Additional Races of the Realms: Golgari Swarm

 

"Reduce, reuse, recycle."

(Note - this is a big divergence from the way The Underdark is written in the published Forgotten Realms setting, again bringing in information and ideas from The Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica. The Underdark itself functions the same way as published - it's a subterranean nightmarescape of things that want to eat the players. However, the major habitations of the Drow elves have been replaced with Undercities filled with Golgari races, that are not necessarily evil, but also not necessarily welcoming of surface dwellers. And, of course, factions exist here so it isn't the same monolithic "we worship Lloth and are gwanna sacrifice you!" of published FR books.)

The Golgari Swarm celebrates the growth and vibrancy of the natural world, but gives equal attention to nature's facets of destruction, decay, and death. It finds allies and agents in the form of fungi, oozes, insects, diseases, and other unsavory aspects of nature, and it uses the power of nature actively toward the goal of advancing its own place in the world. But the Golgari have also learned patience from nature; they are content to work from the shadows, harnessing the energy that comes from decay while the civilizations of Faerun slowly erode and destroy themselves.

They have sealed many of the passages leading into the Underdark, and have created many secret surface enclaves, making their territory seem like an impregnable subterranean fortress. Within it, the Golgari domain retains its grandeur, a mysterious and wondrous kingdom. The rare visitors who stumble into it are awed by its beauty and its aura of ancient power. Palatial architecture fills cavernous  chambers, and luminescent spores float through the air to shed an otherworldly light on the moss-covered masonry. Entering Golgari territory feels like stepping into a secret world of dangerous beauty, an illusion of safety in the hostile Underdark,

The leadership of the Golgari has undergone several major changes in the past hundred years, but the nature of the Swarm makes it easily adaptable to the churn of continuous cycles. Being alive isn't a prerequisite for leadership, as demonstrated by the rule of the current Swarmmaster, the elf lich Jarad Vod Savo. Assassination is seen as a perfectly valid means of effecting political change, which is how Jarad's sister, Savra, took control of the guild before him. Various groups of people and monsters coexist within the Swarm, their relative power waxing and waning with the years, and through it all, the Golgari goes on.

 

The Golgari Swarm consists of many sub-factions, each with its own agenda. Among these are those led by the three primary races of the Swarm: the Devkarin elves, the medusan-like Gorgons, and the insectoid Kraul. Many other races occupy the various Golgari holdings, though few band together in such numbers as to constitute a power block, instead choosing to serve at the leisure of the Devkarin or forming smaller multi-race factions, such as the human-led Lotleth, a collection of fungus farmers and spore-focused necromancers & druids.  

*****

Forced underground by the High Elves millennia in the past for their views on the impermanence of all things except for the cycle of life and death, the Devkarin are adept spellcasters, counting most of the Golgari's shamans among their number. After wandering in exile, they found a home amid the corrupted and overgrown places of the Underdark, and the Devkarin necromancer Svogthir became the founder of the Golgari Swarm. Since then, the Devkarin have been a major influence in the Swarm, even during the times when they didn't hold absolute power. Regardless of who rules, the Devkarin follow the guidance of a high priest, called the matka. The matka's spiritual leadership usually aligns with the Swarmmaster's commands, but during times when the guild is ruled by a non-elf faction, the matka can be a significant dissenting voice.

Of the three major Golgari races, the Devkarin are the most likely to be seen on the surface, whether establishing rot farms or strongholds in forgotten ruins, or as adventurers, looking to spread the Swarm's influence. Devkarin can almost pass as surface elves, albeit exceptionally ash-pale (as opposed to the white-blue of Moon Elves) ones with a sensitivity to bright light and Devkarin tribal tattoos across their hands or faces.

Devkarin Traits:
Devkarin are built using the Drow subrace from the Player's Handbook. But with less 1993 edginess. Learn to crack a joke, a-holes.

 

Disturbingly beautiful, Gorgons resemble green-scaled humanoids. In place of hair, they have a writhing mass of black, serpentine cables, and their hands are scaly claws. Building themselves stone manses or appropriating sunken temples, the power to kill with a glance means even the other races of the Golgari greatly fear them. All the better for every party involved that gorgons prefer to enjoy the peace and quiet of a solitary life in the darkness, broken only to turn interlopers into new trophies, or for the pleasures of the flesh, of which gorgons rarely tire.

Gorgon Traits
Your character has the following traits.
Ability Score Increase - Your Dexterity and Wisdom scores increase by 1.
Age - Gorgons mature at roughly the same rate as humans, but live four or five centuries before being considered "old."
Alignment - Few Gorgons show a predilection towards good, with most hovering the line between neutral and evil. Neither chaos nor lawfulness sway them as much as impartiality.
Size - Like humans, your size is medium. Your build is lithe and almost reptilian in nature.
Speed - Your walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision - Like most races native to the Underdark, Gorgons can see in dim light within 60 feet as bright, and within darkness as if dim light. They can only see shades of gray in this way.
Claws - You can use your claws to make unarmed strikes, dealing damage equal to 1d4 + Strength modifier Slashing damage on a successful attack.
Petrifying Gaze - As an action, you can attempt to turn a target to stone. One creature within 60 feet which can see your eyes and has fewer hit points than your level times 12 must make a Con save against a DC of 8 + your Wisdom modifier + your proficiency bonus. On a failed save, the target begins being turned to stone, and cannot move, except to repeat the save at the end of its next turn. A second failure results in Petrification that lasts until the target is freed by a greater restoration spell or similar magic.
Languages - You can speak, read, and write Common, Undercommon, and Elvish.

As an underground insectoid race, few outside of frequent Underdark visitors have any knowledge of the Kraul. Scholars that do know of them theorize that they are an offshoot of the desert and savanna dwelling Thri-Kreen, much in the way that Devkarin may have once been Moon Elves. Suffices to say that any investigation into their origins leaves one less scholar in the Realms. A strong caste-based society ensures that every Kraul works for the greater good of their hives, and the Golgari Swarm.

Kraul Traits
Your character has the following traits.
Ability Score Increase - Your Strength score increases by 3, your Wisdom score increases by 1, and your Charisma decrees by 3.
Age - Kraul mature much faster than most sentient humanoids, reaching maturity within a few years of hatching. However, their life span is also much shorter than many races, rarely exceeding 50 years.
Alignment - As a caste-based society, Kraul tend to be Lawful, with neither Good nor Evil being particularly prevalent.
Size - Kraul average between six and seven feet tall, but their slender chitinous build keeps their weight under a hundred pounds, with most averaging 50 to 75.
Speed - With multiple limbs, your base walking speed is 40 feet.
Superior Darkvision - You can see in dim light within 120 feet as if it were bright, and in darkness as if it were dim light. Like normal darkvision, you can't see in color, only shades of gray.
Spider Climb - You can climb difficult surfaces, even if entirely upside down, without needing to make an ability check.
Sunlight Sensitivity - You have Disadvantage on attack rolls or skill checks when you or your target of the roll are in direct sunlight.
Languages - You can speak Kraul, and can speak, read, and write Undercommon and Common. However, you must make a DC 5 Performance check the first time speaking Common to a new individual. Passing ensures they understand you, whilst failure ensures that your harsh clicks and chittering unnerve them and make your Common unable to be understood.
Subraces - Winged and Ground.
Winged Kraul - The elite of the Kraul, you have flying speed of 30 feet and may hover, but only if not wearing medium or heavy armor.
Ground Kraul - The stronger workers of the race, your Strength score increases by 1 (4 total for the race), and you count as one size larger when determining carrying capacity and the weight that you can push, drag, or lift.

Golgari Class Preferences:
Cleric/Life and Death Domains
Druid/Circle of Spores, Circle of the Land (forest, swamp, Underdark)
Fighter/Champion
Ranger/Beast Master (prefers insects and reptiles), Gloom Stalker
Rogue/Assassin, Thief
Warlock/Great Old One (Underdark Nephilim)
Wizard/School of Necromancy

Golgari Leadership:

Jarad Vod Savo, Dekarin Lichlord, current ruler of the Golgari Swarm
Ideal: "Death. There's wisdom to be gained in it, whether it be your own or someone else's."
Bond: "Faerun, with all its structures and institutions, will eventually rot away, and it will be time for the Golgari to bloom from the carcass."
Flaw: "I am beyond life and death and can't be harmed."
Stats - About what you'd expect from an undead Lichlord at a CR of 22.

Izoni Thousand-Eyes, Devkarin Matka
The spiritual leader of the Devkarin elves holds the position of matka. Izoni, a Golgari shaman, has recently risen to her position after the suspicious death of her predecessor, Zdenia. Izoni is known for her ability to control insects and spiders, and she is never encountered without the company of one or more swarms of insects crawling over and around her. When she walks, she appears to glide over the ground.

Vraska, the Unseen, Gorgon Assassin
Achingly attractive, even amongst other gorgons, she has narrow features and bright yellow eyes with a petrifying gaze. Like most of her race, she likes to collect trophies and her eyes shine a mirthful gold when she uses her power to turn her victims to stone. Unlike other gorgons, she occasionally leaves the Underdark and travels as incognito as possible, carrying out assassinations as a member of the Ochran mercenaries. In her travels, she has learned an important lesson, a creed by which to live her life. "A person should die the death they deserve." She began gathering followers in her quest to bring justice to those she felt deserved her retribution. Many died in her name, all deaths thematically linked to how they lived their lives. Even now, the shadows of the Northern Sword Coast are whispering her name...

Mazirek, Kraul Deathpriest
A large, dark green (almost black), Kraul, Mazirek's ambition and the encouragement by his friend, Vraska, brought the long-maligned Kraul to the fore as a force to be reckoned with in the Swarm. His arcane clicks and buzzing can summon crippling necromantic magic, and the mere presence of death seems to fortify him. He draws power from the demise of his enemies, and channels it to his allies, including using it raise The Erstwhile, a group of sentient Devkarin zombies, much to the chagrin of Jarad.

The Black Spider, Devkarin Mystery
LMAO, like I'm gonna tell you....

(Note 2 - Years of playing MtG made me want to add these to the Realms, and a quick internet search found stats and whatnot that go well with the Ravnica corebook where they weren't otherwise available. Fluff stuff is mostly mine, meshing what has been laid out in the book, Wiki articles, and on MtG cards with the Forgotten Realms setting, crunch is either official WotC material, or adapted from Kor-Artificer's phenomenal MtG to DnD conversions.)