Umber hulk

Umber hulks were four eyed, monstrosities who lived deep under the earth. Their massive claws tunneled through rock with ease and their thick armor was as strong as full plate mail.

Abominable monsters with horrifying physical aptitudes, Umber Hulks easily smashed through their opposition before disappearing after killing their quarry. They would then tunnel away collapsing their exits behind them and leaving the memories of those who survived dazed and confused.

Description
Umber Hulks looked somewhat like a cross between a gorilla and a beetle. Their most prominent feature was probably the huge pair of mandibles, each roughly 8 inches long and their mouths are filled with many rows of sharp triangular teeth. Umber hulks had two sets of evenly spaced eyes, on their heads with compound eyes that lied on the side of its head, while their forehead eyes were small and apelike. They were extremely bulky creatures, often standing between 8-9 feet tall, and between 4.5- 5 feet tall. They were stout and had a highly muscular physique weighing between 800-1750 lbs. Their bulk was covered in chitinous armored plates, tougher than steel, that laid over their hair-like feelers. In addition their powerful arms and legs both ended in tough claws, able to rip through rock with ease. Rather than a nose, they had a series of gill-like openings of their almost non-existent necks, potentially due to aquatic origins. Due to their wide, and heavy bodies, they cannot properly maneuver in open spaces and end up lumbering around when not traversing their tunnels. As indicated by their name their hides are mostly black, although their front is usually burnt brown or yellowish gray.

Personality
Umber Hulks are commonly viewed by other races as unthinking brutes. This is an untruth they are perfectly happy to propagate. Whilst not particularly intelligent, Umber Hulks are perfectly capable of rational thought and forward planning. Umber Hulks normally have no need for complex plans, magic, numbers, or technology to accomplish their goals and so do not employ such things. If a situation warrants more than sheer force, they can use they are intelligent enough to use their earth shaping abilities to out-think an enemy. Umber Hulks are solitary, not due to a hatred of one another but simply because working together has no perceivable benefit, as they can handle most threats individually. They prefer to stay underground, as there is also no use in going above ground, and they dislike the light.

Combat
Umber Hulks fight only when hunting, and do so for the express purpose of gaining some material benefits. Mostly an Umber Hulk is driven by a need for food and will target foes that it perceives as obviously weaker than itself. They conduct raids on dungeons and settlements, but will only kill a few before leaving, so as to give the food source time to replenish. Using their feelers, they can sense movement around them and will lie in wait around corridors and other crucial points waiting to strike. They may also create small holes so as to properly size up its options and pick the weakest target. Typically after an ambush is sprung an Umber Hulk will utilize it's second terrifying feature; Its confusing gaze. Nearby beings that made eye contact with the Umber Hulk's smaller eyes would have their mind scrambled, wandering in random directions, lashing out at those nearby, or simply stand dazed and confused. If the combination of ambush, power, and confusion fail to be enough, they will utilize a variety of tactics to escape, retreat, or recollect itself. They can cause cave ins, lead enemies into dead ends, create circular paths, initiate floods, collapse tunnels they enter and exit, or create pitfall traps.

Diet
Umber Hulks will feed on Purple Worms, Ankhegs, and similar underground creatures, but greatly enjoy the taste of humanoids. It is rumored that they digest precious metals for dietary reasons but this is mere speculation. Umber Hulk teeth are not used for combat, instead serving solely to chew through kills.

Reproduction
In both behavior and appearance, Umber Hulks are virtually indistinguishable to outsiders, male or female. Females are rarer than males and males will defend them, possibly at the cost of their own lives, although males leave after mating is completed. Females give birth live, producing 1-3 'Hulklings', and creates a nursery in a hallowed out cavern in order to care for them. Hulklings quickly gain their iconic abilities and after  two years are capable of joining the mother in order to learn hunting. In a few months they will be mature adults and live by themselves from that point. During their infancy Hulkling's mothers hunt for them, killing as much as possible to feed them, and after they grow up will start a new litter. Male Umber Hulks live for approximately 50 years, and Females live for approximately 75 years. A particularly long lived Umber Hulk may become a Truly Horrid Umber Hulk, a 16 ft. tall monstrosity that weighed four tons. These particularly destructive Hulks were not any less intelligent with age, and had more experience with reading the intentions of others.

Society
Umber Hulks are primarily solitary creatures and it is currently unknown if they have anything akin to a society of their own. There are rumors that they possess underground cities consisting of web-like tunnels and that they steal precious metals to use as currency, although not all Umber Hulks value precious metals. Although they are mostly solitary, some may live in clusters (groups of 2-4) typically comprised of mothers and their young. They typically destroy items they cannot use such as clothes and weapons, but curiosities that catch their eyes will be hidden within their lairs along with food items, hidden and guarded with simple earth related traps. Their lairs are large caverns with the walls covered in claw marks, possibly due to claw sharpening, or from the fact the Umber Hulk made the cavern.

Language
Umber Hulks speak primarily in a brutal and harsh language of their own creation known as 'Hulkish' It consists of various hissing sounds and grunting noises combined with as gestures as well as eye, mouth, mandible movements. This language conveys limited ideas and so is easy to learn but very difficult to replicate by anyone but Umber Hulks. If needed, some could also speak Terran and others could understand Deep Speech.

Relations
Umber Hulks do not have working relations with most other races, and are typically enslaved by members of other races. Neogi capture Umber Hulks and enslave them with young Umber Hulks being used as the first servants of hatchlings. In addition, they can often be found dominated by illithids for use as dumb muscle, or enslaved by human spellcasters. Some will also willingly work under other evil races in any position that doesn't put them above ground or risk their lives, such as guards, warriors, or a labour force. Truly Horrid Umber Hulks can even be found under the employ of dragons. They will just as easily however turn on their 'masters' for any reason, or for no reason at all. Dead Umber Hulks are harvested by other races such as Kobolds and Goblins to make equipment such as shields with their hides and maces with their mandibles, while magic casters for their eyes to brew potions.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Assault on Maerimydra
 * City of the Spider Queen
 * Corsair
 * Computer Games
 * Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
 * Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
 * Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear
 * Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition
 * Menzoberranzan
 * Neverwinter Nights 2
 * Pools of Darkness
 * Secret of the Silver Blades
 * Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace
 * Sword Coast Legends
 * Treasures of the Savage Frontier
 * Novels
 * Archmage
 * Neverwinter
 * Rise of the King
 * Storm of the Dead
 * Into the Void
 * Rise of the King
 * Storm of the Dead
 * Into the Void