Mushi (5e Race)

Mushi

"clicking noises- Mantis Mushi"

Physical Description

Mushi are humanoid figures that appear the same as what they previously were or are descended from, with the exception of specific body parts that have changed and become that of an insect. The only insectoid body part common to all Mushi is a set of compound eyes, pitch black and beady, in place of normal eyes. Other insect-specific parts are wings, barbed limbs, longer legs, etc.

History

Long ago, a village of human heretics in the east mocked and shamed a god. Outraged, this god cursed them and their descendants to forever have the characteristics of insects, and with a cruel twist, make anyone afflicted with the curse loathe their own appearance. In an instant, every man, woman, and child in the village began screaming in pain as their eyes popped out of their heads; in place of their eyes were black eyes that were fragmented into numerous tiny units. As the villagers recovered and sighed in relief, the pain began again. Some felt the flesh of their backs ripped open as wings sprouted. Some felt the muscle in their arms tense as thorny bramble-like hooks pierced grew seemingly from their bones. Some felt the pain of every bone and muscle in their legs breaking to dust and reforming, longer and stronger. Some felt entire chunks of their abdomen cut out of their body and replaced with muscle and chiton. Some felt entirely new organs growing in their bodies, squishing everything to make room. Some felt their bodies being crushed as they slimmed down. Neighboring villages soon noticed these strange insect-like creatures, terrified and bewildered, the people of the neighboring villages soon announced a reward for the dead body of the insect-people that they called "Mushi". Noticing the plight of the insect-men and still not satisfied, the god descended upon them once more and announced that should they kill their leader, a cheery young man and the village head, they would be set free from their curse. The Mushi flocked to their leader, weapons in hand, and tore him limb from limb in order to regain their humanity. However, no one turned back into a human; except for one young girl. The young girl who had landed the killing blow. Upset, the Mushi cried out asking the god why they weren't returning to their previous selves. The god only responded with a smile that only the one who actually landed the killing blow would turn back into a human. The god then proceeded to explain, still with a twisted grin, that every generation of Mushi would have a "Monarch" and that whoever kills the Monarch would be freed of the curse. The Mushi tried everything to overcome the curse, even going as far as to cut their insect limbs off, but the feeling of self loathing persisted and even grew stronger. Over time the Mushi spread across the land, living in the shadows. It is said that the Monarch is the only Mushi that has antennas, and has the strange ability to turn anyone, no matter their race, into a Mushi. Mushi that became Mushi through the Monarch are not under the effects of the curse; they do not automatically find their appearance to be abhorrent.

Attitudes and Beliefs

There is no society for Mushi as they are generally outcasts from the rest of the world and also from each other. Mushi generally live in small groups, though it isn't uncommon for Mushi to live alone. Mushi are generally focused on honing their combat ability in order to kill the Monarch if the possibility arises; as such, Mushi commonly work as mercenary bands whilst hiding their appearances from outsiders. Mirrors are a taboo for Mushi, and Mushi will attempt to destroy anything that reflects their appearance due to their natural disinclination towards their appearance. Another taboo for Mushi is procreation; it is seen as bringing more cursed beings into the world, cursed beings that could potentially fight over breaking the curse. The largest group of Mushi, a group of beetle Mushi, formed a religion to worship the god that cursed them in hopes that they will be forgiven and set free. They are seen by the rest of the Mushi as insane and clashes between worshippers and non-worshippers occur when meetings happen. Artificial Mushi that were made by the Monarch either continue their lives as before their change or follow the Monarch in gratitude for granting them the power of the Mushi. As a whole, the Mushi have generally assimilated to the cultures where they currently reside and vary greatly in religion, daily life, and standard of living. Mushi also naturally tend to hate the god responsible for their curse.

Mushi Names

The vast majority of Mushi abandon their children and don't name them at all. These Mushi generally get named by other races or pick their own names. The Mushi that have naming traditions usually follow along with the naming conventions of their lineage, in other words, mostly human naming conventions. Mushi also traditionally name their child Sojun, after the original Monarch, with less than savory hopes that their child is the next Monarch. The Mushi that were turned by the Monarch keep their names.

Male: Henry, Haligan, Timothy, Jessie, Brad, Keith, Haalikaar, Fi'inkl, Sojun

Female: Sally, Abigail, Sarah, Patricia, Kathelyn, Kars, Untookel, Ich'tiak, Sojun

Mushi Traits

Cursed bug-man hybrids
Ability Score Increase. Increase one ability score by 2 or two ability scores by 1.
Age. Mushi mature at the same rate as humans and live around 350 years.
Alignment. Mushi naturally tend to be chaotic neutral. Very few cursed Mushi are good in any form.
Size. Mushi vary drastically in size and build. They can be as short as short as 5 feet tall and well over . Your size is either small or Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Compound Eyes. Your eyes are made for detecting movement and you can see ultraviolet light, but the quality of your vision is worse and you cannot see the color red. You have advantage on any Wisdom (Perception) checks for detecting movement and Intelligence (Investigation) checks for determining the temperature of something, but you have disadvantage on all other Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight and Wisdom (Perception) checks to see the color red.
Chemical Communication. You can telepathically communicate with other Mushi as long as you both share a language.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character.
Subrace. Beetle, Lepidopteran, Mantis, True Bug, Fly, Spectra, Neuropteran, Odonata, Webspinner, Meganeura, Arachne

Beetle

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1
Horn. You have a giant horn made of chiton sticking out of your head. Your horn is a natural melee weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. Hitting with your horn deals 1d6 + your Strength modifier bludgeoning damage.
Herculean Flip. Immediately after taking a dash action on your turn and moving at least 20 feet, you can make one melee attack with your horn as a bonus action. If it hits, the target is knocked prone. This can be used a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. All expended uses are regained after a short rest.
Chiton Skin. You have an unarmed defense of 12 + your Dexterity modifier.

Lepidopteran

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1.
Wings. You have the wings of a butterfly or of a moth, but you are too heavy to fly with them. They are made up of extremely hard iron-like scales and relatively light. You have an unarmored defense of 13 + your Dexterity modifier.
Iron Immune System. You have resistance against poison damage and advantage on saving throws against diseases.

Mantis

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1.
Green Barbed Arms. Your arms have tiny barbs in them. Perhaps this is why your arms are green. You have advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks to initiate and maintain a grapple.
Sneak Attack. When rolling an attack with advantage you deal an extra 2d6 damage.

True Bug

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.
Tymbals. You have 2 hollow, sound producing organs on your abdomen. As an action, you can produce a screeching sound that makes verbal communication within a 50 ft radius impossible.
Mating Song. You have advantage on Charisma checks when your target can hear you.

Fly

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Wings. You have two fly wings coming out of your back. Your flying speed is equal to 25 ft.
Advanced Acrobatics. While flying, you have advantage on acrobatics checks.

Spectra

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases
Sticklike Body. Your entire body has become thin and brittle. You have proficiency in the Stealth skill.
Toxic Secretions. Your unarmed strikes deal 1d4 + your Strength modifier poison damage. This ignores resistance to poison and treats immunity to poison as resistance to poison.

Neuropteran

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Camper. You have advantage on all attacks taken on your turn where you have moved less than 5 ft from your position at the start of the turn.

Odonata

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Wings. You have 2 dragonfly wings coming out of your back. You have a flying speed equal to 40 ft.

Webspinner

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1
Web. You have a special organ inside your body that produces a silk like string with more tensile strength than steel. As an action you can spin a web with a 5 ft radius on any adjacent tiles to yourself. Any creature, aside from you, that comes into contact with this web will be restrained.
Web Sight. You can magically sense anything that is restrained within one of your webs.

Meganeura

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1.
Wings. You have a set of 4 veiny wings coming out of your back, however they are too big to fly. When making an opportunity attack you can make an additional attack that, if it hits, knocks the target prone.

Arachne

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Legs. Instead of normal arms and legs you have 4 spider-like limbs. Your base walking speed is 35 ft.
Spider Climb. You have a climbing speed equal to your walking speed. In addition, at 3rd level, you can move up, down, and across vertical surfaces and upside down along ceilings.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
4′ 0''	+4d6	75 lb.	× (1d4) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

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