Insect Hashira

Insect Hashira are warriors who have mastered a specialized fighting style known as Insect Breathing. By controlling their breathing and focusing their body, they achieve extraordinary speed, agility, and precision.

Rather than overpowering their opponents with raw strength, Insect Hashira specialize in rapid thrusting attacks designed to strike vulnerable areas. Their weapons are often modified to deliver powerful wisteria poisons into their enemies.

As their mastery increases, they learn specialized techniques inspired by insects, including Butterfly Dance, Dance of the Bee Sting, Dance of the Dragonfly, and Dance of the Centipede. An experienced Insect Hashira can rush through the battlefield, poison powerful enemies, and disappear before their opponent has an opportunity to retaliate.

Level 3: Insect Breathing

Beginning at 3rd level, you have learned to regulate your breathing and push your body beyond its normal limits.

As a bonus action, you can enter an Insect Breathing state for 1 minute. While Insect Breathing is active, your walking speed increases by 10 feet, you have advantage on Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks, and opportunity attacks against you are made with disadvantage.

Insect Breathing ends early if you are incapacitated or choose to end it as a bonus action.

You can use Insect Breathing a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

 

Level 3: Wisteria Poison

Starting at 3rd level, you learn to prepare a specialized wisteria poison and inject it through precise thrusting attacks.

When you deal Sneak Attack damage to a creature with a finesse or piercing weapon, you can expend one use of Wisteria Poison to inject the target with poison. The target must make a Constitution saving throw. The saving throw DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier.

On a failed save, the target takes 2d6 poison damage and is Poisoned until the beginning of your next turn. On a successful save, the target takes half as much poison damage and isn't Poisoned.

The poison damage increases to 3d6 at 9th level, 4d6 at 13th level, and 5d6 at 17th level.

You can use Wisteria Poison a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Level 9: Dance of the Bee Sting: True Flutter

Beginning at 9th level, you learn Dance of the Bee Sting: True Flutter, an Insect Breathing technique that concentrates your speed into a single devastating thrust.

When you use this technique, you can immediately move up to 20 feet without provoking opportunity attacks. At the end of this movement, make one melee weapon attack with a finesse or piercing weapon.

On a hit, the attack deals an additional 3d6 piercing damage. You can also apply your Sneak Attack damage to this attack if you meet the normal requirements for Sneak Attack.

You can use Dance of the Bee Sting: True Flutter once, and you regain the ability to use it when you finish a short or long rest.

Level 9: Butterfly Dance: Caprice

Beginning at 9th level, you learn Butterfly Dance: Caprice, an Insect Breathing technique that uses rapid, unpredictable movements to evade your enemies.

Whenever you use your Cunning Action to take the Dash action, your movement does not provoke opportunity attacks for the rest of that turn.

Your movements resemble the erratic flight of a butterfly, allowing you to rush through groups of enemies, reposition yourself, and escape dangerous situations before your opponents can react.

Level 13: Dance of the Dragonfly: Compound Eye Hexagon

Beginning at 13th level, you learn Dance of the Dragonfly: Compound Eye Hexagon, an advanced Insect Breathing technique that allows you to deliver six nearly instantaneous thrusts against an enemy's vital points.

As an action, choose one creature within your reach and make one melee weapon attack with a finesse or piercing weapon. The single attack represents six rapid thrusts delivered in quick succession.

On a hit, the attack deals its normal weapon damage plus 6d6 piercing damage. You can apply your Sneak Attack damage to this attack if you meet its normal requirements.

The target must then make a Constitution saving throw against your Wisteria Poison save DC (8 + your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier). On a failed save, the creature is Poisoned for 1 minute and its speed is reduced by 10 feet. At the end of each of its turns, it can repeat the saving throw, ending both effects on a success.

You can use Dance of the Dragonfly: Compound Eye Hexagon once, and you regain the ability to use it when you finish a long rest.

Level 17: Dance of the Centipede: Hundred-Legged Zigzag

Beginning at 17th level, you master Dance of the Centipede: Hundred-Legged Zigzag, the ultimate expression of your Insect Breathing techniques.

As a bonus action, you explode into a series of unpredictable zigzag movements. You can move up to twice your walking speed without provoking opportunity attacks. During this movement, you can move through the spaces of hostile creatures, though you cannot end your movement in an occupied space.

Choose one creature you pass within 5 feet of during this movement. At the end of your movement, make one melee weapon attack against that creature using a finesse or piercing weapon.

On a hit, you can apply your Sneak Attack damage to the attack even if you would not normally qualify for Sneak Attack, provided you don't have disadvantage on the attack roll.

The target must then make a Constitution saving throw against your Wisteria Poison save DC (8 + your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier). On a failed save, the target takes 8d6 poison damage and is Poisoned for 1 minute. While Poisoned this way, its speed is halved, it cannot take reactions, and it has disadvantage on attack rolls.

At the end of each of its turns, the creature can repeat the saving throw, ending these effects on a success.

Once you use Dance of the Centipede: Hundred-Legged Zigzag, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.