subraces and is actually the zone that the largest Y'ch A'wah city of Y'wah T'k is located. Only the squid-like Abyssal Y'ch A'wah find their home in the Underdeep.


The Reef Y'ch A'wah tend to be the subrace that most interacts with the world of the Land Dwellers since they tend to stay within the euphotic zone their whole lives, sometimes even venturing to the surface. There have also been examples of Reef Y'ch A'wah making a home inland in or near a large lake. For some of these nomads, they see walking on land with their tentacles as a somewhat spiritual experience, as it shows to their adaptability to all they encounter. Some of these nomads even seek the life of adventure, walking the land for days or weeks at a time without immersing themselves in water at all. Once they do encounter water deep enough to accommodate their unique body, they tend to revel in it. To the Reef Y'ch A'wah, nothing can replace the feeling of being fully surrounded by water.


The Desert Y'ch A'wah, those who dwell in the open ocean, tend to never come ashore. They have all the capabilities of doing so, much like the Reef Y'ch A'wah, but just choose not to. The closest they come is to spend time with those on boats who travel through their waters. If there is a particularly dangerous area of ocean to travel through, they might even send for a large ship to take them across that spot instead of spending weeks traveling around it. These Desert Y'ch A'wah tend to keep to their tribes, however, and are almost constantly on the move. Both males and females have a place in these tribes for the Desert Y'ch A'wah, since this area of the ocean tends to be so much more dangerous that it seemed to them like a bad idea to thin their numbers. This has allowed them to survive where other, normal tribes of Y'ch A'wah have perished.


The Abyssal Y'ch A'wah, those who dwell most in the Underdeep, have no capability to walk on land, and even have a difficult time closer to the surface of the ocean. Their more squid-like appendages have allowed them to adapt more to the higher pressures of the Underdeep and they still find themselves comfortable still in the twilight zone of the oceans. Above that, they will feel bloated and light headed, but they never have a reason to go above the twilight zone simply because their sworn mission and, what they feel, their sole existence is in the Underdeep, protecting against the aboleths. It's because of this adaptability to darkness that their dark vision is nearly double that of their other brethren. Also, because of their body structure, they are completely incapable of holding themselves up on land and require an underwater environment to move. They can still breathe air like all Y'ch A'wah, but that doesn't mean they like it at all. Having said this, there are a couple noteworthy exceptions. The greatest exception, however, is that some Abyssal Y'ch A'wah artificers have created some magical talismans that provide a limited flight and artificial pressure field around the user's entire bodies, which has multiple advantages: they can more easily glide through the water without expending effort, but also they are capable of moving about on land, gently floating above the ground as if they were still floating underwater. Their speed is reduced on land with this talisman, but still, some have taken to using them to escape the life of constant battle against these monsters of the Underdeep, instead living their lives out on land or in the more sunny zones among the Reef Y'ch A'wah that would have them. - Lord Neptune

6. Population size. Worldwide, do they number in the millions? Tens of thousands? Less? Why?

7. Population density. Do they live solitary lives for the most part? Maybe they live in nomadic tribes, and if so, how big are the tribes? Or do they establish settlements? How big or small are the settlements? Or is there a lot of variation?
Those that follow in the old traditions form nomadic family groups made up of a mother and her brood (from 25-50 egg). The matriarch will hatch only one brood in her lifetime and will protect them with fanatical devotion. In times of famine she will even allow her children to drink her own blood if it means their survival. Males are solitary and are kicked out of the brood while female broodlings will stay together until the time comes for them to hatch their own brood. Once a brood is born, the female severs all ties with her former 'sisters' and commits herself entirely to her children. When the final broodling leaves her, the matriarch will go into seclusion and starve herself to death - having lost all purpose in her life. - Chickadee

8. Race relations. How do they get along with other races? (expand with specific race relations)
They are sworn enemies of the Kuo-Toa. Undefined how they interact. - joatmoniac

The Y'ch A'wah were often protectors of precious or sacred underwater locales. These outposts remain good in alignment, untainted by the fall of the rest of their kin.


In these instances the Y'ch become more rooted to the locale, bound by their duty to the area. If such an area is near the coast there is a chance that there will be a habitat crossover with then Kua Toa. Kua Toa who will emerge from their underdark lairs to do battle with the noble Y'ch A'Wah.


In one particular location in Dayeimbe there is an Y'ch A'wah temple that was overtaken by the Kua Toa an age ago but has since been reclaimed. From time to time the Kua Toa, convinced this temple is actually sacred to one of their invented gods raise an army to try and win it back once more. This could be a great plot hook for a party... can you end the age old war over the Y'ch temple?Or will the Kua Toa defile it, extinguishing the Y'chs light of reason and honour forever? Can they find a way to lift the taint of evil from their kin - restoring the Y'ch to their noble selves.


Also gives the opportunity for there to be a town or city of sorts that has grown up around the area / location. I live in autralia and am imagining an Y'ch guardian settlement in some particularly glorious section of the Great Barrier Reef. - tigrannosaurus

9. Does the race have any subraces? Describe one.
From the Journals of Professor Argos Agrippa Fludinus, Oceanic Anthropologist of the Gnomish University of Ephemeral and Supernatural Studies

To date I have only interacted with one of the many varieties of the race that some may call "octopus-folk", though I know of two others.

I have spent months studying the Reef Y'ch A'wah, and have been informed of a variety that make the open ocean their home. For some reason the translation potion kept insisting that they lived in an offshore desert. A ridiculous notion, but after months of hearing it I can't help but call the vast nomadic subrace Desert Y'ch A'wah.

The other variant I am given to understand resemble squid more than octopi, and live in the lightless waters of what the Reef Y'ch call the Underdeep, a region of the ocean so deep that the sun's light cannot reach it. These Abyssal Y'ch A'wah are rumored to wage an unending war against aberrations that are believed in some scholarly circles to have been old when the gods were born: aboleth. - meribson

10. Famous members and groups of the race. A king? A hero? A villain? A trade guild? An army? (mulitple entries)

Mer'la "The Bulwark" a Y'ch A'wah Hero, most known for the taming of a dragon turtle and riding it into battle against the Isperixatl, allowing her people to escape to safer waters. - frohtastic

Ch’ay U’cha’ay was a famous weapon crafter. After a fierce battle with a dragon U’ch’ay was among those who were harvesting the body's useful bits. She took some bone and using the creature's own talon began carving it into weapons. Since the Y’ch A’wah do not have any way of smithing this was a major technological advancement. With new and powerful weapons their tribe took control of the region. Eventually U’ch’ay formed a guild of dragon hunters, their name translates ‘bone eaters’ in common, which she led until slain by a dragon. Many of the finest dragon bone spears, knives, and tridents were crafted by Ch’ay U’cha’ay. Some of these weapons have become legend among the Y’ch A’wah, some have magical properties or bare runes, at times they have acquired infamous magical abilities or curses from spilling much dragon's blood. - letterlost

11. Extra stuff. Feel free to add any pertinent information about this race. (multiple entries)
Also, being invertebrates, octopuses can squeeze into and through ridiculously small spaces. Maybe they can move through/near occupied spaces without invoking opportunity attacks. Or, add it into the camouflage aspect, and add a hiding aspect that involves small spaces. - mjrollins

STAT BLOCK TIME

A. Ability score modifications.
I think that there should be a +1/+2 somewhere to reflect an octopus's intelligence. They're notoriously smart/crafty invertebrates (ex. escaping tanks, crossing lab floors and hunting out of other tanks). In terms of DnD mechanics, I don't know if that bonus should go to INT. Sounds more like WIS or DEX. - mjrollins

B. Racial features (post one)
Improved grapple.

The Rich Howards get advantage (+5) on grapple checks through use of their tentacles. - frohtastic

Camoflage- the Y'ch A'wah can camoflage their skin to match their surroundings as an action. While camoflaged in this way, all creatures have disadvantage on Perception checks to see them until the Y'ch A'wah moves or takes another action. - finallyfoundahobby

C. Subrace ability score modifications and racial features (post one)

I will take a little bit of this to start us along.
5. They prefer to be underwater. the rest of this one can still be defined by someone else.
8. They are sworn enemies of the Kuo-Toa. Undefined how they interact.

Wanted to tie it back to the episode by having this race be against the Kuo-Toa in some way.