Homebrew Nautilise Species Details

The nautilese are instantly recognizable from other cephalopoids because of their large spiral shell. Decorating shells is common to Nautilese societies, analogous to how other races might wear jewelry or style their hair or polish their horns. Perhaps in part due to this shell, they live much longer than other cephalopoids. A typical nautilese will live into their mid hundreds, and the longest lived individuals can survive well past two hundred.

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1.

Natural Armor: You have a hardy external shell for protection. When you aren't wearing armor, your base AC is 13 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield's benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.

Withdraw: You quickly withdraw your soft body into your shell as a defensive measure. When you take damage, you can use your reaction to roll a d6. Add your proficiency bonus to the number rolled, and reduce the damage you take by an amount equal to that total (minimum of 0 damage). You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Ensnaring Tentacles. You have two particularly strong tentacles that you can use to make unarmed strikes. When you make an unarmed strike with one of these tentacles, your unarmed strike has the finesse and reach properties and you can choose to grapple the target instead of dealing damage on a hit.

Ink Cloud. As a reaction when a creature enters a space within 5 feet of you, you can emit a spurt of ink and dart away. The area within 5 feet of you becomes heavily obscured by the ink, and you can immediately move up to your speed. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Nautilise Traits

It’s a squid with a Wizard hat, what more do you want?