Desmodu

Desmodus are massive, batlike humanoids who live in caverns deep underground. They are omnivorous and usually not dangerous unless attacked. Until recently, most sages thought them to be extinct, wiped out in an ancient war against the drow.

An adult desmodu stands 8 to 9 feet tall. Its body is covered with reddish-black or reddish-brown fur. The creature has long arms, short legs, and a head like that of a bat. A membrane of leathery, black skin stretches from each wrist to the corresponding ankle. A desmodu’s hands and feet are long and narrow, with stubby, curving digits ending in retractable claws. The fingers and toes, along with the heel and palms, are equipped with cilia that give the creature a very sure grip.

A desmodu is bipedal. Normally it walks upright with a rolling gait, but it can also can get down on all fours and gallop along at twice its base speed. The typical desmodu wears armor and a harness for carrying tools and weapons, but very little else.

Desmodus speak Undercommon and Terran in addition to a language of their own. This language, called Desmodu, includes both ultrasonic and subsonic utterances, so nondesmodus cannot speak it. Desmodus have deep, rich voices, though their speech includes the occasional sharp squeak or bass rumble when they are using a language other than their native tongue.

Combat

Desmodus use their sonic abilities to give themselves bonuses and their foes penalties. Their favorite melee weapon is the notbora, an exotic double weapon of their own invention.

These creatures often rush into melee on all fours, using smokesticks to blind foes. They follow up by using the Quick Draw feat to draw their notboras and attack as they stand up. Desmodus also are fond of dropping down on opponents from the ceiling of a cavern, and they make full use of their superior reach in melee. Once battle is joined, they jump and tumble to bypass the foes’ front line and attack opposing spellcasters or set up flanking attacks.

Screech (Su): Once per day, a desmodu can produce a screech that can literally tear items apart. The creature can choose one of two effects.

Ray: A ray deals 5d6 points of sonic damage to any creature or object it strikes. This attack has a range of 30 feet.

Spread: A sonic concussion causes every creature (except other desmodus) within a 30-foot spread centered on the desmodu to be stunned for 1d4 rounds. A successful Fortitude save (DC 20) negates the effect.

Sonic Abilities (Su): At will, a desmodu can emit subsonic vibrations, choosing one of two effects. It takes a standard action to invoke an effect or to concentrate to maintain it.

Despair: Each foe in a 30-foot spread centered on the desmodu takes a –⁠2 morale penalty on saving throws, attack rolls, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls for as long as the desmodu concentrates and for 1d4 rounds thereafter. A successful Will save (DC 16) negates this sonic, mind-affecting effect.

Hope: Every ally in a 30-foot spread centered on the desmodu gains a +2 morale bonus on saving throws, attack rolls, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls for as long as the desmodu concentrates and for 1d4 rounds thereafter.

Wounding (Ex): A desmodu’s saliva contains an anticoagulant that causes bite wounds the creature inflicts to bleed freely. A wound resulting from a desmodu’s bite attack bleeds for an additional 1 point of damage per round thereafter. Multiple wounds from such attacks result in cumulative bleeding loss (two wounds for 2 points of damage per round, and so on). The bleeding stops on its own after 1 minute. Alternatively, it can be stopped by a successful Heal check (DC 15) or the application of a cure spell or some other healing spell (heal, healing circle, or the like).

Gallop (Ex): A desmodu can get down on all fours and gallop along like an ape at a speed of 40 feet, provided that its hands are free.

Speak with Bats (Sp): This ability functions like a speak with animals spell (caster level 1st), except that it only works on bats and is usable at will.

Skills: A desmodu receives a +4 racial bonus on Spot and Listen checks, which is lost if its blindsense is negated. The creature also gets a +2 racial bonus on grapple checks. When wearing light armor or no armor, the creature gains a +2 bonus on Balance and Jump checks. All these racial bonuses are included in the statistics above. When a desmodu has its hands free and deliberately jumps down from a height, subtract 10 feet from the distance fallen to determine damage. If it makes a successful Jump check (DC 15), reduce the effective distance fallen by another 10 feet.

Desmodu Society

Desmodus live in small, independent family groups that gather in loosely organized colonies or enclaves to pool resources and create a communal defense. They eschew complex social organizations, and individual families live as they please. Each family group includes several generations, with the eldest generation acting as the ruling body to settle all issues.

The oldest and most experienced desmodus in an enclave form a council to settle disputes between families and make recommendations about handling external affairs. Desmodus of the same age from different families frequently adopt each other as siblings. These adopted siblings are called age-mates, and they always refer to each other as though they were blood kin. The extended family ties that desmodus form in this manner can be both varied and complex, and they are usually not clear to anyone except other desmodus.

Desmodus live in large caverns festooned with stalactites and stalagmites. They tunnel into the ceilings to create living spaces, keeping the entrances concealed among the stalactites. They use the cavern floor to grow fungi, herd lizards, and conduct any other activities that might be difficult to perform on the ceiling. Desmodus breed a variety of bats to serve as steeds and guardians.

A desmodu settlement includes noncombatants (mostly children) equal to 20% of the fighting population. The society is egalitarian, so both males and females can be found filling almost every role.

Desmodus enjoy a simple lifestyle. They understand the value of weapons and tools, but they keep neither money nor valuables. They conduct trade through barter, and the only distinction they recognize as a status symbol is the number of bats and lizards a family owns.

Breeding, keeping, and training bats is a favorite activity among the desmodus. They consider it a mark of distinction to breed a new and useful type of bat, and thus countless varieties of bats exist within desmodu caverns. Three of the types that are of value in combat are detailed in the Desmodu Bats entry (see below), but there are many others as well.

Desmodu artisans produce a wide variety of ingenious and high-quality goods. Some of these devices that may be of interest to adventurers are described in the Desmodu Items section, below. These creatures also produce all manner of mundane items, including toys, household goods, and musical instruments. All desmodus appreciate good music and items that can produce or enhance sound. Their own music, however, is mostly inaudible to others because of its ultrasonic and subsonic components.

The chief desmodu deity is Vesperian, who is the creator and protector of the race. Typically there is a shrine dedicated to him in every enclave, and many dwellings also boast private altars to Vesperian.

Desmodu Items

Desmodus have created a number of specialized items for their own use. Some of these items are detailed below.

Breathing Mask: This mask covers the user’s face. It is fitted with goggles and a bag of an alchemical substance that allows the wearer to breathe for up to 4 hours. With the mask on, the wearer can ignore the effects of noxious fumes and inhaled toxins. The mask even enables the wearer to survive underwater or in an airless environment.

The item consists of a masterwork leather mask with goggles (cost 50 gp), and the alchemical air supply, which costs 950 gp and can be manufactured with a successful Alchemy check (DC 20). A partially used air supply cannot be combined with another partially used one to get a fresh supply, but it can be discarded and replaced with a new supply.

Cost: 1,000 gp; Weight: 5 lb.

Cable: This 100-foot-long metal cord is thinner, stronger, and lighter than even silk rope. It is too thin for most creatures to climb it easily (Climb DC 20), but desmodus using a cable can climb at their normal climb speed. The cable has a snap ring at each end so that it can be quickly attached to or detached from a piton, spike, grappling hook, or other item without a Use Rope check.

The cable has 10 hit points and hardness 5. It can be burst with a successful Strength check (DC 32). Its stiffness imposes a –⁠2 circumstance penalty on Use Rope checks.

Cost: 50 gp; Weight: 4 lb.

Cablespool: This gadget carries 100 feet of cable in an enclosed reel. The reel is spring-wound and can pull in all 100 feet of cable in 1 round (pulling with an effective Strength score of 16). It can be set to reel or unreel the cable automatically as the user climbs, or to act as a brake, allowing the user to jump down 100 feet without harm.

Cost: 125 gp (175 with cable); Weight: 2 lb. (6 lb. with cable).

Harness: Desmodus cannot wear belts because of the flaps of skin attached to their flanks. Instead, they wear harnesses that loop over their shoulders and between their legs. Straps crisscross the front and back of the desmodu’s body to keep the harness from slipping off.

Each desmodu harness is fitted with rings, hooks, and ties for carrying weapons and equipment. A reinforced hook hangs near the waist for carrying a cablespool.

Cost: 20 gp; Weight: 2 lb.

Frostfire: This sticky, adhesive substance drains away heat when exposed to air or moisture. A flask of frostfire can be thrown as a grenadelike weapon with a range increment of 10 feet, and a direct hit deals 1d6 points of cold damage. The target can then attempt to scrape off or wash away the frostfire, if desired. If this does not occur, the target takes an additional 1d6 points of cold damage on the round following the direct hit. Removing frostfire by scraping requires a successful Reflex saving throw (DC 15). Alternatively, the substance can be removed automatically by dousing it with at least 1 pint of an alcoholic or acidic solution (such as wine or vinegar). Either method requires a full-round action.

Cost: 40 gp; Weight: 1 lb.

Kinship Badge: This item resembles an exquisite cymbal or flattened bell, measuring 3 or 4 inches across. When struck, it emits a single musical note. It also resonates and produces a distinctive ultrasonic tone when a desmodu’s echolocation sounds strike it. Desmodus usually exchange kinship badges with their age-mates and use them to identify each other in battle.

Cost: 5 gp; Weight: —.

Notbora: This Huge exotic double weapon looks like a big quarterstaff with a crook at one end. A notbora has a hinge in the middle so that it can be folded for storage. The wielder can unfold the weapon and lock the hinge by pressing a hidden catch (a free action when drawing the notbora). The notbora’s straight end is actually a sheath that can be removed to reveal a blade. The hooked end can be used to make trip attacks. A wielder who is tripped during his or her own trip attempt can drop the notbora to avoid being tripped.

Each end of the notbora deals 2d6 points of damage. The hooked end is a blunt weapon that deals double damage on a critical hit and threatens a critical hit on an attack roll of 20. With the sheath in place, the straight end functions the same way. With the sheath removed, the straight end is a slashing weapon that deals double damage on a critical hit and threatens a critical hit on an attack roll of 19 or 20.

Cost: 20 gp; Weight: 2 lb.

Desmodu Characters

Desmodus sometimes become barbarians or rogues, but their favored class is fighter. A desmodu fighter usually leads a colony’s council of elders, and fighters also lead most warbands, in those rare cases when the desmodus join to attack a common enemy. Wizards and clerics are unknown in the race. Some desmodu sorcerers and bards exist, but most desmodu spellcasters are adepts.

Because of its many special abilities, a desmodu PC’s effective character level (ECL) is equal to its class level + 14. Thus, a 1st-level desmodu fighter has an ECL of 15 and is the equivalent of a 15th-level character.

Source: Monster Manual II, page 62. This creature’s statistics block has been updated to version 3.5 as given in the D&D® V.3.5 Accessory Update for Monster Manual II.