Dromites

[sandmote]

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Living in city-hives underground, dromites are asexual humanoids with a natural affinity for psionics. Once a hive mind, they are now led by electors who run for office, as do the psionically enhanced Grand Queen and Exalted Consort that produce the eggs for a given year. The hatchlings are then adopted by expanded families of dromites. While dromites have separate castes each tied to a specific elements, these castes aren't segregated and the extended adopted families they live in typically contain members from all or most castes.

Dromite Traits
Ability Score Increase
Your Dexterity score Increases by 1 and your Charisma score increases by 2.

Age
Born from a single pair psionically enhanced to breed for the year, normally asexual dromites typically reach adulthood at 13 and live to around 70.

Alignment
Alignments vary wildly among dromites, but are often tied together by caste. Those of the glimmer caste tend toward a neutral alignment as they focus on their personal goals. Those belonging to the Ice caste are methodical, but often right, and tend toward law and good as a result. Members of the Fire caste let their emotions run wild, and lean chaotic. Those belonging to the Voice caste revel in the arts, their free expression drawing them toward chaos and the songs of old heroes toward good. Those of the Acerbic caste tend to value honesty and fixing problems, and lean toward good as a result.

Size
Dromites are between 3 and 4 feet tall and weigh between 40 and 80 pounds. Your size is Small.

Speed
Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Natural Armor
You have a covering of chitin. When you aren't wearing armor, your AC is 13 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield's benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.

Keen Antennae
Dromites have a set of antenna, which are extremely sensitive to scents. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell. These antennae are mobile, giving away a dromite's emotions.

Compound Eyes
Dromites have a set of compound eyes, which make it far easier to keep an eye out in multiple directions at once. You are proficient in Perception (Wisdom) checks.

Dromite Caste
Each Dromite belongs to a particular caste. Choose one from the table below: you are resistant to the damage type of that caste. The general color of your chitinous skin covering is also related to your caste. While dromites have these castes, the life-bonds that raise offspring in extended families aren't segregated by caste.

Caste	Damage Type	Associated Color
Acerbic	Acid	Green
Ice	Cold	Blue
Fire	Fire	Red
Glimmer	Lightning	Yellow
Voice	Thunder	White

Caste Ray
You know the Energy Beam talent. Unless you learn the talent from another source, your Energy Beam only deals damage of the same type as you have resistance to as a result of your Dromite Caste. Charisma is your psionic ability for this talent.

I'm having trouble coming up with comments for the base race

Spoiler: Energy Beam

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Energy Beam
Psionic Talent

As an action, you target one creature you can see within 90 feet of you. The target must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 1d8 acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage (your choice). The talent’s damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8).

Feats
Dromite Chimera
When the Exalted Consort and Grand Queen belong to different castes, a number of the dromites are born chimeras, with traits from each caste the pair belong to. A such a dromite, you have tapped into the heritage of your other half. You can choose a second Dromite caste, and gain the damage resistance and caste ray for that additional caste. Additionally, when you manifest Energy Beam your target has disadvantage on their saving throw. Additionally, when you manifest Energy Beam, Your target got no bonus to its saving throw from half cover and only +3 from three quarters cover

An additional resistance and damage type, and a buff for a racial feature.

[JNAProductions]

I see nothing wrong with the base race. If anything, they can be buffed.

The feat is fine, save for inflicting Disadvantage on saves. It's admittedly just plain old damage, but that's still too easy to force disadvantage. Perhaps "The DC for your racial Energy Beam increases by 2,"? Not quite as potent, but stacks with disadvantage. (And, while normally I'm incredibly leery of letting PCs get DCs above 19, this is, again, just damage. That's okay.)

[sandmote]

Thank you for replying.

I see nothing wrong with the base race. If anything, they can be buffed.

Yeah, that's why I had trouble coming up with commentary. I think I'm okay with dromites being a bit weaker on paper, given they get a bonus to dexterity with natural armor and proficiency in perception on top of advantage for some perception checks.

The feat is fine, save for inflicting Disadvantage on saves. It's admittedly just plain old damage, but that's still too easy to force disadvantage. Perhaps "The DC for your racial Energy Beam increases by 2,"? Not quite as potent, but stacks with disadvantage. (And, while normally I'm incredibly leery of letting PCs get DCs above 19, this is, again, just damage. That's okay.)

What about reducing the bonus to the saving throw the target gets from cover to nothing for half cover and +3 for three quarters cover when you manifest Energy Beam? That doesn't increase the DC (although its slightly weaker).

[JNAProductions]

Thank you for replying.


Yeah, that's why I had trouble coming up with commentary. I think I'm okay with dromites being a bit weaker on paper, given they get a bonus to dexterity with natural armor and proficiency in perception on top of advantage for some perception checks.


What about reducing the bonus to the saving throw the target gets from cover to nothing for half cover and +3 for three quarters cover when you manifest Energy Beam? That doesn't increase the DC (although its slightly weaker).

Good idea!