Nectarian

A Nectarian Queen and a Youth

Description: Nectarians are a bee-inspired sentient race with intricate societal structures and natural aerial abilities. They exhibit a harmonious blend of bee-like features and humanoid traits, with varying sizes and abilities based on their roles within their colonies.
Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 2.
Size: Males (Drones) are Small, while Females (Workers and Queens) are Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet. You have a fly speed equal to your walking speed.
Bee Communication: You can communicate basic concepts with bees and bee-like creatures.
Hive Mind: Nectarians have a limited telepathic link with members of their hive within 90 feet, allowing them to communicate simple ideas.
Queen's Command: Queens possess a unique ability akin to the geas spell, usable Proficiency Bonus per rest, symbolizing their control over the hive.
Subraces: Many subraces of Nectarians exist. Honeykin, Bumblekin, Stingkin, Buzzkin, and Echokin are some of the most common.

Honeykin Subrace

by magejosh

Ability Score Increase: Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Honeykin Wings: Your fly speed is 40 feet due to your sleek wings.
Nectar Harvest: Once per long rest, you can create a magical honey that, when consumed, gives advantage on saving throws against poison for 8 hours.
Nectar Hunter: Gain Proficiency with one of either Nature, Survival, Herbalism Kit, or Alchemist Kit. Once per rest, gain advantage on Nature or Survival checks for an hour to locate or track natural sources of Pollen for Nectar making.
Natural Attack: Honeykin can use their stingers to spray a 15 foot line attack composed of sweet, sticky honey that coats their targets in a sticky substance. This honey reduces the target's speed by half until they spend their action to clean it off.
Poison Effect: The honey sprayed by Honeykin contains a mild contact sedative that makes the target drowsy. The target must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of their next turn. While poisoned, the target has disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws.
The Honeykin are wise and agile, known for their sleek wings that grant them a fly speed of 40 feet. Their ability to create magical honey that enhances resistance to poison and their proficiency in tracking natural sources of pollen make them invaluable in gathering resources. Their natural attack involves spraying sticky honey to hinder foes, while the sedative within it can drowsily incapacitate targets.

Bumblekin Subrace

Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 1.
Bumblekin Wings: Your fly speed is 20 feet.
Bumblekin Build: You gain a +1 bonus to AC due to your sturdy build.
Buzzy Resilience: You have resistance to cold damage, mirroring the resilience of bumblebees.
Bumblekin Brew: You gain proficiency in brewers tools and learn to make Bumblekin Brew, a rejuvenating beer that restores 1 HP and if full HP instead reduces Exhaustion levels by one. The brew also grants 1d12 temporary HP that lasts 10 minutes.
Natural Attack: Bumblekin can use their stingers to inject a powerful venom that causes their targets to become temporarily paralyzed. The target must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed until the end of their next turn.
Poison Effect: The venom injected by Bumblekin contains a compound that causes the target's muscles to tense and stiffen. The target must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of their next turn. While poisoned, the target has disadvantage on Strength saving throws.
Bumblekin are robust and resilient, with a sturdy build granting them extra protection and a slower but more powerful flight. Skilled in brewing, their Bumblekin Brew not only heals but also provides temporary resilience against exhaustion. Their natural attack paralyzes targets with potent venom, which also causes muscle tension, impeding strength-based actions of those affected.

Stingkin Subrace

Ability Score Increase: Your Strength score increases by 1.
Stingkin Wings: You maintain a fly speed of 30 feet.
Royal Guard's Wrath: Once per long rest, you can cast a powerful spell (let's call it "Sovereign's Sting") at the cost of a level of exhaustion. Sovereign's Sting is a ranged spell attack that deals 1d10 piercing damage + 1d10 force damage and imposes disadvantage on the target's next attack roll or until the end of their next turn, whichever comes first. At level 5 and each 5 levels thereafter, deal an additional +2d6 Force Damage and gain an additional use per Long Rest.
Royal Guardians: Proficiency with martial weapons and expertise with Perception.
Natural Attack: Stingkin can use their stingers to sting or spray a 15 foot line attack composed of a highly acidic venom that burns their targets. The target must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or take 2d6 acid damage.
Poison Effect: The venom injected or sprayed by Stingkin contains a compound that causes the target's skin to erupt in painful blisters. The target must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of their next turn. While poisoned, the target has disadvantage on Constitution saving throws.
Stingkin are the formidable warriors of the Nectarians, with strength-enhancing abilities and proficiency in martial weapons. Their "Sovereign's Sting" spell demonstrates their offensive prowess, dealing significant damage and disrupting enemy attacks. Their natural attack involves a highly acidic venom that causes immediate and agonizing damage, and their poison disrupts the constitution of their targets.

Buzzkin Subrace

by magejosh

Ability Score Increase: Your Charisma score increases by 1.
Buzzkin Wings: Your fly speed is 35 feet. You emit a soothing buzz while flying, which can be calming to those who hear it. This gives you advantage on Charisma based skill checks a number of times per Long Rest equal to your Proficiency Bonus. Once per short rest and while flying, you may dash as a bonus action or dodge as a reaction.
Sonic Hum: Once per long rest, you can use an action to emit a powerful hum. Each creature of your choice within 15 feet must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of your next turn. The DC for this saving throw equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier.
Pollinator's Touch: You have proficiency in the Nature skill. Additionally, once per long rest, you can cause plants within a 5-foot radius to rapidly grow and flourish as though affected by the Plant Growth spell, which may have various practical or aesthetic effects at the DM's discretion.
Natural Attack: Buzzkin can use their stingers to inject a mild anesthetic that numbs their targets. The target must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or be unconscious until the end of their next turn.
Poison Effect: The anesthetic injected by Buzzkin contains a compound that disrupts the target's nervous system. The target must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of their next turn. While poisoned, the target has disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws.
The Buzzkin are sociable and charismatic, often serving as diplomats or mediators within Nectarian societies. Their unique abilities reflect their role in both maintaining harmony within the hive and interacting with the natural world outside it.

Echokin Subrace

by magejosh

Ability Score Increase: Your Intelligence score increases by 1.
Always Female: Echokin are exclusively female and are unable to ascend to the role of a queen. Their existence is dedicated to serving the queen and the hive.
Extended Hive Mind: Echokin serve as vital nodes in the hive's telepathic network. They extend the telepathic range of the queen's influence. A queen can communicate telepathically with any member of the hive so long as there is an unbroken chain of Echokin within 5000 feet of each other, effectively linking the queen to distant individuals.
Mental Relay: Once per minute, as an action, you can amplify a telepathic message, allowing it to reach twice the normal distance or penetrate barriers that would normally block telepathy. This amplified message can be from you or relayed from another member of the hive.
Loyal Servant: You gain advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened. This reflects your unwavering loyalty and mental fortitude in serving the queen. In addition you gain the ability to cast the Shield Spell a number of times per Long Rest on yourself or anyone you can telepathically connect with, without using a spell slot or components.
Sentience Sense: The Echokin is aware of the presence of sentient creatures within 60 feet of it that have an Intelligence score of 4 or higher. It knows the distance and direction to each creature, as well as each creature's intelligence score, but can't sense anything else about it. A creature protected by a mind blank spell, a nondetection spell, or similar magic can't be perceived in this manner.
Natural Attack: Echokin can use their stingers to spray a 15 foot cone composed of a powerful pheromone that causes their targets to become confused and disoriented. The target must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or be incapacitated until the end of their next turn.
Poison Effect: The pheromone sprayed by Echokin contains a compound that disrupts the target's sense of balance and coordination. The target must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of their next turn. While poisoned, the target has disadvantage on Attack Rolls.
The EchoKin play a crucial role in maintaining the unity and coherence of the Nectarian society, acting as the communication lifeline that binds the hive together. Their presence ensures that the queen's influence and directives reach every corner of the hive, no matter how large or sprawling it may be.