Homebrew Skathari Species Details

“Gid’down!” I shouted and pulled Mor’rak, the new Skathári hire, behind a concrete barrier, just as a repulsor grenade cracked in a wave of force. Suddenly, it was all a hail of blaster fire: Coalition troops had finally tracked us, and decided to take us in dead, rather than alive. I retorted with my standard carbine, blasting off a few of them as they peeked from cover. I drew my repeater and slid it over to Mor’rak. Bolts of white-hot energy whizzing overhead, he stared at the blaster blankly for a moment, one of his mandibles quivering a bit. I retaliated with a burst of automatic fire downrange, then leaned carefully over to Mor’rak, took his hand, opened his palm, and placed the repeater in it. He politely placed the repeater exactly where it has been on the floor.

— Dan Bola, Space Cowboy

While many civilized spacers regard Tier 3 and 4 worlds as hostile, dangerous environments, the skathári can think of no better place to call home. Hailing from the distant, mountainous world of Kopriá, whose seasons can last for years and whose volcanoes choke entire regions with sulfur gas, these insectoid creatures are perfectly adapted to life in harsh environments.

Hardy Insectoids

Standing upright between 6 and 7 feet tall, the hulking skathári only vaguely resemble humanoids. They have six limbs—four legs and two arms—each of them thin, lined with spines, and ending in a quartet of small hooked claws, suitable for deterring predators or climbing sheer cliff faces. Their bodies stand mostly upright, centered in a wide squat above their four legs. Their chitinous shells can be a myriad of colors, from jet black, to speckled yellow, to a scintillating emerald green. On their backs, usually folded beneath their shells, they conceal a pair of broad, membranous wings, used to glide short distances. Some skathári have stronger wings that allow them short bursts of flight, but most are too heavy to remain airborne for long. A skathári’s face appears small, framed by its hulking, hunched shell. Its iridescent compound eyes, mandible-lined mouth, and feathery antennae complete its alien appearance.

Because of their hostile homeworld, skathári are well adapted to extremes, bearing scorching heat, deathly cold, and thin or poisonous atmospheres with ease. Finally, they can rapidly regenerate missing body parts, re-growing entire limbs in the course of a day. These physical traits have made the skathári extremely well-suited to live on nearly any planet.

 

Skathári Customs

A strict set of rules and customs governs skathári society and guide their everyday lives. Though traditions vary, each skathári tribe holds one more or more taboos, that, when broken, are grounds for severe punishment, including exile from the tribe. The Skathári Taboos table below can serve as an inspiration for a particular tribe’s taboo.

Skathári Taboos

d8        Taboo
1          The practice of arcane magic is forbidden.
2          The consumption of a particular food is forbidden.
3          When resting, you must always recite a specific prayer and sleep in a certain position or orientation.
4          You must use every part of an animal you kill.
5          You must always address those of higher social status by their full names and titles.
6          You cannot own more than you can carry.
7          You cannot bathe, or you can only bathe on certain days
8          You are honor-bound to accept any challenge to single combat.

Technophobic

Perhaps the only universal taboo held by skathári is a deep and unabiding mistrust of all technology, both magical and nonmagical. Many skathári warriors would fight unarmed with their claws and mandibles, rather than raise a blaster or laser sword in their defense. Even technology as simple as windmills earns their ire. This taboo seems to stem from a general skathári skepticism of anything too complicated to understand at a glance, and extends to most forms of magic. Skathári especially regard conjuration, illusion, and enchantment magic as they do most technology: with skepticism and occasional fear. Since the skathári joined the galactic community, exceptions to this taboo have been made out of necessity: journeys on spacefaring vessels are tolerated, as long as they are no longer than necessary, and some skathári will wield blasters in dire straits. Generally, however, the skathári place their trust in straightforward things, like the strength of their tribes and the heft of their clubs.

Adventuring Skathári

Sometimes, a skathári might abandon their tribe for a life of adventure. In rare cases, this course of action comes from an uncharacteristic case of wanderlust or a longing for excitement. More often than not, however, a skathári takes up adventuring involuntarily, after being exiled or otherwise separated from their tribe.

Skathári Names

A skathári has a single given name, usually passed down from a prominent ancestor. Throughout their lives, skathári also accumulate titles based on their deeds and accomplishments, which they append at the end of their names as honorifics. The oldest and most well-respected skathári typically have gathered a long list which must be recited to greet them with respect.

Skathári Names. Bmarsk, Drikt, Fraxas, Ruzkor, Skrath, Turur, Xast, Xebraks

Skathári Titles. Bearer of Scars, Dragon-Slayer, Far-Glider, Faster than the Rest, Lifter of Boulders, Master of Swords, Rider of Beasts, Spear-Thrower, Wood-Carver

Skathari Traits

Skathári have the following racial traits:

Ability Score Increases

Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1

Age

Skathári reach maturity around 15 years of age and live for up to 150 years.

Alignment

Skathári are fierce, impulsive fighters with an innate distrust of the outside world. They tend toward chaotic alignments.

Size

Most adult skathári stand between 6 and 7 feet tall and weigh upwards of 200 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Adaptive Metabolism

Your body can quickly adapt to a range of extreme environments. You take no damage from the extreme temperatures of space and other harsh environments, and you can hold your breath for a number of minutes equal to 10 times your Constitution modifier (minimum of 10 minutes). Additionally, you have advantage on ability checks and saving throws against inhaled poisons and gases.

Gliding Wings

You have a pair of membranous wings that you can use to glide clumsily through the air. While falling, you can move up to 10 feet horizontally for every 5 feet you fall, up to your movement speed. Additionally, you have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage taken as a result of falling.

Powerful Build

You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

Hooked Claws

Your digits end in short, hooked claws, which grant you a climbing speed of 20 feet. Additionally, you can choose for your unarmed strikes to deal slashing damage instead of bludgeoning damage.

Regenerative

If any part of your body is amputated, but its amputation doesn't kill you, you can fully regrow that part of your body in 24 hours.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Skathári. Skathári is a choppy, syllabic language that uses many idioms and metaphors. This carries into other languages a skathári might speak; therefore, speaking to a skathári in any language is often a chore if one doesn’t know much about skathári culture.