Homebrew Colocera Species Details

Colocera

The industrious colocera rival dwarves and gnomes in architecture, artifice, and engineering. It would be easy to mistake one of these hulking, beetle-like creatures for a dumb brute, but in reality this sophisticated species is responsible for one of the longest-standing civilizations in the world. Both powerful and peaceful, most colocera welcome strangers into their underground metropolis with four open arms.

Although most colocera resemble rhinoceros beetles or other scarabs, this is a highly polymorphic species and certain unique colocera share traits with other beetles. All have four thorny arms and two stocky legs, and most bear sturdy horns on their backs and heads (unlike in most small beetles, horns are common to both male and female colocera.) Their backs are protected by hard elytra, underneath which are vestigial hindwings.  

Engineers of Paradise

Colocera take great pleasure in replicating and echoing natural phenomena in their cities. Most explorers encounter them in mountains and among old-growth forests, where the upper floors of their elegant buildings sprout from the cliffsides or rest among enormous tree branches. Those who prove trustworthy are often invited below, into the underground caverns where the bulk of the city lies. As the engineers excavate these cities, artificers and wizards infuse the walls and structural columns with magic to increase their strength, as well as to ward off purple worms and other hostile creatures. Daylight emanates from enchanted stones hovering over the enormous apartments where most colocera live, allowing gardens and forests to grow even thousands of feet below the surface. For the open-minded human, dwarf, or goliath, a colocera city feels like paradise. Their most prominent city, Eupator, stretches for miles beneath the Kinau Forest.

Individuals within the Colony

Like ants, termites, or other social insects, the extraordinarily smooth workings of a hive of colocera are the result of their strongly cooperative culture. However, each individual still retains their own preferences, wills, and goals, and despite their idyllic home lives, colocera adventurers are not uncommon. It is primarily through adventuring that they have introduced other races to their unique blend of industry and magic – numerous elf and human artificers first learned their craft from an insectoid mentor. 

Other races who befriend these beetlefolk often feel as though they have difficulty making decisions, especially ones that involve saying no to others. In fact, for some colocera, their obsession with teamwork leads to a degradation of their individuality. Their predisposition to helpfulness does occasionally lead them toward evil. Given enough time, villainous dragons and drow have managed to take advantage of smaller colonies and manipulate them to serve their own ends, especially if they can convince the colocera that their actions serve a greater good. 

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Colocera Names

The colocera language is soft and flowing, well-suited to communicating large amounts of information while multitasking. Traditionally colocera possess three names – a first name which is most often used, a family name, and a title, given six years after they reach adulthood, which reflects that individual’s best qualities.

Masculine names: Aquor, Arbadun, Bessed, Brodugal, Chaetus, Clym, Derbe, Dynagra, Gibbifer, Hawot, Jetely, Jorix, Lemeddin, Lokus, Mawmudon, Nemoby, Queltal, Redran, Stemoer, Ulneptos

Feminine names: Annokta, Birhina, Bycron, Dorcouri, Erikree, Ghaels, Hegremot, Jucana, Lai, Monadora, Natros, Noumm, Orchest, Pachnoda, Plastra, Rochru, Sentrapta, Themaus, Tomono
Surnames: Archib-Enos, Adroch, Balaneos, Ben-Vonur, Chalcos, Cynnorhus, Envacha, Ha-Woth, Ibbin-Toch, Glasdros, Mon-Dunn, Orpellio, Scagleos, Tithronti, Xylorys

Titles: “Ambidextrous,” “Amiable,” “Artistic,” “Brotherly,” “Decisive,” “Gracious,” “Head-locker,” “Mighty,” “Nurturing,” “Precise,” “Protective,” “Storycrafter,” “Watchful”

 

Ability Score Increase: Increase any ability score by 2, and another by 1. 

Suggested: +2 CON, +1 INT or STR

Age: Colocera begin life as soft-bodied larvae and mature quickly, reaching adulthood by the age of 6. They usually live slightly shorter lives that humans, about 50 to 70 years. 

Alignment: Colocera naturally love order and consistency, and prefer lawful alignments. They tend to be benevolent and cooperative, and truly evil colocera are quickly cast out from their colonies. 

Size: Bulky and powerful, most colocera stand about five feet tall and have horns that reach another foot or two over their heads. Their thickly-armored bodies weigh up to 450 lbs. 

Speed: Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Colocera.

Darkvision: Your compound eyes grant you excellent vision in the shadows. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Digging Horns: Your horns are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier. At 4th level, you can exert extraordinary strength to dig through loose earth, sand, or rubble with your horns. For up to 1 minute, you gain a burrow speed of 10 ft. You can use your burrow speed again after a long rest.

Four Arms: Your secondary arms are not powerful or dexterous enough to wield weapons on their own, but they can assist you with other tasks. When you wield a versatile weapon in one hand, you can treat it as though you are wielding it with two hands. You can use your secondary arms to interact with one additional object on your turn, as well as to carry items weighing no more than 20 lbs each. 

Inscrutable Mind: Your insectoid brain is fundamentally different from that of most humanoids. You have advantage on saving throws against being Charmed. 

Insect Kinship: You can speak with insect Beasts as though using the spell Speak with Animals. 

Natural Armor: You are ill-suited to wearing armor due to the shape of your body and exoskeleton. Your exoskeleton gives you a base AC of 17. Your AC does not change if you wear armor. 

Colocera Traits

Although most colocera resemble rhinoceros beetles or other scarabs, this is a highly polymorphic species and certain unique colocera share traits with other beetles. All have four thorny arms and two stocky legs, and most bear sturdy horns on their backs and heads (unlike in most small beetles, horns are common to both male and female colocera.) Their backs are protected by hard elytra, underneath which are vestigial hindwings.  

Ability Score Increase

Increase any ability score by 2, and another by 1.

Darkvision

Your compound eyes grant you excellent vision in the shadows. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Natural Armor

You are ill-suited to wearing armor due to the shape of your body and exoskeleton. Your exoskeleton gives you a base AC of 17. Your AC does not change if you wear armor. 

Insect Kinship

You can speak with insect Beasts as though using the spell Speak with Animals. 

Inscrutable Mind

Your insectoid brain is fundamentally different from that of most humanoids. You have advantage on saving throws against being Charmed. 

Four Arms

Your secondary arms are not powerful or dexterous enough to wield weapons on their own, but they can assist you with other tasks. When you wield a versatile weapon in one hand, you can treat it as though you are wielding it with two hands. You can use your secondary arms to interact with one additional object on your turn, as well as to carry items weighing no more than 20 lbs each. 

Digging Horns

Your horns are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier. At 4th level, you can exert extraordinary strength to dig through loose earth, sand, or rubble with your horns. For up to 1 minute, you gain a burrow speed of 10 ft. You can use your burrow speed again after a long rest.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Colocera.