Homebrew Bee Fey Species Details

Wing and Comb

From below, bee fey look much like huge bees. Only when they land does their humanoid appearance reveal itself. Standing upright, bee fey are anywhere from 3-4 feet tall, have 4 arms and two legs and transparent wings attached to their back.
Their skin is typically dark with lighter colored bands, depending on which hive they are a member of, however, most common is black and yellow. Hair is typically colored opposite from skin (ie blonde hair with black streaks). Males are slightly larger and less common whereas females abound, Queens are the most rare as there is only one per hive and they never venture outside. Their heads are completely humanoid in appearance with long black antennae sticking out from their hair.

Lovers of Flight

Nowhere are the bee fey more comfortable than in the sky, but seriously they are a lot less awkward when they’re flying. They can spend hours in the air and can easily travel up to 7 miles in one trip. In battle, they prove dynamic and acrobatic fliers, moving with remarkable speed and grace, diving to lash opponents with weapons or talons before turning and flying away.

The Hive Mind

The resemblance of bee fey to bees isn’t limited to physical features. Bee fey display many of the same mannerisms as ordinary bees. They are fastidious about their hygiene and personal spaces, they are always cleaning or working or staying busy in some fashion.

Many bee fey punctuate their speech with buzzes, hums, and body movements. A bee fey might become frustrated with people who fail to pick up on the nuances of their speech patterns.

The idea of ownership baffles most bee fey. Community is everything to bee fey. Even when explained to them, they initially find the notion of personal ownership mystifying.

Comb Sweet Comb

Most bee fey live in the feywilds. Bee fey can be drawn elsewhere usually scouting for a new place to build a hive or sometimes to pursue enemies or thwart their foes’. Storms have also been known to separate a bee fey from the hive, in which case the bee fey uses every waking moment to try to reunite with the hive. Once hives of bee fey have settled in an area, they share a foraging territory or farm that extends across an area up to 70 square miles, they tend to stay closer to home only roaming to the outskirts of their territory if resources decrease.

A typical colony consists of several hexagon shaped apartments joined together. Each hive is ruled over by a queen.

Bee Fey Divided

Bee fey have four major subspecies: Bumble, Honey, Delphic, and Matan.

Bumbles are the largest of the sub races and are the most friendly of the bee fey they live in expansive grasslands with millions of wildflowers.

Honeys are the most industrious of the bee fey and typically manage farms and orchards.

Delphic bee fey are said to be in touch with the ethereal plane and usually have savants or diviners within their midsts in addition to drones, brood, and workers. Delphic bee fey are the least friendly of the bee fey and typically make their homes in forests.

Matan bee fey are more often evil than not, and though they still adhere to a hive mentality can be chaotically aligned.  Matan bee fey typically live in caves, though are also found on cliff faces. 

Great Purpose

Bee fey enjoy socializing and working. Most of them have little interest in dealing with other peoples and less interest in past times or relaxing. For this reason, it takes an exceptional circumstance for a bee fey to leave her hive and undertake the adventurer’s life. Neither treasure nor glory is enough to lure them from their hives; a dire threat to their people, a mission of vengeance, or a catastrophe typically lies at the heart of the bee fey adventurer’s chosen path.

Two other circumstances might call a bee fey to adventure. First, the Queen might have a request of her subjects. Exceptional individuals honor their selection for a task from the queen and failures cannot return to the hive and are exiled or killed immediately.

Second, bee fey have a divine connection with their goddess Bhramari Devi who is basically the queen of all queens. If a call comes from her the bee fey is severed from their hive’s psychic link and able to travel the world until the quest is finished.

Bee Fey Names

As with much of their speech, bee fey names are in Tanzsprache which includes a series of buzzes, hums, and dancing to the point that other peoples have a difficult time pronouncing them. Typically, a name has two to four syllables with the sounds acting as connectors. When interacting with other races, bee fey may use nicknames gained from people they meet or shortened forms of their full names.
A bee fey of either gender may have one of these short names or nicknames as well as any flower or plant related name: Abeil, Alaxx, Anther, Apia, Beatrice, Beckett, BeeBee, Bumble, Buzz, Deborah, Exan, Honey, Jelly, Max, Miel, Nectar, Pollen, Queenie, Sting, Xand, Xia, Zeke, or Zzz.

Bee Fey BACKGROUNDS

Backgrounds that are most appropriate for bee fey include the acolyte, courtier, spy, and faction agent.
The small colonies of bee fey are insular and remote, and few bee fey live away from their hives. Larger hives interact more with their neighbors, but they generally still keep to themselves.

 

Bee Fey Traits

Bee Fey Traits As a bee fey, you have certain traits in common with your people. Being able to fly at high speed starting at 1st level is exceptionally effective in certain circumstances and exceedingly dangerous in others. As a result, playing a bee fey requires special consideration by your DM.

Multilimbed

You have four arms instead of two; these additional limbs can hold objects and wield weapons as normal. While wielding a two-handed weapon, you cannot benefit from a shield, wield a second two-handed weapon, or use unarmed strike as a bonus action. However, because of your buggy heritage your extra arms can deal unarmed strikes as a bonus action if you are not using a two-handed weapon. If you hit with them, you deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier.