Zhi'thal (5e Race)

Work In Progress

Zhi'thal

“	The slimy things they are can clean the earth of what might come. In a sense, they are better than vultures. Quieter, for sure. However, they stink, if I must say anything. But they are more afraid of you and I, often, than you might be on a glance.	”
—Drafgun Jintailor, groundskeeper of the Rethundel Graveyard

Physical Description

By Yanied

The zhi'thal appear to be humanoids in a very vague sense. Their bodies are almost nebulous in shape and are dark colors of black, green, and sometimes a rare blue or very dull yellow. These bodies of theirs are extremely shiny and slippery due to a thick coating of slime they secrete constantly. This slime is also very pungent and usually smells of corpses. The smell intensifies when a zhi'thal feels threatened. A zhi'thal has no neck. Their heads have two small bumps that are both eyes and also taste and smell receptors. Under and between is their mouth, which is circular and conceals a series of serrated teeth that they use to eat food by shredding. Zhi'thal limbs can be hard to make out if not extended. They have gloopy arms and legs that are thick and stumpy, with three fingers per hand and three toes per foot. Their arms and legs do not have wrists or ankles. The softness of their bodies would make one think they lack bones and are like slimes. However, internal examination has revealed that they do actually have structure and organs. It analogous to cartilage cushioning gummies.

History

It is believed that zhi'thal largely originate from the Underdark. Supposedly, they descend from some slime-adjacent creature that fed blindly on detritus in the darkness. These ancestors were exposed to various spores from the fungal creatures in the Underdark and fled towards the surface to escape extinction from resulting disease. Many of these ancestral creatures died on the way, and also in contact with the upper world's unfamiliar environment. The resulting survivors evolved enough to survive and become the zhi'thal as we know them today. It is believed that zhi'thal achieved this survival by consuming various new materials of the upper world to change their bodies and adapt to their new environment over the course of many centuries.

The Gooey Horde

Having come to the surface, the zhi'thal are largely reclusive to their own areas and groups, known as hordes. While some are and do eventually venture out to explore the upper world, zhi'thal have a strong collective memory of the harshness of this upper world and how it is not their original home environment. As such, zhi'thal verge on being paranoid and worrisome creatures. A small niche of them do also occupy the other end of the spectrum, having curiosity about every new thing they encounter. Zhi'thal are also highly communal creatures, which further anchors them to their hordes. These hordes tend to be moist and damp environments where large numbers of zhi'thal can gather and sort of collect into one huge blob. Each zhi'thal remains an individual, but they simply seem to like gathering like this for safety when it comes time to sleep or a threat comes.

Biology

Zhi'thal are hermaphrodites, possessing both gonads for female and male within their race. They inherited the appetite from their ancestors for detritus, classifying them as detritivores. However, they are perfectly able to consume normal foods as well. The bodies of zhi'thal are highly squishy due to the thick amount of bouncy goo that surrounds their vitals. This goo covers even their entire head, keeping all their features from drying by locking in moisture. As a result, zhi'thal are averse to dry environments and wouldn't dare venture to places like deserts, where the sun and heat would dry and kill them. Zhi'thal bodies are unique in that they can taste and smell with the entirety of their body. So, touching something will let them know how it smells or tastes without needing to eat it.

Zhi'thal Names

These enigmatic creatures have a nonverbal "language" of their own that uses recognition through "tasting" one another's bodies and scents, identifying themselves that way. They do not have actual spoken names. The use of verbal languages and tongues like Common are only known by zhi'thal that have ventured out and adopted these practices. Their mastery of the the practice of naming is not innate and the whole thing is a bit odd to them that people need spoken and written names. As a result, the names they adopt for themselves may sound very strange. They range from sounding like gibberish, word salad, or even just ridiculous convolutions. Zhi'thal also have no concept of genders.

Zhi'thal Names: Greeby Nalamalana, Bladder Gutterborn, Verdant Chicken Fire Bird Grind

Zhi'thal Traits

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1 and one other score of your choice increase by 2.
Age. Zhi'thal are known to have immensely long lives. Scholars attribute this to the thick coatings of slime they produce, which has anti-aging properties and covers their entire body.
Alignment. Zhi'thal tend towards neutrality, preferring to learn from their surroundings over influencing it.
Size. The Zhi'thal are a fleshy, slug-like creature roughly the size of a house cat. Your size is Tiny.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 15 feet. Additionally, you have a swimming and climbing speed of 15 feet.
Tremorsense. You have tremorsense to a range of 30 feet.
Facade. You may cast Disguise Self at will with a duration of 2 hours. You may use this trait once before needing to take a Long Rest.
Ancient Knowledge. You gain proficiency in History, if you already have proficiency, gain expertise instead. Additionally, gain proficiency in Deception, Persuasion, or Medicine.
Host Body. Zhi'thal can resurrect recently deceased humanoids as hosts by burrowing into the chest cavity and entering a cocoon-like state. While controlling a host, replace your, move speed, languages, and proficiencies with the host's. Upon the host body being reduced to 0 hit points, you may choose to abandon your host body instead of going unconscious and making death saves. While in your larval form, your hit point maximum equals 4 plus your character level and you gain the ability to reform your most recent host body over the course of 24 hours, after which point the host emerges from a fleshy cocoon with none of your previous equipment. Additionally, upon taking on a host body, you gain all of the knowledge the person had during their life, but lose your cumulative knowledge until you revert to your larval form.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write any languages spoken by your host body.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
′ ''	+	lb.	× () lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

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