The bainligor are small, flightless bat-people, a primitive tribal culture found in the upper reaches of the Underdark, where they subsist almost entirely on insects, spiders, rothé, and edible fungi such as fireweed. They hunt in darkness using echolocation, just as their bat ancestors.

Though bainligor can speak Undercommon, most of their speech is too high-pitched for others to hear. If necessary, they can make an effort to speak in a low enough voice to be heard by other races; even then, their voices resemble high-pitched squeaks. As a result, the bainligor rarely speak with outsiders and carry on little trade with other races. The cries of a rampaging pack of bainligor are inaudible to the ears of most humanoids, but dogs and cats often warn against such attacks; they can hear the bainligor coming.

Strategy and Tactics

In battle, the bainligor attack en masse, hoping to pull prey down quickly.

Sample Encounter

The Scavengers (EL 8): A band of 8 bainligor is sifting over the corpse-strewn site of a recent battle between bugbears and duergar. If discovered, the bainligor will attempt to flee and then creep back to spy on the interlopers. If discovered and detained, the bainligor will invite the PCs back to the tribal cave for a feast, where they can meet the wise old Revered Grandmother.

Ecology

The bainligor are nomads and scavengers, feasting on insects, detritus, and even rotting flesh if necessary. Rather than a source of shame, this scavenging, wandering existence is a source of pride among the bainligor, for they believe that they can survive anywhere, on anything, whereas others are tied to the earth by their possessions, their cities, and their weakness for special foods. Eating noxious foods is a source of many bainligor boasts.

Environment: Bainligor dwell in the upper reaches of the Underdark.

Typical Physical Characteristics: In appearance, bainligor are considered hideous by even the most charitable viewers. Their ears are huge and pointed, their ridged snouts and elaborately sculpted facial features resembling those of bats. Smaller bainligor are about 3 feet tall and weigh about 20 pounds, while fully grown adults approach 6 feet in height and 130 pounds in weight.

Society

Bainligor society is based on reverence of the elderly; young bainligor always defer to the commands of the old.

Eventually, the eldest of the bainligor leave their tribes, compelled by an inner voice to seek out dry, empty caverns where their bodies are transformed for the last time. Once they return from their seclusion, they are undead creatures called Revered Ones (see below).

Bainligor may wander through the Underdark in small gangs of 4–12 or larger bands of 14–36 plus 1 Revered One. Large and successful tribes may congregate as a great swarm of 40–400 plus 1–6 Revered Ones.

Tales are told of the Deep Tribes, those who starved until they were reduced to nothing but dozens of the Revered, who still hunt in great swarms, not for nourishment but for the joy of their great strength and the fear they cause in others. These are likely nothing more than myths told to bainligor young, for such sightings have never been confirmed by sages or savants of the Underdark races.

Typical Treasure

Most of what bainligor have is of little value; bone and stone tools, tanned hides, and small quantities of food are their usual treasures. Bainligor generally keep no coins or items, and only 50% of standard goods (gems only) for their Challenge Rating.

Advanced Bainligor

As they age, the claws and teeth of the bainligor are magically strengthened by growth spurts; as a result of these magical periods of growth, the bat-people continue to grow larger throughout their lives.

Level Adjustment: +3

Creating a Revered One

“Revered One” is an acquired template that can be added to any bainligor. Becoming a revered one is very much like multiclassing as an undead and gaining the appropriate Hit Dice. A revered one has all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature’s +2

Alignment: Always neutral evil.

Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to undead, and it gains the augmented subtype. Do not recalculate base attack bonus, saves, or skill points. Size is unchanged.

Armor Class: The base creature’s natural armor bonus improves by +2.

Hit Dice: Increase all current and future Hit Dice to d12s. The creature also gains 2 additional undead HD.

Base Save Bonus: The two additional undead HD increase the base creature’s base saving throw bonuses as follows: Fort +0, Ref +0, Will +3.

Melee: The damage for the base creature’s claw attack increases according to the following table, as if it had gained two size categories.

Base Attack: The base creature’s base attack bonus increases by +1 due to the two additional undead HD.

Attack Options: A revered one retains all the attack options of the base creature and also gains the ability to create spawn.

Create Spawn (Su) The revered one can transform other creatures into undead. To do so, it must forgo its normal melee attacks and make a create spawn attack. This requires a normal attack roll but deals no damage. The affected creature must succeed at a Fortitude save or die instantly. The save DC is 10 + 1/2 the revered one’s HD + the revered one’s Cha modifier. The slain creature is immediately animated as a zombie under the control of the revered one that created it, unless the slain creature was a bainligor. Bainligor slain by use of this ability instead become free-willed undead with the revered one template.

A revered one cannot use this ability more than once per month and will not do so to its own kind unless it fears the tribe is in danger of starvation, overcrowding, or death by poison gas or drowning.

Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Dex +4, Wis +4, Cha +6. As an undead creature, a revered one has no Constitution score.

In addition, a revered one may also gain an additional ability score increase by virtue of its extra Hit Dice.

Feats: Same as the base creature’s. The base creature may also gain an additional feat from its extra undead HD.

Skills: The two extra undead HD give the base creature additional skill points equal to 2 x (4 + Int modifier), as if it had multiclassed into the undead type. (Undead is never its first Hit Die, though, and it does not gain quadruple skill points for any undead Hit Die.) Bluff, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Listen, and Move Silently are considered class skills for the revered one’s undead levels.

In addition, a revered one has a +4 racial bonus on Charisma-based checks made to influence bainligor.

Advancement: By character class.

Level Adjustment: Same as the base creature’s +3.