Mant, The Mantis-folk (Poisoned World Setting 3.5)

[LordErebus12]

The Mant are race of monstrous humanoids native to the Poisoned World, known as Belladonis. They inhabit two areas; one known as the Ribs of Rysk, a dense knot of brambles and vines that hang from a titanic set of rib bones that sprout upwards a thousand feet and enclose the valley within its rib bones. The other is known as the Rendlands, an unforgiving broken landscape of caves and tunnels, cliffs and impossibly deep ravines of broken stone, sharper than any blade. Both areas are extremely dangerous, nearly impassable to those not familiar with travel through such lands.

Aging (in years):
{table=head] Adulthood|Middle Aged|Old Aged|Venerable Aged|Maximum Age
10 | 150 | 250 | 350 | +2d%
[/table]

Mating:
The Mant mating ritual is a long and dangerous ordeal. Females who chose to spread their pheromones when they reach the age to mate, sending the males around her into a state of heightened aggression when exposed to the pheromones. In the past, the males would duel other males for the right to mate, often killing the opponent in the process.

After the combat the survivor will mate if the female still finds the male appealing. In the past, tribes of mant females would also kill or even eat the wounded male to spare him a slow death if his wounds were too great, even though cannibalism was never practiced outside of mating. The female will continue on for another 3 months before laying her clutch of eggs (about 32-36 in total), after which hatch shortly after the female dies. An lethal process for the parents, overall.

The sister mant's care for the hatchlings, which are all raised together. Only about one fourth of females will actually breed, and they only generally go into heat once or twice in a life time, generally at 50 and 100 years of age. Those who don't breed often become Clan Mothers, raising the younglings for the first ten years, after which the younglings reach maturity and are ready to live on their own.

Radiation Damage
Here

[LordErebus12]

{table=head]{colsp=2}Mant
{colsp=2}Medium Monstrous Humanoid
Hit Dice: | 2d8+4 (16 hp)
Initiative: | +3
Speed: | 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: | 17 (+3 Dex, +4 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: | +2/+2
Attack: | Blades +3 melee (2d4+1/20x4)
Full Attack: | Blades +3 melee (2d4+1/20x4) and bite +1 melee (1d8+0/20x2)
Space/Reach: | 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: | Improved Grab
Special Qualities: | Darkvision 60 ft., Leap, Resistance to Radiation 5
Saves: | Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +2 (+4 racial bonus on saves against poison and disease)
Abilities: | Str 13, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 14
Skills: | Diplomacy +5, Hide +7*, Jump +31, Listen +5, Search +5, and Spot +5
Feats: | Multiattack
Environment: | warm deserts, warm mountains or underground
Organization: | Solitary, pair, or hunting party (3-5)
Challenge Rating: | 2
Advancement: | By Character Class
Level Adjustment: | +1
[/Table]

They appear to be a species of giant praying mantis that has evolved to have more humanoid traits, while maintaining much from its mantis origin. They have serrated blades that rest back along the forearm, but spring forward to strike with surprise when they twist their wrists. they have two clawed hands but they are too fragile to use as weapons, four legs attached to thorax and large abdomen hanging below that. Their face is still very insect like, but has much more humanoid set of expressions than a mantis would have.

About 6 to 7 feet tall at their full height, they typically hold themselves lower than that height, crouched naturally for better balance and comfort. They weight about 160-170 lbs. on average. Exoskeletons filled with a violently blue glowing ichor flowing within. Their bodies have one of two camouflage colorations, either a mix of brown and black tones or a mix of green and blue tones.

Leap (Ex):
A Mant is a natural jumper. It gains a +30 competence bonus on all jump checks, and its maximum jumping distance is not limited by height.

Improved Grab (Ex):
To use this ability, a Mant must hit with its claws attack. If it wins the ensuing grapple check, it establishes a hold and makes a bite attack as a primary attack (at its full attack bonus).

Skills:
A Mant has a +4 racial bonus on Hide and Spot checks. *Because of its camouflage, the Hide bonus increases to +12 when a Mant is surrounded by rocky terrain (if from the Rendlands) or foliage (if from the Ribs of Rysk).

Mant as Playable Characters:

• -2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma. What the Mant lose in strength in body and will, they make up for with incredibly quick mind, grasping on to new or challenging concepts or ideas with lightning speed. It’s said that the only thing faster than a Mant’s gifted speed and adaptability is it’s charisma, silver tongued, they use their considerable talents for persuasion and conversation to good use. Mant have been known to be a bit foolish.
• Medium size.
• Space/Reach: 5 feet/5 feet.
• A Mant has a base land speed is 40 feet.
• Darkvision out to 60 feet.
• Racial Hit Dice: A Mant begins with two levels of monstrous humanoid, which provide 2d8 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +2, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +0, Ref +3, and Will +3.
• Racial Skills: A Mant’s monstrous humanoid levels give it skill points equal to 5 x (2 + Int modifier, minimum 1). Its class skills are Diplomacy, Jump, Listen, Search, and Spot. Mants have a +4 racial bonus on hide* and spot checks.
• Racial Feats: A Mant’s monstrous humanoid levels give it one feat.
• +4 natural armor bonus.
• Natural Weapons: two primary blades (2d4 / 20x4) and a secondary bite (1d8 / 20x2).
• Special Attacks (see above): improved grab
• Special Qualities (see above): leap, resistance to raditation 5
• +4 racial bonus on saves against poison and disease
• Automatic Languages: Common, Mant. Bonus Languages: Any
• Favored Class: Totemist or Green Mantis Assassin
• Level adjustment +1

Bloodlines (special thanks to Inuyasha)
{table=head] Level |

Minor

4 | +2 on hide checks
8 | Radiation resistance 5
12 | +1 dexterity
16 | +2 racial bonus on saves vs. poison and disease
20 | Mant affinity +2
[/table]

[LordErebus12]

Predatory Pounce
The Mant have mastered an ambush tactic based around stalking the target, then making a mighty leap onto the target, striking with claws and teeth or weapons.

Prerequisites: Leap racial ability
Benefit: Whenever a Mant with this feat makes a charge or performs a leap, it can follow with a full attack.

(this feat can be taken by Thri-Kreen, as well )

Flight of the Mant
A loud buzzing noise fills the air as several Mant's fly their way overhead, longbows in hand, patrolling their homelands for incoming threats.

Prerequisites: Mant only, 10th level or higher
Benefit: The Mant gains a fly speed equal to its base land speed with poor maneuverability. Flying causes the air to vibrate with sound, the Mant's wings beating at high speeds. The Mant's wings beating causes a -4 penalty to Move Silently checks while flying.

[Gnorman]

How, exactly, do you wish to differentiate them from the Thri-Kreen?

Except for the "flight" angle, you're seemingly describing precisely that.

[LordErebus12]

How, exactly, do you wish to differentiate them from the Thri-Kreen?

Except for the "flight" angle, you're seemingly describing precisely that.

As i see it, its nearly the furthest thing from it.

lack of poisonous bite, no magical sleep immunity, lack of four arms, lack of psionic ability, no LA of +3

the thri-kreen are a poor example of a mantis-folk, imo.

flight, pounce, long jump (only thing i could consider keeping from Thri-kreen), poisonous claws with nice critical hit modifier (like a scythe, maybe), immunity to poison and radioactivity (basically a disease that causes con drain, then con damage).

[Gnorman]

Just adapt the thing for your purposes. How a thri-kreen is the "furthest thing from" a mantis race is beyond me. Non-psionic thri-kreen only have LA +1, though they do have those pesky racial hit dice. We could drop those pretty easily, removing the poison, the four arms (probably the biggest reason to play one anyway).

+2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma
Movement speed: 40 ft. gives it a natural jump bonus, so we don't need to duplicate here
Stability, maybe, for it having four legs?
Pounce
Low-light vision
+4 racial bonus on saves against poison and disease. Outright immunity might be okay, as poison/disease is situational, but I don't know.
Two natural claw attacks at 1d6 slashing, 19-20x2.

That'd probably slide by as a LA +1. Throw in scaling flight like Raptoran or Dragonborn and you'd have it.

[LordErebus12]

hmm, how about this...?

[inuyasha]

by looking at this i roughly estimate CR 2-3 Im not quite sure which

[LordErebus12]

by looking at this i roughly estimate CR 2-3 Im not quite sure which

CR 2 it is. also, fixed the speed entry so it says 40 ft., not 30 ft.

[LordErebus12]

feats for pounce and flight.

[inuyasha]

Also LA should be like +2-3
explanation:
+1 for natural armor
+1 for resistance to radiation
+1 for better than average ability scores

[LordErebus12]

Also LA should be like +2-3
explanation:
+1 for natural armor
+1 for resistance to radiation
+1 for better than average ability scores

I disagree, as its partially gained via hit dice. Im not gonna clutter it with a huge la, making it unplayable.

[inuyasha]

well you could probably stretch with a +2 LA and that isnt that bad...

[LordErebus12]

well you could probably stretch with a +2 LA and that isnt that bad...

compared to the drow, this thing gets nothing really.

[inuyasha]

yea but the abilities this does get give it a level adjustment, im using the system in the front of goodmans book of templates, and it has never failed me before. also this doesnt get nothing, it has lots of bonuses to stats, +4 natural armor, its faster than average, and it has energy resistance to something im assuming is going to be common in this world of yours

[LordErebus12]

yea but the abilities this does get give it a level adjustment, im using the system in the front of goodmans book of templates, and it has never failed me before. also this doesnt get nothing, it has lots of bonuses to stats, +4 natural armor, its faster than average, and it has energy resistance to something im assuming is going to be common in this world of yours

i wouldnt be inclined to follow such a source, myself. I find that if a Drow can have all those goodies, walking away with a LA +2, then a LA +1 would be fine for this, despite what this non-source book of templates is saying.

I could argue a LA +2 might be a bit excessive.

As im seeing it for the drow, spell-like abilities are +1, better than normal abilities bonuses are +1, spell resistance is +1, etc.
yet they claim its cool at +2, with no racial levels.