Expanding the Caliban Spectrum

[TheArcaneWeirdo]

Anyone else is interested in more content about our favourite magically-deformed buddies?
Cause I am. So let's make some.

[TheArcaneWeirdo]

For example, I think the Brutes and Banshees article mentioned rumours of a psionic variant of calibans?

It says in the bottom of the article that more subraces will be detailled in a future article called 'Spawns of the Beyond', but I couldn't find that article and it's been, like, 20 years. Was it ever published, or abandoned in favour of other ideas?

So I guess I'll start homebrowing it myself


To me, the B&B calibans are about midmaxing taken to its logical extreme. You have a superpower in some areas and a disability in others, and often it's the same trait in you that causes both.
And I love this.
Why? Cause it's relatable. It's pretty much my experience as an autistic person navigating through the human world. I've never felt more represented.

(Like, I have suspicions that the reason WoTC have so far ignored calibans in 5e is that they're afraid it'll come off as demonisation of people with disability. Which is legit, IMHO. I also don't know what it's like to live with a visible disfigurement, so I'm really sorry if anyone finds my content offensive.
But to me, personally, what the fandom had done so far with calibans feels more like reclaiming the ableistic tropes the race is inspired by than like supporting them - and I don't cancel something I can reclaim. )

So let's see how we can replicate this - without repeating what has been done.
I think psionic abilities are thematically tied to intelligence - the concept is you're so smart that all that mental energy has to burst out somehow (at least according to Mathilda, my most reliable source).
First instinct is to reduce one of the physical stats in return, right? (Spoiler: yes, but not the one you think)
But which, and why?
Cause Witchspawn already took the 'your innate magic drains your vitality' angle.
So I'm doing something different.
My psionic calibans will have +2 to intelligence, and -2 to... Dexterity!

Why?
So here's the thing.
To use psionics, it's not enough to be smart. Your brain has to be wired towards an entirely new array of functions.
Normal psionists develop these functions overtime, in addition to the typical ones. But with psionic calibans, the power comes too soon. Their telekinetic abilities appear in infanthood. These crucial first years most babies spend learning how to crawl, walk, hold and throw objects - they spend perfecting their telekinesis like no one else can. Their perception of space and movement develops completely differently... And the price is their motorical skills.
While most adult calibans master the basics of physical movement, it's like a second language to them, and they often aren't quite fluent at it. For some it starts and ends in stuff like bad handwriting or a tendency to stumble into walls, but others are unable to perform basic tasks without their psionics.
I'd say that all Psylibans can cast a psionic version of Mage Hand, but they can do what no other spellcaster can do with the cantrip: use it multiple times at once. But +simultaneous MG = -2 Dex, (so you can have a character that can telekinate 5 objects at once, but then they'll be nearly immobile.)

This is a basic idea, not a prepared stat.

An optional deformity that occurs to me is a concept featured in the novel 'What Others Think In Me' by Yoav Bloom:
You read minds... All the time.
Like, you can't stop. If there are people around, you'll hear what they're thinking. No filter. At all. And you don't always understand what these thought are about, because people's actual train of thought is a lot messier than we can explain in words, so most of what you get is random phrases and images with no context. And if there are too many people around, this can get super overwhelming... Now I just need to think how to translate it to RPG mechanics without making it overpowered.

[TheArcaneWeirdo]

As for the psyliban's physical appearance:
On the one hand, there are plenty of things that could go with the theme. B&B suggests an oversized head (cause psychic powers=bigger brain... Scientifically intelligence has more to do with the amount of neural connections in your brain than with its size, but this is a horror fantasy game, we can stop pretending we care about scientific accuracy.). Stereotypical characteristics of eldritch horrors (ie. tentacles and the likes) could also fit.
But on the other hand, I'd like the majority of psylibans to have little or no physical difference from normal humans. Like psionics (contrary to magic in DND) work purely using the power of the brain, with no external components. I like them as the subrace that can pass most easily as human at first glance, but whose experience of reality is most different. Most of them are thought to be ordinary psions or sorcerers who have an unrelated developmental issue, and very few are recognised as calibans. Maybe they're actually the most common subrace, but stay under the radar.

[TheArcaneWeirdo]

What's your opinion?

[Hell_Born]

One thing to consider is that, on a very foundational level, Calibans are tied to intense negative emotions and to acts of sin. "Brutes & Banshees" codified a list of sinful behaviors widely believed to cause the birth of calibans, such as cannibalism and necrophilia, but even then, it notes that strong emotions of fear, rage, and grief are some of the most common causes of caliban births. This suggests that certain domains may well house caliban strains based strongly on local fears and sins.

For example, Mordent canonically has a caliban strain known as the "Howling Ones" or "Wailing Ones", who have chalk-white skin and hair, pure black eyes, and wide, distorted mouths that seem to be set in a perpetual unearthly howl, as well as wiry builds that conceal the inhuman strength that calibans are generally known for. These are likely a product of Mordent's particular fear of ghosts above all other children of the night, reflecting the foundational dread of an afterlife in torment that awaits the Mordentish.

By this logic, Tepest would be particularly likely to produce calibans that represent the locals' intense fears of faeries, witches, and magic. I'm not sure if these would naturally be all that different from Witchspawn calibans, but that's one possible avenue for a domain-specific caliban breed.

[TheArcaneWeirdo]

One thing to consider is that, on a very foundational level, Calibans are tied to intense negative emotions and to acts of sin. "Brutes & Banshees" codified a list of sinful behaviors widely believed to cause the birth of calibans, such as cannibalism and necrophilia, but even then, it notes that strong emotions of fear, rage, and grief are some of the most common causes of caliban births. This suggests that certain domains may well house caliban strains based strongly on local fears and sins.

For example, Mordent canonically has a caliban strain known as the "Howling Ones" or "Wailing Ones", who have chalk-white skin and hair, pure black eyes, and wide, distorted mouths that seem to be set in a perpetual unearthly howl, as well as wiry builds that conceal the inhuman strength that calibans are generally known for. These are likely a product of Mordent's particular fear of ghosts above all other children of the night, reflecting the foundational dread of an afterlife in torment that awaits the Mordentish.

By this logic, Tepest would be particularly likely to produce calibans that represent the locals' intense fears of faeries, witches, and magic. I'm not sure if these would naturally be all that different from Witchspawn calibans, but that's one possible avenue for a domain-specific caliban breed.

Nice direction.
I think for fey we have both the witchspawn and the VRGtR 'hexbloods' (who aren't calibans but share some similarities IMHO). Generally I heard once that 'fey' is the non-humanoid DND creature type with the highest number of playable races, so maybe we drew enough water from that well for now? (Don't get me wrong - I love fairies of all sorts, from the cutsiest Tinkerbell to the most morally-ambigious Unseelie Queen. I just think maybe, just maybe, the game already has more of them than I'll ever get to play.)

But I really like the method. Horror is about giving form to our fears, and different people - as individuals but also as cultures - have different fears.
A while ago I tried to start a 'Demihuman Dread Thread', where I take the culture of specific DND races, analyse it, figure out what will its 'shadow archetype' most strongly feature, and create a piece of Ravenloft content based on that.
Maybe we should employ a similar tactic here.

Let's run some ideas for domains' cultural fears.

Nova Vassa - chaos and rebellion (literally their devil's name)

Kartakass - werewolves. For the wolf part we already have the Bestial subrace. But I'd say that more deeply, it's about the 'wolf in sheep's skin aspect of the werewolf. The fear of being hurt by someone you feel comfortable around, the betrayal catching you completely unguarded.

Dementlieu - the truth (that their history up until 50 years ago is fake, they aren't nearly as enlightened as they think they are, they're obssessed with the shallowest things and neglect the most important ones and are generally a bunch of idiots)...

Keep it going.

[Hell_Born]

I'd be more inclined to say that the defining fears of Dementlieu are paranoia and insanity. Like, paranoia is one of the defining elements of Dementlieu culture; the ruthless politicking, and the "war of the wielded" between Dominic's Enthralled and those controlled by the Living Brain - imagine the paranoia that comes from living in a land where people can just suddenly seem to snap and perform hideous acts of murder and sabotage for no apparent reason at all. There's also an underlying fear of mental illness that is further fed by those "mysterious psychotic breaks".

Borca is an obvious one; poison. The nation is infamous for settling disputes with poison. Being poisoned is pretty much a constant background fear for anyone living in Borca - really, being assassinated in general, but poison is THE assassin's tool of choice in Borca, and everybody knows it. Calibans from Borca often are naturally venomous, and can either look like caricatures of people dying of poison, or merely subtly... "off", in ways that suggest the toxin underneath - green or black saliva and sweat, blackened veins under pale skin, etc. Even bestials from this domain probably resemble poisonous reptiles and vermin more than anything else.

[TheArcaneWeirdo]

I'd be more inclined to say that the defining fears of Dementlieu are paranoia and insanity. Like, paranoia is one of the defining elements of Dementlieu culture; the ruthless politicking, and the "war of the wielded" between Dominic's Enthralled and those controlled by the Living Brain - imagine the paranoia that comes from living in a land where people can just suddenly seem to snap and perform hideous acts of murder and sabotage for no apparent reason at all. There's also an underlying fear of mental illness that is further fed by those "mysterious psychotic breaks".

Yeah, you are right. My view of Dementlieu is a bit inspired by its 5e adaptation, that has a strong 'Emperor's New Clothes' component. I think this theme has roots in the domain's original version, but they aren't as central to the story.
Paranoia and insanity... Two of my favourite subjects... Now, how do we embody this in the subrace in a way that's more than just 'the caliban is paranoid and insane'?

Borca is an obvious one; poison. The nation is infamous for settling disputes with poison. Being poisoned is pretty much a constant background fear for anyone living in Borca - really, being assassinated in general, but poison is THE assassin's tool of choice in Borca, and everybody knows it. Calibans from Borca often are naturally venomous, and can either look like caricatures of people dying of poison, or merely subtly... "off", in ways that suggest the toxin underneath - green or black saliva and sweat, blackened veins under pale skin, etc. Even bestials from this domain probably resemble poisonous reptiles and vermin more than anything else.

Now I'm imagining a character that's practically an anthromorphic poisonous frog.

[TheArcaneWeirdo]

I have an idea for the Dementlieu caliban!

Masker calibans have an ability many of their kin would envy: They can hide their deformities and wear human form at will, fitting into human society (reducing their OR from 5 to 2). But this ability has a price: the concentration required to maintain the facade and the anxiety of being discovered strain the masker's sanity.
For every few hours spent using the masking feature, the caliban must make a madness save. The save's original DC is ridiculously low, but rises for every additional span and can be reset only after the calibans had spent a few days in their true form. (the timespans are intentionally unspecified because IDK what will be 'balanced'.)
Many maskers burn themselves out in their desperation to be accepted, looking completely normal until they snap. Most toe the line carefully, disguising themselves in public to avoid hate crimes and discrimination but letting their true solves come out when alone or among allies. Some reject this gift, prioritizing their health over other people's opinion - their lives tend to be harder but happier. But for those who already devoted their lives to the mask, dropping it in the wrong moment could mean losing everything...

[TheArcaneWeirdo]

It occured to me that the Nova Vassan strain must have some feline characteristics (cause plains' cats, but also cause cats are generally agents of chaos), so please wait patiently as I read through every single existing D&D catfolk.

[Hell_Born]

It occured to me that the Nova Vassan strain must have some feline characteristics (cause plains' cats, but also cause cats are generally agents of chaos), so please wait patiently as I read through every single existing D&D catfolk.

Check the catfolk article on 1d6chan; it'll point you to every canonical catfolk race that D&D has. Rakasta from Mystara, Tibbets from Dragon Magazine, the generic Catfolk from 3.5's Races of the Wild, the Paka from Ravenloft, and at least one or two others I'm not remembering.

[TheArcaneWeirdo]

It occured to me that the Nova Vassan strain must have some feline characteristics (cause plains' cats, but also cause cats are generally agents of chaos), so please wait patiently as I read through every single existing D&D catfolk.

Check the catfolk article on 1d6chan; it'll point you to every canonical catfolk race that D&D has. Rakasta from Mystara, Tibbets from Dragon Magazine, the generic Catfolk from 3.5's Races of the Wild, the Paka from Ravenloft, and at least one or two others I'm not remembering.

This is exactly what I did.

[TheArcaneWeirdo]

So here are my ideas for a Nova Vassan strain:

- Cause: emotional twisting or obssession tied to the theme of rebellion. The parent was obssessed either with thoughts of rebellion or fear the child would turn on them.

- Appearance: I feel like Plains' Cats (not to be confused with the Plane of Cats turns out this is a thing...) should be the visual inspiration. Both because the plains' cat is the symbol of id in Nova Vassan culture, and because... Like, how can you not take visual inspiration from this? https://fraternityofshadows.com/w/image ... inscat.png
(Side Note: If I ever get to Ravenloft, I'll probably survive Strahd only to get killed trying to pet a plains' cat. And it would be worth it.)
But I also don't want them to be just black tabaxi. So I'm debating between more fur and less fur?
Like, they could have really thick and long fur, making them chubbier and less like the tall and slender tabaxi.
Or I could go for a more catgirl look. I had in mind this line of lush fur stretching from their scalp hair, through the back of their neck and down the middle of their back?
But hey: These are the calibans of rebellion. Making them all adhere to a single specific look would be ridiculous. They should be individualistic and diverse. So I'd say it's up to the player.

- Name: I thought about 'Mytteri's Kittens', but it sounds more like an in-world nickname than the official subrace name.

- Ability stats modifiers:
The original B&B subraces are each very min-maxed toward a specific class group. Brutes can only be fighters or barbarians, witchspawns can only be arcane spellcasters, banshees can only be bards... It's not like the D&D police is going to arrest you if you play them as a different class, but it would simply make for a weak character. They try to make Bestials good as druids by giving them the 'magical affinity' option, but is one additional cantrip 3 times a day what would make you better at the class? To me sounds like an even better reason to play them as a barbarians with a tiny bit of druidic magic.
I want Mytteri's Kittens to be more versatile. A subrace that can more or less fit as either ranger, monk, rouge, druid or even (barring social circumstances) cleric, yet still have a significant weakness in some areas.
So I came up with this:
Mytteri's Kittens have a peculiar condition (ehm ehm hypermobility) in which the connections between tissues are looser than normal, making them a tad more agile than nature should allow but also prone to injuries and exhaustion. (-2 Con, +2 Dex).
Mentally, they struggle to grasp human social norms and cues (and often dislike them even when understanding them), but have an eye for detail and an inner emotional strength (-2 Cha, +Wis).

- As for appropriate deformities, a few I could think of from the original list are: fur (obviously), multi-segmented limbs, and tail.

[alhoon]

I vaguely remember the article about calibans... and I remember it was exceptional and helpful. Can you remind us which QtR it was at so we can find it and better contribute?

[TheArcaneWeirdo]

I vaguely remember the article about calibans... and I remember it was exceptional and helpful. Can you remind us which QtR it was at so we can find it and better contribute?

QtR 8. The subject was abberrations, I think.