Umber Hulk
Most adventurers see them as monsters, a scary thing that lurks in the deep, dark underground for the unsuspecting and the reckless. Mindless burrowing beetles that can wipe out an entire adventuring party, with an survivors having no recollection of the disaster.
These stories, however, are for childish fools and ignorant peasants. For we know the truth, we know the story of these misunderstood creatures. For the umber hulk are a story of tragedy: a thoughtful, complex people, brought to the brink by centuries of slavery and magical torture.
Even now, they are still seen as monsters. However, this does little to discourage umber hulk adventurers, as they are a proud people and understand the fear of the surfacefolk.
Subterranean City Builders
Every so often, you hear tales of the vast and intricate cites, illuminated by strange blue fungus and odd symbols and art splayed throughout the tunnels. Anyone lucky enough to try and record these findings are always driven off by countless umber hulks, leading most to discount them as mere mirage or affect of the umber hulks gaze. However, in truth, these people ventured closer to the hidden city of the umber hulks then anyone ever before.
Daring Hunters
Only the mightiest of subterranean creatures can entice an umber hulk hunting party. With this in mind, it's no surprise that purple worms, ankhegs, and other large burrowing predators make up the bulk of an umber hulk diet. While hunting a purple worm is one thing, the bravest of umber hulks will allow these great worms to swallow them whole, just so they can fight and eat their way out.
Umber Hulk Names
Umber hulk names are derived from their native tongue. This language includes a huge dialect of clicks and guttural noises. For someone to produce such sounds without having umber hulk ancestry can take years; some noises are said too quickly for many to pronounce. So, nicknames have become common for the umber hulks adventurers to save themselves the trouble of pronouncing the umber hulk's name. These nicknames usually revolve around the umber hulk's eartly nature or a personal quirk of theirs.
Male: Bwarr' tk-tk, Tk-rr-tk, Wiirr, Tk-arr-tk, Tk-arr, Gworr' tk-tk, Tk-wirr-tk, Garr-tk, Wkrr, Whirr-tk, Brakrr-tk,
Female: Tk-Warr, Tk-Tk-gwirr, Tk-Gwibrr, Makwirr, Tk-Gayyirr, Tk-Karkrr, Waarr, Tk-Mroarr, Tk-Garrr
Nicknames: Boulder, Pebbles, Quake, Chomp, Quarry, Crystal, Trench, Stone, Digger, Gazer, Bedrock
Umber Hulk Personality
You can use the Umber Hulk Quirks table to determine a personality quirk for an umber hulk character.
Umber Hulk Quirks
| d6 | Quirk |
|---|---|
| 1 | You have a habit of ripping into and eating the flesh of creatures you are engaged in combat with. |
| 2 | You sleep best while mostly buried in dirt or mud. |
| 3 | You've learned people are sometimes wary of your stare, and now you never look anyone in the eye |
| 4 | You do not understand the concept of clothes. |
| 5 | You enjoy letting larger monster eat you whole so you can fight your way out. |
| 6 | You can't keep a secret to save your life, but enjoy telling others it's a secret. |
Umber Hulk Traits
Your umber hulk character has the following traits.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.
Age. Young umber hulks crawl using their large arms for a few weeks after birth before learning to walk on two legs. They reach adulthood by the age of 10 and live an average of 50 years.
Size. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a burrow speed of 20 feet, allowing you to move through sand, earth, mud, or ice, but not through solid rock.
Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Darkvision. 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 color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Tremorsense. You can detect and pinpoint the origin of vibrations within 30 feet of you, provided that you and the source of the vibrations are in contact with the same ground or substance. Tremorsense can't be used to detect flying or incorporeal creatures.
Mandibles and Claws. Your mandibles and claws are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with either, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
Natural Armor. You have a hard, chitinous exoskeleton. When you aren't wearing armor, your AC is 13 + your Constitution modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield's benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, Terran, and Umber Hulk.
Burrow Speed Rules
A creature that has a burrowing speed can use that speed to move through sand, earth, mud, or ice. A monster can't burrow through solid rock unless it has a special trait that allows it to do so.
Umber Hulk Feats
These feats are available to umber hulk, assuming they meet any other prerequisites.
Confusing Gaze
Prerequisite: 8th level, Umber Hulk
Your secondary eyes fully develop and can now be utilized for the first time. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Constitution score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can replace one of your attacks with a gaze of mind-altering energy in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a Charisma saving throw (DC = 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus). A target automatically succeeds on the save if it can’t see your eyes. On a failed saving throw, the creature can't take reactions until the start of its next turn and rolls a d8 to determine what it does during that turn. On a 1 to 4, the creature does nothing. On a 5 or 6, the creature takes no action but uses all its movement to move in a random direction. On a 7 or 8, the creature makes one melee attack against a random creature, or it does nothing if no creature is within reach.
- You can use your Confusing Gaze a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Deep Tunneler
Prerequisite: Umber Hulk
Your claws grow larger and tougher, giving you the ability to dig through rock. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Strength score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You can now burrow through solid rock, at the cost of half your burrowing speed. You leave a 3 foot-wide, 7-foot-high tunnel in your wake.
- Your unarmed strikes now do damage equal to 1d8 + your Strength modifier, instead of a 1d6.
Credits
Art: Monster Manual III 4th Edition, Howard Lyon, ©Wizards of the Coast