Homebrew Carter's Lobsterpeople (Aldani) Species Details
Aldani are large, lobster-like humanoids with a pair of pinchers and many smaller limbs that act as their legs. Aldani typically remain upright, much like humanoids, but they do at times drop to the ground to crawl like their ancestors. They rarely leave the water, though can move around on the land with only marginal issues. Their carapace is strong and allows an Aldani to have a high degree of physical protection without the need to fasion armor. Males range in coloration from bright red to bright orange while females vary between black, reddish green, and reddish brown.
The Aldani populaiton within a settlement typically do not grow beyond twenty in number. This is largely due to their lack of death due to old age. They simply grow closer and closer to their own families, and do not want to risk bringing in new members or new mouths to feed which might upset the delicate familial relationships that have been cultivated for sometimes hundreds of years.
For those that have lived long enough lives, there are some Aldani that grow restless and seek more out of their unending lives. Those are often the Aldani that answer the call to adventure, though their families often turn their backs on such lobsterfolk. Adventuring is seen as abandoning the family that unit that has often been together for hundreds or thousands of years.
Carter's Lobsterpeople (Aldani) Traits
As an aldani, you have particular characteristics that you share with others of your race:Ability Score Increase
Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.
Age
Lobsterfolk reach maturity around their early thirties. They can live for an extremely long time and none in recent memory have been observed to die of old age, though some speculate they can live for nearly a thousand years.
Alignment
Aldani try not to get involved with the affairs of the surface world or anywhere beyond a short walk from the coast. Despite this, they do not shun or hate outsiders, though they are very capable of defending their land from any potential threats. They tend toward Lawful and Neutral alignments.
Size
Aldani are 7 to 9 feet tall and weigh upwards of 500lbs. Your size is still medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 25 feet and you have a swim speed of 30 feet.
Carapace
Due to your thick exoskeleton, and the shape of your body, you are ill-suited to wearing armor. Your exoskeleton offers ample protection, however; it gives you a base AC of 17 (your Dexterity modifier doesn’t affect this number). You gain no benefit to your AC from wearing armor unless it is made specifically to fit over your physique (such armor will typically cost at least three times as much to have made or purchased) or offers some magical benefit, but if you are using a shield, you can apply the shield’s bonus as normal
Big Meaty Claws
Your hardened pincers are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. This attack deals piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier instead of the damage normal unarmed strikes deal. If you hit a creature your size or smaller with this attack, you can attempt to grapple them as a bonus action. You can grapple only one creature with each arm.
You have disadvantage on any checks that would require the use of fingers or thumbs. This generally manifests as disadvantage on Dexterity checks using your hands. Your DM may rule the task impossible for you if it requires a high enough level of dexterity (such as performing a card trick that requires sleight of hand).
Amphibious
You can breathe air and water
Aldani Toughness
Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level.
Powerful Build
Count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Darkvision
You have darkvision with a range of 60 feet. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Poison Resistance
You are resistant to poison damage.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and Aquan