VRIL

Vril are the product of dark elf wizards' experiments over many generations. These goblinoids are imbued with innate sonic ability and can alter the consistency of their own flesh.

Most vril are brutally trained as warriors by the drow to weed out the weakest specimens. Vril were created as shock troops and defenders of drow cities. From their masters they have acquired an inherent sense of devious tactics and dirty fighting.

The drow treat vril little better than animals, yet generations of specialized breeding have produced unquestioned loyalty. Vril fear and obey the drow instinctively. They serve as shock troops and city defenders, and they are the only slave race allowed to formally train for combat. Vril are usually quartered in warrens and barracks separate from the other drow thralls, though their living conditions are no better. Although they might grumble about their lot in life, rarely do they think to do something about it.

Vril share few traits with their goblin kin. The drow wizards who created them sought to expunge many of the race's characteristic weaknesses. Like their cousins, they are malicious little creatures, but while goblins are cowardly and undisciplined, vril are bold, daring, and organized. Generations of mistreatment at the hands of the drow have also built up a fiercely stubborn resolve. The race now breeds true, but attempts to cross vril with other goblinoid races produce only stillborn offspring, perhaps as a result of deliberate design. Vril view ordinary goblins as inferior but have a cautious respect for larger humanoids such as humans, orcs, half-orcs, and hobgoblins. They avoid bugbears, which dislike the strange little creatures.

Most vril are warriors or barbarians that serve in the armies of the drow. Vril are usually agnostic, since the drow crush any religious inclination and do not permit them to venerate Lolth. Thus, clerics are rare. Vril clerics sometimes worship Maglubiyet in secret, but adepts are more common. Clerics of Maglubiyet have access to two of the following domains: Chaos, Evil, and Trickery.

Some exceptional individuals have managed to throw off the yoke of servitude and escape their drow masters. Small, hidden communities of free vril exist throughout the Underdark, and they include members of various character classes. Clerics are more common in these settlements, and Maglubiyet is worshiped openly.

VRIL RACIAL TRAITS

  • +2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma.

  • Humanoid (goblinoid) type.

  • Small size: +1 bonus to Armor Class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks, -4 penalty on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits those of Medium characters.

  • A vril's base land speed is 30 feet.

  • Darkvision out to 60 feet.

  • Resistance to sonic 5.

  • Light Blindness (Ex): Sudden exposure to bright light (such as sunlight or a daylight spell) blinds vril for 1 round. In addition, they take a -1 circumstance penalty on attack rolls, saves, and checks when in bright light.

  • Vulnerability to Poison (Ex): As a defense measure, the drow bred the vril to be particularly susceptible to drow sleep poison and spiderkind venom. They take a -4 penalty on saves against drow and spiderkind poison.

  • Shriek (Ex): Once per day as a standard action, a vril can emit a horrible shriek, either as a 15-foot-radius burst centered on itself or as a 30-foot cone. Any creature in the affected area takes 1d6 points of sonic damage. A successful Reflex save (DC 10 + 1/2 the vril's character level + the vril's Con modifier) reduces the damage by half. A vril barbarian can use its shriek when raging.

    The shriek's damage increases by 1d6 at 3rd level and every three levels thereafter (2d6 at 6th, 3d6 at 9th, and so on), up to a maximum of 4d6 points of sonic damage at 12th level.

  • Skinshift (Ex): Once per day as a move action, a vril can alter the consistency of its flesh for a number of rounds equal to 3 + its Con modifier. For the duration of the effect, it gains damage reduction 5 against its choice of bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage.

    Starting at 4th level and every four levels thereafter, a vril can use this ability one extra time per day (2/day at 4th, 3/day at 8th, 4/day at 12th, and so on).

  • +4 racial bonus on Climb checks.

  • +2 racial bonus on Balance and Jump checks.

  • Automatic Languages: Goblin, Undercommon. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Gnome, Orc.

  • Favored Class: Barbarian.