Homebrew Cetonii(nae) [Flower Beetle] Species Details

Cetonii

The Cetonii live underground, in the far reaches of the Underdark, where they carve massive hive-cities, straight out of the rock and stone. They resemble giant four-legged beetles, standing erect on their hind legs. Cetonii occasionally run into the other Underdark races but generally prefer to keep to themselves. They only very rarely come to the surface world, and such as, most surface-dwellers have not heard of the Cetonii, and those who have likely only heard rumours.

 

Mighty Diggers, Master Architects

Other races tend to find Cetonii imposing. Thanks to their large horn, Cetonii can reach heights of up to 6 1/2, sometimes even taller, and due to their heavy carapaces, they often weigh over 300 pounds. The Cetonii's great size and strength allow them to easily break through solid rock with only their horn and/or hands, which is how they construct their vast stone cities in the Underdark. 

Of course, all the digging they do would be useless if the Cetonii were not also excellent builders. Anyone who visits a Cetonii city will be able to tell that they were built with great skill and intelligence. Cetonii have a natural inclination towards sums and numbers, and Cetonii engineers meticulously plan each new addtion to the city in order to ensure its structural soundness.

 

Clockwork Colonies

Cetonii colonies are highly structured and ordered. A Cetonii's role in the colony is determined from birth, and he or she is trained in that role from a very early age. Because an individual Cetonii's role in the colony is so clearly and rigidly defined, the colony as a whole is able to run like clockwork, seamless and efficient. Only rarely does a Cetonii object to their placement, and in most cases the objection is resolved by simply moving them to a new role. The very few who refuse to accept any role at all are expelled from the colony.

 

Societal Recluses

Cetonii colonines strive for self-sufficiency, and so have little reason to interact with the other races of the Underdark. Those other races, for their part, have little desire to interact with the Cetonii either - Cetonii colonies rarely engage in trade, and a colony's typically excellently coordinated armies are generally not worth fighting against. Cetonii colonies are generally left alone, and leave everyone else alone - and most Cetonii would not have it any other way. Isolation allows the Cetonii to construct their vast and intricate cities in peace.

 

-Side Note: Cetonii Language

- Cetonii do not have lips or teeth like most races. Instead, they have a fine set of mandibles. Because of this, Cetonii often struggle to properly pronounce other languages. They have a particular trouble with sounds that require lips to produce, such as Ms and Ps.

- The Cetonii language, in return, is made almost entirely up of clicks made with the mandibles and throat. Other races can learn to approximate it, but only Cetonii can ever truly speak it properly.

 

Reasons For Adventuring

Because they typically live highly social lives, most Cetonii do not like being apart from their kind. Even in cases where a colony must send envoys or explorers out of the colony for extended periods of time, they are never sent alone. For some reason, Cetonii adventurers are extraordinarily rare.

 

 

Cetonii Names

Native Cetonii names are a series of clicks and chirps often unpronounceable to non-Cetonii. Because of this, Cetonii who interact with members of other races often adopt a second name that their less insectoid friends can pronounce. These names are typically descriptive, based on the colour and pattern of the individual Cetonii's carapace. Cetonii carapaces come in a variety of dark colours, and are often flecked or swirled with a secondary colour. Secondary names such as Navy Speckles or Maroon Swirls are typical.

 

- Side Note: Cetonii Classes

- Cetonii armies and law-enforcement organizations are typically made up of fighters and barbarians. Some colonies even have elite groups of warriors made up of monks, or paladins with oaths to order.

- Cetonii colonies often have small, elite groups of wizards to assist with particularly complex building project or to help clear rubble in case of structural collapse.

- The Cetonii aren't particularly religious, but the few Cetonii clerics are typically of the forge domain, reflecting their species' skill at and love if craftmanship.

- Cetonii druids, rangers, and rouges are rare but not entirely unheard of; they might have been cut off from their colonies and forced to live on their own in the Underdark.

- Cetonii sorcerers are very rare and so quite remarkable; they will often find themselves working alongside more typical Cetonii wizards.

- Cetonii almost never desire power due to being raised in such a rigid society, but few who do might make a pact with a magical entity.

- Cetonii bards are basically non-existent. The very few Cetonii bards who do exist are historians who aim to preserve their colony's history.

 

Cetonii(nae) [Flower Beetle] Traits

All of it is in the race description

Ability Score Increase.

Strength score increases by 2, and Intelligence score increases by 1.

Alignment

Cetonii society highly values order and structure, and the advancement of the collective is given higher priority than personal wellbeing. Most Cetonii are Lawful Neutral.

Size

Cetonii are typically over 6 feet tall and weigh on average around 300 pounds.

Protective Carapace

Due to the Centonii's carapace and the shape of their body, they are ill-suited to wearing armour. Their carapace provides ample protection; however, it gives them a base AC of 17(Dexterity modifier doesn't apply at all). Cetonii gain no benefit from armour, but if they have and are using a shield, they apply the shield's bonus as normal.

Digging Horn

 Cetonii's horn can serve as a natural weapon, which can be used to make unarmed strikes. If they hit with it, it deals bludgeoning damage equal to 1d4 + Strength modifier, instead of the damage as an unarmed strike. 

Tunneler

Cetonii are capable of carving through earth and stone with their powerful horns. They have a burrow speed of 10 feet when moving through dirt, sand, or other soft earth. Additionally, their horn counts as masons' tools, and can add double their proficiency modifier to any check made with it to break through stone.

Semi-Flyer/Glider

Due to their carapaces being so heavy, their wings are shelled in. However, if they "shed" a part of their carapace, they can fly/glide and have a movement speed of 10, but their AC goes down by 2-3(Depending on how much is shed). This can lead to some difficulties or vulnerabilities whenever they fight. The shedded part of their carapace takes 4 months to grow back (Their AC goes back to normal).

Languages. Cetonii can read, speak, and write Common, Cetonii, and Undercommon fluently.

Cetonii can read, speak, and write Common, Cetonii, and Undercommon fluently.