Homebrew Cloud Crab Species Details

 

Native to the Elemental plane of Air, Cloud crabs typically roam clouds and ice sheets and are often saddled by the native fae, or mephits. These tiny to medium creatures possess levels of intelligence near that of a child's, though some may exceed that of even some adults if exposed to enough material. When not in the elemental planes, they can be found atop clouds or icy mountains. They have innately curious minds and thus search out shiny things, often finding magic items. Their chitinous shell will begin to glow varying colors depending on the origin of the magic it comes in contact with.

Creating Your Character

Ability Score Increases

When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. Follow this rule regardless of the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy; but you can’t raise any of your scores above 20.

Languages

Your character can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character. The Player's Handbook offers a list of languages to choose from. The DM is free to modify that list for a campaign.

Creature Type

Your creature type is Elemental.

Life Span

Cloud Crabs can live as long as they have nutrients and space to molt. With each molt they grow a half size larger. Their molts will occur an increasing d6 amount of weeks, rolled at the beginning of each molt, 1d6 for the first, 2d6 for the second onward. On the last day before molting, the crab must spend a full long rest eating then immediately short rest afterwards to perform the molt.

Height and Weight

Your size is dependent on the number of molts you've had, your first two you are Tiny, second two you are small, third two you are medium.

Cloud Crab Traits

As a Cloud Crab, you have the following racial traits.

Creature Type

You are an Elemental.

Size

You are Tiny Small or Medium to start out, then you may begin to molt to increase your size. You will be at the smaller end of the size category you choose until you molt, then you will reach the upper range, then on your next molt you will increase size category

Speed

Your walking speed is 25 ft. You may also swim through clouds and fluids with ease, you're swimming speed is 15 feet. Your chitinous legs are able to grip onto vertical planes, you have a climbing speed of 10 feet.

Chitinous Claws

Instead of normal unarmed strikes, you may use your pincer-like claws as an unarmed attack dealing 1d6+ your strength modifier piercing damage. Immediately after making the attack, you may attempt to grapple the target as a bonus action. The appendages cannot be used to manipulate anything nor wield tools or weapons.

Glittery Carapace

When the target of, or in contact with magic of any kind, your chitin shell begins to glow the color of the magics origin

Molt

When creating your character, and after choosing your starting size, roll an amount of d6s equal to your size: tiny+1, small+1, medium+3. After that many weeks, you must take a full long rest consuming nutrients, then immediately take a short rest afterward to molt, increasing your size. With each molt they grow a half size larger. Their molts will occur an increasing d6 amount of weeks, rolled at the beginning of each molt, 1d6 for the first, 2d6 for the second onward. On the last day before molting, the crab must spend a full long rest eating then immediately short rest afterwards to perform the molt.