Desmodu
 This article is a stub. You can help 1d4chan by expanding it |
The Desmodu are a playable race of large, Yeti-like creatures, but with batlike faces. They commonly train large bats as attack animals, and even larger bats as mounts. They appeared in the Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 Monster Manual II and were reprinted in Savage Species. In both printings, they were given an NPC stat block and a level adjustment, meaning that they were not playable as written but could easily be converted into a playable race.
Desmodu have a lot of contradictory lore; some sources paint them as friendly giant bat dudes while others paint them as fully evil, one source claims that desmodu have no clerics while another source had a desmodu cleric NPC, that sort of thing
Fifth Edition[edit | edit source]
Obviously there's no official mention of the Desmodu in any 5e material, but there's a pretty good 5e version of them as a player race in the "{WH} Batfolk!" PDF on the Dungeon Master's Guild website, which also includes a 5e version of the Nycter as a playable race.
It fleshes out their lore much more than what they got in official material, depicting them and the nycter as the remnants of a mighty evil empire that worshipped an entity now only known as "The Unnamed One" before it got destroyed the Drow in a great war. Nycter legend paints the desmodu as horrifying creations of dark magic that their warlocks created to keep the empire safe, which the desmodu obviously disagree with, instead claiming that they had original stewardship over the empire, and took the nycter under their metaphorical wings to defend them against the dangers of the Underdark.
With the fall of the empire, the desmodu learned a vital lesson: never tolerate weakness, in themselves or others. Their scattered settlements preached a gospel of strength, and began worshipping the god Vesperian, a god of caves, bats, and protection who the desmodu believe created them. Most desmodu consider themselves charged with keeping the world free from those who would endanger their people. The drow are chief among those the desmodu consider enemies, but the desmodu also keep a wary eye on other Underdark threats, occasional invaders from the Elemental Plane of Fire, and sometimes especially suspicious surface dwellers.
Some Desmodu still hold themselves to the Unnamed One though, preaching that Vesperian and their old empire's dark god are one and the same. Officially, desmodu society shuns these cults of the Unnamed One, but some desmodu settlements are run by these cults in all but name. These cults often try to capture and sacrifice hapless mortals, ritualistically drinking their blood before burning their flesh to ashes in honor of their patron.
In terms of being a playable race, they get
Darkvision out to 60 feet
Fangs as a 1d6 natural weapon, creatures hit by it can't regain hp. There's also a racial feat that increases the damage to 1d8 and lets you gain temp hp 1/SR when you bite someone.
Feral Running: When your hands are unoccupied you can go down on all fours, increasing movement speed by 5 feet.
Gliding: A flying speed of 60 feet, but you can't fly upwards with this speed and have to end your turn at least 5 feet lower than you were when you started gliding.
Sonic Burst: 1/Short rest 15 foot cone breath weapon that deals thunder damage. It deals bonus damage to objects and until the end of your turn you can see everything in the area you used it on as if you had blindsight due to your echolocation. There's also a racial feat that increases the damage and lets you push creatures that fail the saving throw away from you.
Speak With Bats: You can communicate simple ideas with bats and understand their responses.