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Kaldan (3.5e Race)


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Author: Eiji-kun (talk)
Date Created: 9-9-17
Status: Complete
Editing: Clarity edits only please
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Kaldan

Beholders as a species are a varied bunch whose only common feature among them is being roughly spherical heads with eyestalks. However they are all monstrous, huge, and insane, which is why the presence of Kaldans amongst their ranks is questionable at best. Kaldans, technically a type of beholder, appears nothing of the sort as they appear to be floating humanoid heads with short squid-like tendrils drifting just below where their neck is. And unlike beholders, they seem to retain some sense amongst them.

Personality

Kaldans are curiously, perhaps suspiciously, normal. They speak, act, and work as you expect a humanoid creature of their kind to work like. The lack of a body, and the fact that their heads are a bit larger than the creature they imitate, may throw some people off but they seem to have no social issues inherent to their species. Some suspect that rather than being based on beholders they are some variant of the same curse that creatures vargouilles, but this doesn't seem to work on how they reproduce.

Because they lack normal limbs Kaldans may feel somewhat handicapped in normal humanoid societies. On the other hand their eventual flight grants them a more 3D oriented existance.

Physical Description

Kaldans are slightly larger than normal floating heads which seem to imitate common humanoid races, generally humans. Their neck is replaced with short stubby squid-like tendrils with gaseous vents. On occation minor scaling can be seen around the eyebrows ears and jaws, and their teeth have pronounced canines. They tend to be rounder, pudgier, and larger than a normal head of their imitated species with slightly larger eyes than normal.

This species seem to naturally levitate in the air in a way similar to beholders. They lack the beholder's eyestalks, though this may be the source of their neck tendrils, and have very minor eye-based powers with their two existing eyes. They manipulate the environment with a constant low-level telekinesis.

Like beholders, kaldans seem to reproduce via budding which occurs using the tendrils under the neck. A special leathery sack grows and eventually falls off, forming a tough bag-like egg which will eventually hatch a new instance of a kaldan.

Relations

Because of their uncanny appearance, kaldans have difficulty not being seen as monsters to other races. Humanoids in particular find them horrifying as they look so similar yet are clearly wrong. For this reason, kaldans often find rural places to hide or become very clever at hiding what they are, such as hiding while riding atop an empty suit of armor or other tricks.

Beholders absolutely hate kaldans and will attack on sight. Kaldans show no love back.

Alignment

Kaldans are capable of being any alignment.

Lands

Kaldans were first found in the dungeon of a mad wizard, but seem to have appeared in other places in the world. They may have risen from the underdark, but now can be found in any obscure portion of the world.

Religion

Kaldans do not speak of any unifying religion, but those who are clever may realize this is a lie. For kaldans who were born in the underdark and rose to the surface, they seem to have an unusual knowledge of the beholder god Gzemnid, god of gases, fogs, obscurement, and deception. They have yet to confirm if they once or still worship this god or what connection they have to this aberrant deity.

Language

Kaldans speak Common and Undercommon.

Names

Kaldans obtain names suitable for the species they imitate.

Racial Traits

  • -2 Strength, One of: +2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom, or +2 Charisma: Lacking a body does not allow much for strength, but being all head does give options for mental advancement.
  • Aberration: Kaldans are certainly unnatural, be they created or forged from alien means. 
  • Small: As a Small creature, a kaldan gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a –4 size penalty on special attack (bull rushes, grapples, overruns, and trips) checks, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but it uses smaller weapons than humans use, and its lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a Medium character.
  • Kaldan base land speed is 5 feet. They have a hover speed of 30 ft (perfect), and eventually gain flight. 
  • Darkvision: A kaldan can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and a kaldan can function just fine with no light at all. 
  • Eye Rays (Sp): Choose a 1st level spell from the cleric, druid, or sorcerer/wizard spell list. You may use this as a spell-like ability 3/day. Unlike normal spell-like abilities, you still must pay any expensive material components and XP cost. You can change the spell known each time you level. You can choose from 2nd level spells at 4th, 3rd level spells at 8th, 4th level spells at 12th, 5th level spells at 16th, and 6th level spells at 20th. 
  • Flight (Ex): A kaldan is naturally buoyant. It has a hover speed of 30 ft (perfect). At 6 HD, it gains a fly speed of 30 ft (average), which rises to good maneuverability at 9 HD and perfect maneuverability at 12 HD. 
  • Minor Telekinesis (Su): Kaldans have a constant minor telekinesis, effectively always having two mage hands as a constant effect using no more control than moving one's hands normally. The mage hands uses your strength score for the purpose of moving objects and can wield weapons, but only out to your normal reach. This counts as the spell, can effects which interact with mage hand function on this ability. 
  • Monstrous Bodies (Ex): Kaldans have armor built for unusually shaped creatures, but only at 120% cost instead of 200% cost. They have the face, head, arms and four rings (on their tendrils), body, and throat body slots, but lack feet, gloves, torso, and waist body slots. Their tendrils can act as a hand able to carry objects but not wield them. Combined with their minor telekinesis, this grants them three effective hands. 
  • Slight Build (Ex): Kaldans start with the slight build feat.
  • Automatic Languages: Common, Undercommon
  • Bonus Languages: Any (but not secret languages)
  • Favored Class: Any
  • Level Adjustment: +0
  • Effective Character Level: 1

Vital Statistics

Table: Kaldan Random Starting Ages
Adulthood Simple Moderate Complex
13 years +1d4 +1d6 +2d6
Table: Kaldan Aging Effects
Middle Age1 Old2 Venerable3 Maximum Age
40 years 60 years 80 years +2d10 years
  1. At middle age, −1 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.
  2. At old age, −2 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.
  3. At venerable age, −3 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.
Table: Kaldan Random Height and Weight
Gender Base Height Height Modifier Base Weight Weight Modifier
Male 2' 0" +1d8 12 lbs lb. × (x1) lb.
Female 2' 0" +1d8 12 lbs lb. × (x1) lb.



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