This is one of those topics that crosses over into other areas of my  life.

We all know the urban legends, the quietly whispered “abduction” accounts, and the many horror stories based on running into these little gray men from outer space. Perhaps you’ve seen/heard of the Travis Walton experience (Fire in the Sky) or Whitley Strieber’s Communion. Mankind has been telling tales of these beings for centuries now. Some believe the ancient Egyptians worshipped them as gods.

Regardless of whether or not you believe real world accounts of these beings, they will always be with us in movies, comic books, and YouTube creepypasta. (I mean, I do believe in my space brethren. I have talked to other ET experiencers as well as my own personal encounters. Separating real accounts from fiction is incredibly easy. Trust me.) Human beings tend to fear the unknown. These often nocturnal visitors range from just strange and mysterious to malevolent and vicious in various fictional offerings. What do they want? Why are they here?

Our Gray friends are often depicted as having large oval heads, almond shaped pitch black eyes, nostril slits, and a tiny mouth. They are shown as shorter beings, maybe 1.3 or 1.4 meters tall. They have skin tones that range from a pale green to blue, to the stereotypical gray pallor. Most often they appear to be wearing skin tight spandex body suits. They are typically very thin, with their heads being disproportionately large for their bodies.

Here’s the start of how I do Grays as Kin in Dragonbane:

They are classified as Nightkin, meaning they Nocturnal and will take 1d6 damage per Stretch as well as a Bane on all Attack rolls in direct sunlight the same way Orcs, Goblins, and most Trolls do. The reason is most are grown or have lived in areas of low light their whole lives due to the way they are born or what planet. They function very well in the dark, however.

Stat block to come at a later time. I’m still trying to decide on their abilities if used as Player Characters. Depending on the situation, they could be treated as monsters and not NPCs. We’ve seen this done with Goblins and other Nightkin before.

My plan is to have them as a regular fixture in the campaign world I’m creating. They could have a neutral settlement where their technology level is so high as to look like magic. More about this in a future Worldbuilding Wednesday article.

Thank you for being here with me today. I appreciate you. Keep it real, but please strive for positivity, too. Please embrace the things that bring you the most joy in your life.