Homebrew Exakrin Species Details

A mysterious race of bioforms, the Exakrins are the epitome of walking tanks. Preferring to defend instead of attacking, Exakrins are a race you'd want by your side on a battlefield, as you'll most likely find one taking a fire bolt point blank to protect you. They are living shields - tough and barely aware of pain. Protecting them are interlocked, armor-like exo-skeletons covered by layers of chitinous plates which travels up their body from head to tail, their eyes are barely visible, but also sport small plates in order to keep them protected from arrows or anything targeting them. Their upper hands sport large, crushing claws that, despite their size, are still able to wield many weapons with finesse and strength only truly seen in goliaths...

The Exakrins, due to being so bulky, obviously require large legs to support themselves. As such, they posess an extra pair of arms alongside their legs, causing their lower half to appear almost like a Gorilla, their lower arms being huge and bulky to allow them to walk across terrain with their claws free for other work. Their legs are smaller but still muscular, sporting hooved feet on the end of each one. similar to a centaur.

 

Colorful Chitins

When creating an Exakrin, roll a d4 to decide your carapace color (or choose your own)

1: Purple

2: Red

3: Blue

4: Black

 

The color chosen has no purpose other than flavor, but helps people differ you from other Exakrins.

Symbiotic Warriors

One of the more bizarre features of the Exakrins is their ability to connect themselves with organic weaponry. From swords crafted from their own bone and muscle tissue to bio-plasmic cannons which connect to their tanky shells, Exacrins are able to seemingly adapt and connect themselves flawlessly to these weapons during combat, giving them the upper hand by becoming one with the blades they wield.

 

Shunned by society

Being a large, alien-like monster often has it's downsides. Many towns and cities look down upon Exakrins, only allowing them in their walls if they defend the area with their lives, or simply not allowing them in at all. Exakrins, being used to this kind of attention, simply ignore the issues entirely, and instead continue to protect those that look down upon them, as that is what truly matters to most Exakrins...

Exakrin Traits

Exakrins are almost completely the same, save for their chitinous shell colors and their armored noggins. You have the following traits.

Synaptic Speech

Due to your monstrous form, you are unable to speak by normal means, instead speaking by hisses and roars. To counter this Exakrins have evolved to speak telepathically.

Ability Score Increase

When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one of those scores by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. Follow this rule regardless of the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy.

The “Quick Build” section for your character’s class offers suggestions on which scores to increase. You’re free to follow those suggestions or to ignore them. Whichever scores you decide to increase, none of the scores can be raised above 20.

Age

Exakrins have short lifespans due to being reckless in the name of defense. However when not throwing themselves in danger they can live for over 100 years.

Size

Exakrins are between 7 and 8 feet tall and weigh between 340 and 410 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Menacing

You have proficiency in the Intimidation skill.

Defensive Maneuver

When a friendly creature within 10 feet of you is hit with an attack roll, before the damage is rolled, you may use your reaction to stand inbetween the source of damage and the target. If you do this, you move up to 10 feet towards the targeted creature and become the target of the attack instead, using the same attack roll against your AC, potentially causing the attack to miss.

 You can do this an amount of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain all uses after a long rest.

Centaur Build

You possess a lower set of large, bulky arms, with which you use alongside your legs to walk along the ground. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push or drag. In addition, any climb that requires hands and feet is difficult for you due to your bizarre shape. When you make such a climb. Each foot of movement costs you 3 extra feet instead of the normal 1 extra foot..

Natural Weapons

You possess large crab-like claws which can crush even solid stone. On a hit they deal an amount of piercing damage equal to 1d6 + Your strength modifier.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.

Hardened Carapace

You have a strong, chitinous carapace which can deflect even the strongest of blows. You have an unarmored AC equal to 13 + Your Constitution Modifier