Chiropteran

Chiropteran are bipedal humanoid bat creatures, who's hunched appearance comes off as deceiving. Chiropterans are creatures that reside in the underdark and survive off of feeding on smaller creatures than it. Chiropterans enjoy experimenting with necrotic energy and finding out new uses for it.

Culture and Necromancy

Much of chiropteran culture is unknown as their records were destroyed with the fall of the Demosthenes Empire in 156 A.D. (Ante Disrumpe). What little is known is that a clan/family is very important to the chiropterans. As once a chiropteran passes on their body is reanimated and put into the serveratue of the next head of that clan/family.

This constant exposure to necromancy and undeath have resulted in them having skewed views of life and death. To a chiropteran life is about striving forward towards one's own goal, while dying means servitude to used for the next generation.

Mortimer and the Cult of Demosthenes

The most notable of the Chiropteran is Mortimer Demosthenes, current leader and necromancer. Mortimer was given the title of "Lich" even though he is not an actual lich.

He created the Cult of Demosthenes, a cult of zealots that are devoted to creating a "clean war" or "Unholy Crusade". This ideology and near infinite supply of bodies made it so that Mortimer had at one time conquered
80 percent of the Underdark.

He was betrayed by one of his trusted advisers and died at the principle of his powers. He was later raised from his death 300 years later, and after finding out that only
30 percent of his original empire remained. There are rumors that he has started to rage war on the drow in his unholy crusade.

Chiropteran Names

Their speech patterns contain many clicking and shrieking sounds. These sounds are in a very high octave that some consider unpleasant. However, they are very fond of traditional names.

Male Names: Amadeus, Aurelian, Cadwallader, Dryden,

Ignatius, Lazarus, Octavius, Taliesin, Vane, Xenophon

Female Names: Adamantine, Celestia, Esmeralda, Isoline,

Medea, Minerva, Morrigan, Pandora, Vesperina

Chiropteran Traits

As a chiropteran character you gain the following traits.

  • Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases
    by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.

  • Age. Chiropteran have very short life-spans, they reach adulthood at the age of 10 years and can live up to 40.

  • Alignment. Chiropteran generally are neutral, but have been known to be chaotic.

  • Size. Chiropteran are hunched and lanky only standing up to 5 feet on the high side and weighing an average of 90 lbs. Your size is Medium.

  • Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

  • Bite. Your fanged maw is a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier instead of bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

  • 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.

  • Echo Location. You gain proficiency in Perception. Additionally, you have advantage on perception checks made using sound.

  • Embrace of Undeath. Your body has built up a natural resistance to necrotic magic having been continuously exposed to necromancy and undeath. You have resistance against necrotic damage.

  • Hand Wing. You have two thin layers of skin stretched over the bat's arm and fingers that you can use as wings to slow your fall or allow you to glide. When you fall and aren't incapacitated, you can subtract up to 100 feet from the fall when calculating falling damage, and you can move up to 2 feet horizontally for every 1 foot you descend.

  • Life Leech. In battle, you can feed off of a creature's life. As a bonus action, you can make a special attack with your bite. If the attack hits, it deals its normal damage, and you gain temporary hit points (minimum of 1) equal to your level + your Constitution modifier. You can't use this trait again until you finish a short or long rest.

  • Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the chiropteran has disadvantage on Attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.

  • Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Undercommon.