Kanca

The Kanca are meant to encompass every type of insectoid race, centipede-humanoids, butterfly-folk, walkingstick insects, cricket-people, anything you can imagine.

Chitin and Carapace

There are numerous varieties of kanca, though four are more prevalent than the rest. For all their variations and differences, all members of this insectoid race share certain qualities. They are able to digest virtually anything organic, often eating the detritus of others or even rotting foodstuffs without seemingly any trouble. Indeed they are very resilient altogether, able to weather blows and endure harsh climates both hot and cold. In addition to having exoskeletons they also have a different number of lungs depending upon their type—in fact they have different numbers of pretty much everything depending on type.

Part of the Host

They are insular and protective of one another, placing greater value on community than themselves and quick to sacrifice their own well-being if it will have an important positive impact on their hive. They can be surprisingly adaptive when it proves necessary, though usually through persistence more than cleverness. Kanca tend to see the world in terms of resources and quantities more than anything else, searching endlessly for the next place to colonize.

Hiveminded

For the most part kanca don’t participate in an actual hivemind but they are nevertheless very interconnected with each other. Kanca hives are under the control of a queen that is the master of the realm, served by lesser insects without disobedience of any sort.

All of her subjects are extremely protective of both her and their home hive (unless exiled, a fate thought to be worse than death).

Society inside of a hive is highly structured with tawon elites, kombang warriors, and most other types of kanca living beneath these two superlative positions. When taking up with creatures from other races, a kanca often falls back into their role from the hive.

Names

Most kanca take up the same name as whatever they adore and treasure most—aside from their queen of course. Otherwise they are known by where they live in their local hive, or when traveling abroad by what hive they come from, or by their queen.

First Names: Aruk, Cam’t, Etirk’la, Inai, Katai, Maru’kkam, Nampikkai, ‘tu, Pilai, Tolil’li, Utavi, Viraivil

Last Names: Aliat, Cur’nd, G’ndac, Ferma, Intitulat, M’re, Puteri, Surs, Trimite, Ucide, Viitor, Zidi

Kanca Traits

Kanca share a number of traits across the species.

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2.

Age. Kanca mature from grub form at five years when they form their cocoon and emerge fully grown. Grubs respond to the current needs of the hive through pheromones, developing into whatever subrace of kanca would best help the hive. Most kanca don’t live past their fortieth year.

Alignment. Loyal kanca adhere to strict instructions but care little for moral concerns, leaning strongly towards lawful neutral alignments. Rebel kanca have thrown off the shackles of their pheromone receptors and are almost always of chaotic alignments.

Kancan Resistance. You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damage

Languages. You can speak, read and write Common and Kancan. Kancan is a complex series of clicks, deep reverberations, whining, and high-pitched squeals that to the untrained ear sounds bizarre and unnatural.

Subrace

There are a wide variety of kanca, but 4 main subraces are the most likely to strike out on their own: grubs, pamburu, kombang, and tawon. Choose one of these subraces.

Grub

Kanca youth resemble large caterpillars covered in hair-like spines and mottled with colorful patterns and spots. Your top 2 pairs of limbs extend further than the rest, ending in three-fingered insectile hands.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.

Size. Grubs average about 5 feet long but are only about 10 inches across and weigh an average of 45 pounds. Your size is Small.

Inchworm Movement. Your numerous stubby legs don’t move you terribly fast, but they do allow you to navigate precarious footing easily. Your base walking speed is 20 feet, you also have a climb speed of 20 feet, and you can move up, down, and across vertical surfaces and upside down along ceilings, while leaving your hands free.

Iron Stomach. Kanca grubs are designed to eat and grow, and they can’t be picky about what food is available. You have immunity to poison damage and the poisoned condition.

Pheromone Driven. Your kind is driven by the pheromones throughout your hive and without these signals from your kin it is easy to catch you off-guard. Your passive Perception is reduced by 5.

Poisonous Slam. You are covered in prickly hair-like poison spines. Your spines are a natural weapon you are proficient with, and on a successful hit you deal 1d4 piercing damage plus your Strength modifier and 1 poison damage. When you score a critical hit, the poison damage increases to 1d4 and the creature makes a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier) or is poisoned for 1d4 rounds.

Toxic Blood. Your veins are filled with virulent poison. Whenever a creature deals piercing or slashing damage to you with a natural weapon or weapon without reach, it takes 1 poison damage. On a critical hit, it takes 1d4 poison damage instead.

Kombang

The kombang are the enforcers and soldiers of kancan hives. Larger and tougher than their siblings, they strongly resemble great horned beetles with black and shining armored shells.

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1.

Size. The kombang average between 6 and 8 feet tall and weigh between 225–425 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Chitinous Armor. Your thick shell covers your frame. When you aren’t wearing armor, your AC is 13 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield’s benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.

Drone’s Flight. Your kind possess a set of thin folding insectile wings. Your base walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a fly speed of 15 feet. However, your wings were not designed for sustained flight and you gain one level of exhaustion whenever you end your turn airborne. These levels of exhaustion are removed at a rate of one per minute of rest.

Impressive Horns. Kombang horns are particularly large and imposing natural weapons. You are proficient with your horns, and on a successful hit you deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier.

Insectile limbs. You possess 6 or more limbs, and though they are proportionally smaller they work in conjunction with one another. You have advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks made for climbing, and all attempts to disarm you of an item you are holding have disadvantage.

Powerfully Built. Your size category is treated as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the amount that you are able to drag, push, or lift.

Pamburu

The most independent of the kanca are more often to be encountered by outsiders, and the most likely to rebel. Pamburu strongly resemble spiders, with a roughly humanoid torso and huge abdomen supported by four long and spindly legs. They possess two almost humanoid arms ending in three-fingered hands though their head is innately arachnid, with fangs descending below eight compound eyes. Pamburu are sent out to trap and hunt for meat, ensuring the hive is fed should the crops go awry.

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1.

Size. Pamburu average about 6 feet tall and weigh an average of 160 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision. Pamburu are nocturnal hunters. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Paralyzing Fangs. Your mouth houses sharpened fangs dripping with venom. Your bite is a natural weapon you are proficient with, and on a successful hit you deal 1d4 piercing damage plus your Strength modifier. When you score a critical hit, the creature makes a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier) or is stunned for 1d4 rounds. At the end of each of its turns, a stunned creature makes a new saving throw to end the effect. If a creature’s saving throw is successful, it is immune to your venom’s paralyzing effect for the next 24 hours.

Web Spinner. Your abdomen houses a web spinneret that can exude thin but strong, sticky webbing, usable for traps, bridges, or occasionally just for rope. Any webs you create dissolve after 24 hours.

You can spin a web trap by spending 10 minutes of uninterrupted work to fill up to a 20-foot cube with a mass of sticky and nearly invisible threads. If the webs aren’t anchored between two solid masses (such as walls or trees) or layered across a floor, wall, or ceiling, the web collapses on itself.

Web traps are difficult to see and creatures must pass a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check to notice them. Each creature that starts its turn in the webs or that enters them during its turn must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC of 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus). On a failed save, the creature is restrained as long as it remains in the webs or until it breaks free. A creature restrained by the webs can use its action to make a Strength check (DC 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus), freeing itself on a success.

Your web traps are considered difficult terrain. You ignore this difficult terrain and can move freely (even vertically) within your webbing.

In addition, you can attempt to span gaps by forming a bridge from your webbing.

Choose a point on a solid surface within 50 feet.

You create a web strand that connects that point to your current position, traversable as if it were made of rope. Alternatively, you can spin a strand of only slightly sticky web that functions as up to 100 feet of silken rope.

Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.

Tawon

The intellectuals of the kanca resemble humanoid bees or wasps and their aristocracy surrounds the queen, acting as her noble court. It is these tawon that the queens entrust with any important tasks that must be handled quickly or intelligently.

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1.

Size. Tawon average about 7 feet long but are very thin and lithe, averaging only about 90 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Born Socialite. Tawon are often sent to spy on or influence other societies and have become accustomed to memorizing the history and culture of others. You are proficient with Intelligence (History) checks.

Buzzing Wings. Your long insectile wings are designed for quick and maneuverable flight. You have a base walking speed of 25 feet and a fly speed of 20 feet.

Stinging Lance. Your abdomen ends in a long sharp stinger, useless in close quarters but deadly when you have room to maneuver. Your stinger is a natural weapon you are proficient with, and on a successful hit you deal 1d6 piercing damage + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice) and 1d6 poison damage. Creatures hit with your stinger must make a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier) or be poisoned for 1d4 rounds. You can attack with your stinger only if you have moved 15 feet or more in a straight line towards your target this turn and have made no other melee attacks this turn. You cannot make opportunity attacks with your stinger.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Vast Kaviya Campaign Setting © 2019 Mike Myler, published under license by Legendary Games; Authors Mike Myler, Andrew Engelbrite, Will Gawned, Alec Kaknes, Anthony Alipio, Sharene Gilchrist, Matteo Piovanelli, Jesse Jordan, GM Lent, Brian Istenes, and Jeremy Esch.

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