Homebrew Thri-Kreen of Athas Species Details

This one does not speak with the quivering soft shells who lay about all night. This one might eat you, but never speak.  

— Tu’tochuk

 

Thri-Kreen (also called simply ‘kreen’) are known by some as mantis-men. Their body is covered with a sandy-yellow chitin, a tough exoskeleton that grants the kreen protection from blows. Their head is topped with two antennae, and their two eyes are compound and multi-faceted. The kreen mouth consists of small pincers. Male and female kreen are physically indistinguishable. Kreen usually do not wear clothing, but wear some sort of harness to carry weapons and food. Many wear leg or armbands, or bracelets. Some attach rings on different places on their chitin, though this requires careful work by a skilled artisan.

Regarding Sleep

Since kreen do not require sleep, they have difficulty understanding this need in the humanoid races.  They have difficulty understanding this state of “laziness” in others.  Other behaviors of humanoids seem unnecessarily complex.  A kreen’s life is simple: hunt prey. Kreen live for the hunt, and own only what they can carry.

Pack Mentality

The pack mentality dominates a kreen’s relation with others. Kreen hunt in packs, small groups that assemble together. Kreen will hunt prey in the same region for a while, but move on before their prey has been depleted. A kreen that joins a group of humanoid will often try to establish dominance in the group. This can be disconcerting to those unaware of the kreen’s behavior, since establishing dominance usually means making threatening gestures. Once the matter is settled, they will abide by the outcome. Kreen view humanoids as sources of food, though they don’t usually hunt them, only in dire need. Many kreen have a particularly fond taste for elves; as such, meetings between these two races are often tense. However, once part of a clutch, thri-kreen will never turn on their humanoid friends, even in the worst of situations.

Society and religion

No thri-kreen settlements exist in the Tyr region; kreen encountered there are either small packs of kreen, or else adventuring with humanoids. To the north of the Tyr region, beyond the Jagged Cliffs, past the Misty Border, lies the Kreen Empire. This great nation of kreen rules the Crimson Savanna, forming great city-states that rival the humanoid city-states of the Tyr region.

Thri-kreen have no devotion to any god, but they hold nature and the elements in high regard. Ancestral memories guide them through their lives. Thri-kreen revere the Great One, a legendary kreen leader from the past.

Magic and Psionics

Kreen view psionics as a natural part of their existence. Some packs rely on telepathy to communicate with each member and coordinate their hunting abilities. Many kreen also use psionic powers to augment their already formidable combat prowess. Powers are often used to boost speed, metabolism or strength to gain an advantage in combat. Most kreen (even non-adventurers) take the Mystic class, which kreen consider a natural part of growing up. Kreen do not need instruction to advance in the Mystic class—it comes to them as part of their ancestral memory.

The kreen have no natural disposition towards magic, and a wizard’s use of the environment as a source of power conflicts with a kreen’s beliefs. As well, the kreen’s lack of sleep and its instinctual need to hunt do not lend themselves well to magical study. Kreen wizards are extremely rare: no one has ever seen one in the Tablelands.

Adventuring

Kreen adventure for different reasons. Most enjoy challenges presented by new prey. Some seek out the challenge of leading new clutches, new companions and observing the different “hunting” techniques of the dra (sentient meatcreatures such as humans).

 In combat, kreen tend to rely on their natural attacks and special kreen weapons.  Everything you kill is a potential dinner.  You have a strong need for a party leader - obedience to this leader in the party is important to you.  If you seem to be the most powerful and capable, then you will assume leadership; if someone challenges your authority then you will wish to test whether they are in fact stronger than you.  It is not a question of vanity; you won’t want to fight to the death, but merely to ascertain who is worthy to lead the party.  You do not have the focus of a dwarf to complete a project, but you would give your life to protect your companions.  If you did not trust and honor them as your own family, then you would not travel with them and work together with them.  You do not understand the concept of sleep.  It disturbs you that your dra companions lie unconscious for a third of their lifetimes.  You own only what you can carry, caring little for money or other items that other races consider as treasure.  Your philosophy of ownership sometimes leads you into conflict with presumptuous dra who think they can own buildings, land, and even whole herds of kanks!

Language and Names

The structure of the kreen's mouth is different from the structure of a human's mouth. Kreen have no lips, and their tongue is different; there are some sounds they cannot  reproduce effectively.  They cannot make the sounds represented by the letters p, b, f, v, m.  However, they use other sounds not readily imitated by humanoids as subsitutions and in their own language.

Names: Kachka, Ka’Cha, Ka’Ka’Kyl, Klik-Chaka’da, Sa’Relka, T’Chai

 

Thri-Kreen of Athas Traits

Your Thri-kreen character has the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

Thri-kreen reach maturity at 4 years of age, and are considered 'wandering age' or adult at 6.  The typical kreen lives at least 25 years; some live for longer, though only rarely have there been reports of thri-kreen living longer than 35 years.

Alignment

Thri-kreen may be of any alignment.  Regardless of the thri-kreen’s true alignment, behavior toward clutch and clutchmates is essentially lawful good.

Size

Mature thri-kreen stand about 7 feet tall, and while stretched out have a total length of about 11 feet.  Kreen weigh about 460 lbs.  Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 40 feet

Natural Armor

You have a hard, chitinous shell.  When you aren’t wearing armor, your AC is 13 + your Dexterity modifier.  You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC.  A shield’s benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor, but you can not wear armor designed for humanoids.

Kreen Weapons

Your mandibles and claws can be used as natural weapons.  You have a bite attack that deals piercing damage and a claw attack that deals slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your STR modifier, instead of the normal damage for an unarmed strike.  You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes with your claws.

Thri-kreen are also proficient in Kreen weapons (Gythka and Chatkcha).

Venom

In battle, you can inject your venom to paralyze your opponent.  When you make an attack with your bite, if the attack hits, you can inject your venom into the wound.  The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + your Constitution modifier) or be poisoned for 10 minutes. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the target is also paralyzed while poisoned in this way.  You can’t use this trait again until you finish a short or long rest.  

Thri-kreen and members of closely-related species are immune to the effects of kreen venom.

 A kreen can reserve their venom to craft dasl weapons.

Sleepless

You don’t need to sleep and don’t suffer the effects of exhaustion due to lack of rest, magic can’t put you to sleep.

You can gain the benefits of a long rest while performing light activity or walking.

Powerful Leap

Thri-kreen are natural jumpers.  An adult thri-kreen develops a powerful standing leap that allows him to jump 20 feet straight up or 40 feet forward without a running start. You can not leap backward.

Antennae

With your antennae, you can sense the shape and movement of creatures and objects within 5 feet.  You can not sense color or intricate detail in this manner.

Many-limbed

Thri-kreen have an extra set of arms that can be useful in several ways.  On your turn you can choose one of the following:

• helping claws: you can interact with an additional object on your turn
• multi-weapon fighting: when using the Two-Weapon Fighting bonus action, you can attack with an additional light weapon held in one of your lower claws.
• multi-dextrous: You can use a bonus action to make a claw attack, or attack with a light weapon held in one of your lower claws.

Insectoid nature

Your creature type is Monstrosity.  You are unaffected by spells and effects that target humanoids.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Thri-Kreen.

Kreen vulnerability

As an insectoid creature, you have particular weaknesses. 

Thri-kreen cannot swim, they sink easily, and their limbs are too thin and oddly-jointed to be used for propulsion or support.  Likewise, climates other than the arid deserts and scrub lands of Athas are particularly hard on the thri-kreen.  A kreen who spends too much time in a humid or moist area has a chance to develop a Lung Infection or Chitin-Rot.

Thri-kreen find the odor of ranike smoke repugnant.  Voluntarily entering an area permeated by the smoke requires the thri-kreen to make a successful Wisdom save DC 10.  Moreover, each round spent in the area, the kreen must make a successful Constitution saving throw against poison DC 13, or suffer the poisoned condition. The condition ends one round after the thri-kreen leaves the area.