Myrmidion

The myrmidions are a race of humanoid insects originally descending from The Feywild. Relatively few in number, the first myrmidion are believed to have been created by solme early sect of Eladrin arcanists while experimenting with magic and the creation of sapient life.

Appearance

Compared to most humanoid races, myrmidions stand out due to their unusual life cycle, split into two distinct stages: a "larval" stage and an "adult" stage.
For their first 12 years of life, myrmidions exist in the larval stage. In this stage, myrmidions are diminutive creatures resembling upright caterpillars with large eyes and spindly limbs. Larval myrmidions are sexless and relatively uniform in appearance, meaning that identification and gender identity are communicated primarily through a myrmidion's choice of clothing.
Upon reaching adulthood, myrmidions enter a state of pupation which can last anywhere between 5-7 days. During this period, the myrmidion weaves a silken cocoon around themselves, and remains blinded, deafened and incapacitated for the duration of the pupation process.
When they emerge from their cocoon, an adult myrmidion displays a stark physical transformation, growing to reach an average height and weight more comparable to that of a Human, as well as developing a specialized new body designed for a specific role within a myrmidion colony. Adult myrmidions and their assumed roles come in the following varieties:

• Workers are myrmidions imbued with enhanced strength and reslience, making them suited for manual labor withinb a colony such as the construction or maitenance of a hive. In terms of appearance, worker myrmidions tend to resemble winged ants, beetles, or bees.
• Soldiers are myrmidions with lithe, athletic bodies suited for aerial combat, making them best suited to protect the colony from invasion. These myrmidions usually resemble wasps, mantises and hornets.
• Envoys are myrmidions best suited for the roles of messengers and scouts, as demonstrated by their agile builds and aerial maneuverability. They most commonly resemble flies, dragonflies, grasshoppers and mosquites.
• Regals, as the name implies, are the royalty of a myrmidion colony. Occuring on a much rarer bases than other adult myrmidion forms, all other myrmidions within a colony are typically the offspring of the resident regals. Regal myrmidions most commonly resemble butterflies and moths of various colorations and species.

In some rare instances, a larval myrmidion may not undergo the transformation into adulthood, whether by choice or otherwise. In these cases, a myrmidion may remain perpatually in their larval stage, although this seems to have no noted effect on the myrmidion's overall lifespan.

History

The first myrmidions are believed to have been created in the distant past by the Eladrin, although which of the two courts was directly responsible for their creation is unknown. It is believed that the myrmidions were created by taking ordinary insects native to the Feywild and magically imbuing them with the capacity for sapience, transforming them into a entirely new humanoid race.
This theory behind the myrmidion's creation is strengthened by the myrmidions themselves, whose culture seems to venerate all elves as their progentitors; as such, it is not uncommon for a group of myrmidions to view an Elf as something akin to a demigod.
Perhaps due to their nature as a created species, myrmidions are susprisingly few in number, with the entirety of their race consisting of about a dozen colonies composed of a few hundred workers each, scattered between the Feywild and the habitable planes of existence connected to it. All members of an individual myrmidion colony are descended from that colony's regals: to form a new colony, a larval myrmidion departs from their colony, embarking on a journey across whatever plane they reside on until they manage to encounter another larval myrmidion on a similar pilgrimage. These two myrmidion will then pupate into regal forms, becoming a mated pair and siring a new colony. How the myrmidion are able to determine which larvae will become regals is unknown; based on some discussions with the myrmidions themselves, it has been theorized that each myrmidion gives off a pheromone "signature" that signals to others what form they will take upon pupation.

Myrmidion Traits

Myrmidion (Larval)

Ability Score Increases: Increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1.
Languages: You can speak common and Sylvan.
Creature Type: You are a humanoid.
Size: You are small.
Speed: Your walking speed is 30 feet, and you additionally have a climbing speed of 30 feet.
Spider Climb: You can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Larval Curiosity: You gain proficiency with two of the following skills of your choice: Arcana, History, Medicine, Religion or Survival.
Silken Spit: As an action, you can expel a 50-foot strand of silk from your mouth. In terms of weight, strength and other properties, this silk is functionally identical to a silk rope (see Player's Handbook and decomposes after 24 hours. Once you use this ability, you must finish a long rest before using it again.

Feat: Metamorphosis

Prerequisite: Larval Myrmidian, 8th-level or higher You are ready to undergo the necessary transformation to become an adult member of your species. Once you gain this feat, you may choose any time you deem appropriate to begin the metamorphosis process.
Once you have decided to undergo the metamorphosis, you first weave a cocoon for yourself, requiring 8 hours of uninterrupted activity in order to do so. You remain inside this coccoon for 1d6+1 days, during which you do not require food or water, but are also blinded, deafened and paralyzed.
Once your pupation is complete, you emerge from your cocoon as an adult; you lose your Spider Climb and Silken Spit racial abilities, and make the following changes to your traits:
Size: Your size is changed from small to medium.
Speed: You lose your climbing speed, and gain a flying speed of 30 feet.
Subrace: As part of your transformation, you gain a myrmidion subrace. Choose from one of the options below:

Worker

Ability Score Increase: Your Strength score increases by 2, to a maximum of 20.
Natural Armor: When you are unarmored, your armor class equals 13 + your Dexterity modifier.
Tireless: You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift. Additionally, as long as you have two levels of exhaustion or fewer, you ignore the effects of exhaustion.

Soldier

Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 2, to a maximum of 20.
Battle Ready: You gain a bonus to your Initiative rolls equal to your proficiency bonus.
Born Warrior: You gain one maneuver from the Battle Master martial archetype (see Player's Handbook) and one superiority die, which is a d8.

Envoy

Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity core increases by 2, to a maximum of 20.
Fast Flyer: Your walking speed and flying speed are both increased by 10 feet.
Nimble: You can take the dash and disengage actions as a bonus action. Additionally, when you fail a Dexterity saving throw, you can use your reaction to roll a d4 and add it to the save, potentially turning the failure into a success. You can’t use this reaction if you’re prone or your speed is 0.

Regal

Ability Score Increase: Choose Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma. The ability score your choose increases by 2, to a maximum of 20.
Royal Bearing: You have advantage on saving throws to avoid becoming charmed or frightened.
Imbued Magic: You learn two 1st-level spells of your choice from the Sorcerer spell list. You can cast each of these spells without expending a spell slot. Once you cast either of these spells in this way, you can’t cast that spell in this way again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast these spells using spell slots you have of the appropriate level. The spells’ spellcasting ability is the ability increased by this subrace.

Artwork by Ryan Rhodes

Lifespan

70 years

Average Height

2 - 3 feet (larval)
5 - 7 feet (adult)

Average Weight

30 - 50 feet (larval)
100 - 150 lbs. (adult)

Geographic Distribution

• The Feywild