Andern — Races — Characters — Adanak Lithor Campaign Notes — Home last changed 6 October 2006

Andern

Racial Traits

Amorphous nonhumanoid creatures with a devious intellect, the andern are a successful race of shapeshifters. They are spread across Dathenest, with at least one individual located in almost every major city.

• +2 Str, +4 Dex, –2 Con, –2 Int, –2 Cha. As shapechangers, andern have some control over their musculature, but they often have difficulty relating to and interacting with humanoids.
• Small size— speed 20. Mature andern can imitate anything of Tiny, Small, or Medium size, but they cannot change their mass. Consequently, their smaller forms are very dense and their larger forms tend to appear frail.
• Skills: Because they can alter their shape at will, andern can be considered experts at certain things. Disguise, escape artist, move silently, and swim are always class skills for andern, and (if they are able to change shape) they can always "Take 20" on these checks. In contrast, andern are barred from taking ranks in animal empathy, handle animal, and ride, and will always fail their checks against these skills. Natural animals are skittish around shapechangers, and have an uncanny knack for seeing through disguises.
• Automatic Language: Ourinn (andernech tongue). Bonus Languages: Any (other than secret languages, such as Druidic).
• Favored Class: Rogue.

Designer's Notes

For the most part, I'm satisfied with D&D's doppleganger and greater doppleganger. The doppleganger can assume the form of other creatures it sees; the greater doppleganger can actually assume the identity of other creatures. The doppleganger has no limit to the number of forms it can take; the greater doppleganger can imitate other creatures as the standard doppleganger, but it can only have a limited number of truly adopted forms.

The Andernech race somewhat closely reflects the doppelgangers of the Realms and other campaign worlds, with a few notable exceptions for flavor. Andern are not fundamentally humanoid; they're amorphous and semiliquid (like oozes). Because of their fundamentally aqueous nature, the andern are dependent upon water; if they cannot immerse themselves in a non–acidic liquid of some sort for at least two hours, once each week, they begin to dehydrate. Dehydration is painful and debilitating, and an individual suffering from it will sell its figurative grandmother for a warm bath.

Modeled on Odo from Star Trek: Deep Space 9.