Crabfolk
"Crab people, crab people, taste like crab, talk like people. All things girl, keep getting better. Crab People! You came into my life. Crab people! And my world never looked so bright. Crab People!"
- – South Park
Crabfolk (the race formerly known as Crabmen) are a primitive race of humanoid crabs that are amongst the oldest aquatic humanoids in Dungeons & Dragons.
A Crustacean History
Crabfolk debuted under the name Crabmen (well, Crabman in the original Fiend Folio for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition, which means they probably showed up in the Fiend Factory first. Crabfolk are given very little lore here, although they did get a full-page bonus art piece depicting several crabfolk kicking the ass of a typical adventurer party for some reason. It is noted that they largely live peaceful existences, but sporadically go on rampages where bands of 30-40 will go tearing inland to pillage neighboring communities. They are also fanatical collectors of silver and will do anything to get it; even attacking those suspected of carrying it. Sahuagin consider them a delicacy, although hunting them is tricky, because the usual net-based subdual tactics don't work too well on a race with what are effectively giant scissors for hands.
Crabfolk were updated to AD&D 2nd edition in the Monstrous Manual, which expanded upon their lore. It describes the crabfolk as primitive hunter-gatherers, not too different to giant crabs outside of the whole bipedalism thing; crabfolk spend most of their days hunting for food, which largely amounts to scavenging along the beach and eating anything even remotely edible they come across. They even stuff gobs of sand in their mouths so they can suck out all the algae and little wriggly things before spitting out the compacted balls; just like real crabs, piles of these sand balls is a good indication of crabfolk being near. Males are often brightly colored, whilst females are typically reddish-brown, green or black - some males grow disproportionate pincers, which do more damage. They are largely peaceful, but also highly xenophobic; they can't speak humanoid languages and humanoids can't speak their language without magic, so generally they just want to be left alone. The rampages of 1st edition are now explained as a result of starvation; when food sources get too low or the population gets too high, crabfolk begin aggressively attacking all other creatures in the area, including humanoids and other crabfolk tribes, until the food issue is solved one way or another. They gained a surprising artistic taste, producing things like seaweed weavings, driftwood carvings, and seashell constructions, which tend to be brittle and naturally short-lived, but can fetch a pretty penny. They still go absolutely mad for silver, but now they can't tell one silvery metal from another, so they'll go just as crazy for platinum and steel.
Another major 2e source of lore is the article "Heroes of the Sea" in Dragon Magazine #250, which presented crabfolk as a playable race alongside Koalinths, Locathahs, Malenti, Merfolk, Pahari, Selkies, Vodyanoi, and Liminals. However, the lore here is largely identical to that seen in the Monstrous Manual, mostly expanding it with the idea that crabfolk tribes are nomadic and migrate with the seasons. It does point players to the adventuyre "Back to the Beach" in Dungeon Magazine #50 for a great portrayal of crabfolk culture.
Unless you count the Yutrians (see below), crabfolk vanished from D&D until the semi-official splatbook known as Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1. Here called '"Crab Folk, they are stated to be the result of a coastal hag (a green hag, surprisingly, rather than the native sea hag) who found her ogre minions to be so incredibly inept at being useful for her that she spliced them with crabs and tinkered with their brains to try and make them more useful. Their lore is largely identical the 2e version, save for the intense focus on being so primitive and isolationist, and the emphasis on tying so much of their behavior to their creator's tinkering. Why do crabfolk collect silver? Because their hag mistress was obsessed with the stuff. Why do crabfolk spontaneously launch raiding parties? Because when their mistress was alive, at the cusp of summer and autumn, she would send her seagull familiar to rouse her minions to war; now, if a seagull lands near a crabfolk lair and utters the right combination of cries at that time of year, the old programming kicks in and they go on the rampage. Ironically, these crabfolk are far more docile and gentle-natured than their ogre ancestors, and would not bother anybody. Also, mention is made of the fact that their mistress loved to use the guise of a regal hobgoblin queen (which you could easily change to a koalinth queen), and that such an individual might be able to take advantage of the still-resonant loyalty programmed into the entire race.
Crabfolk PCs?
- Ability Score Minimum/Maximum: Strength 8/18, Dexterity 3/17, Constitution 9/18, Intelligence 3/13, Wisdom 3/15, Charisma 3/17
- Ability Score Adjustments: +1 Strength, +1 Constitution, -1 Intelligence, -1 Charisma
- Racial Class & Level Limits: Fighter 12, Shaman 9, Fighter/Shaman
- Available Kits: Tribal Defender, Wilderness Protector, Oracle, Wandering Mystic
- Natural Armor: 4
- Special Advantages:
- Amphibious: Can breathe air and water, and move on land (MV9) and underwater (MV6).
- Natural Weapons: Crabfolk can attack twice per round with their claws, which do 1d6 damage.
- Special Disadvantages:
- Alien Physiology: Crabfolk cannot use armor or weapons; they have to rely on their natural shells and claws.
- Xenophobic: Roleplaying disadvantage; crabfolk are naturally distrustful and cautious towards all non-crabfolk.
- Nonweapon Proficiencies: Alertness, Ancient History (Crabfolk), Animal Lore, Artistic Ability (Sculpture, Woodcarving), Blind-Fighting, Chanting, Danger Sense, Direction Sense, Eating, Fortune Telling, Hiding, Intimidation, Local History, Natural Fighting, Poetry, Religion, Survival (Aquatic), Weather Sense, Weaving, Whistling/Humming, Wild Fighting
Crabby Confusion
One of the problems with figuring out crabfolk lore is that there are two other humanoid crustacean races in D&D's lore; the Aldani of the Forgotten Realms and the Yurians.
Aldani debuted in the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons splatbook "Jungles of Chult", and are stated to be a race of humanoid lobsters. They recently reappeared in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition in the adventure Tomb of Annihilation, which gives them expanded, entirely brand new lore. However, the AD&D Realms-splat "Sea of Fallen Stars" also states that the titular region is home to plain old vanilla crabfolk, making no mention of the Aldani name whatsoever.
Yurians appeared in Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition in the 3e Fiend Folio, and seem set up to be basically the crabfolk of old under a new name; their lore is all but identical to the expanded crabfolk lore from 2e's Monstrous Manual, but they aren't explicitly connected. Further confusing the issue, in the 3e Realms-splat "Serpent Kingdoms", it's mentioned in very brief passing (page 117) that "aldani" is a local name for yurians.
And then you have the Crabfolk appearance in Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1, which makes absolutely no connection to the lore for the Aldani.
So the result is an absolute mess of "what the hell is or isn't canon". Even by D&D standards...
Gallery
-
Hoo boy, these sure do look nothing like crabs!
-
-
