GCR Operative
"Prawn" © Nazz Abdoel, accessed at ArtStation here
[Sponsored by Cranky on the Patreon, who wanted me to write something I wanted to write. And in thanks, I tied it in with their last sponsorship. This may take some explaining. The cliessids are an OSR monster from the book Monstrosities, that I converted years ago. In that post, I discussed how the suggested plot hook was to have the PCs fight the cliessids rebelling in the sewers, but I didn't think I'd ever run a game that wouldn't side with the Glorious Crustacean Revolution. And that phrase stuck in my head.
So now, here's a look at what the Glorious Crustacean Revolution is and what its goals are. I tied them to the Hell's Rebels AP, which is the last Pathfinder AP I actually managed to run from beginning to end and had a very good time doing. Pathfinder 2e is continuing the story line of the collapse of Cheliax's particular brand of infernal fascism, and I wanted to contribute. Plus, I grew up on Star Wars, and I wanted to do my variation on the theme of Ewoks: cute little critters as fierce guerilla fighters. Soon, the crabs will have their rave.
The Glorious Crustacean Revolution needs YOU! Join the cause on the Patreon!]
GCR Operative CR 6 LN Monstrous Humanoid This goblin-sized creature appears to be some manner of humanoid prawn, with pincers for hands, a beard of antennae around its mouth parts and a second cluster growing from the top of its head like hair. It wears leather armor and carries a short, slender blade.
The Glorious Crustacean Revolution began in Vyre. Underneath that island city of sin and vice, cliessids had been enslaved for generations in order to maintain the sewer systems and dispose of trash. After Vyre allied with Kintargo against House Thrune and became part of an independent Ravounel, the cliessids were enraged that they remained slaves while the humans and their allies became free. What followed was several years of guerrilla warfare, as Glorious Crustacean Revolutionaries conducted campaigns of sabotage, assassinations and propaganda to convince the people of Vyre that the cliessids were worthy of complete citizenship and rights.
The Revolution met its goals when the Kings and Queens of Vyre brought in a negotiator with a history of navigating rebellions—the half-elf bard Shensen, one of the prominent figures in the Kintargo revolt. She was far more supportive of the cliessids than Vyre’s vice lords assumed she would be, and convinced them to grant the cliessids freedom and wages for their labor. With her aid, the cliessids also negotiated a truce between the people of Vyre and Kintargo and their native reefclaw populations, convincing the reefclaws to stop eating humans and vice versa. Shensen’s primary goal was to stop the violence in Vyre, but her secondary goal was to convince the cliessids that violence was a useful tool elsewhere. Although Ravounel is openly at peace with Cheliax, many of the more radical factions there despise the cruelty of their former overlords and seek to destabilize Cheliax’s grip on the Inner Sea region. And the Glorious Crustacean Revolution was happy to join them, especially after Silver Raven agents aided the GCR in liberating a malaca warship from the aboleth. Christened the Dawnflower by Shensen, this living submarine is now used by the Glorious Crustacean Revolution to spread its operatives far and wide.
Crustacean Revolutionaries are now found in the sewer systems of many major Chelaxian cities, such as Westcrown, Ostenso, Corentyn and Egorian. They coordinate their efforts with local resistance groups such as the Firebrands and the Bellflower Network, focusing on protecting waterways and establishing safe houses. The Glorious Crustacean Revolution helps to broker alliances between these resistance groups and local populations of subterranean or amphibious monsters, such as goblins, grindylow and wererats—to mixed success. But the tighter the House of Thrune cracks down, the more citizens and monsters alike turn against the cruelties of the government, and the Glorious Crustacean Revolution grows in influence. The cliessids look forward to dancing in the rubble of Cheliax’s empire.
Individual GCR operatives can be found working as spies, diplomats or assassins, but are trained in squad tactics and may work in teams of up to 12, overwhelming foes with their numbers. They favor straightforward weapons such as swords and bows, and are skilled with poisons. A GCR operative on a mission will typically use two of their ki points to prepare ki venom and reserve the remaining points for use in combat or stealth. Crustacean Revolutionaries are zealous and loyal as a whole, gladly laying down their lives for the cause of defeating Cheliax.