Shambling Pileman (3.5e Race)

Author: Eiji-kun (talk) Date Created: 4-20-18 Status: Complete Editing: Clarity edits only please

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Shambling Pileman

A "lesser shambling mound" which is viable as a PC character.

Personality

The shambling pilemen are strange beings. Though they have been acclimated to the concept of society their thinking is inherently alien and their interactions with non-plant beings ultimately a sort of acting. They are typically reactive creatures, perfectly content with a lack of action or change until things come and impose upon them, or a storm brews and they grow active and aggressive in the presence of lightning. Due to this many shambling pilemen come off as slothful, and strangely aggressive in bad weather.

Physical Description

A shambling pileman is a tangled array of mossy vines, peat, fungi, and tar-like substance arranged in that of a hunchbacked humanoid creature, with no real facial features and the occasional spark of electricity rippling along their surface. They are not quite as big or stout as their shambling mound cousins, but smarter and more social, averaging about 6 ft tall with only a mere 4 foot girth, like a football player. Differences between male and female pilemen are difficult to impossible to determine, and its not quite certain pilemen have genders at all. From what can be determined shambling pilemen may reproduce by spores which leave seeds in bogs, swamps, and marsh-like terrain to grow into new shambling pilemen.

Relations

Many do not recognize shambling pilemen to be intelligent beings, and they inhabit places most other races shun. However swamp dwellers and some druids may be aware of them and they establish trade. The traditional shambling pileman culture is a semi-nomatic one which allows them to pick up and trade with many people in their pre-determined routes in their environment.

Alignment

Most shambling pilemen are true neutral.

Lands

Shambling pilemen are native to temperate marshes and other wet soggy environments, and environments prone to heavy storm activity.

Religion

Shambling pilemen typically reverse gods of nature, electricity, storms, and the cycle of death and rebirth.

Language

Shambling pilemen speak Common and Aquan. They are capable of speaking spore-based languages like Mycanoid naturally, though they must learn it themselves.

Names

Shambling pilemen have names which do not translate well, as it comes off little more than gurgles and bubbling noises. Most adopt nicknames when interacting with other beings.

Racial Traits

• +4 Strength, +2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence: Strong and durable but not terribly smart, the shambling pileman tries to engage with the civilized world.
• Plant: Shambling Pilemen are sentient piles of tar-like biomass and plants embedded within, forming a siphonophore that makes a complete whole. 
• Large: As a Large creature, a shambling pileman takes a -1 size penalty to Armor Class, a -1 size penalty on attack rolls, a +4 size bonus on special attack (bull rushes, grapples, overruns, and trips) checks, and a -4 size penalty on Hide checks, but it uses larger weapons than humans use, and its lifting and carrying limits are twice of those of a Medium character. They have a space and reach of 10 feet.
• Shambling Pileman base land speed is 20 feet. swim 20 ft 
• Darkvision: A shambling pileman can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and a shambling pileman can function just fine with no light at all.
• Low-Light Vision: A shambling pileman can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. She retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions. 
• Absorb Electricity (Ex): A shambling pileman is not only immune to electricity, but they partly absorb it. They gain 1/2 the damage they would have taken as temporary hp, up to a maximum of 2x their HD in temporary hp. This temporary hp vanishes after 10 minutes of not taking electrical damage. 
• Constrict (Ex): A shambler deals 2d8 points of damage plus 1-1/2 Strength modifier with a successful grapple check. 
• Feral Strike Slam (Ex): The shambling pileman gains a feral strike (slam) attack that deals 2d8 damage with 19-20/x2 critical. 
• Improved Grapple (Ex): The shambling pileman has Improved Grapple as a bonus feat, and counts as having Improved Unarmed Strike for the purpose of pre-requisites. 
• Marshwalk (Ex): The shambling pileman is never slowed by the presence of water, marsh, mud, or environments similar to swampland. 
• Racial Hit Dice: A shambling pileman begins with four levels of plant, which provide 3d8 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +2, and base saving throw bonuses of Fortitude +3, Reflex +1, and Will +1. 
• Racial Skills: A shambling pileman's plant levels give it skill points equal to 6 x (2 + Int modifier). Its class skills are Appraise, Climb, Craft, Diplomacy, Handle Animal, Heal, Intimidate, Knowledge (nature), Listen, Search, Spot, Survival, and Swim. 
• Racial Feats: A shambling pileman's plant hit dice give it two feats. 
• Resistances (Ex): The shambling pileman has Fire Resistance 10.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Aquan
• Bonus Languages: Auran, Goblin, Gnome, Mycanoid, Sylvan, Terran, Undercommon
• Favored Class: Ranger
• Level Adjustment: +0
• Effective Character Level: 3

Vital Statistics

Table: Shambling Pileman Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
4 years	+1d3	+1d4	+2d6

Table: Shambling Pileman Aging Effects

Middle Age1	Old2	Venerable3	Maximum Age
50 years	100 years	150 years	+5d10 years
At middle age, −1 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At old age, −2 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At venerable age, −3 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.

Table: Shambling Pileman Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	5' 10"	+1d12	150 lb.	× (1d6) lb.
Female	5' 10"	+1d12	150 lb.	× (1d6) lb.

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