In the latest group of characters my group has been working on, we decided to go with a theme of instectoid characters. I looked around for a race that would suit my fancy for a moth PC, but I couldn't find one set up quite to my liking, so I set up a homebrew race that would be a bit closer to the 28 RP Trox one of the other PCs will be playing. I hope this is the right forum for this
We don't tend to set up our characters to pathfinder meta, so this'll likely be quite unbalanced, but I figure it might help someone else as a baseline to adjust if they're looking to make something similar!
Here's the list of other moth/mothlike races I used ideas from/looked at while making this: Entobian, Mothkin, and Mothfolk.
Lepidi (25 RP):
Description: Lepidi are a race of roughly humanoid creatures with the distinct features of either butterflies or moths. They have four arms and large eyes, and can come in a wide variety of colours and wing patterns. Here's an example of the character I'll be using, Ilon, themed like a luna moth.Except they'll be wearing armour, of course.
Size: Lepidi are Small creatures and gain a +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a –1 penalty to their CMB and CMD, and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks. (0 RP)
Base Speed: Lepidi have a base speed of 30 feet on land. They also have a fly speed of 50 feet (average), though they are unable to fly in rain or when their wings are otherwise wet. (8 RP)
Languages: Lepidi begin play speaking Common and Sylvan. Lepidi with high intelligence scores can choose from the following: Auran, Gnome, Halfling, Elven, Dwarven, Celestial, and Undercommon. (0 RP)
Senses Racial Traits
Darkvision: Lepidi have darkvision up to 60 feet. (+1 RP to Fey)
Celestial Navigation: So long as they are outside and under direct moonlight, Lepidi can use the moon to Discern Direction, as the spell. Normal or brighter light within 30 feet prevents this trait from working. (1 RP)
Magic Racial Traits
Spell-Like Ability: Lepidi gain the use of glitterdust 1/day, with caster level equal to their character level (2 RP)
Weakness Racial Traits
Light Blindness: Abrupt exposure to bright light blinds Lepidi for 1 round; on subsequent rounds, they are dazzled as long as they remain in the affected area. (-2 RP)
Other Racial Traits
Multi-Armed: Lepidi have four arms. Though they can wield multiple weapons, only one hand is considered their primary hand. (8 RP)
Proboscis: Most Lepidi have developed proboscis instead of mouths. As a result, they cannot speak verbally, and drinking potions/etc. takes one step longer than average. (-2 RP)
Limited Telepathy: While lacking a mouth, Lepidi can mentally communicate with any creature within 30 feet with whom they share a language. Otherwise this ability is identical to the telepathy ability. (3 RP)
Lunar Synthesis: As Lepidi lack mouths, they have evolved to gain nutrients through other means. Adult Lepidi need not eat to gain sustenance (though they do still need water like any other creature). Instead, they collect moonlight with their wings and conduct photosynthesis. Each day, they must spend 4 hours with their wings exposed to the moon or equivalent light (such as from a daylight spell) to be properly fed. A Lepidi can go without moonlight for 2 days without feeding, after which it suffers from starvation as per the normal rules.
Alternate Racial Traits
Proboscal Loss: This particular offshoot of Lepidi have evolved out of their proboscis, and instead have regular mouths, allowing speech. Because of this, their telepathy has fallen into disuse. This racial trait replaces proboscis and limited telepathy.
There are some difficulties that could easily arise from being unable to speak (such as inability to perform verbal components) and needing moonlight, but overall I'm hoping it'll offer some interesting RP opportunities. I'm open to any suggestions for it! Particularly given I don't have the background culture of the race fleshed out at all yet.
