Homebrew X'iar'tuul Species Details

The X'iar'tuul are the native humanoid species of Isngra, a moon far across the known universe, orbiting the gas giant Phoster. After the gods of Faerun terraformed the planet to make way for their new colonies of classic humanoids, they moved out of the southern portion of the planet and mostly inhabit the northern continents.

They are a dark, sleek, insect-like race with an exoskeleton. Their most obvious features are their four slender arms with gaps in between their "bones" and several mandibles instead of soft lips. Their skin is chitinous and dark with some patterns akin to birthmarks and some opt to paint their skin for various reasons such as beauty, intimidation, or social hierarchy.

Variations of this race include wings varying in texture to that of a butterfly or of a bee, hard horns on the top of their heads resembling a beetle, retractable claws, or even stingers on the ends of their elbows with venom meant to deter potential predators. Some may also have compound eyes, allowing them poor eyesight in general but excellent ability to detect movement which is invaluable in the wild jungles found in the central continent.

To any member of the X'iar'tuul, family (which may include thousands) is most important. Some clans are more solitary and have only a few people, while others are in bustling cities with millions of inhabitants. Regardless of clan or faction, each being is born with seemingly random traits or features that allow them to move upwards or downwards in their social hierarchy. Some X'iar'tuul may have longer antennae to allow them to physically reach more people and make for diplomats, messengers, or other communicative or sensing types. The flighty ones are exceptionally good at resource gathering, scouting, or fighting. The ones with horns are great for physical labor, defensive positions, or as shock troops. The extraordinarily rare few with bio-luminescent features are held in high esteem as artists, royalty, or as beacons to the other cities. There's no shortage of places for a X'iar'tuul to "prove their worth" in society and their physical features don't inherently set their purpose in stone.

Royal X'iar'tuul are the only ones whose fate is set in stone. All of them are born from the Royal Jelly cultivated by the previous monarch and their attendants. They are much bigger than the others, classing in as huge creatures and have exaggerated features such as a large carapace, antennae as long as 80 feet, and nooks in their exoskeleton for them to carry their attendants around with them as they tour the lands. They send out a constant stream of communication to other X'iar'tuul within their colony via pheromones, akin to telepathic messages for them. Some communications are requests for action, such as "Please expand the livestock pens. We don't want them to get too crowded" to "Today is the Eclipse! Make sure all your young are indoors tonight" to "Man your stations, we are under attack." Most of the time, they are simply chatting away with their colony and ensuring the community bonds are tight and strong. A quiet royal member is distressing to the colony.

X'iar'tuul Names

Since the X'iar'tuul native language, "Pl'klrnnlt" or "Click-Speech", is a mixture of pheromones and clicking of mandibles, their native names are extremely difficult to pronounce by other soft-lipped humanoids. Individual identifying names have different levels of openness. Every child has a given name that only their closest family members call them, and then outside of their immediate family, they have a family name that those in the community call them by. To outsiders, they use simple names easy to pronounce. To make it easier for others and for themselves, they adopt clan-names based on the clan's most general physical features or a prominent geographical component.

Clan Names: Dustwing, Flyeyes, Mountainrush, Thornhead, Manyleaves, Cacturn, Bladespine, Beachcliff, Bristleskin, Venomhair

Female: Skalweisst, Pluuik, Maltua, Grulam, Treeshmadys, Mhadva, Retuin, Jukuli, Churnmili, Klipkalti, Klaltlitlan, Tlrupt, Scruplitltl

Male: Ghnunshlt, Trult, Plukle, Crualtes, Scrumres, Ghuslt, Vhermile, Cuhglinlt, Bachlan, Drunmal, Jharmklt, Fred, Idys

 

X'iar'tuul Traits

Communal Sensitivity. Your insect features grant you access to a hidden level of communication and greater sensitivity to the environment.

Blindsight

Your antennae wiggle and your bristles hum as you roll with a +5 to your perception check to detect any shift in the atmosphere within 30 ft. The +5 stacks with proficiency gained from other racial or class features that affect perception checks.

Telepathy (Pheromones)

Your antennae wiggle towards your target. If you have bio-luminescent features, you will glow in accordance to your pheromones being released. Your pheromones leave a slightly bitter-sweet smell in the air, and in places where there are many pheromones, there will be a slight haze.

Ability Score Increase

Your antennae and bristle-like hairs on your body allow for you to be more in tune with the environment. Your perception score increases by +2.