Races: Monsters of the Underdark

This document provides racial traits for four monstrous player races native to the Underdark—the grimlock, the kuo-toa, the quaggoth, and the troglodyte. Refer to their entries in the Monster Manual for more information on the cultures and habits of these creatures.

These races are suitable for campaigns set primarily in the Underdark, such as the Out of the Abyss adventure, and may not be suitable for campaigns set elsewhere. Consult with your DM before creating a monstrous player character.

Grimlock Traits

Your grimlock character has the following racial traits.

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

Age. Grimlocks have lifespans equivalent to humans.

Alignment. Grimlocks are self-serving creatures that do whatever they must to survive in the Underdark, and are usually neutral evil.

Size. Grimlocks are shorter and stouter than humans, standing about 5 feet tall and weighing around 180 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Blindsight. Accustomed to life in a completely lightless realm, you can perceive your surroundings without relying on sight. You have blindsight out to a range of 30 feet. If you are deafened or cannot smell, the range of your blindsight decreases to 15 feet. You can't use your blindsight if you are both deafened and unable to smell.

Blinded Perception. Grimlocks don't have eyes, navigating entirely via blindsight. You are proficient in the Investigation and Perception skills, but you automatically fail any ability check that relies on sight.

Stone Camouflage. You have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in rocky terrain.

Blindness Immunity. You are immune to the blinded condition.

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

Kuo-Toa Traits

Your kuo-toa character has the following racial traits.

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

Age. Kuo-toa mature quickly, reaching adulthood at age 10, and can live to be 80 years old.

Alignment. The racial madness that affects kuo-toa makes them devoid of compassion or sympathy for others. They tend towards neutral evil as a result.

Size. Kuo-toa are between 4 and 5 feet tall and weigh between 120 and 180 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a swim speed of 30 feet.

Superior Darkvision. Accustomed to life in the Underdark, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't see color in darkness, only shades of grey.

Amphibious. You can breathe both air and water.

Sunlight Sensitivity. You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks whenever you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.

Otherworldly Perception. You can use a bonus action to attune your senses to stimuli other creatures cannot perceive. When you do so, you can sense the presence of creatures within 30 feet of you that are invisible or on the Ethereal Plane. As normal, you can't interact with creatures on the Ethereal Plane, and attacks you and your allies make against invisible creatures still have disadvantage. This effect lasts for 1 minute or until you lose concentration on it (as if concentrating on a spell), after which you must finish a short or long rest before you can use this feature again.

Slippery. While you're not wearing armor, you have advantage on all ability checks and saving throws made to escape being grappled or restrained. You can be wielding a shield and still gain this benefit.

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

Quaggoth Traits

Your quaggoth character has the following racial traits.

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

Age. Quaggoths grow to adulthood at age 5 and can live for up to 50 years.

Alignment. Quaggoths are primarily concerned with preserving their personal freedom and safety, and have little regard for the morals or traditions of other races. They are most often chaotic neutral.

Size. Quaggoths are 6 to 7 feet tall and weigh between 250 and 400 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Superior Darkvision. Accustomed to life underground, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't see color in darkness, only shades of grey.

Poison Resistance. You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you are resistant to poison damage.

Wounded Fury. Quaggoths enter a vicious frenzy when injured, allowing them to fight for their lives. When you take damage while at or below half your maximum hit points, you can use your reaction to enter this frenzy. While frenzied, you gain a bonus to weapon attack and damage rolls equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1). This frenzy lasts for 1 minute, after which you must finish a long rest before you can enter it again.

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

Troglodyte Traits

Your troglodyte character has the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1, and your Constitution score increases by 2.

Age. Troglodytes grow to adulthood 3 years after hatching and usually live to be about 40.

Alignment. Troglodytes are concerned only with their own survival, and will do whatever they must to ensure it. They are usually chaotic evil.

Size. Troglodytes stand 5 to 6 feet tall and weigh about 180 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision. Accustomed to life underground, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. 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 see color in darkness, only shades of grey.

Color-changing Hide. You gain proficiency in the Stealth skill.

Sunlight Sensitivity. You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks whenever you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.

Stench. When angry or frightened, troglodytes release a foul odor that drives away predators. When you take damage, you can use your reaction to emit this stench. Any creature within 5 feet of you must make a Constitution saving throw, the DC for which equals 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus, or be poisoned until the start of your next turn.

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

Height and Weight

You may roll for your character's height and weight on the Random Height and Weight table. The roll in the Height Modifier column adds a number (in inches) to the character's base height. To get a weight, multiply the number you rolled for height by the roll in the Weight Modifier column and add the result (in pounds) to the base weight.

Random Height and Weight
Race Base Height Base Weight Height Modifier Weight Modifier
Grimlock 4'6" 110 lb. +2d6 x (2d6) lb.
Kuo-toa 4' 130 lb. +2d4 x (2d6) lb.
Quaggoth 5'2" 200 lb. +2d12 x (2d6) lb.
Troglodyte 4'9" 125 lb. +2d8 x (2d4) lb.

Detect Balance Scores

The following tables show the Detect Balance scores of these four monstrous races, as calculated to the best of my ability. These scores are highly subjective, and may not encapsulate the power levels of these races to a perfect degree of accuracy.

The Detect Balance guide was created by Eleazzaar, and can be found here.

Grimlock
Race Feature Point Value
+2 STR/+1 DEX 12
30-ft. blindsight 8
Investigation proficiency 8
Perception proficiency 2
Stone Camouflage 2
Blindness immunity 1
Fail all sight-based checks -8
Total 25
Kuo-Toa
Race Feature Point Value
+2 WIS/+1 DEX 12
Otherworldly Perception 6
Slippery 4
Superior Darkvision 4
30-ft. swim speed 2
Amphibious 2
Sunlight Sensitivity -3
Total 27
Quaggoth
Race Feature Point Value
+2 STR/+1 WIS 12
Poison Resistance 5
Superior Darkvision 4
Wounded Fury 4
Total 25
Troglodyte
Race Feature Point Value
+2 CON/+1 STR 12
Stench 4
Darkvision 3
Stealth proficiency 2
Additional language 1
Sunlight Sensitivity -3
Total 19
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