Though the Grippli have been an intelligent race for quite some time, their existence is not widely known outside of their homeland of Urbol Lake because they are generally shy and uninterested in international affairs. They also tend not to wander too far from home due to how satisfactory their current environment is. For those reasons, the main way most would hear of the Grippli is through their masterful ability to create clay pottery from the abundant supplies they have at hand. Regardless, for most of their history, they were trusted by the elves of Tepliri as stewards of the elves’ land, though after some time, the Teplur people decided to acknowledge the Grippli’s long-standing dependability with sovereignty. Thus the nation of Abool (the name adopted from outsiders’ shortening of their patron deity’s name, Abulagga) was born.
As a whole, religion is central to Grippli lives, though most outside of the Caste of Wisdom are not overly pious, nor are they evangelistic. Grippli actually tend to be very polite, and this is partially due to their belief of striving for harmony with others and nature. A few of the ways they demonstrate this belief is their general reluctance to kill (outside of food) and subsequent Tithing to predators. This means Grippli prefer nonlethal toxins to subdue threats and that they use some of their gathered food to placate potential hazards such as large fish, turtles, birds, lizardfolk, etc.
As for Grippli society, it is divided into three castes, that of Wisdom, the Watch, and the Crèche. Generally, the Caste of Wisdom is composed of Pel Balagol Grippli, who spend most of their lives in water; the Watch is largely Pel Tepulur, who live in the trees; and the Crèche is mainly Pel Uru, who mostly live on, and burrow into, the land. The Wisdom interprets the wills of Abulagga and Balagol and creates and judges the law; the Watch enforces the law, explores, and protects the people; and the Crèche farms, performs the Tithes, and crafts needed goods. Each caste is governed by three elected elders, with all nine of them governing the country. From this, one can also see the number three is significant to Grippli, with “three-of-three,” or nine, being auspicious. That is why each elder is restricted to serving no more than nine years for their lifetime. This law also demonstrates that even Grippli tradition promotes change, for that is the central focus of their creator deity.
Regarding Grippli physiology, it affects their lives in various ways. for example, Grippli can subtly change their colors to match their environs, which benefits their natural desire to hide. This desire is also reflected In how difficult many of their settlements can be to find — in fact, one of the few clues to their locations is the unnatural concentration of insects that arise from their farms. Furthermore, their common ability to leap and different modes of travel means their habitations are difficult for outsiders to navigate, requiring most Grippli villages to have designated areas for visitors to travel through or stay in. Another quirk of Grippli is since they need their feet and hands’ specialized anatomy for adapted travel methods, they avoid gloves and boots; rather, they wear bracelets and anklets to achieve similar magic item benefits. Finally, perhaps the most significant physiological difference of Grippli is their maturation cycle. Because all their people start life as tadpoles, every village has a communal crèche for the eggs and pollywogs to mature in, and for this reason, village crèches are heavily guarded and hidden away from easy access.
5th Edition DnD[]
Racial Traits[]
-2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom (0): Grippli are nimble and alert, but they are spindly.
Small (0): Grippli stand between 2-1/2 and 3-1/2 feet tall and average about 30 pounds. Your size affects weapons you can use and how stealthy you are.
Slow Speed (-1): You have a base walking speed of 25 feet.
Adapted Movement (2): You have another movement speed based on which World you are adapted to. This movement speed cannot be used unless your hands and feet are unencumbered by boots or gloves (see above):
• Pel Balagol (Aquatic): You have a base swim speed of 25 feet.
• Pel Uru (Terrestrial): You have a base burrow speed of 25 feet. This must be in loose earth.
• Pel Tepulur (Arboreal): You have a base climb speed of 25 feet.
Standing Leap (?): Your long jump is up to 25 feet and your high jump is up to 15 feet, with or without a running start.
Darkvision (2): You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Camouflage (2): You have proficiency in Stealth checks.
Agile Tongue (6): You have a prehensile tongue with a range of 10 ft. You can pick up items weighing no more than 5 pounds, make Sleight of Hand checks, perform the steal or disarm combat maneuvers, or make melee touch attacks with it. All such actions receive your proficiency bonus when performed via your tongue.
Moisture Dependency (-?): If you spend most of a day in unclouded, direct sunlight or in dry, high heat, you must immerse yourself in fresh water for at least 1 hour or suffer one level of exhaustion at the end of that day. You can only recover from this exhaustion through magic or by immersing yourself in fresh water for 1 hour.
Languages (0): You can speak, read, and write Common and Abooli.
Regional Proficiency (3): In addition to the proficiencies from your chosen background, you gain one of the following: Athletics, Nature, Perception, Performance, Potter’s tools, Religion, or Survival.
Pathfinder[]
Racial Traits[]
-2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom (0): They are nimble and alert, but are spindly.
Aquatic (0): Humanoids with the aquatic and grippli subtypes.
Small (0): Small creatures receive:
o +1 size bonus to AC and attack rolls
o -1 size penalty to CMB and CMD
o +4 size bonus to Stealth checks
Normal Speed (0): Base speed of 30 ft.
Swim (2): Swim speed of 30 ft. and +8 racial bonus to Swim checks.
Darkvision (2): Can see in the dark up to 60 ft.
Camouflage (2): +4 racial bonus on Stealth checks in swamp and forest terrain.
Swamp Stride (1): May move through difficult swamp terrain at normal speed. Magically altered terrain affects them normally.
Dexterous Tongue (2): +2 racial bonus to Sleight of Hand and CMB checks with its tongue.
Skill Training (1): Acrobatics and Sleight of Hand are always considered class skills.
Agile Tongue (4): Have prehensile tongue with a range of 10 ft. Can pick up items weighing no more than 5 pounds, make Sleight of Hand checks, perform the steal or disarm combat maneuvers, or make melee touch attacks with it.
Languages (0): Begin play speaking Common and Abooli. Grippli with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Elvish, Gnomish, Vartian, Eblundan, Dwarvish, Sylvan, or Harkessian.
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