Homebrew Cancrid Species Details

She should have watched her tongue. Why couldn't she have kept quiet until we reached the surface? The shore was right there! It had gone so well up to that point too. In just minutes we had swam down, waltzed on up to a guard, asked where the stash was and he said "Certainly! Let me show you where we keep our findings." He led us right there, damn it! We got there, found the chest, showed the document and we were away. Scot bloody free. But no... she just couldn't wait to gloat, could she?

I can't imagine what it must have felt like being just a couple of inches from your first breath of fresh air in so long, only to feel such a heavy weight clamp shut around your ankle.

— Errol Slimfinger, Maldim's Crescent Heist Participant

Living in shallow tropical reefs and small coves, the life of a cancrid is a simple one. They stroll around in their little aquatic villages all day, sleeping when they are tired and snacking on seaweed when they are hungry. Many would see this sort of life as incredibly boring, but most of the time they wouldn't want it any other way. 

A Sedimentary Lifestyle

A cancrid is born after around 9 months of gestation. After this happens it must be protected from the surrounding elements for at least a month, as it's outer carapace is weak.

Rather than being raised by one or both of its parents, an infant cancrid stays inside with its mother, father and any siblings it may have for a few days before being brought out with them and raised by the community as a whole. They will spend their first few months learning basic skills in groups with other children of a similar age, after which they will be passed between different working groups. One week may be spent with farmers walking around the seafloor harvesting ripe seaweed and clearing up detritus that has been moved onto their land by the ocean currents, then the next they could be handed to the crafters to watch them make and repair tools and clothing. They may even eventually be allowed to go with the guard patrol for a short stint outside of the village if they are deemed ready.

As time goes on they will gradually gain more freedoms and will be encouraged to choose a craft that they would like to follow, and will spend most of their time studying under and working with those who are experienced in that. In most cases, this is what that cancrid will be doing for the rest of their life.

Development

Being partially crustacean, there are many quirks to cancrid biology that make their development rather unique.

The most noticeable difference between a cancrid and members of the more common races is the enormous crab arm where their non-dominant humanoid arm would normally be. This sizeable limb is much stronger than the other, and ends in a heavy pincer capable of squeezing with tremendous force. The arm is covered in thick and heavy shell (about 18% of their total weight), similar to what you may find on a crustacean's back, which acts both as a highly effective primary defence against predators and as a weight to hold them in place when facing strong ocean currents.

Another noticeable difference is the presence of their carapace. A cancrid is born live, like mammals, but not fully formed as the areas of its body that will be armoured in adulthood are soft and malleable. This may seem like a dangerous thing at first, but if it was born with hard plates and thick skin then it would not be able to grow to adult size as the armour would constrict it. By the time the cancrid is able to walk, the plates have hardened into a reasonably effective form of protection from the dangers of underwater life, while still being just pliable enough to not restrict their development. Once every year it will molt, shedding its shell so that a larger one may grow. This process slows to a crawl between the ages of 11 and 18, at which point the cancrid will only have to molt once every five years.

Despite reaching sexual maturity at 18, a cancrid is not considered an adult until around 22 years of age, at which point it will shed its final layer of juvenile armour and will grow a much thicker and more brightly-coloured set of adult armour. Achieving this is cause for celebration throughout the village, and is seen as a rite of passage into true adulthood. After the festivities, the young adult has a choice to make: stay with the village and hone their craft to perfection, or leave the village in search of a new life to lead.

Sunken Treasure(rs)

 For some strange reason, cancrids have an innate tendency to gather and stockpile shiny, valuable and otherwise interesting objects. Some say this habit may be left over from times long past when they survived as scavengers, some say that it is a side-effect of their scrupulous nature, others believe that it is simply greed. One thing that is almost certain however, is that in a tucked away corner of any cancrid village there will be a meticulously organised arrangement of lost and forgotten treasures and trinkets that have drawn near on the ocean currents. Despite their habitual gathering of all these objects, they do not view them as their own belongings, but rather as things to be safeguarded until the one to whom the items belong to can be found, and see no reason why something from their collection could not be sold, traded or even given away if someone can prove that they are the rightful owner of it.

Because of this odd tendency, cancrids have garnered a reputation as trustworthy and steadfast individuals who can be relied upon to keep a close eye on important things, whether these be physical possessions or less tangiable things such as secrets and information. Unfortunately, this does also lead to situations where individuals with a particularly strong lack of morals have managed to make a killing off the back of a convincing lie to a cancrid guard. However, this course of action does not lack its risks, as (as many briefly successful thieves have found out) if there is one thing the cancrids despise, it's dishonesty.

Cancrid Names

Cancrids prefer short names that are normally no more than two syllables long. While none of their names are objectively male or female, certain patterns in spelling do still lean towards masculinity (ending in "ic" or "ec") or femininity (ending in "as", "os" or "us").

Masculine cancrid names: Arec, Bamblic, Donric, Fissic, Heihec, Trosec, Uthec.

Feminine cancrid names: Calos, Entus, Luntos, Nensas, Rohus, Sefas, Wultos.

They don’t have surnames or family names.

Cancrid Traits

Your Cancrid character has traits that help it to survive in an oceanic environment.

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength score increases by 2.

Age

Cancrids live an average of 120 years. They reach physical maturity by the age of 18, but are not considered adults until they have shed their juvenile carapace at around 22 years of age.

Alignment

Cancrids are often simple, mellow and minimalistic. They prioritise their basic needs and do not bore easily, but tend to develop strict habits when performing daily routines, especially when it comes to organising and cleaning things. Most are Lawful neutral, although some can develop a taste for material things, becoming greedy and leaning towards evil.

Size

Cancrid adults are taller and more muscular than most humans at just over 6 feet tall and average out at 230 pounds. Around one-fifth of their weight comes from their natural armour. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Armoured Pincer

Your Pincer is a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier.

As a reaction you raise your armoured claw against one incoming weapon attack, briefly gaining a +2 bonus to your AC in an attempt to deflect it.

In addition to this, you may use your bonus action while grapping a creature to deal bludgeoning damage equal to your strength modifier to it.

Due to the lack of manual dexterity, you cannot effectively use items such as weapons, shields and potions in your pincer. You also may not wield weapons in a two-handed manner unless you are proficient in them, in which case it is assumed that you factored this into your training.

Amphibious

You can breathe in air and water. Cancrids are not natural swimmers, normally opting to walk along the bottom, but can remain underwater indefinitely.

Natural Armor

Due to the chitinous plates and thickened skin covering your body, you have an extra level of protection from incoming attacks in the form of a +2 bonus to your total AC.

Languages

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