Homebrew Arthroan Species Details
Isolated Empire
The Arthroans hail from a far off island empire, where few travelers find themselves. The Arthroans have little understanding of any race or culture but their own. They can and will often misinterpret another races actions or words due to their cultural ignorance.
Also due to their remote home, few of them become adventurers. Their island home offers everything they could need: shelter, work, companionship, food, entertainment, and other such things.
The Bug God
The Arthorans follow one singular god in their religion, Inaset. Inaset is the god of everything to them, war, death, love, knowledge, and can be worshiped for any reason. The primary reason, of course, is that Inaset is their creator, or "father" as the Arthroans commonly call him.
Inaset is commonly depicted as a much larger version of the Arthroans with all their best features: massive wings, a deadly stinger, powerful claws, and stunningly beautiful patterns and shapes on his body.
Due to the separation from other races, as explained above, Arthroans will never worship another god because they cannot understand the perspectives of another race or culture. Even if they could, their lifespans are often too short for it to matter.
Useful Allies
Though Arthorans may seem strange and alien at first glance, and their cultural misunderstanding can be a barrier between friendships, Arthroans can be powerful allies for adventurers. Their diversity and different adaptations can provide help in tricky situations that no other can provide. Their stingers can subdue an enemy long enough to escape, their mesmerizing colors can lull an opponent, and their wings can allow for quick escape.
Bug God's Curse
The Arthroans suffer from a short lifespan, living no more than 50 years in many cases including the 9 or 10 years of their larval stage. Many Arthroan priests claim this to be a curse placed on them by Inaset many years ago.
Whatever the reason is, it puts Arthroans at a disadvantage in many ways. The first is that their lives go by in such a flash even in the Cherian Empire, that an adventuring Arthoran's life will be even faster.
Another is that they will rarely have enough time to experience many things, and Arthroans knowing this will throw themselves head first into potentially dangerous situations. Their curiosity and lust for life experiences leaves them with little hesitation when it comes to combat with potentially dangerous enemies or safety in dungeon exploration. In a nutshell, Arthorans are often arrogant and hasty in their decisions.
Arthroan Traits
The diversity of the Arthroans gives your character many different options for racial traits.Ability Score Increase
Choose one ability score to increase by 2 and another to increase by 1.
Age
Arthroans emerge from their larval stage around 10 years of age and live to about 50 years of age.
Alignment
Arthroans can be any alignment, even though Inaset is a Neutral god. He typically doesn't care what alignment his followers take, and so the life experiences of an Arthroan dictate its alignment.
Size
Arthroans are very small as larvae, but through metamorphosis they become much larger. Your size is medium.
Speed
Arthroans have two legs and two arms, with two smaller limbs that have little function at all. This gives them the typical walking speed of other Medium humanoids. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Languages
Arthroans typically communicate through clicks and pheromones, having no native language. Of course, other races cannot communicate this way, so adventuring Arthroans must ;earn some way to communicate with them. You know two languages of your choice.
Metamorphic Adaptation
After emerging from your metamorphosis, you have received various adaptations and developments to help you as an adult Arthoran. At 1st Level, choose two of the following options:
- Thick Carapace: your carapace is thicker now, and while you aren't wearing medium or heavy armor, you can add you Constitution modifier to your AC as well as any light armor and Dexterity bonus.
- Wings: You gain a flying speed equal to your walking speed. You cannot use your wings to fly while wearing heavy armor.
- Stinger: You have a small piercing stinger on your abdomen that can be used in a deadly attack. You can use an action to thrust the stinger towards a creature within 5 feet in a melee weapon attack that you are proficient with. If the attack hits, it deals piercing damage equal to 1 + your Strength modifier and the target must make a Constitution saving throw DC 8 + the damage done become paralyzed for 1 minute.
- Mesmerizing Patterns: Your carapace is covered in bright colors set in dazing patterns. The first time a creature sees you, you may have that creature make a Constitution saving throw DC 8 + your Constitution modifier + your Dexterity modifier. On a failed save, the creature becomes stunned for 1 minute.
- Proboscis: You have a long tongue like appendage in your mouth, eliminating your need for mandibles or nostrils. You no longer need to eat solid food, and can instead live off of liquids in a similar manner.
- Tarsal Claws: You have small claws on your hands and feet that allow you to climb up walls and on ceilings. You gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed.
- Strong Mandibles: You have large horizontal mandibles that you can use to bit into things with great strength. You can use an action to bite a creature with your mandibles in a melee weapon attack that you are proficient with. If the attack hits, it deals piercing damage equal to 1 + your strength modifier and if the target is medium or smaller, it is grappled. While grappled this way, you cannot use this attack on another target.
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