Hiveling

Hivelings are collective beings. Some are made up out of insects, others of worms. Whatever their constituents, the parts of the hiveling are more than mere swarms. They act as one being, sharing a single, distributed consciousness. One constituent at the hiveling’s core serves as the queen, directing the collective. Despite being constituted by bugs and worms, hivelings are still humanoid.

Ancestral Traits

Your unusual ancestry grants you certain features.

Age. New hivelings form when an adult hiveling grows large enough to split off into a new being, 30 with one of its constituents ascending to the role of queen. Juvenile hivelings grow rapidly, adding members as its constituents reproduce and as the hiveling encounters new insects or worms in its environment. Hivelings reach maturity within a few years and can live upwards to 50 years.

Size. Hivelings take on a roughly human shape. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base speed is30 feet.

Ebb and Flow. The hiveling’s constituents can flow around and over obstacles, including foes attempting to grapple. You cannot be Grappled or Restrained.

Hive Swarm. The hiveling is made up of a swarm of insects or worms. The swarm can occupy another creature’s space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Tiny creature.

Cultural Traits

Hivelings are unusual beings that some folk find unsettling. For this reason, perhaps, they tend to form their own communities, though they can of course be found in diverse environments as well. Hiveling culture celebrates the dynamic between the individual and the collective, appreciating how each hiveling is distinct, yet they each come together to form the whole community. Indeed, within each hiveling is a similar dichotomy, with a group of members gathering around a queen, both individuals and a collective individual. It is perhaps unsurprising, then, that most hiveling communities are ruled by queens as well.

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2 and your Wisdom by 1.

Alignment. Hiveling culture values serving the collective, though not at the expense of needless sacrifice. As such, members of these communities tend toward law.

Unflappable. Those who grow up around hivelings develop a thick skin with regard to things that other cultures might find off-putting, frightening, or gross. You have advantage on saving throws against being Frightened.

Watchful. Those who grow up in hiveling culture tend to adopt a practice of awareness of one’s environment. Ancestral hivelings use their hundreds of constituents to look in every direction at once.

Those of different ancestries simply adapt to the practice by becoming more watchful as well. You have proficiency in the Perception skill.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.