4.4 KiB
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| Players Guide 2 |
Tosculi are insectoid people with wasp-like features. The majority of tosculi are born into tight-knit hive communities under the control of a singular hivequeen. From birth, these waspfolk are linked telepathically through the hive’s shared song, a buzzing that is often referred to as the Divine Murmur, the Persistent Susurration, or the Golden Song.
Different tosculi serve different roles within the hive, and they are subservient to the hivequeen’s orders. However, they are also capable of acting independently, of following their own best judgment when required, and as such, tosculi that have proven their value to their hive and hivequeen are often given much more leeway.
Tosculi children are born from eggs laid by the hivequeen. The eggs sit dormant until they are implanted in living creatures, which mature rapidly over a matter of weeks. While most tosculi use livestock and other beasts to birth their young, some hives use humanoids captured during raids for this purpose—which might lead other people to view these waspfolk with fear or suspicion.
While they sometimes adventure at the command of their hivequeen, most tosculi adopt an adventuring lifestyle when they are severed from their hive, whether by choice, accident, or other unfortunate circumstance. Faced with a future without their hivequeen, these so-called hiveless slowly develop a personality learned from the customs and traditions of their adopted culture, and they might absorb personality traits or memories from the creature they hatched from.
Tosculi Lineage Traits
Your tosculi character has the following hereditary traits.
Age
Tosculi physically mature around the age of 13. They rarely live past 40.
Size
Your size is Small. Most tosculi weigh approximately 70 pounds and stand between 3 and 4 feet tall.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Glide
When you fall at least 10 feet, you can use your reaction to unfurl vestigial wings that slow your descent, allowing you to land gently on your feet without taking falling damage. As part of this same reaction, you can choose to glide horizontally up to 30 feet in a single direction of your choice before descending to the ground.
Hive Mind
As a bonus action, you can create a telepathic connection with another creature you can see within 30 feet of you. This connection lasts for up to 1 minute but immediately ends if the target creature is ever more than 60 feet away from you. You can use the ability a number of times equal to your PB, and you regain all uses when you finish a long rest. If the targeted creature also has Hive Mind, establishing a telepathic connection in this way doesn’t expend a use of this feature.
Hiveborn Duty
Each tosculi fills a role in the hive, inheriting certain characteristics in furtherance of that role. Choose one duty for your character to have:
- Detached Drone. You toiled as a hive worker, spending your time collecting nectar, cleaning the hive, or attending to the queen. You might have a dull, muted carapace that avoids the attention of your enemies. You also gain the following:
- Golden Song. As a bonus action, you can target another creature within 10 feet of you with your loud buzzing. That creature must make a WIS save (DC 10 + your PB) or suffer one of the following conditions until the start of your next turn: charmed or deafened (choose when you use this ability). You can use this ability a number of times equal to your PB, and you regain all uses when you complete a long rest.
- Roving Trooper. You are among the hive’s greatest warriors, and your vibrantly colored carapace helps convey the real threat that you pose. You frequently find yourself far from the hive, raiding for livestock and trade goods or for living hosts for eggs. You also gain the following:
- Natural Attack. You have a serrated stinger that serves as a natural weapon that you can use to make unarmed strikes. When you hit with it, the strike deals 1d6 + your STR or DEX modifier (choose during character creation) piercing damage, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. When you hit, you can choose to poison your target, who must make a CON save (DC 10 + your PB) or be poisoned until the start of your next turn. You can poison a creature a number of times equal to your PB, and you regain all uses when you complete a long rest.