Vespidian _ GM Binder
Vespidian _ GM Binder
Vespidian _ GM Binder
"Vespidian? They are pretty much giant wasps! Just as Vespidians appear as a fusion between wasps and elves
aggressive , but a lot bigger to boot. Still, provided you can
humanoid features. Each have four separate, chitin covered
distinguish their meekly males, you can actually establish good arms that end in 3 fingered hands as well as two insect like
relations, as Vespidan are renowned builders. Don't try and legs and feet. Many find their 5 separate human like eyes
take advantage of them though, their female counterparts disturbing, 3 dotting across their foreheads, black and yellow in
wouldn't like that. And those they don't like usually die." color. Their fey aspects are apparent in their elvish faces and
body, carrying a strange beauty in all of their people. Their
— Tordek, dwarf fighter and adventurer females tend to be slightly taller and heavier than males on
average.
The insectile race known as Vespidians were first created in Their skin is a light orange or yellow color. The only hair of a
the fey wilds by Bralm, goddess of insects and productivity. Vespidian is on their head and a special ring of fluff around
Originally in the shape of giant wasps, their mission was to their neck, the color of which can be from a pale white to a
bring Bralm’s vision of order to the world. However, the fey dark red and many colors in between. They dress in flowing
wilds began to transform the Vespidians to resemble the elves, and loose clothing, reminiscent of elvish and fey fashion.
fairies and other fey, the changes becoming more apparent
with each generation. To prevent further “corruption” of her Society
people, Bralm brought them to the material plane in hopes Vespidan society is built and relies on the instinctive dedication
they might serve their purpose there. Establishing hives and to the good of the hive exhibited by every member. A single
their own culture, the Vespidan still seek to do their creators Queen acts as the central authority in all matters of the hive.
purpose and bring order to the world around them. Each of these Queens are in the unique position of being both
ruler and mother to most or all other members of the colony,
creating a loyalty of both respect and familial bond.
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The rest of the various activities of a hive are carried about by In the occurrence that a Queen dies or is absent for multiple
Workers and a rare few Drones. Workers do activities together, years, a few Workers with rare characteristics may be
valuing coordination and teamwork over independence. transformed by fey magics. This magic transforms them into
Drones are slightly more independent by nature, but still value Queens, the residual of the transformation often sparking the
assistance and helping others highly. Those that drift away change in others with the potential to transform. Queens will
from this identity and seek independence are at risk of being either be driven off by a stronger sibling or leave of their own
branded as Hive-Broken. accord. By the end a new Queen will rule the hive. If either of
her parents still survive, they are removed from power and
The Queen and her Subjects given a position as a close councilor instead. The queen will
then begin negotiation to arrange a marriage with a nearby
An active Queen will usually lay an egg about once a month or hives drone, thus fully becoming the acting Queen.
when other vespidian die. Most of these will be female workers,
the male drones only ever being laid when a Queen intends to Xenophobic and Cautious People
trade them to another hive as they reach maturity. Regardless
of which is laid, these eggs will hatch and reveal a pale, Vespidians' industrious helps them produce vast quantities of
wingless and stingerless baby, taken care of by the Queen wealth and unique advancements. The downside of this is that
herself or a close servant. Each child are called Larva until it attracts thieves and other dangers that would loot the hive of
about 4 years of age when their skin finishes darkening to the its own creations. This has led to vespidian becoming hostile
yellowish color and females gain their stingers. and xenophobic to other races, only slightly less so to
After a Worker moves past the larva stage, they are worshipers of Bralm. If a patrol or field worker sees any
encouraged to explore the colony. They are raised communally foreigners in their lands they will often gather a group to
at that point, taught the basics of various tasks and are return and kill or drive off the intruder.
encouraged to find whatever job they excel at. Once their In order to avoid this one needs to find (and recognize) one of
wings grow out they are considered adults, usually happening the gregarious Drones. Far more curious, social and often in
around 20 years of age. They are free to pursue whatever they positions of authority, a Drone can stave off the hostility of the
wish, only that it must benefit the hive in some way. They are hive to converse and interact with other races. These sort of
loyal to their hive, as it is their country and each individual a encounters can lead to negotiations and treaties, in rare
sister or parent to them. instances leading to trade between Vespidian and another
Drones are treated very differently. Viewed as weaker and nation. Drones often act as emissaries to such countries,
more like a valuable item, they are usually kept within the traveling with a large guard to nearby lands. This is the rare
Queens home, free to learn and study but heavily guarded as instance that a hive will intentionally lay more drones as the
well. When they reach adult hood they are usually traded in an original is viewed as too valuable to possibly have injured,
arranged marriage to another hive, given to the Queen in captured or killed.
exchange for a fortune. In their new hive they are seen more If these relations remain active and healthy for a long time a
like a royal treasure than an individual. Their more social country might earn the title of Hive-Friend, a promise to defend
nature and weaker physique fits well to a life without hard them as if they were their own. However, should the
work, but many still explore to satisfy their curiosity. interaction sour and others are suspected of betrayal a Hive
may engage in
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a nearly endless campaign to wipe out the offender, a hatred craft and bring back a greater level of mastery than they had
that can last centuries beyond the passing of the original before. Quite a few will leave for a short time on missions for
criminal and carry on to their descendents. the hive, seeking to defeat potential threats or prevent the
intrusion of a dangerous force.
Religion A Queen may have quite a few reasons to become an
Vespidian primarily worship Bralm the Wasp Mother. She is adventurer. They may be the deposed siblings of another queen
treated like their creator and the ultimate symbol of Vespidian when their mother died, left to wander and find their own way
culture. Bralms tenants of productivity and the good of the in the world. A rare few could have left to seek experience on
whole over the individual mesh perfectly with what Vespidians how to become a better ruler, leaving a steward behind while
value. Many become clerics to her, acting as servants within they experience the world and learn its condition. Some few
the hive to bring divine help to any in need. These clerics also may be exploring to find another hive and accumulate the
seek to root out hive-broken, either helping return to the fold or wealth required to arrange a marriage with a Drone.
driving them out to prevent further corruption of others. A rare No mater the caste or reason, Vespidian always are reliable
few clerics may seek to depart from the hive, wishing to fulfill allies to their party. Willing to aid others in their goals and
their deities will and spread order to the world at large. missions, Vespidian will do nearly anything for someone that
A hive that has had extensive interaction with another has proven a friend. They will always try and pursue their own
culture may allow the worship of a few other gods. Vespidian goals, but it is their nature to believe that the best way to
are normally drawn to gods of law and hard work, such as the accomplish them is by helping others achieve their own.
Dwarven god, Moradin the All Father. Hive-broken are some of Names
the few that may willingly worship a chaotic deity, embracing
the more self focused teachings as they adapt to being seperate Vespid names are elven in origin, something they picked up
from their hive. from their time within the fey wilds. A vespid takes the name of
their mother queen as their surname in situations where it is
Hive-Broken needed. Queens usually discard their mother's name entirely
One of the most feared things for a vespid is to be labeled as upon their advancement believing it no longer important to
hive-broken. It is a title that means one sought personal gain their identity. Hive-broken often discard their mother's name as
before the good of the hive. Normally individuals that seeks well, out of shame, anger, or frustration, they are just as likely
personal benefit go unnoticed or have a blind eye turned to adopt a new name entirely, usually one based on whatever
towards them, others not caring so long as they do not hurt or culture in which they've grown comfortable.
limit the hive. It is when such activities begin to interfere with Vespidan Traits
the order and productivity of the hive that problems arise.
Small infractions may receive a warning or small punishment, Your Vespidan character has the following racial traits.
while something such as theft, the keeping of an important Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1.
secret, or unfair dealing with another vespid can instantly give Age. All Vespids reach maturity at 20, beyond this workers
someone the title hive-broken. live about as long as 75 years, drones as long as 350 years, and
Hive-broken are exiled or killed depending on the severity of workers that become queens can live as long as 750 years.
their damage to order and the hive. A rare few willingly leave Alignment. Vespidan societies are invariably highly
before such action is taken, wishing to further express their structured and caste-based. They are almost always strongly
independence free of limitation. All of them will go through a lawful and usually lawful neutral as the good of the hive
painful transition, having to overcome their races natural tie to supersedes all other concerns. The exception are the hive-
their community and dependent living style. Many may try to broken who are still often lawful by upbringing, but can easily
return to the hive and undergo the long process of rejoining. stray into any form of thinking from there.
Those that cannot return or refuse to often settle in nearby Size. Vespidian are usually about 4 feet tall and weigh ruffly
towns and cities, seeking to settle in a new life. 150 pounds. Your size is Small.
Speed. Your Walking Speed is 25 ft
Adventurers Multiarmed. Vespidian are born with 4 arms, each of which
A Vespidian adventurer is a rare thing but not impossible. Most can be used independently like a normal arm.
are those that joined a group to act as a smaller hive for them, Gliding wings. When you are falling from at least 10 feet
able to work closely and cooperatively with others. above the ground, you can choose to fall as if under the effects
Drones are the most likely to become adventurers. In hives of feather fall. In addition, you can move up to your walking
that deal closely with other nations, they might have been born speed in any direction except upwards while falling this way. If
to act as an emissary and become hive-broken with their an upward wind is strong enough, you can use it to maintain or
curious and social natures drawing them towards these foreign gain altitude.
cultures. Others might be those that leave the hive to gather Carapace. Vespidian have thick chitinous plating on their
information or magic to help improve the hive, wishing to arms and legs. When you aren’t wearing armor, your AC is 13 +
return one day laden with books and scrolls. Some others your Dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armor to
might have chafed under the constant watch and protection determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with
they received, wishing to flee and explore the world freely. a lower AC. A shield’s benefits apply as normal while you use
A worker is far less likely to leave the hive, but those that do your natural armor.
often excel within an adventuring party. They may be a cleric Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and
that wishes to spread order and help those abused by unfair or Elven.
selfish treatment. Some Workers might be leaving to better
their
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Drone Worker
Drones, the males of the species, are much more docile than Workers stand about 4 feet on average with an athletic build.
the other members. They largely resemble their female They are extremely loyal and quick to turn aggressive toward
counterparts but are frailer and lack female anatomy. Their perceived threats to the hive. Their hair and neck fluff tend
hair and neck fluff can be any color common to queens or toward dark colors (black, brown, auburn, etc. With Auburn
workers. being the most common). They tend to wear simple, efficient
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence and Charisma armor and wield light weapons and shields or ranged weapons.
scores each increase by 1. Drones are nimble, intelligent and Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution and Wisdom
gregarious, often curious about other races. scores each increase by 1. Vespidian Workers are agile, tough,
Gregarious. You have proficiency in the Persuasion skill. and possess excellent instincts.
Drones are highly social and charming in their friendliness to Talented Builder. Workers dedicate their lives towards their
many other races. crafts. You are proficient with one artisan tool of your choice
Magic Savant. You know the Infestation cantrip. When you and whenever you make a check with it you can add double
reach 3rd level, you can cast the Animal Friendship spell as a your normal proficiency bonus.
2nd-level spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do Sting. Your stinger is a natural weapon, which you can use
so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you to make an unarmed strike with. If you hit with it, you deal
can cast the Misty Step spell once with this trait and regain piercing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier instead
the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your of bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. On a hit,
spell casting ability for these spells. you may choose to inject the target with your venom, after
which you must spend a short or long rest before you can use
Queen your venom again. This venom causes the target to take 2d6
Queens are the natural leaders of vespid hive structure. They poison damage, and it must make a Constitution saving throw
are often stoic and regal, carrying themselves with lithe grace. (DC: 8 + your Proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier)
Their hair and neck fluff tend to be pale in color (Silver, blonde, On a failed save, it is also poisoned until the start of your next
pale red, etc). Many become strong fighters or powerful mages. turn. The poison damage increases to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength Score increases by 1, 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level.
and choose either your Wisdom or Charisma score to either
increase by 1. Vespidian Queens are graceful yet powerful, and
possess innate leadership skills.
Metamorphosis. When a Worker becomes a Queen they
undergo a rapid and dramatic transformation, increasing in
both size and strength. Queens can stand between 6 to 7 feet
tall and weigh about 250 to 300 pounds. Your size is Medium
and your walking speed is increased to 30 ft
Sting. Your stinger is a natural weapon, which you can use
to make an unarmed strike with. If you hit with it, you deal
piercing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier instead
of bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. On a hit,
you may choose to inject the target with your venom, after
which you must spend a short or long rest before you can use
your venom again. This venom causes the target to take 2d6
poison damage, and it must make a Constitution saving throw
(DC: 8 + your Proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier)
On a failed save, it is also poisoned until the start of your next
turn. The poison damage increases to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at
11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level.
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Credits and Change List
Original Creator
The original version of this race was created by
NielsPeterDejong. The original version of this race can be
found on Reddit. He did amazing work and his version of this
document is what served as inspiration for the layout and
general formatting of this version.
Reason for Changes
The smallest change was going from Vespidan to Vespidian,
simply to make it easier to say. For other changes there are
three primary reason that this document has been changed for.
Balancing various mechanics
Changing Lore to better match Dungeons and Dragons
Make the document "Child Friendly"
The first reason for the changes was to balance the various
mechanics of the race. The original versions are substantially
stronger than any official race and as such needed various
alterations to bring them in line. To help reach a point of
reletavie balance the system Detect Balance was used, A well
respected community guide for homebrew. Dungeon Masters
are still encouraged to make appropriate changes as they see
fit. Detect Balance Scores
The Second Reason for the changes was to help adjust the The following is a list of scores from the Detect Balance
lore to better fit with a Dungeon and Dragons setting. The System
original version of the lore had no glaring issues. However it Base Race: 17 points
used a Deity from the Pathfinder tabletop system named
Calistria, a goddess of Lust, Revenge, and Wasps. This deity was Ability Score Increase +1 (4 points)
chaotic good, something that the original lore struggled to Multiarmed (6 points)
explain for a Lawful Neutral race. To help make these changes, Gliding Wings (Feather Fall+) (4 points)
the D&D Greyhawk setting deity named Bralm was used, a Carapace (AC 13+Dex) (3 points)
goddess of Insects and Productivity whos symbol is a wasp
infront of a larger swarm. Both their dogma and alignment Drone 30 Point Total
better match the Vespidan's own.
The Third reason and my own personal driving motivation Ability Score Increase +2 (Cha & Int -1point)(7points)
was to make the race "Child friendly". The original version of Standard Delayed Magic (6 points)
this document contained many sexually suggestive images and Proficiency in Persuasion (2 points)
various bits of lore that were not suitable for all audiences. To 25 ft Walking Speed (-2 points)
make it more palitable to those that either uncomfortable with Worker 30 Point Total
or too young for such content. I have attempted to adjust
pictures and lore. All changes can become apparent as Ability Score Increase +2 (8 points)
amateur when compared to the original, but serve their Stinger (Breath Weapon-)(4 points)
purpose. Tool Expertise (3 points)
25 feet Walking Speed (-2 points)
Resources Used Queen 31 point Total
In all of the above listed changes, I used many different
resources. Follow any of the links to find the information: Ability Score Increase +2 (8 points)
Medium Size increase (Multiarmed Synergy +2 points)
u/NielsPeterDejong original Version(warning, contains Stinger (Breath Weapon-) (4 points)
sexualy suggestive images and text) According to Detect Balance, this race is on par with official
Detect Balance by Eleazzaar releases. If you need to weaken the race, reducing their natural
Most and least resisted damage Types AC to 12 and removing the movement speed from Gliding
Information on Bralm wings will drop all their scores to the average.
All artwork presented in this document was made by the
artists listed below:
This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan
User 12345 on Pivixpixiv.net/member.php?id=4467238 Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards.
LFP Commissions (Page 4) twitter.com/LFPtweets Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards
Madiblitz (Page 5) https://www.deviantart.com/madiblitz of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
This document was lovingly created using GM
Binder.