Dark Folk


Pathfinder First Edition General Discussion


I'm trying to write and adventure using the Dark Folk but I realized the information about them in the Bestiaries tends to be vague.

I realize that if killed, they burn up, but what if somebody paralyses them and then takes off the wrappings? What would they see?

Anybody else use them in adventures?

RPG Superstar 2013 Top 8

The insinuation from Into the Darklands has been that, at least in Pathfinder, they're human refugees from Earthfall who fled underground and were warped by exposure to the Plane of Shadow. So they're human-like, mostly, but pale and wiry. Stunted, in the case of dark creepers. I did run a game, however, where the dark creepers were completely bestial, with fur-covered bodies, sharp teeth and hooves, whereas the dark stalkers were mostly human.

I'm a big fan of the dark folk, and have used them in a number of games. I've always seen dark folk as existing more in the underbellies of human civilizations than having civilizations of their own, acting as black-marketeers, thieves and occasional assassins. They're not evil, rather they're more amoral, selfish and profiteering (befitting their CN alignment). Not typically ambitious, but a good go-to group for ambiguous allies or opponents for PC activities.


Do the Dark Folk have any pets or war "animals" associated with them?

Shadow Lodge

The Thread Necromancer wrote:
Do the Dark Folk have any pets or war "animals" associated with them?

Not that are immediately stated as far as I know but I assume you could go with a lot of different options that fit the subterranean vibe and still not intrude on the other guys. I could see them having spiders and a lot of blind albino animals like albino cave fish, giant albino newts, or giant albino cave shrimp like the ones out of B5 that have that hit so hard its like a sonic boom.

Non aquatic stuff is a little tougher but I could see them having solifugids or cave spiders & scorpions, I could totally see them having packs of albino cave solifugids they hunt with like packs of dogs. Part of me thinks they should have some mammals like a bat or something but can't really think of something that fits that isn't already really associated with something like the Urdefaden or Ratfolk.

Hope that helps man.

Scarab Sages

In my campaign, the Dark Folk are the stuff of fairy tales - no one seriously believes in them, and they are generic boogeymen used to frighten children. Which makes it weird when they actually show up to bother the PCs.

Later, one may find out that they serve/worship something called "The Shadow King" which is another weird fairy-tale like entity that features prominently in nursery rhymes and folk takes. If one is really lucky/unfortunate one may hear the dark folk refer to the Shadow King as "His Divine Shadow".

If my PCs were to try to remove their robes/wrapping they would immolate in the process, leaving nothing but the rags.

Scarab Sages

The Thread Necromancer wrote:
Do the Dark Folk have any pets or war "animals" associated with them?

I usually associate them with underground aberrations. Things like chokers and cloakers, also doppelgangers seem appropriate to me as well.


doc the grey wrote:
The Thread Necromancer wrote:
Do the Dark Folk have any pets or war "animals" associated with them?

Not that are immediately stated as far as I know but I assume you could go with a lot of different options that fit the subterranean vibe and still not intrude on the other guys. I could see them having spiders and a lot of blind albino animals like albino cave fish, giant albino newts, or giant albino cave shrimp like the ones out of B5 that have that hit so hard its like a sonic boom.

Non aquatic stuff is a little tougher but I could see them having solifugids or cave spiders & scorpions, I could totally see them having packs of albino cave solifugids they hunt with like packs of dogs. Part of me thinks they should have some mammals like a bat or something but can't really think of something that fits that isn't already really associated with something like the Urdefaden or Ratfolk.

Hope that helps man.

I wouldn't want to do spiders (associated with Drow), but the other ides (cave solifugids) would work.

Wolfsnap wrote:
I usually associate them with underground aberrations. Things like chokers and cloakers, also doppelgangers seem appropriate to me as well.

According to Pathfinder Chronicles: Into the Darklands the Dark Folk are allied with the Doppelgangers.


You may want to take a look at the Caligni....that will give you a pretty good base to work from ;)

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Darkmantles? Ropers?

Those creepy black squirrels from Canada? Fishers? SWARMS of Fishers?
Flightless crows and ravens that have evolved forearms and claws, like mini-kenku? Quaggoth? Dry otters? Like, really evil creepy dry otters? Mini-bulette? Not-so-naked mole rats?

Silver Crusade Contributor

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There is, in fact, an "unwrapped" dark creeper in Pathfinder - with art, even! ^_^

RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32

Kalindlara wrote:
There is, in fact, an "unwrapped" dark creeper in Pathfinder - with art, even! ^_^

Who is that?

Silver Crusade Contributor

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Lord Fyre wrote:
Kalindlara wrote:
There is, in fact, an "unwrapped" dark creeper in Pathfinder - with art, even! ^_^
Who is that?

Carrion Crown:
Grine, of the murderous duo Vorkstag and Grine. See Trial of the Beast for more. ^_^
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32

Kalindlara wrote:
Lord Fyre wrote:
Kalindlara wrote:
There is, in fact, an "unwrapped" dark creeper in Pathfinder - with art, even! ^_^
Who is that?
** spoiler omitted **

Ah! Haven't played that AP


Kalindlara wrote:
There is, in fact, an "unwrapped" dark creeper in Pathfinder - with art, even! ^_^

That red hair... I suddenly have this weird headcanon involving a failed Elan transformation attempt. or maybe a what-if involving attempting the elan transformation on a Dark Folk...


It was interesting to see the artwork though I found the red hair a little unexpected. Older artwork emphasized the Dark Creeper's big nose and bushy eyebrows.

As for pets, centipedes are pretty weird and tend to be blind or have limited vision, which seems like it would fit with dark places.

SmiloDan wrote:
Flightless crows and ravens that have evolved forearms and claws, like mini-kenku?

Are you aware of Dire Corbies? Whether they're allies or enemies they might fit in pretty well with the areas Dark Folk tend to inhabit.


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Well, you also have to deal with the owb.

"The race's closest relationship is with the dark folk, who worship owbs as proxies to gods of the shadows. Most dark folk believe the first of their kind were created by owbs—or more powerful owb-like beings."

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Devilkiller wrote:

It was interesting to see the artwork though I found the red hair a little unexpected. Older artwork emphasized the Dark Creeper's big nose and bushy eyebrows.

As for pets, centipedes are pretty weird and tend to be blind or have limited vision, which seems like it would fit with dark places.

SmiloDan wrote:
Flightless crows and ravens that have evolved forearms and claws, like mini-kenku?
Are you aware of Dire Corbies? Whether they're allies or enemies they might fit in pretty well with the areas Dark Folk tend to inhabit.

Yup, but I'm liking the centipede idea. Or millipede. You know, those glossy smooth-looking black ones?

EDIT:

Except pet centipedes remind me of that bloated, morbidly obese derro oracle queen from 3.5's Tome of Magic.


Pathfinder Maps Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Ooooh!

Don't forget the giant bat-eating centipede!

Size that up just a bit, and it would be horrible!


Dark Creepers being wrapped in layers of dirty cloth and smelling like spoiled food makes me think that maybe bugs could live on their person. Besides centipedes I guess another sort of bug known to dislike light is the roach. Dirty little dark creepers infested with roaches could probably make an adventurer sickened if not downright nauseated (perhaps with a swarm-like aura)

If there were baby giant centipedes eating the roaches I guess you could end up with a whole ecosystem in a dark creeper's clothing. Maybe there would be big, fat dark folk be called Filth Wardens or something. They could be infested with maggots and surrounded by clouds of flies, kind of a final Herod-like bloated stage of the dark creeper life cycle which lives for a while in a "royal" state before bursting open to release something nasty - maybe lots of horrible grubs with humanoid faces which slowly grow and molt into new dark creepers?

I guess another pet/mount dark creepers might keep would be giant cave crickets (aka "sprickets" since they look like a cross between spiders and crickets). Somehow that also reminds me of rust monsters though I guess dark folks who want to ally with those would need to use weapons made of bone, stone, etc.


Philo Pharynx wrote:

Well, you also have to deal with the owb.

"The race's closest relationship is with the dark folk, who worship owbs as proxies to gods of the shadows. Most dark folk believe the first of their kind were created by owbs—or more powerful owb-like beings."

Just waiting for the opportunity to play my Caligni "Owb caller" (unchained summoner/Shadow eidolon) :P


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Demiurge 1138 wrote:
The insinuation from Into the Darklands has been that, at least in Pathfinder, they're human refugees from Earthfall who fled underground and were warped by exposure to the Plane of Shadow. So they're human-like, mostly, but pale and wiry. Stunted, in the case of dark creepers.

I thought that was fetchlings, and that darkfolk were something else entirely.

Verdant Wheel

Ravingdork wrote:
Demiurge 1138 wrote:
The insinuation from Into the Darklands has been that, at least in Pathfinder, they're human refugees from Earthfall who fled underground and were warped by exposure to the Plane of Shadow. So they're human-like, mostly, but pale and wiry. Stunted, in the case of dark creepers.
I thought that was fetchlings, and that darkfolk were something else entirely.

Yeah what is their relationship?


Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

I would think Shadow hounds would be a pretty quick obvious choice


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Fetchlings are Azlanti that fled to the Shadow plane; Darkfolk just went underground

Shadow Lodge

The Thread Necromancer wrote:
doc the grey wrote:
The Thread Necromancer wrote:
Do the Dark Folk have any pets or war "animals" associated with them?

Not that are immediately stated as far as I know but I assume you could go with a lot of different options that fit the subterranean vibe and still not intrude on the other guys. I could see them having spiders and a lot of blind albino animals like albino cave fish, giant albino newts, or giant albino cave shrimp like the ones out of B5 that have that hit so hard its like a sonic boom.

Non aquatic stuff is a little tougher but I could see them having solifugids or cave spiders & scorpions, I could totally see them having packs of albino cave solifugids they hunt with like packs of dogs. Part of me thinks they should have some mammals like a bat or something but can't really think of something that fits that isn't already really associated with something like the Urdefaden or Ratfolk.

Hope that helps man.

I wouldn't want to do spiders (associated with Drow), but the other ides (cave solifugids) would work.

Yeah I know about the spider thing but with Paizo decoupling Golarion's drow so much from the FR equivalent I thought it might be something that can be spread out a bit more amongst the underdark races. That said I think the thematic toes I'm stepping on more here are the Deurgar rather than the Drow since they seem to be the ones who are all about the bug mounts. Still, I could see vermin mounts being something rather common to all races down here, with the Gray Dwarves selling them off to any willing to buy for the right price.

Shadow Lodge

Devilkiller wrote:

Dark Creepers being wrapped in layers of dirty cloth and smelling like spoiled food makes me think that maybe bugs could live on their person. Besides centipedes I guess another sort of bug known to dislike light is the roach. Dirty little dark creepers infested with roaches could probably make an adventurer sickened if not downright nauseated (perhaps with a swarm-like aura)

If there were baby giant centipedes eating the roaches I guess you could end up with a whole ecosystem in a dark creeper's clothing. Maybe there would be big, fat dark folk be called Filth Wardens or something. They could be infested with maggots and surrounded by clouds of flies, kind of a final Herod-like bloated stage of the dark creeper life cycle which lives for a while in a "royal" state before bursting open to release something nasty - maybe lots of horrible grubs with humanoid faces which slowly grow and molt into new dark creepers?

I guess another pet/mount dark creepers might keep would be giant cave crickets (aka "sprickets" since they look like a cross between spiders and crickets). Somehow that also reminds me of rust monsters though I guess dark folks who want to ally with those would need to use weapons made of bone, stone, etc.

I totally dig on the idea of cockroaches being something Dark Folk keep around like dogs and wander their towns like stray dogs. Could be into that, makes their homes feel like that pit in Peter Jackson's King Kong and the Dark Folk just live in it like it's no big deal.

Shadow Lodge

rainzax wrote:
Ravingdork wrote:
Demiurge 1138 wrote:
The insinuation from Into the Darklands has been that, at least in Pathfinder, they're human refugees from Earthfall who fled underground and were warped by exposure to the Plane of Shadow. So they're human-like, mostly, but pale and wiry. Stunted, in the case of dark creepers.
I thought that was fetchlings, and that darkfolk were something else entirely.
Yeah what is their relationship?

Read this chain and got me thinking of Dark Folk as a dark reflection of man and I think the best answer for Dark Folk is actually something like a dog.

Maybe Dark Folk have big albino hounds they took with them from the surface when they fled. Without the light they've grown pale as snow and their eyes have atrophied in the darkness but in exchange these baying hounds have become excellent diggers and have an enhanced since of smell so great that it works like sight alongside their enhanced hearing. These hounds are called The Ghosts of The Tunnels and slink through the darkness like ghosts, baying when they find prey and leading their illusive Dark Folk to their prize.

Dark men wrapped in rags being lead by blind long hounds with ghost white fur and looking like irish wolfhounds sounds awesome.


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There is a clan of Dark Folk in the second book of Mummy's Mask that can give some insight into them.

In the AP, the clan is fascinated with the concept of mummification, the preservation and veneration of physical remains. The concept is completely alien and the potential that they too could undergo a process to keep their remains around after death intrigued them (Dark Folk disappear into dust and nothingness when they die.)

It made for a decent encounter, a bit of exposure to their ecology and culture, and side venture helping them out with a splintered-off faction from the clan.

And there is this: http://paizo.com/products/btpy8odv?Behind-the-Monsters-Dark-Folk

After looking at the FAQ for formatting and trying five times, I give up trying to turn that into a link.

Dark Archive

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Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Huh, nice to see necromancy being done right: Reviving thread that is in general about Dark Folk to ask question about Dark Folk instead of answering to four year old question xD


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Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
mardaddy wrote:

And there is this: http://paizo.com/products/btpy8odv?Behind-the-Monsters-Dark-Folk

After looking at the FAQ for formatting and trying five times, I give up trying to turn that into a link.

http://paizo.com/products/btpy8odv?Behind-the-Monsters-Dark-Folk

First you type [ u r l = your link's address ] without the spaces, then you type what you want the display link to be. SAMPLE LINK, for example. Then you type [ / u r l ] without the spaces. All done.

SAMPLE LINK

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