Iphik Nestless
This week, we have a throwback to one of our earliest pieces. Many many moons ago, the Iphik were our second ever piece of homebrew, and now we have a playable version for you to enjoy! We hope you like our take on an insect race, and that you let us know what you want to see more of soon. We're putting the finishing touches on another big project, and that's exciting, but we'll be on the hunt for new projects right after, so don't be shy! With that, we'll see you on Friday.
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Iphik Nestless
Iphik nestless are drones that have, willingly or otherwise, lived apart from the influential pheromones of an iphik nest long enough to develop a more independent personality. Without the ambient pheromonal influence of other iphik to tap into, a nestless must develop its other senses in order to survive, further detaching them from the ways that nest-bound iphik live.
In Search of a Home
Even separated from the pheromones and rigid structure of life in a nest, most iphik have a strong preference for communal living. Those which are forced from their nest homes will most likely seek to re-settle amongst accepting communities of other humanoids, adapting to cultural and labor norms as best they can. Those rare nestless who choose to wander of their own volition are the exception to this tendency, often curious about other nearby peoples and ways of life, but rarely more interested in settling in a new community than staying in with their nest.
Diligent to a Fault
Iphik are hard workers, something that remains true for the nestless even as their goals and purpose deviate from the norm for their species. While iphik nestless are hardly common, they can be found as laborers and artisans of varying skill levels, learning new skills quickly when committed to doing so, often to the detriment of other aspects of their lives. An iphik, nestless or otherwise, that has begun a project will see it to completion if at all possible.
Iphik Nestless Names
Iphik nest bound names are a combination of clicking sounds, gestures, and pheromonal releases that blur the lines between an individual, a nest’s population, and even the nest itself.
Iphik nestless, therefore, virtually never possess names intelligible or meaningful to non-iphik. As such, nestless often prefer or are required by practical need to choose or be given a new name from whatever culture they are adopted into.
Iphik Nestless Traits
Your iphik nestless character has the following traits:
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2 and your Constitution score increases by 1.
Age. Iphik drones rarely live past their thirtieth year, but nestless are not subject to the drudgery and risk of life under overseers, and have been known to live up to 80 years before rapidly declining in health.
Alignment. Nestless have no strong pull towards good or evil and therefore tend to be neutral, but recall the rigidity of life in a nest - those that left their nests willingly trend towards rebellion and independence, taking on chaotic alignments, and those forced away from nest life often long for order and purpose, tending to be lawful.
Size. Iphik drones and nestless are shorter than humans and slender, evolved for labor in cramped spaces. Their heights range from 3’ to 4’. Your size is Small.
Speed. You have a base walking speed of 25 ft. You have a climbing speed of 25 ft.
Carapace. When you aren't wearing armor, your AC is 15. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. If you use a shield, you can apply the shield's bonus as normal.
Industrious. You gain proficiency with a set of artisan’s tools of your choice.
Pheromonal Senses. You gain proficiency in the Insight skill.
Suplementary Arms. You can take the Use An Object action as a bonus action.
Additionally, you can gain advantage on a single Strength check or saving throw, no action required. Once you gain advantage in this way, you cannot do so again until you complete a short or long rest.