Homebrew Devox'Rai Species Details

(Note: This race is designed for use with Sci-Fi settings as an alien species, though it will fit into lower-tech settings with some minor changes.)

The young warrior got up yet again, lifting themselves off of the floor and grasping the hilt of their blade with trembling hands. Azure blood flecked the floor, dripped from their body and mouth alike as they roared at the Arkon, defiance and rage shining in their eyes brighter than stars. "You bleed, and I bleed! As long as I've blood to shed, I'll use it to shed yours!" The Arkon sighed mechanically, shaking its head slowly as it strode towards them yet again, a warbling field of psychic energy forming in its hands as it offered the young warrior one last chance. "You petty flesh- lings ought to learn to just lie down. You can barely stand. Cease..."

Drûkhar declined the offer, pushing themself up to a stand with their blade and, with considerable effort, again raising their sword as if preparing to strike.

"Barely is enough. "

-- S. Kenniburg, Regia Caeli: A New Age

 

Pride Of The Plains

The Devox'Rai, originally from the desert world of Devox, as the name implies, are a species of tall, heavily muscled mammals with false insectoid traits. Similar to Platypi, they are mammals but lay eggs, usually in large batches of dozens. Of these, usually around six to eight make it to adulthood. They are fearsome warriors renowned throughout the Ivory Union to be some of the best fighters out of any planet. They also possess an oddly progressive view of some subjects and a primitive one of others. They have no concept of sexuality, and all of them fit the term of "pansexual" seeing absolutely no inherent difference between partners of differing genders whatsoever. On the other hand, they are intensely bound by honor and intense moral codes, and insults are seen as fighting- and potentially killing- grounds.

They subscribe to no niceties or idioms, and speak plainly and matter-of-factly, refusing to tell lies. If one dislikes you... You'll know. They're a proud people, industrious and strong, and heavily guided by their faith. They will brook no insult and leave no attack unanswered, and to call one friend means you have an ally for life that will live, fight, and die at your side, and thank you for it with their dying breath. They're extremely long-lived, but due to their typical lifestyle, few die of age. Much more commonly, they meet their end in a fight or at the claws of a mighty beast they planned to hunt.

Warriors Of The Sands

Tall, rippling with muscle, and trained in the arts of war and fighting from a young age onwards, a Devox'Rai makes the perfect warrior. Typically coming in at around 8 and a half feet tall, between natural plated bone armor beneath the skin, their massive size, and their impressive musculature, it's common to see them weighing more than 285 lbs and it's not unheard of for the taller and more muscular ones to approach weighing almost 400. They are courageous and confident, sometimes to a fault, and most will not back down unless it is absolutely necessary.

For males, their skin tone tends to range in various tints and shades of mottled red, with the females tending towards more sandlike tones such as beige or tan. Their eyes are golden and compound, more like a bug's eye, lacking both pupils and whites. They grow no hair anywhere, but a pair of horns sprouts from either side of their head in various curved shapes, and bone ridges tend to develop on the skin along lines such as the spine, back of the arm, and along the lines of the plates in their torso as they age. They have 2 jaws much like a human, but 2 mandibles sprout from each side of the lower jaw. Contrasted with the red of many creatures, a Devox'Rai has blood of a brilliant ocean blue hue, which smells strongly of copper.

Long-Lived Legionnaires

The average Devox'Rai lives for about 385 Suns (Or 770 years), if not killed sooner, and many can remember their valor in astonishing numbers of battles and skirmishes. A Sun is a period of time used exclusively by the Devox'Rai, their homeworld's years. Devox'Rai bear their scars openly and with pride, and the rare few elders will gladly recount the tale of war some 200 odd years ago in impressive and photographic detail, even down to the exact color of the scar-giver's eyes as they widened in fear before being struck down.

Time has almost no bearing on them until they are around 365. For the first 20 years of their life, they grow and develop at a breakneck pace before halting growth almost entirely. After 20 and before 365, they seem to barely age at all despite the constant motion and harshness of their day-to-day life. Their extreme longevity and a propensity towards chronicling the deeds of the mighty leads to them making fine historians as well, keeping track of their clans and the deeds it has accomplished often by writing first-hand accounts as the centuries pass.

Faith And Honor

Fighting is not all they do. They follow the teachings of their gods, The Exalted Three. Čírdas Ratâl (Shah-yeer-dass Ra-taal), Čírdas Víraak (Shah-yeer-dass Vah-yee-raak), and Čírdas Kétûra (Shah-yeer-dass Ki-ey-too-rah). Ratâl teaches strength, honor, and justice, Víraak teaches patience and perseverance, and Kétûra teaches the appreciation of detail and to stay alert. They serve as living symbols of everything a Devox'Rai strives to be, lumped in with things that have helped them survive. Mostly due to the teachings of Čírdas Kétûra, in addition to valiant heroes and warriors, they make fine smiths and craftsmen, and Devox'Raian armor and weapons are prized highly for being very functional, well made and durable, as well as being things of strange beauty.

They also fear and despise mirror images of the Three, known as "The Dark Ones" to them. The Dark Ones consist of Zâddas Vikât (Zahd-dass Vee-kaht), Shade of Cowardice, Zâddas Raizâdka (Zahd-dass Rai-zahd-ka), Shade of Disease, and Zâddas Čírték (Zahd-dass Shah-yeer-tee-yek), Shade of Madness. The Dark Ones serve as symbolic reminders of what should never be done, in the case of Cowardice, and things to be wary of, in the case of Disease or Madness.

Devox'Raian Names

Devox'Raian naming conventions are simple at a surface level, but social custom has complicated things a small amount. A Devox'Rai is given a name by their parents, and then takes the name of their clan as a last name of sorts. However, using one's full name is typically considered rude unless permission has been given, so when they are young many choose a shortened abbreviation of their given and clan names, separated by a comma. Their names are also typically unisex, given to freshly hatched children regardless of gender.

Given Name Examples: Aračna, Desték, Dâraz, Írvaan, Varazor, Nazírâd, Dûraal, Tassera, Ûrdaan, Taloraan, Karadûn, Steve

Clan Name Examples: Kudírân, Katâríd, Lûnír, Kalíruun, Vesktarr, Zûrikta, Tandék, Nerâkhan, Víkélaat, Sírâkh, Beesguy

Abbreviation Examples: Dest'Âríd, Dûra'Lûn, Varaz'Tan, Vaan'Zûrik, Nazír'Dírân, Tass'Élaat, Kara'Sír, Ûrd'Nerâkh, S'Bees

(The last names are for you, moon)

Devox'Rai Traits

Your anatomy provide you with certain benefits, useful mainly for survival or for fighting.

Internal Bone Plating

Around the torso, your skeleton more closely resembles plates of subdermal armor. These bony plates continue down past your ribcage and overtop of the abdominal muscles, covering all of your vital organs. This is completed with thickened, more leathery flesh overtop, giving you the appearance- and gift- of always wearing armor.

You have an unarmored AC of 13+ your constitution modifier.

Menacing (Variant)

Between your razor-sharp teeth, brutish looking false mandibles, and massive imposing frame, people tend to give you a very wide berth if they can help it.

You gain proficiency in Intimidation, which stacks to Double Proficiency if you already possess it from another source, such as a Class or a Background.

Horns

A bone ridge runs down the center of a Devox'Rai's skull, tracing along the spine, and 2 curled, thick ram-like horns curve back from their foreheads. Getting hit with these by a charging Devox'Rai sucks. A lot.

You gain the Horns natural weapon, which deals 1d6+ your Strength modifier in bludgeoning damage. You are considered proficient with this weapon.

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Kân. Kân is an ancient tongue, dating back to and remaining largely unchanged from a far more primitive time. The language is guttural and harsh, constructed from a set of hard syllables, and featuring very precise and intricate modification of sounds to produce words.

Age

Freshly hatched Devox'Rai Develop slowly, compared to other races. They are born limbless, and these grow in over a period of 1 Sun, or two years in Human time. By the age of 4 Suns, their training begins, and at the age of 20 Suns, they complete a ritual of passage and are considered adults. They can live as long as 385 Suns, and do not decline physically or mentally until 375, or a little later if they were extra careful with their health. Many are killed long before this period, but those who survive this long are revered heavily for their prowess.

Size

Devox'Rai are much taller and heavier than humans, standing well over 8 feet tall and averaging almost 330 pounds. Your size is Medium (for cringe balance reasons).

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 ft.