Homebrew Thri-Kreen Species Details

A Thri-Kreen  gives the jitters by itself, Imagine 20.

— Volo

Thri-Kreen find difficulty doing average tasks requiring a lot of strength and therefore as seen as weak but they know how to involve their numbers, and viciously work together in order to overcome their physical limitations.

In the Thri-Kreen’ version of a perfect world, the creatures would be left alone to forage for their hive and raise the next generation of Thri-Kreen, all the while seeking a way to overcome their physical limitations via magic or otherwise. In the world they occupy, Thri-Kreen are constantly defending their hive from any neighboring dangers— or, when they live on their own, they are constantly preparing for any signs of an invasion that might threaten their livelihood. Although individually they are timid and shy away from conflict, Thri-Kreen are dangerous if cornered, vicious when defending their hive, and notorious for the dangerous improvised traps they use to protect themselves.

Able Scavengers

Thri-Kreen are similar to Kobolds as in, Kobolds are adept at identifying broken, misplaced, discarded, or leftover crafted items from other creatures that can still be put to use. They prefer to scavenge objects that have clearly been lost or thrown away, which is easy to do without attracting attention. Although unlike Kobolds, they are quick to shy away from trying to grab items that are the property of other creatures, because such objects are more likely to be protected by a dangerous foe.

If they are forced to take something from another person or creature, Thri-Kreen try to remain undetected and don’t give their targets reason to harm them. For example, a group of Thri-Kreen might sneak into a cobbler’s house at night to loot it of knives, leather bits, nails, and other useful items, but if they are at risk of discovery, they run away rather than attack anyone in the house. By fleeing before they can be seen or identified, they avoid getting into a situation where the townsfolk would try to hunt down all Thri-Kreen and put the tribe’s survival at risk.

Some aggressive individual Thri-Kreen and tribes do exist, but in general, the race doesn't purposely provoke retaliatory attacks from the creatures they steal from. It’s better to be cautious and overlooked than to be considered dangerous and a threat.

Second, Thri-Kreen are on the prowl for any magical artifact or ability that will help them overcome their individual weaknesses. Typical Thri-Kreen don’t know how to use a wand, a spellbook, or anything with more magical power than a potion, but they all believe that the tribal sorcerer can figure out how to use any such item they come across. When Thri-Kreen  see an opportunity to separate a magic item from its owner, they are often willing to take the chance of revealing themselves because the potential reward is worth the risk.

 

Druidic Magic Users

Unlike some other humanoids, Thri-Kreen don’t fear or shun arcane magic. They see magic as part of their connection to nature and power and are proud to be blessed with the ability to wield such power. Young Thri-Kreen druids are trained by elders, and the training has an almost religious significance. Most Thri-Kreen druidss are of the forest circle  and specialize in either conjuration magic (which can also be used in hive building), augmentation (of materials or allies), or divination (to find raw materials and foresee threats to the tribe).

Life and Outlook

Thri-Kreen have a tribal society in which they all take on specialized roles that protect and sustain the tribe. The strongest are trained to be hunters and warriors, the most clever are crafters and strategists, the toughest are foragers and beast-wranglers, and so on. Even a stupid or physically weak Thri-Kreen is given a role in the tribe, whether something as simple as picking mushrooms for food or watching over hatchlings, and they all understand that their actions contribute to the survival of the group. The tribe practices for the eventuality of defending the lair against intruders, and their plans always include knowing the best escape routes and who is responsible for blocking routes to different sections of the hive to deter pursuit.

Thri-Kreen feel a cool affinity or something like kinship for other members of their tribe, but they are rarely affectionate with each other. Two Thri-Kreen who’ve known each other for over a decade might consider each other friends or enemies, but the strength of this sentiment is much fainter than any comparable human emotion. Since most of their waking time is spent working, adversarial Thri-Kreen rarely have opportunities to exchange insults, let alone come to blows over their differences.

Thri-Kreen choose mates primarily for convenience. Their lack of emotional bonding means they have no concept of marriage or permanent family relationships. Their eggs are placed in a common tribal hatchery with no effort to keep track of who each one’s mother is. This practice and the communal raising of the hatchlings mean that the tribe operates like a group of cousins.

Because they lay eggs, and the eggs don’t require much tending, Thri-Kreen females aren’t exempted from war or work. Furthermore, Thri-Kreen can quickly change sex. If most males or females of a tribe are killed, some survivors change over several days until the tribe is balanced again. In this way, the tribe can quickly repopulate with just a few survivors. Because of these factors, Thri-Kreen don’t have assigned gender roles for young or adults. A leader, sorcerer, miner, or crafter is as likely to be female as male.

Grow Fast, Die Early

Thri-Kreen grow and mature much more swiftly than members of other humanoid races. At 18 months old a Thri-Kreen is considered an adult. Most succumb to violence, accidents, or disease by age 10, but a Thri-Kreen can live for up to 90 years . A female can lay up to sixteen eggs per year, and an egg matures for two to three months before it hatches.

Thri-Kreen don’t engage in funeral ceremonies; a dead Thri-Kreen body is burned or disposed of in some other convenient way (or, in a cannibalistic tribe, eaten). Thri-Kreen believes that if they die in service to their tribe, their god immediately sends each of them back to life as the next egg laid in the hatchery. If a particularly important or respected member of a tribe dies, the hatchery is closely monitored. The next egg laid is immediately separated from the rest and carefully protected. Once it hatches, the resultant young Thri-Kreen is groomed to fill a position of importance.

Food and Cannibalism

Although their sharp teeth and/or mandibles would suggest they are carnivores, Thri-Kreen are actually omnivores, and can eat just about anything, including meat, fruit, tree bark, bone, leather, and eggshells (a newly hatched Thri-Kreen first meal is usually its own shell). A hungry tribe leaves nothing behind from a kill, eating everything that’s edible and using the rest to make tools or adornments.

Most Thri-Kreen tribes avoid eating what they call “talking meat” — intelligent creatures — because such behavior prompts retaliation. The fear of starvation can make them flexible about this principle, however, and if their options are either attacking such creatures or going hungry, Thri-Kreen are practical. A few tribes, particularly those in lightly populated areas, practice cannibalism, believing it is foolish to waste good meat.

In any case, Thri-Kreen that eat humanoids don’t simply start consuming corpses or prisoners right after a battle; they’re more inclined to tie their victims to saplings and slowly roast them over a fire, or put them in a giant cook pot to make stew. Fortunately for the prisoners, the Thri-Kreens’ almost comedic preparations sometimes give rescuers time to locate and free the captives before the Thri-Kreen settle down for the main course.

 

Environment

Thri-Kreen are cold-blooded and thus prefer temperate and tropical climates. Thri-Kreen tribes in colder regions tend to be smaller in population and more aggressive in their hunting, since food is relatively scarce in such areas.

Thri-Kreen prefer outdoor living in warmer climates, in wooded humid climates due to their natural resources. 

Thri-Kreen reside most commonly in swampy or wooded terrain. Such locations usually have natural cover suitable for living space, plenty of room to forage, and ready sources of food. Although lairing in these locations puts Thri-Kreen in competition with other humanoids. If it’s lucky, a tribe of Thri-Kreen that is discovered by a group of larger humanoids might form a mutually beneficial arrangement, relying on the humanoids for protection from invaders and in return providing services such as building and working agriculturally as well as disposing of trash. If it’s unlucky, the tribe is enslaved by the other humanoids, and the Thri-Kreen serve similar roles but under threat of death.

Roleplaying a Thri-Kreen

A Thri-Kreen acknowledges its weakness in the face of a hostile world. It knows it is brittle, bigger creatures will exploit it, it will probably die at a young age, and its life will be full of toil. Although this outlook seems bleak, a Thri-Kreen finds satisfaction in its work, the survival of its tribe.

A Thri-Kreen isn’t clever, but it isn’t as stupid as an orc. Someone can fool a Thri-Kreen with smooth words or a quick wit, but when the Thri-Kreen figures out it has been tricked, it remembers the affront. If it gets an opportunity to do so, it will retaliate against that person somehow, even if in merely a petty way.

A Thri-Kreen doesn’t like being cornered or alone. It wants to know it has a safe path for escape, or at least an ally nearby to improve its chances. A Thri-Kreen without either of these options will be nervous, its behavior alternating between meek silence and hysteria.

 

Thri-Kreen Traits

Your Thri-Kreen character has the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity and Wisdom score increases by 2, and your Strength and Constitution score is reduced by 1.

Age

Thri-Kreen reach adulthood at an age of 18 months and can live up to 80 years but rarely do so.

Alignment

Thri-Kreen are fundamentally selfish, making them evil, but their reliance on the strength of their group makes them trend toward law.

Size

Thri-Kreen are between 4 and 5 feet tall and weigh between 25 and 35 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Heat-Sense

You can sense heat extremities within 30 feet of you as if it were an aura.

Natural Armor

As a relative of a bug, you have a thick exoskeleton giving you a natural AC of 12+Dex Modifier.

Pack Tactics

You have advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of your allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn’t incapacitated.

Languages

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