Homebrew Formica Species Details
The Formica are a race of psuedo-humanoids descended from ants. They were first contacted recently, so we still know very little about them. Known colloquially as “Antaurs,” these seven foot tall ants use their middle and hind limbs to walk and climb, and and their forelimbs to manipulate objects and burrow.
The Formica live deep within the Pitch Zone of the Verdant Circle, and have developed advanced agricultural and livestock techniques. Instead of using fire for light, they have selectively bred some of the fungi they farm for food to be bioluminescent, creating living lights. They also keep giant aphids, which they milk for their honeydew. Their society is decentralized, meaning their “queen” has no ruling power, and only serves as a source of progeny. They cannot normally be understood, as they communicate through pheromones, but casting a communication spell seems to work well enough.
Formica Traits
Formica are unable to communicate verbally, and so use pheromones to speak intraspecifically, and magic to speak to non-Formica. While they lack the relative strength and wall-crawling prowess of their diminutive cousins, they are still skilled climbers due to the nature of their forest home.Ability Score Increase
Your Dexterity score increases by 3, and your Wisdom score increases by 2.
Age
Formica leave the egg as larva, and pupate after about 8 months of being cared for by the rest of the colony. After that point, Formica can live a theoretically infinite amount of time, given sufficient resources. However, the biannual molting process gets more difficult as they age, which poses a lethal danger to older individuals.
Size
Formica are about 7 feet tall from talon to antenna, and they have round, armored bodies that weigh between 300 and 400 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 25 feet, while your climbing speed is 10 feet. You can also burrow 5 feet per turn.
Exoskeleton
Your hearty exoskeleton gives you an additional 3 CON.
Talons
While your talons are small, they are still very sharp, so you can use them to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
Mandibles
Your mighty mandibles also make effective weapons, so use them to their full advantage! If you hit with them, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Thri-Kreen.
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