| Spermy The Cat |
Thought up during a boring workday brainstorm session.
The feat:
Third Hand
Prerequisites: Shield Proficiency, Rapid Reload, Dex 15
You've had to use your mouth in lieu of your offhand to hold items still to save your life. Years of relying on this improvisation have strengthened your incisors and thickened your jaw muscles. While holding a tower shield or heavy shield, you can use your teeth to hold a crossbow or one-handed firearm still, freeing your other hand to reload as normal.
Before I get into the race, I've been told that the racial feats make them pretty overpowered, but let's see what you think. Mostly I just wanted a small-sized bug race with a strength bonus.
The Trox weren't always the way they are. Once, long before the Duergar enslaved them and bred them for labour and fighting, they were much smaller, timid, and intelligent. Today, they try to keep to themselves and avoid drawing attention. This is the Vok; the ancestor of the Trox.
Ability stats:
>STR: 13
>DEX: 10
>CON: 12
>INT: 10
>WIS: -2
>CHA: -2
Size: Small
Speed: 25
Racial Traits:
>Darkvision
Burrowing
>Power Pinch: A Trox's mandibles are mostly for show, most often used for sibling fights or manipulating food for easy feeding. A Vok's pincers, on the other hand, are much more suited for powerful, cutting bites. Their bite strength was the first thing to go during the breeding programs; it made them easier for their Duarger masters to handle them. Vok have a natural bite attack, dealing 1d6 of damage.
>Iron Hide: Despite not boasting the incredible strength a Trox possesses, the Vok are certainly capable of causing serious harm. All natural attacks and unarmed strikes are increased by one size for the sake of damage. This stacks with Power Pinch.
>Fight or Flight: The Vok aren't as temperamental as their cousins. If threatened, they're more likely to try and flee. But if cornered, their bodies are flooded with adrenaline. When a Vok's HP drops below 50%, they enter a small panic-induced rage, gaining a +1 circumstance bonus to Strength and Con for one minute. After battle, if there is still remaining time in this state, the Vok can make a will save to realize that the danger is passed and calm down.
>Pulvillus: A Vok's limbs have adhesive pads in the palms of their hands and the soles of their feet, allowing them to clamber up their native cave walls. The Vok has a climb speed of 20.
Shyness: Vok are as untrusting as their larger cousins, but self-preservation leads their xenophobia, instead of outright malice. Shyness give Vok a +3 to stealth checks.
Alternate traits:
>Crossbreed: The time it took for the Trox to be who they are now was long and fraught with errors. More than a few times have the Duergar had to backbreed early generations of Trox to their parent Vok, then crossbred further into the new generation to remove undesirable traits. These progenitors sometimes get shipped to the surface to be sold as cheap labourers. These Vok are medium size. This Trait replaces Pulvillus and Shyness.
Imago: Before living in the underdark, the Vok were surface dwellers, growing wings during the mating season. Even now, some Vok are born with wing cases. Vok with Imago gain a flight speed of 30, and when landed, their wing cases add a +1 natural armour bonus, losing it when in flight. This trait replaces Darkvision and Burrowing, as well as reducing their speed to 20. They also gain Low Light vision.
>Stout Strength: Vok are naturally strong for their size, but even then there is the odd creature even more robust, capable of lifting far beyond their brother's capabilities, and with training, even wield weapons bigger than themselves. Vok with Sout Strength can wield two-handed weapons and bows one size larger than themselves. This trait replaces Power Pinch and Fight or Flight.
Thoughts?