The Crab Approaches!

 

Dandadan, Yukinobu Tatsu

Left alone, crustaceans will naturally develop into crabs. Scholars are wont to point out that these are not always true crabs, but more often they are a different genus entirely that merely begins to evolve characteristics of the crab when the right conditions are met. Environments where nutrient and sediment pools, deep and dark realms where light fades, that is where you find crabs and their kin. And those that strive to become crabs. 

A dungeon is much like a crab in this respect. Buildings, cities, dwellings of men and their kin when left alone long enough, or when subjected to the right stimuli, begin to take on the characteristics of naturally occurring dungeons. These are often deep places either physically or metaphysically where essence can pool and fill up in reservoirs that inevitably attracts attention of its own. Just as nature strives to produce a crab, so too does it strive to create a dungeon. 

D10 Dungeon Crabs

1 Lesser Dungeon Crab: These are the most common types of crab to encounter in any standard dungeon. Typically they are half a foot long and tall at the largest and take on a coloration that matches their environment and feed on detritus and plant life. Much like all crabs, they can be found in groups and will viciously defend their young and are delicious when steamed and served with butter.

2 Greater Dungeon Crab: Where there are lessers there is always a greater. Some scholars believe that every dungeon will have a Greater Dungeon Crab by nature, however they are not easy to find. Greater Dungeon Crabs are enormous but move gracefully throughout their dungeon, squeezing through impossibly small crevices and disappearing almost at will. A dungeon shaman can commune with the Greater Dungeon Crabs and with proper ritual and ablutions the Greater Dungeon Crab will answer respectful questions about their home. Their gills are a highly sought after magical ingredient that can be devoured in a pinch to move freely through the walls and obstructions of dungeons for 1d10 minutes.

3 Auric Crab: Auric crabs are the size of a small dog and are distinct in their golden sheen. They live in piles of gold coins and treasure hordes, usually devouring the leftovers of greater horde keepers. Many an adventurer has flung open a treasure chest only to be surprised by the metallic claws of a clan of auric crabs. The wizened adventurer, however, will know that these agile crabs will surely lead back to a horde if followed carefully.

4 Brain Crab: Wizards of ill-repute are known to keep colonies of brain crabs bred and at the ready in a pinch. These minuscule alabaster white crabs are administered to a victim's ear canal and will shortly colonize and devour their brain in a matter of hours. The process is excruciating for the victim, but the end result is an extract-able pearl nestled amongst the freshly laid eggs. Imbibing this pearl will allow d4 questions about the victim's life to be answered, however if the victim was a wizard then it will instead allow the memorization of d4 of the spells the wizard knew at their time of death.

5 Knifecrab: Technically not a crab, these are more related to lobsters with their pincers having been bred to a fine knife like edge. They live in colonies that swarm beaches looking for beached sea creatures to eviscerate and devour. Sailors are often known to keep a prized fighting knifecrab for gambling matches in port.

6 Calamity Crab: The size of a rowboat with a mottled black thich carapace and bright pink veins, these enormous crabs are seen hours before disaster strikes, after which they sweep through devastated towns in a feeding frenzy. Some wizards believe that they can be distracted to divert catastrophe, while others harvest clutches of their eggs from shipwrecks and harness their oracular essence for their own ends.

7 Crablin: A goblinoid relative, the crablin's most significant divergences are their clutch laying reproductive cycle and exoskeleton. Crablin infestations are a constant plague at busy ports where crablins are known to lair under docks and in unused warehouses. 

8 Spellcrab: Credited to the Meridian Coven, the spellcrab is a homunculus traditionally crafted from seashell and seaspider-silk and then enchanted with their target spell. Once an owner is attuned to the spellcrab, it will follow simple commands and trigger its spell once before requiring recharging. Colonies of wild spellcrabs have been discovered recently of late in unattended studies and keeps where they feed off of ambient energies from stored grimoires. Research is ongoing to determine if these are a branch of the homonculus or a new species entirely.

9 Skullcrab: The smallest skullcrabs are the size of a mouse with the largest so far being roughly the size of a tower. Skullcrabs are found across the world and are actually hermit crabs that inhabit discarded skulls. These creatures are territorial and well known nuisances to grave-keepers who will frequently need to discreetly hire an adventurer to retrieve a valuable skull from a very angry crab.

10 King Crab: The King Crab is the most crab crab of all the crabs. Nature tries to create crabs, yes, but even crabs over time will develop more and more crab-like features. The reason for this is that all crustaceans do not become crabs over time, but instead strive to emulate the King Crab, the most crab that a crab can be; the ideal crab. Carcinic cults have tried to summon the King Crab into being with disastrous results. While a summoner may be able to bring about a meager strand of the King Crab's essence with little risk of corruption, Carcinic cults try to bring the King itself into being. The last recorded corprealization attempt resulted in the carcinization of two and a quarter city blocks, and caused a booming increase in local carcinic ecological diversity. The emergence of Colossal Tenanment Crabs, technically a branch of mimic, are still a fascinating sight/uncommon disaster amongst the dockside residences to this day.