Homebrew Heliana's Guide to Monster Hunting — Opteran Species Details

“Oh, he’s an absolute delight to have around. Just wish he would stop running into the glowglobe.”

—Lux Lumin, half-elf Wizard Adventurer

A sedentary life among the birds and insects of their treetop dwellings is the most adventurous goal of many opterans’ lives. In shades of green and brown, these larval opterans (OP-ter-an) are happy to avoid conflict, camouflaging into the canopy from which they acquire sustenance. But, with a brilliant flash of colour, an adult opteran injects this placid scene with a vivacious zest for life. Frantic flaps of its broad, multicoloured wings usher this metamorphosed form to and fro, a sparkling rainbow that nary takes a moment to rest.

Live Fast, Die Young

Opterans can, in theory, live forever. So long as they are never stressed (and have no goals for reproduction), a larval opteran doesn’t age and can enjoy an indefinite life of sedentary bliss. However, should the need arise, such as during times of environmental catastrophe, war, or fits of passion, a larval opteran enters a chrysalis in which it metamorphoses into its winged, adult form. Once it emerges, the clock begins ticking; it lives no more than 2 or 3 years in this form, just long enough to find a mate and produce a new batch of larvae elsewhere in the world.

Because of this, larval opterans are extremely conflict-averse. If a predator comes a-calling, a larval opteran prefers to deploy its sticky ‘string shot’ and retreat to the safety of its tree-home, rather than potentially become overstimulated. Conversely, adult, winged opterans often lose this sense of self-preservation, a behaviour change that the uneducated might describe as ‘disturbing’.

Natural Performers

Due to their brilliant colouration and short lives, opterans make some of the most renowned performers. Tales are told of the bard group Wings of a Butterfly’s first and final world tour. So in-demand were tickets to this once-in-their-lifetime show, that monarchs even traded small earldoms in order to purchase a show for their courts.

Opterans that choose to venture into the wider world are often old, tired of the sedentary life, and ready for adventure. However, the destruction of an opteran’s home, the search for a loved one, or the desire to be the next Wings of a Butterfly could all be worthy motivators to risk undergoing the change.

Heliana's Guide to Monster Hunting — Opteran Traits

As an opteran, you have the following racial traits

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma score increases by 2.

Age

Opterans age based on their environment. They can live for centuries in their larval forms, but under great stress, they pupate and hatch into their adult forms. Tragically, they only live for 2 to 3 years after emerging as adults.

Creature Type

You are a humanoid. You are also considered a fey for any prerequisite or effect that requires you to be a fey.

Languages

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

Size

Larval opterans stand between 2 and 3 feet tall, while adult opterans are between 5 to 6 feet. Your size begins as Small. When you become an adult opteran, you grow to Medium size. See the Metamorphosis trait for details.

Speed

Your base walking speed as a larval opteran is 25 feet. Your base walking speed as an adult opteran is 30 feet.

Metamorphosis

At 1st level, you are a larval opteran. When you reach 5th level, you can choose to undergo a metamorphosis over the course of 24 hours. After this period elapses, you emerge as an adult opteran: you lose the Many-Footed and String Shot traits, and you gain the Flight and Radiant Wing traits. You can delay this change until you reach 6th level, at which point it happens spontaneously.