Haruspexa (Children of Joy)
Haruspexa (Child of Joy)
The fast cavalry of Joy’s forces, Haruspexa have the lower body of a taloned lizard with a centipede-like insect rising from where an ordinary drake would have its head. This combination sometimes earns the Haruspexa a comparison to centaurs, combining a large lizard and centipede rather than the usual horse and human. Some have theorized that Haruspexa are in fact the “converted” form that centaurs take when they join the Children of Joy, but this has never been confirmed and the relative frequency with which they appear compared to the number of centaurs in the world suggests that at minimum this is not the only way that Haruspexa come into existence.
Haruspexa sport a pair of tentacles from either side of their centipede bodies that act like arms, and some possess vestigal insectoid wings on their centipede torsos. While the wings are far too fragile to allow flight, when these Haruspexa grow excited, they often buzz and make a loud cicada-like drone. This is an involuntary response, and has spoiled more than one ambush by the Children of Joy, so those with this particular mutation are sometimes kept in the rear of the force in order to avoid giving away the position of the band.
Haruspexa generally attack by rushing through an opposing force and breaking up their enemies ranks. They use their tentacles to hold enemies in place as they deliver their bite attack, moving on from each opponent whom they successfully poison. The bite of a Haruspexa carries Soma venom, causing those who fail their save to stand in a stupor, overwhelmed by pleasant feelings and a sense of contentment. Like all children of Joy, Haruspexa seek to avoid unnecessary pain or harm to others and will generally seek to disengage from any target that doesn’t seem susceptible to their venom. When pressed to fight for their own survival, however, they are capable of employing their forward claws to devastating effect.
Haruspexa store their Soma venom in a sac midway up their centipede torso, and when it is ruptured and exposed to air the substance escapes as a gas. If a Haruspexa suffers a critical hit with a slashing or piercing weapon, a small cloud is released and any creature within 5 feet must save against the poison with disadvantage. After the sac is ruptured, however, the Haruspexa loses the ability to produce venom until it heals, and those without their venom sacs will generally retreat from combat if they are able.
The fast cavalry of Joy’s forces, Haruspexa have the lower body of a taloned lizard with a centipede-like insect rising from where an ordinary drake would have its head. This combination sometimes earns the Haruspexa a comparison to centaurs, combining a large lizard and centipede rather than the usual horse and human. Some have theorized that Haruspexa are in fact the “converted” form that centaurs take when they join the Children of Joy, but this has never been confirmed and the relative frequency with which they appear compared to the number of centaurs in the world suggests that at minimum this is not the only way that Haruspexa come into existence.
Haruspexa sport a pair of tentacles from either side of their centipede bodies that act like arms, and some possess vestigal insectoid wings on their centipede torsos. While the wings are far too fragile to allow flight, when these Haruspexa grow excited, they often buzz and make a loud cicada-like drone. This is an involuntary response, and has spoiled more than one ambush by the Children of Joy, so those with this particular mutation are sometimes kept in the rear of the force in order to avoid giving away the position of the band.
Haruspexa generally attack by rushing through an opposing force and breaking up their enemies ranks. They use their tentacles to hold enemies in place as they deliver their bite attack, moving on from each opponent whom they successfully poison. The bite of a Haruspexa carries Soma venom, causing those who fail their save to stand in a stupor, overwhelmed by pleasant feelings and a sense of contentment. Like all children of Joy, Haruspexa seek to avoid unnecessary pain or harm to others and will generally seek to disengage from any target that doesn’t seem susceptible to their venom. When pressed to fight for their own survival, however, they are capable of employing their forward claws to devastating effect.
Haruspexa store their Soma venom in a sac midway up their centipede torso, and when it is ruptured and exposed to air the substance escapes as a gas. If a Haruspexa suffers a critical hit with a slashing or piercing weapon, a small cloud is released and any creature within 5 feet must save against the poison with disadvantage. After the sac is ruptured, however, the Haruspexa loses the ability to produce venom until it heals, and those without their venom sacs will generally retreat from combat if they are able.
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