Introduction
Welcome to The Dreugh Files! While this doesn't have as much content as some other homebrew out there, I hope I can satisfy some people out there.
Love, badooga
| Contents (click a header to go back to the top) |
|---|
| Dreugh Template, Race, and Stats |
| Dreugh Technology |
| Personalizing Your Dreugh |
What are the Dreugh?
The dreugh (pronounced DREG, although DREW-GH sounds pretty cool too) are an race of highly advanced abberations set on domination of the multiverse. Unlike most abberations, the dreugh don't come from the Far Realm. Those that know of them theorize that they come from a "gap" between the planes where divines nor mortals can interfere, while others theorize that they hail from a distant crystal sphere of the Material Plane.
The Dreugh Legion. The dreugh take the form of militaristic society, and the only activity they are known to partake in is war. Their systematic invasions of countless worlds involve the creation of fortified outposts as expansion occurs, the indiscriminate slaughter of all life in their path, and the use of remarkably advanced technology such as flight-capable scout drones and laser-based weaponry.
Arcane Intrigue. The dreugh don't use magic nor psionics; they rely on their technology to accomplish their goals. However, the dreugh take an interest in magic, as it can accomplish feats such as elemental manipulation and the conjuring of other beings that their electricity-based technology cannot live up to. By combining their technology with magic, they hope to bolster their fighting capabilities to the point where none will stand in their way. Thus, they actively seek out magical beings and artifacts during their conquest, maybe even targeting specific worlds and societies that have high concentrations of magical power and use.
The Dreugh's Weakness. Some rumors state that dreugh scanners are capable of bypassing even the strongest of arcane shields, as they do not use the weave. Even fewer rumors state that the dreugh have some sort of weakness, a specific race or type of being that dreugh scanners cannot seem to target.
The identification of this weakness has left sages dumbfounded; some soldiers supposedly spotted a dreugh drone harmlessly ignoring a horde of zombies roaming on the surface below it, while other soldiers are rumored to have spoken with a dragon whose lair was invaded by a drone oblivious to its presence. One mad mage claims to have flown on top of a dreugh drone before, claiming that the urine of a worg was enough to mask his presence. While these inquiries may seem fruitless, what they uncover may or may not be the key to halting the dreugh legion's ceaseless destruction.
Appearance
In my head, the dreugh look like the abbies (a humanoid species that evolved from regular humans) from the show Wayward Pines. In D&D terms, however, I suppose that they look like a humanoid cross between the githyanki and The Angry shown below, with the pale white skin of The Angry and the general shape and facial structure of the githyanki.
No mortal has lived long enough to see the face of a dreugh, though. Dreugh wear full suits of armor that cover their entire bodies, including full face visors that mask any individuality or uniqueness a dreugh might have.
Art Credit
The two monster images above were taken from the Monster Manual and Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, and then I edited them into the graphic above.
Dreugh Template, Race, and Stats
The dreugh stat blocks included here are by no means exhaustive compared to what you might want to do with them. For example, I purposely excluded information about and a stat block for the "dreugh king", because I wanted to leave it completely up to DMs as to what exactly the top of the dreugh hierarchy looks like. So, here is a quick list of features that most dreugh have:
Age. Dreugh mature at about the age of 30. On average, they live about 200 years.
Alignment. Almost all dreugh are lawful evil due to the war-centric nature of their society. A dreugh that breaks away from the rest of its society would most likely be chaotic.
Size. Dreugh are about a foot taller than the average human, ranging from about 6 feet to almost 8 feet tall. Dreugh are about as wide if not wider than humans, and have a size of Medium.
Speed. Dreugh have a base walking speed of 35 feet.
Languages. Dreugh have their own language that they can speak, read, and write. However, the dreugh strongly prefer voice communication through electronics over reading and writing.
Superior Darkvision. Dreugh can see in dim light within 120 feet of them as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. They can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Dreugh Gear Training. Dreugh have proficiency with rifles, whips, pistols, and other weapons made using dreugh technology. They also have proficiency with any armor made using dreugh technology.
Players: Dreugh Race
At the DM's discretion, you have access to the dreugh race. In addition to the features listed above, you gain the following features:
Ability Score Increase. Three ability scores of your choice increase by 1.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Dreugh.
Humanoid Build. While technically an abberation, you are considered a humanoid when targeted by effects that work on humanoids.
Stat Block Features
When building a stat block for or based on a dreugh, use the following statistics, in addition to the base racial features listed before:
Traits
Dreugh stat blocks may feature the following traits:
Saving Throws. Dreugh are typically proficient in Intelligence and Wisdom saving throws, and can be proficient in Strength and/or Dexterity saving throws depending on their military function.
Skills. Dreugh inquiry into what the arcane really is has led the dreugh to be proficient in Arcana. Many dreugh are proficient in the Perception skill.
Magic Resistance. A dreugh powerful enough to qualify for this feature has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Alien Technology. The alien technology used to create the dreugh's weapons enables it to ignore the loading and ammunition properties.
Martial Advantage. Once per turn, a dreugh powerful enough to qualify for this feature can deal extra damage to a creature it hits with a weapon attack if that creature is within 5 feet of an ally of the dreugh that isn't incapacitated.
Actions
Dreugh stat blocks may feature the following action, in addition to the technology described in the section after the stat blocks:
Leadership (Recharges After A Short Or Long Rest). For 1 minute, a dreugh powerful enough to qualify for this feature can utter a special command or warning whenever a nonhostile creature that it can see within 45 feet of it makes an attack roll or a saving throw. The creature can add a d4/d6/d8/etc to its roll provided it can hear and understand the dreugh . A creature can benefit from only one Leadership die at a time. This effect ends if the dreugh is incapacitated.
The dreugh make the most of their technological advancement by deploying drones as scouts and surveyors to uncover information about their enemies before the main forces close in. Small and lightweight, dreugh drones are not designed for combat, but they are equipped with a laser and slowing pulse apparatus in case it gets attacked. Dreugh drones relay their information via "telepathy", which is more akin to radio than anything else.
Dreugh Drone
Small construct, lawful evil
- Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 46 (7d6 + 21)
- Speed 0 ft., fly 60 ft. (hover)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 8 (-1) 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 13 (+1) 7 (-2)
- Skills Arcana +7, Investigation +7, Perception +7
- Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning, radiant, thunder, bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons
- Damage Immunities necrotic, poison, psychic
- Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned, unconscious
- Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 17
- Languages telepathy 1000 ft.
- Challenge 2 (450 XP)
Immutable Form. The dreugh drone is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.
Magic Resistance. The dreugh drone has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Scanners. Any creature within 120 feet of the dreugh drone cannot be or become hidden from it.
Actions
Laser. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 120 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) force damage.
Slowing Pulse (Recharge 5-6). The dreugh drone targets one or more creatures it can see within 10 feet of it. Each target must make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, a target can't use reactions, its speed is halved, and it can't make more than one attack on its turn. In addition, the target can take either an action or a bonus action on its turn, not both. These effects last for 1 minute. A target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Dreugh soldiers are the lowest level of the dreugh legion. They fight on the front lines, following their orders without question, even if it means death. Most dreugh soldiers are equipped with flash grenades, allowing them to blind their foes before opening fire with their pistol. This is especially dangerous as dreugh soldiers are mostly found in squadrons of 5 to 10, meaning that a victim of a flash grenade might not have time to regain its vision before being killed.
Dreugh Soldier
Medium aberration (dreugh), lawful evil
- Armor Class 14 (studded leather)
- Hit Points 52 (8d8 + 16)
- Speed 35 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 15 (+2) 15 (+2) 15 (+2) 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 10 (+0)
- Saving Throws Int +6, Wis +6
- Skills Arcana +6, Perception +5
- Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 15
- Languages Dreugh
- Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Magic Resistance. The dreugh soldier has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Alien Technology. The alien technology used to create the dreugh soldier's pistol enables it to ignore the loading and ammunition properties.
Actions
Multiattack. The dreugh soldier makes two pistol attacks.
Pistol. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 60/120 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (3d8) force damage.
Flash Grenade (1/Day). The dreugh soldier throws a grenade up to 60 feet. Each creature within 20 feet of the grenade's detonation must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw, being blinded for 1 minute on a failed saved. A creature blinded by this effect makes another Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns. On a successful save, it is no longer blinded.
Squads of 5 to 10 dreugh soldiers are held together by dreugh squad leaders. With higher intellect and overall abilities than a regular soldier, dreugh squad leaders can support their squads via their Leadership action, in which they coordinate with their soldiers to strike and charge forward at the most optimal times. A dreugh squad leader's whip is not only used in close combat in the rare case that a foe gets past the squad's pistols - it is also used during disciplinary action when a dreugh soldier acts out of line.
As the brain of a given squad, a dreugh squad leader will often stand in the center of a tight, triangle-shaped formation that allows for both partial cover and for a clear line of sight to their targets.
Dreugh Squad Leader
Medium aberration (dreugh), lawful evil
- Armor Class 16 (breastplate)
- Hit Points 120 (16d8 + 48)
- Speed 35 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 18 (+4) 16 (+3) 17 (+3) 18 (+4) 15 (+2) 10 (+0)
- Saving Throws Str +7, Int +8, Wis +7
- Skills Arcana +8, Perception +5
- Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 15
- Languages Dreugh
- Challenge 6 (2300 XP)
Magic Resistance. The dreugh soldier has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Alien Technology. The alien technology used to create the dreugh squad leader's pistol enables it to ignore the loading and ammunition properties.
Martial Advantage. Once per turn, the dreugh squad leader can deal an extra 7 (2d6) damage to a creature it hits with a weapon attack if that creature is within 5 feet of an ally of the dreugh squad leader that isn't incapacitated.
Actions
Multiattack. The dreugh squad leader makes three attacks with its pistol or its whip.
Whip. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (4d4 + 4) force damage.
Pistol. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 60/120 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (3d8) force damage.
Leadership (Recharges After A Short Or Long Rest). For 1 minute, the dreugh squad leader can utter a special command or warning whenever a nonhostile creature that it can see within 45 feet of it makes an attack roll or a saving throw. The creature can add a d4 to its roll provided it can hear and understand the dreugh squad leader. A creature can benefit from only one Leadership die at a time. This effect ends if the dreugh squad leader is incapacitated.
Dreugh squad leaders answer to the top of the chain of command (at least, the chain of command only consisting of direct soldiers and fighters), the dreugh commanders. A dreugh commander typically heads an entire outpost, in which the commander uses its underlings as extensions of itself to expand an outpost's sphere of influence. Dreugh commanders use one-handed flails instead of whips, allowing them to abuse their strength in ways that whips cannot. While still equipped with a pistol, dreugh commanders prefer to use their miniguns instead, dedicating both hands to the annihilation of anything in its way.
In addition to heading an outpost, a dreugh commander may also be in charge of a large-scale assault, in which it assigns different squads of soldiers to certain tasks that all culminate in the success of the assault.
Dreugh Commander
Medium aberration (dreugh), lawful evil
- Armor Class 18 (plate armor)
- Hit Points 188 (25d8 + 75)
- Speed 35 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 18 (+4) 18 (+4) 17 (+3) 20 (+5) 16 (+3) 10 (+0)
- Saving Throws Str +7, Int +9, Wis +8
- Skills Arcana +8, Perception +5
- Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 15
- Languages Dreugh
- Challenge 11 (7200 XP)
Magic Resistance. The dreugh commander has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Alien Technology. The alien technology used to create the dreugh commander's pistol and two-handed minigun enables them to ignore the ammunition property.
Martial Advantage. Once per turn, the dreugh commander can deal an extra 14 (4d6) damage to a creature it hits with a weapon attack if that creature is within 5 feet of an ally of the dreugh commander that isn't incapacitated.
Actions
Multiattack. The dreugh commander makes three attacks with its pistol or its flail.
Pistol. Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, range 60/120 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (3d8) force damage.
Flail. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d8+4) force damage. The target must make a DC 17 Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the target falls prone.
Minigun. The dreugh commander chooses up to five targets it can see that are within 25 feet of each other and are no more than 60 feet away from the dreugh commander. Each target is pelted with laser blasts and must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw. A target takes 38 (7d10) force damage on a failed save, and half as much on a successful one.
Leadership (Recharges After A Short Or Long Rest). For 1 minute, the dreugh commander can utter a special command or warning whenever a nonhostile creature that it can see within 45 feet of it makes an attack roll or a saving throw. The creature can add a d6 to its roll provided it can hear and understand the dreugh commander. A creature can benefit from only one Leadership die at a time. This effect ends if the dreugh commander is incapacitated.
Dreugh Technology
Scanners
The dreugh gain most of their information from their scanners, which are radar-like devices that act as true seeing sensors that automatically spot any creature within its range. These scanners are attached to drones as to automate scouting and patrolling, and outpost-based scanners that detect all creatures within a few hundred feet of an outpost make surprise attacks against the dreugh nearly impossible.
The dreugh scanners may have one or more races or creatures that are effectively invisible to them. My rendition of them has this be any form of undead, but this can be swapped with any creature you feel will fit this role. However, this is completely optional - depending on what fits your world and style, you might want to exclude this weakness altogether.
Communication
The dreugh maintain their streak of domination via their excellent communication network, consisting of radio-like apparatuses that can relay information over long distances instantly. This not-radio is used by the dreugh drone similar to how other creatures use telepathy, allowing the dreugh to receive notice of an attack with no time lag.
At your discretion, you might want to add a weakness to the dreugh's communication network as well. Perhaps a certain substance or spell is able to block these communications, or maybe they can be intercepted in some way.
Weaponry
Dreugh weapons use force damage as their primary method of killing things. This force damage is most notably used in the form of a laser, which is able to deal ranged damage with no need for reloading or ammmunition. However, it is also used in their melee weapons instead of physical damage types, which also increases its damage dice.
Below is a table of weapons you may wish to use for the dreugh you run. To make your own dreugh weapon (including siege weapons), simply add one or two extra damage dice to the base weapon, with an optional boost, addition, or other alteration to its properties, if appropriate. Despite the possibility of a dreugh weapon taking the shape of a simple weapon, all dreugh weapons are martial weapons.
| Melee Weapons | Force Damage | Properties |
|---|---|---|
| Flail | 2d8 | — |
| Longsword | 2d8 | Versatile (2d10) |
| Maul | 4d6 | Heavy, two-handed |
| Pike | 2d10 | Heavy, reach (10 feet), two-handed |
| Trident | 2d6 | Thrown (range 20/60), versatile (2d8) |
| Whip | 4d4 | Finesse, reach (15 feet) |
| - | - | - |
| Flash Grenade | - | Action to throw, range 60/radius 20, DC 13 Con save, blinded for 1 min with repeat saves at turn ends |
| Frag Grenade | 4d6 | Action to throw, range 60/radius 20, DC 15 Dex save for half damage |
| Grenade Launcher | - | Increases grenade range to 120 feet, each attack shoots one grenade |
| Minigun | 7d10 | Two-handed; see Dreugh Commander for stats damage |
| Pistol | 3d8 | Range 60/120 |
| Rifle | 3d10 | Heavy, range 120/240, two-handed |
Note that these weapons are very powerful, moreso than many of the firearms found in the Dungeon Master's Guide. You may wish to restrict player use of these weapons in some way, ranging from re-adding properties like reload and ammunition to making certain features unusable in the hands of a non-dreugh.
Transportation
You may wish to give the dreugh forms of transportation that are appropriate to your usage of them. For example, one might reason that the dreugh should use airships as the dreugh drone's flying speed show that they have flight technology at their disposal. Others may prefer to give them land or even water vehicles, ranging from motorized boats to hoverbikes. Planar travel is also a possibility, depending on what you choose to be the dreugh's origins.
To make a dreugh vehicle, take a vehicle from official sources and add appropriate features to it such as weaponry, hovering/flight, scanners, and other forms of technology.
Spelljamming
If you want to go full sci-fi, the dreugh can also be experienced spelljammers. They would use their own technological style to create electricity-powered helms and spelljammers tailored to their racial desires and needs. No official rules exist for Spelljammer in 5e yet, so until such rules are released, further elaboration is impossible.
Personalizing Your Dreugh
While I certainly go into detail here on my idea of the dreugh and how I see them in my head, DMs that are inspired enough to use the dreugh will most definitely use them differently than another DM or myself. Even if they use everything in this document to the letter, a DM's adaptation of the dreugh into their own world and adventures by itself is enough to differentiate them from the ways others might use them.
The core idea of the dreugh is that they are a full sci-fi evil alien race, moreso than other factions in a world. Other than that (and depending on how you use them, not even that), the dreugh's usage is up to you.
Fluff
Below is a list of a few things about the dreugh and suggestions as to how to manipulate them. This list is obviously not exhaustive; rather, it is a list of key aspects that get the most mileage out of them when changed.
Name. The first thing about the dreugh you can change is their name. I got the name "dreugh" from The Elder Scrolls ---- it certainly isn't unique or anything. Feel free to change "dreugh" to any name you want.
Appearance. While my dreugh are humanoid, you certainly don't have to be confined by that. Perhaps they have tentacle appendages, or maybe they have a different number of limbs or a different body structure. Not to mention, the appearance of their armor has no affect on gameplay as long as the armor types themselves aren't changed.
Origins. My dreugh are from a nameless dimension that is separate from the Far Realm. Maybe your dreugh can come from the Far Realm after all, or maybe you flesh out the specific dimension they come from as it fits with your world's cosmology. It's also possible that the dreugh came from a known plane or another crystal sphere in the Material Plane, connecting to the Spelljamming blurb included on the previous page.
Technology. Editing the technological capabilities and style of the dreugh might make more sense for your world. Perhaps you don't want them to have scanners, or they have less powerful weapons or even more powerful armor. Dreugh technology should connect with their origins; if you make them come from another plane of existence, for example, it would make sense for them to have the capability to travel between planes.
Stat Blocks
Below is a list of stat block components you may wish to change. Similar to the previous list, this is not exhaustive in any way. Furthermore, these changes may reflect the "fluff" changes, depending on what exactly you change.
As you make these changes, keep in mind that they will affect encounter balance and challenge rating.
Numbers. Change the speed, ability scores, skills, etc of a dreugh stat block as much as you'd like.
Traits. Depending on how much you change their appearance and such, you may wish to add extra traits (e.g. Spider Climb if a spider-like lower body is added) based on what physical features they get. Furthermore, you may wish to add traits like Aggressive, Pack Tactics, etc. depending on what you think they should have. Finally, edit or remove the preexisting traits as much as you'd like.
Actions. The easiest way to change a dreugh's list of actions is to give it a different weapon or set of weapons, whether it be a custom designed or edited weapon or one of the ones directly taken from the previous page. You can also give them non-weapon actions, reactions, or even legendary actions depending on what type of dreugh you want them to be (e.g. a parry reaction for a defensive duelist), but keep in mind that weaponry should probably remain the dreugh's main source of damage.
Parting Words
This is definitely not the highest quality work or anything, and its sci-fi basis isn't appealing to everyone, so thank you for taking your time to read this homebrew. Have fun playing D&D!