Kir-lanan

Kir-lanan are a race of gargoyle-like humanoids originally from some other world who were stranded in the Forgotten Realms by some side effect of the Time of Troubles. Because of this, they are super pissed off at the gods of Toril, and seek to destroy them... unfortunately, their plan for doing so consists of starving the gods to death by eradicating all of their worshippers, which will basically requires the total genocide of every sapient race on Toril.

Yeah, seriously, WotC went there. They first appeared in the 3rd edition update to the Forgotten Realms, and were right there in the original 3.0 campaign setting splatbook. They were subsequently fleshed out further in Races of Faerun.

Much like a gargoyle, a kir-lanan appears as a muscular humanoid - averaging 6ft (1.8m) tall and weighing roughly 220 lbs (99.7 kg) - with bat-like wings, fang-like teeth, clawed fingers and toes, and short horns cresting their temples. Their bodies are covered in fine scales, generally varying in hue from midnight blue, through deep violet, to black, although they can sometimes be found with skin colors of brown, gray, green, or even dark red. Their sense of modesty is different to humans; kir-lanan attire consists of tightly wound strips of cloth (adorned with ornaments of ivory, metal and stone) that expose large portions of the skin.

Little is known about the kir-lanan by the other races of Faerun - they typically only interact with "godspawn" by attempting to rip their heads off - and this has led to wild speculation and rumor about the race. Many believe they originate from some world with strong ties to the Negative Energy Plane, but according to "Races of Faerun", they were actually created by the slaying of the Dead Three - Bhaal, Bane and Myrkul during the Time of Troubles; some of the destructively-aspected remnants of their divine energy pooled together in some deep, underground cavern, and several hundred kir-lanan of both sexes sprang into being. They were fully formed and fully aware of everything about the world - including the fact that they are cursed.

See, normal humanoids have a tiny spark of Positive Energy inside of them; that's what makes a soul. But kir-lanans have a spark of Negative Energy instead. It means that they are fundamentally incompatible with divine magic, which is rooted in positive energy, and when they die, they don't get an afterlife; they simply cease to exist. The kir-lanan are really pissed off about this fact, and have decided that if they've got to suffer like this, then they're going to make the gods suffer too for letting them come into existence this way. Bitterness and self-loathing defines the kir-lanan mentality, and they exist only to spread their misery to others.

Kir-lanans are born in secluded rookeries and raised by all the adult kirlanans who call the place home. They come into the world only three months after conception, and they are fully grown within a matter of only one year. During this painfully short childhood, these new kirlanans are indoctrinated in the hatred that their elders hold for the gods. By the time these new adults are ready to stretch their wings, they bear as much hatred toward the deities who have damned them as any other kir-lanan.

Some rare kir-lanans do not spend their days slaughtering the followers of the gods. Instead, they observe the actions of the people of Faerûn from a distance, hoping to learn their strengths and weaknesses. They then bring this newfound knowledge back to their people so that the kirlanans can figure out a better way to murder people more efficiently.

Life as a kir-lanan is relentlessly harsh. They exist only to kill, to breed, and to learn how to become better at killing. Both male and females are treated equally in kir-lanan society. This is a meritocracy. The strongest rule, no matter who they are. Most kir-lanans wander about the world in wings of two to five creatures. These wings rarely have a stable roster, with kirlanans joining and leaving as the mood suits them. The leaders of these wings are chosen by combat, and those who are not the leaders constantly jockey to be in the right position to challenge the leader the moment she leaves herself vulnerable. Wings of kir-lanans mount their operations out of breeding grounds known as rookeries. At certain times of the year—based on a schedule of which only the kir-lanans are aware—individual members of a wing leave their fellows and travel back to their rookeries to breed.

Other than the members of these wings, there are two others positions in kir-lanan culture: the valrak and the kivar. Both of these vocations stand outside the traditional structure of the wing, allowing the valraks and kivars to avoid the normal rivalry for leadership that causes so many of the wings to waste time and energy on internal struggles. The attention of the kir-lanans would be better spent on taking the battle to the believers, and it’s the duty of the valraks and kivars to help direct this.

The word “valrak” means “eye” in the guttural kir-lanan tongue. These creatures travel around Faerûn individually, watching the native peoples and learning everything they can about them and their rich and complex history. By doing this, the valraks free up the others to cause as much destruction as they can, while the valraks scout out new victims and locations. “Kivar,” on the other hand, means “voice.” The kivars are a combination of morale officers and strategic planners for the kirlanans. Although they spend most of their time in the field, exhorting the wings to attempt greater and more terrible acts of destruction, when back at the rookery the kivars gather to absorb and discuss the information gathered by the valraks. They use this to guide the kir-lanan campaign against the gods. Kivars also are the ones who negotiate temporary alliances with other groups of people who are less devout in their worship of the gods. Of course, once these allies have served their purposes, they are to be murdered as well, but the kivars are willing to let them serve their purpose for a time.

New kir-lanans are born in these rookeries and raised by the kivars. Once they are one year or so in age, they are released into the wild and sent to join up with a new wing or to reinforce an old one. No one knows what happens to kir-lanans as they get older. The eldest ones are only 15 years old, and many of those who were part of the race’s creation have been killed off by either their intended victims or in leadership challenges.

Kir-lanans have no special racial spells of their own. As spellcasters, kir-lanans can only manipulate arcane—never divine—magic. They prefer spells that destroy and corrupt the soul, particularly necromantic spells. As creatures of negative energy, they have an affinity for death magic. It goes without saying, but kir-lanans have no deities, although some kivars advocate striking a temporary alliance with worshipers of Shar. They appreciate this god’s desire to wage war on the other gods, so they feel that they could work together for as long as their interests coincide. Once the other gods are gone, though, Shar is sure to be the next target on the kir-lanans’ list. Kir-lanans hate all the gods and the people who worship them. They have some tolerance for those who simply pay lip service to the gods, but in the end the kir-lanans want to murder these people too. People who renounce the gods entirely might be able to work with the kir-lanans without fear of betrayal, but by doing so they put their souls in mortal peril.

Kir-lanans want to kill everyone. They don’t particularly target one race over another. However, the more pious a person is, the more likely it is that he may feel the kir-lanans’ wrath. Piety is measured by a character’s observations of religious rites and zeal in his deity’s service, not his alignment. The valraks take this into account when they report their observations and suggest possible victims for kir-lanan wing raids. In cases in which the valraks report a particularly important target, the kivars can sometimes coordinate a multi-wing attack, bringing dozens of kir-lanans to bear on the problem at once.

PC Stats

+4 Strength, +2 Dexterity, –2 Wisdom. Strong and fast, kirlanans don’t bother much with keeping in touch with the world around them. They usually prefer the direct approach to most problems.

Medium-size: As Medium-size creatures, kir-lanans have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.

Kir-lanan land speed is 30 feet. Their fly speed is 90 feet, with good maneuverability.

Darkvision 60 feet.

+3 natural armor.

+4 racial bonus on Hide checks.

Proficient with all simple weapons and light armor.

Monstrous Humanoid Hit Dice: A kir-lanan has 4d8 racial Hit Dice. A kir-lanan character receives the maximum hit points for her first monstrous humanoid Hit Die and rolls her other monstrous humanoid Hit Dice normally. She rolls all Hit Dice from class levels and does not automatically get maximum hit points on her first class-level Hit Die. A kir-lanan’s racial Hit Dice also provide a +4 base attack bonus and saving throws of Fort +1, Ref +4, and Will +4. Kir-lanans with class levels add their class attack bonus and saves to their racial attack bonus and saving throws.

Monstrous Humanoid Skills: A kir-lanan’s monstrous humanoid Hit Dice grant her skill points equal to (2 + Int modifier, minimum 1) ×7. Class skills for these skill points are Escape Artist, Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Spot, and Use Magic Device. A kir-lanan does not get the ×4 multiplier for skill points acquired from her first class level.

Monstrous Humanoid Feats: A kir-lanan’s monstrous humanoid Hit Dice grant her 2 feats. A typical kir-lanan chooses Flyby Attack and Weapon Focus (claw). A kir-lanan with class levels gains feats based on her total Hit Dice.

Natural Attacks: A kir-lanan can attack with 2 claws, dealing 1d4 points of damage each. A kir-lanan can attack with a onehanded weapon at her normal attack bonus and make a claw attack as a secondary attack (–5 penalty on the attack roll, and half Strength bonus on the damage roll).

Negative Energy Touch (Su): Three times per day, a kir-lanan can use a touch attack similar to the chill touch spell. If she hits with a melee touch attack, she deals 2d6 points of damage and 1 point of temporary Strength damage. A Fortitude save (DC 12 + Cha modifier) negates the Strength damage. The kir-lanan heals the same number of points of damage as she deals with this attack, although she cannot exceed her normal maximum hit points. The kir-lanan can use this power in conjunction with a claw attack, but she must hit with a melee attack to do so. She does not regain hit points for the claw damage she deals.

Ray of Enfeeblement (Sp): Three times per day, a kir-lanan can use ray of enfeeblement as if the spell had been cast by a 4th-level sorcerer.

Rebuke Undead (Su): A kir-lanan can rebuke or command undead three times per day as an evil cleric with as many levels as the kir-lanan has Hit Dice.

Harmed by Positive Energy: A kir-lanan suffers damage from cure wounds spells, holy water, and blessed weapons just as if she were undead. Conversely, she is healed by inflict wounds spells and other applications of negative energy. Kir-lanans are not undead, but their bodies are infused with negative energy. They cannot be turned, but they are uncomfortable around such displays and usually seek to avoid a turning cleric anyhow.

Soulless: Kir-lanans cannot become clerics, druids, or paladins, and they cannot use positive energy of any kind. They cannot ever use divine magic. They may become rangers, but they never gain that class’s spellcasting abilities. A kir-lanan bard, however, can learn inflict wounds spells instead of cure wounds spells. Since kir-lanan don’t have souls, they can only be brought back from the dead with a wish or miracle spell, just like an outsider.

Automatic Languages: Kir-Lanan, Common. Bonus Languages: By region.

Favored Class: Fighter.

Level Adjustment: +4. Due to her 4 racial Hit Dice and her supernatural and spell-like abilities, a kir-lanan has an effective character level of 8 plus her class levels. Thus, a 7th-level kir-lanan fighter would have an ECL of 15.