The massive heraklesians are a underground originating race of bipedal insectoids with a powerful sense of honour and the confidence to act upon it. Their brute force and demeanor leaves them as natural knights of the depths.
Physical Description: Easily able to blot out the view of any viewpoint they are in, these massive insectoids come in a variety of colours, normally restricted by where they originate from. Though commonly heraklesians come in blue, black, brown, and dark grey; there are known rarer carapace colours such as white, red, purple, yellow, and tan. Male and female heraklesians can be found lacking in visual difference between eachother but do have some; the easiest example between the two is the split horn males possess which can be used for flipping over attackers or other heraklesians in case of disagreement, while females possess a sharper focused horn which bears more purpose for goring. The other difference is a case of sheen of their shell, with males having a duller shell compared to the vibrant sheen female heraklesians possess. As a insectoid people, they have a second set of arms often in the midsection of their torso of notably smaller size then their main appendages, often used for more trivial activities then their primary arms and lack sharpened claws or the full muscle power of their primary appendages. Their primary arms and their legs end in large curved claws for gripping, originally used for holding onto vertical surfaces for long periods of time. While their large massive torso leaves heraklesians often hunchbacked from growth, this is not always consistent and upright heraklesians, while rare, are possible. This torso growth has also left their wings vestigial, often unable to lift up a heraklesian's mass beyond the strongest of heraklesians capability.
| Adulthood |
Intuitive |
Self-Taught |
Trained |
| 15 years |
+1d4 years
(16 – 19 years) |
+1d6 years
(16 – 21 years) |
+2d6 years
(17 – 27 years) |
| Gender |
Base Length |
Length Modifier |
Base Weight |
Weight Modifier |
| Male |
7 ft. 0 in. |
+8d12 in.
(7 ft. 8 in. – 15 ft. 0 in.) |
600 lbs. |
+(8d8×7 lbs.)
(656 – 1048 lbs.) |
| Female |
7 ft. 0 in. |
+8d12 in.
(7 ft. 8 in. – 15 ft. 0 in.) |
600 lbs. |
+(8d8×7 lbs.)
(656 – 1048 lbs.) |
Society: Heraklesians often have very straight forward interactions with each other, to the point that conversation is almost unnecessary if there is a clear understanding of motive between any two of them. Unknown to many is that any heraklesian interaction that resorts to detailed conversation is akin to a stressful argument with both parties on edge, or untrusting of the other. This is the case to such an extreme that most would prefer brawling between each other because as the very least in their eyes, they'd understand why they are at arms with the other. While often there is no familial or community structure among heraklesians, the exception to this is the leader. Whether queen or king, a heraklesian noble comes up in the case of a community agreement of a heraklesian whose advice, knowledge, and empathy far surpasses capacity, or is truly exceptional. Other heraklesians within a community with a noble often reach agreement to take special care of such heraklesians for the better good of the community, often becoming overprotective.
Relations: Heraklesians have good relations with many over-dwelling and underground races due to being part of the brigandine pact, having long since formed alliance with dwarves and dark elves to deal with ancient scourges when the time came before even the pact. Often seen in a positive light by most common-folk due to their implicit natures, they have very little problem interacting with most they come across and their often courteous and forward demeanor leaves them with very little trouble. Inversely, this leaves them in tough positions with outlaws, bandits, and those that they simply need to lie to.
Alignment and Religion: While heraklesians bear a variety of personal codes of conduct, senses of honour, and their own personal loyalties and show of respect, this only leans them towards lawful alignment, and can still be of any alignment. Those of the chaotic alignment, while more of their own pace, still have some sense of honour and respect while following the beat of their own drum. As race that joined the brigandine pact, they follow the common worship and law of the conglomerate church but do have special preference to gods within the domain of loyalty such as aelei.
Adventurers: A heraklesian can often have common reason to join an adventuring group, as they have no familial obligation most of the time and can often swear blood oaths to those that help them. This leaves heraklesians to be an oddly righteous part of any adventuring party, and vastly prefer front-line roles such as fighter or paladin, but can be of any class.
Standard Racial Traits
- Ability Score Racial Traits: Heraklesians are massive, lumbering insectoids who possess an presence of respect and loyalty, but are slow to learn. They gain +4 Strength, +2 Constitution, +2 Charisma, -2 Dexterity, and -2 Intelligence.
- Type: Heraklesians are monstrous humanoids.
- Size: Heraklesians are Large creatures. They suffer a -1 size penalty to AC and attack rolls. They gain a +1 size bonus to CMB and CMD but suffer a -4 size penalty to Stealth checks. It has a space of 10 feet by 10 feet and has a reach of 10 feet.
- Base Speed: Heraklesians have a base speed of 20 feet.
- Languages: Heraklesians begin play speaking Undercommon. Heraklesians with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Aklo, Cyclops, Dwarven, Giant, Goblin, and Terran. See the Linguistics skill page for more information about these languages.
Feat and Skill Racial Traits
- Vestigial Wings: Heraklesians have large, vestigial insectoid wings, these wings cannot provide any flight power of their own accord but do help with jumping, giving them a +2 racial bonus on acrobatic checks.
Movement Racial Traits
- Burrow: Heraklesians have the burrow movement ability. They gain a burrow speed of 10 feet.
Offense Racial Traits
- Natural Attacks: Heraklesians gain two claw attacks as natural attacks that deal 1d6 points of damage.
- Herculean Horn: Heraklesians gain a gore attack as a natural attack that deals 1d6 points of damage. This gore attack only does bludgeoning damage.
Defense Racial Traits
- Obsidian Carapace: Heraklesians have immensely thick beetle-like carapace covering their entire body, leaving them born a walking tank, granting them a +2 natural armor bonus.
Senses Racial Traits
- Darkvision: Heraklesians have darkvision and so can see perfectly in the dark up to 60 feet.
Other Racial Traits
- Secondary Appendages: Heraklesians have a second set of arms that are useful for holding and grabbing objects but have a far lower limit to the strength behind them, when used for any action, these arms are treated as having a strength ability score equal to the heraklesian's strength ability score - 10.
Weakness Racial Traits
- Vulnerability to Cold: Heraklesians are normally live underground and have no conditioning towards cold environments for their noninsolated carapace. Heraklesians take 150% as much damage as normal from cold attacks.
