Noxcaleos
For basic gameplay information needed to play as a Noxcaleos character, check out the Noxcaleos racial statblock.Noxcaleos are a mysterious yet curious inventors from the depths of Primoria’s Grand Ocean. They are easily recognized by their glossy, deep blue skin, fleshy, semi-prehensile sensory protrusions from their heads resembling hair, glowing white eyes, adapted for the darkness deep below, and palms made of four wire-like fingers used as much for basic hand-based manipulation as delivering electricity. Not to mention, their octopus-like mindset, instinctively exploring and tinkering with their surroundings and their interest in company, if any, being bound in that mindset.
Wanderers of the Deep Below
Descendant from fish-like sea slugs, Noxcaleos possess soft skin in need of protection, at first compensated by their innate electric powers and hard shells collected from their prey, and later evolved into them forging powerful metal and fiber armors far more advanced than the gear crafted by the surface dwellers. They tend to be nomads and scavengers, travelling in small groups and being ready to take on any challenge, making them almost ideal for a lifestyle of an adventurer. Though Noxcaleos cities do exist, they are rare and more resemble giant floating facilities than actual stationary settlements and go by the name Lunnavi, where Noxcaleos gather and disperse to compare their new inventions and to start new generations as these grand, mobile beacons of civilization pass their area in their constant voyage.Strangers to the World Above
Though descendant from abyssal waters, Noxcaleos are capable of function in the air even without special equipment, be it for a limited time and when it's dark and/or cloudy. They can be seen among coastal communities of other races, exploring and taking the opportunities deep water may not provide, resulting in them embracing this complex and social life. Some are molded by it, happy to provide their unique talents for an appropriate reward. Others, however, try to mold these societies under their heel, becoming major players in urban underworlds and using those under them as tools to be exploited.Archetypical Classes
Warlocks are particularly common among Noxcaleos, though Rangers and Rogues are not a rare sight either. Noxcaleos Stormweavers are represented as Clerics of the Tempest Domain, embracing their creative spirit and wanderlust and empowering their electric powers. Their intelligence may also have them lean toward being Wizards, but they feel the need to keep themselves protected with armor to singularly commit to this path without prior training.Noxcaleos Outside Primoria
These individualistic inventive sea slug people from deep depths are meant to be exclusive to the setting of Primora and the only prominent underwater race. If you want to use Noxcaleos in a more traditional and diverse setting, here are some example guidelines on how they would interact with other inhabitants of the sea and other aspects absent from Primora: General Perception. As alien creatures of the dark below, Noxcaleos are very likely to get shunned by surface inhabitants who have been dealing with monstrous foes from the Underdark, such as the Drow and the Mind Flayers. Though not malicious, their selfish instincts and aberrant appearance make them struggle to fit in with normal folk, leading them to making allegiances with other creatures of the dark, who might see their worth in helping them achieve their evil goals. Elemental plane of Water. Despite favoring the ocean floor of the Material Plane, a space infinite with water does give a lot of room for Noxcaleos to mess with. Naturally leaning to darker places next to elemental pools of earth due to their passion for crafting and need to avoid the ambient sunlight in the plane, they would come in contact with more monstrous beings of the deep, including those of elemental evil. Tritons. As another race inhabiting the ocean depths, Noxcaleos would have a lot of run-ins with the Tritons, and their inherently selfish outlook would put them at odds with their love for justice. The intelligence and the unpredictable individuality employed by the Noxcaleos has forced the Tritons in conflict with them to become more cautious and humble, as to not be made fools by their inventions and tactics. Though, alliances and friendships can happen between the two, as the legendary combat skill of a Triton and the uncanny intelligence of a Noxcaleos can make for powerful mutually beneficial relationships. Sahuagin. Being both outcasts of the dark depths shunned by the light, the Sahuagin and the Noxcaleos are known for creating tense alliances. The trickery and the electric defenses of the Noxcaleos makes them far more appealing as allies than enemies or prey for the sea devils, so a Sahuagin baron may want to keep a Noxcaleos dealer in contact for new enhanced weapons and armor, as well as transformative substances to emphasize on the mutative nature of Sahuagin. In exchange, the Noxcaleos dealers receive generous parts of the loot from the raids, and that often leads to them becoming shadow leaders of the barony, knowingly or otherwise. Kuo-Toa. Noxcaleos really like to experiment with power sources, and the ability of kuo-toa to create gods from random objects makes for an intriguing option. Some daring Noxcaleos inventors have attempted to present their constructs to these mind-broken godmakers as a being to be worshiped, and those that succeed and keep their favor get to empower their machines with pure divine power. Plus, the mad devotion gained from the Kuo-toa makes them servants as loyal as constructed drones, which a Noxcaleos has little trouble getting used to. Mind Flayers. Although Noxcaleos of Primoria have evolved independently of other intelligent races, one may find quite a few similarities between them and the dreadful Illithids on the worlds like Toril. The larval stage of Noxcaleos bears a lot of anatomical similarities to a Mind Flayer tadpole, leading some sages to propose a shared ancestry between the two, supported by the fact that Noxcaleos can't go through the process of ceremorphosis. (In the worlds where you want to establish this connection, consider changing the creature type of Noxcaleos from Humanoid to Aberration). Despite that, as well as the notable intelligence of both and sticking to the shadows, their societies and magic are quite different, with Illithids being inherently dependent on all other members of the hive and welding psionics to control the minds of others, whereas Noxcaleos favor individuality, electric magic and constructs of their own making, leading them to not mesh together, but mutually respect each other's capabilities.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Noxcaleos have a body plan resembling that of a human with two legs, vertically-aligned torso with the head at the very top and a pair of arms capable of advanced manipulation, being an uncanny case of convergent evolution among the sentient kins of Primoria. The main difference is in their lack of bones, with their body mostly supported by muscle and their internalized calcium shell, split and morphed to protect the internal organs of the torso and the head. Their feet don't have any toes and more resemble fleshy muscular stumps, allowing for limited free swimming, but best used to propel themselves against the ocean floor with speedy leaps. They can be a bit awkward on land though, but a pair of amphibious boots most Noxcaleos wear does tend to mitigate that to allow them mobility to that of a human.
Their hands are particularly flexible, allowing for complex manipulation of objects with their wire-like fingers. Mounted on their tips is the main method of defense and offense for a Noxcaleos - electrogenic nubs capable of frying smaller prey with a touch on demand, shocking a bigger predator to escape or power their many inventions, making them incompatible to other species without complex battery inputs.
Despite hailing from the oceanic depths, Noxcaleos are capable of breathing air and water through their skin and lung-like organs, but need to be submerged regularly for proper function, as a Noxcaleos can't rest properly and would die in a few days without proper hydration.
One thing that can puzzle humans upon enough interaction are the paired protrusions on the chest of a Noxcaleos, which oddly resemble the bust of a female human, but are actually swim bladders doubled as the vocal organs. They can use them to produce a wide range of complex sounds with high pitch, once again similar to human females, but with quite a bit more warble when speaking Common and other surface languages.
Biological Traits
| Base Height | Height Modifier | Base Weight | Weight Modifier | |
| Noxcaleos | 4'4" | +2d6 | 75 | x1d4 |
Genetics and Reproduction
Noxcaleos are hermaphroditic, and each individual can perform both a male and female roles in reproduction. Because of that and their selfish mindset, when the two Noxcaleos want to create offspring, it commonly devolves into a mix of a mind game and a duel as to who gets to be the father and get away to do their thing without the burden of gestating the next generation, but there are rare cases where one individual agrees to perform the role of the mother before the mating ritual.
The internal gestation lasts for 8 weeks, producing 1 + 1d4 tennis ball-sized eggs, hatching after 12 weeks into highly voracious and mobile larvae. When they do, they tend to be released into the world to let the r-selection do its thing, with some rare cases of one or two hatchlings being kept by the parent(s) to ensure their survival.
Growth Rate & Stages
Noxcaleos start their life as foot-long free-swimming predatory larvae, aggressively consuming creatures up to twice their size by restraining them with their prehensile mouth tentacles and biting chucks of the creature off while it's still alive. Electric Jellyfish is their preferred prey, as it allows them to develop their signature electric powers later down in their life.
As they age, they begin to interact with their environment more, using shells from their prey as both defense and enhanced offense, gradually increasing their intelligence in the harsh environment.
At the age of 5 and three feet in length, they begin a metamorphosis, transforming their tail fin into a pair of legs, tentacles separating from the mouth to form hands capable of delivering electricity and pectoral fins internalizing to form the swim bladders protruding from their chest, becoming a miniature version of an Adult Noxcaleos by the age of 6 and continuing to grow until the age of 10.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Noxcaleos begin their lives as obligate carnivores, but become predatory omnivores as they mature, designing various tools and traps to hunt numerous creatures the deep has to offer, with a good chunk of them being bigger and more dangerous than they are. They have domesticated various kinds of squid, using them for meat and ink, the latter being one of their favorite beverages and tends to get them drunk like a human on alcohol. They tend to pack food into metal shells, which they electrify as a form of cooking before consumption.
Otherwise, their eating habits do coincide with coastal cultures of the surface, but they do prefer their food wet and highly salted, so be ready for a Noxcaleos to take the entire soup for themselves at an interracial group dinner.
Additional Information
Social Structure
The inherent mindset of Noxcaleos has them categorize the world on themselves (ego) to take care of, obstacles to overcome and tools they can (and should) use.
That way, most individuals are only willing to work with another if they get a tangible benefit or service out of them, leading to small groups of Noxcaleos to band together into long-term adventuring parties with complimentary skills to each other. They are exclusively formed at adulthood and avoid making connections with relatives, if they even encounter them. That makes them rather accepting of other race members as long as the Noxcaleos sees them as useful, leading to the subject to be utterly exploited if they don't enforce their own conditions.
Facial characteristics
Some may see them as cute, some as terrifying, but their eyes are undeniably alien with their size and white glow. Moreover, their mouth opening is located under their chin leading to a radula, more resembling a toothed tongue than a jaw. Their prehensile face tentacles (often mistaken for bangs of hair) help them with capturing food and transporting it to their mouth, as well as help shape complex sounds, functioning similar to lips.
Average Intelligence
Noxcaleos are known for their abnormal thinking process and almost instinctive knack for experimentation aided by their electromagical powers, making them one of the smartest races on Primoria, capable of developing complex behavior even without the influence of a social structure. It is common for any individual to be able to scrap together a minor techno-magical bauble out of items at hand, with some exceptionally talented Noxcaleos even commanding small armies of constructs of their own creation.
They are incredibly solitary creatures though, and can come up as anything from awkward to absolute idiotically egotistical swines when it comes to social environments.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
With the darkness of the oceanic depths, Noxcaleos had to evolve the most sensitive sight among the races of Primoria with their big, glowing white eyes, to the point of them struggling to see in the sunlight. The fleshy, hair-like protrusions on their heads function as ears, allowing them to hear both in the air and in water.
A special sense that they can develop is based on their innate electric abilities - electroreception (represented as blindisght given by class features), allowing them to detect living things and metals they can't see.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Noxcaleos don't use genders in their language or names due to their hermaphroditic nature and family names are incredibly rare and are often a byproduct of interacting with surface dwellers, as most Noxcaleos grow up and name themselves without their parents. That leads to them coming up with a name on the fly the first time they need to use it to interact with another intelligent being, usually resulting in simple and practical names with one or two vowels.
Noxcaleos Names: Azi, Boup, Dreo, Ei, Nox, Roya, Zoi
Major Organizations
Although it's hard to get more than half a dozen Noxcaleos into the same general area, a couple of city-like mobile structures called Lunnavi are known to glide through the pelagic layers of the Great Ocean, theoretically capable of housing thousands, but more commonly known for having hundreds of inhabitants at a time, with the vast majority of those being temporary visitors from the local areas the Lunnavi is passing by. Because of that, it is more accurate to compare them to centers of knowledge and gigantic laboratories than actual cities, as the permanent population consists of two dozen lorekeepers who upkeep
Average Technological Level
Despite being underwater, Noxcaleos managed to not only acquire metalworking, but even excel in it thanks to their ability to heat it up with their electric capabilities. That has led to them developing various robotics powered by their own body electricity or through stored battery charge from hydrothermal vents or underwater currents.
Some of the most prominent such inventions are magnetarms, firearms that use magnets powered by the electricity of the user instead of gunpowder, making it unusable by most surface-dwellers unless they use external batteries or learn the way of generating electricity through magic. Despite that, their effectiveness and early invention by the Noxcaleos made it so that gunpowder weapons never reached particular prominence and allow those with little to no magic prowess to compete with those that rely primarily on it.
When venturing deep onto the surface (though at times just because they enjoy them so much), these denizens of the deep below employ clawed mechanical walkers that function as their mobile homes to rest their eyes from the brutal sun and to get back into a comfortable pool of water. Though, their air-breathing companions would have to hitch a ride on the outside, as the living interior of these mobile bases tends to be completely flooded for very intended reasons.
Common Dress Code
It's hard to see a Noxcaleos without any protection, and a solid piece of armor as normal of a piece of attire as a shirt is to a human.
Another important piece of attire to a Noxcaleos is their skirt, which is more of a waist-mounted container. Usually made of strong fibers, aquatic hide and sometimes even robotic extensions, one can tell quite a lot of the wearer's occupation and interest from its appearance and items sticking out of it.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
Despite appearing like female humanoids with exaggerated proportions, they are hermaphroditic and don’t use gender in their tongue, resulting in them overusing one gender when speaking Common or other languages, namely she or they.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Humans.
Lifespan
They tend to live short lives of roughly 60 years, making sure their impact is felt on the world.
Average Height
5', ranging between 4'6" - 5'4"
Individual height = Base Height + Height modifier
Average Weight
90 lbs, ranging between 77 and 123 lbs
Individual weight = Base Weight + (Height Modifier x Weight modifier)
Average Physique
A fit adult Noxcaleos individual resembles a young human woman with petite, curvy frames and enlarged hands and palms. They are incredibly agile due to not having any bones in their limbs, and their natural curiosity and wanderlust does lead to most individuals getting enough fitness.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
The word "Noxcaleos" stands from "night sky" in Old Common, as their glossy skin resembles the beautiful starry sky with deep blues flowing into obsidian blacks, with tiny glitters reflecting from the light.
Geographic Distribution
Related Technologies
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The Noxcaleos are fun and well thought out. I like the addition of inherint selfish ess to them, giving them a slightly more alien mindset. They aren't bad, just different. I also particularly like the delicate figures for tinkering. No need for beefy ape dates or muscles if one is both underwater and can use magnetism!