Mantis
It wasn’t the bone and ligament contraption that the mantis was fixing that terrified me, but its eyes.. cold, calculating, and intelligent. It not only killed a bug, but also was smart enough to use its body to construct advanced technology. That is what terrified me.
Honor, bravery and a fighting spirit are what true Mantises are made of. Whether it be magic or weapons, they take honing their skills seriously. Training to be the best of what they choose to be is the way of the Mantis.
Culture
Mantises are lead by the strongest member or members of the tribe, addressed as the lord or lords. Tribes of Mantises protect their territory with their lives and attack any intruders that enter their territory, but believe in honorable combat. Any Mantis will not kill an unarmed intruder if they do not have to and they look down upon bugs who attack innocents. Only bugs that have defeated their leaders in honorable combat or were given permission from them, are freely able to move around their territory.
Born to Fight
Since birth, Mantises' are natural born warriors aim to prove themselves in combat. They are enlisted into service at the age of 14, where they join the adults in patrols around their territory. Younger mantises are born with wings that allow them to fly, however they lack the reach that the adults have. So they make up for this by hiding and sneak attack enemies from above.
When Mantises' reach the age of 22 they reach their adult size and shed their wings as a right of passage into adulthood. It is a celebrated event in a Mantis life. By shedding their wings, the Mantis is then able to gain the large adult mantis claws.
High Regards
An insult to their skill, in any regard, is the highest insult to a Mantis, and they will fight the insulter to reclaim their honor. Mantises believe in hard work and training to become strong, and those who are lazy are looked down upon. They also take pride in keeping their promises. A promise made by a Mantis is a task that will be done. Even if the Mantis dies in the process of keeping said promise, it will be considered an honorable death by the tribe, and their family will hang their claws in their home as a sign of respect.
Mantises of Hallownest
Led by the Four Mantis Lords, three sisters and their brother, the Mantis Tribe has lived in the Fungal Wastelands long before the Kingdom of Hallownest. They lived in relative peace with their neighbors the Fungal Tribe for centuries before the Pale King came to power. They did not take kindly with him wanting to rule all of Hallownest, and caused multiple battles with the kings forces. Until the Mantis Lords and the Pale King made a truce, the king would let them keep their territory, in exchange for the service of them keeping the beasts of Deepnest out of the Fungal Wastelands. Even after the spread of the infection and the of the Kingdom of the Pale King, the Mantis Lords continue to honor this truce.
The Mantis Traitors
Not every Mantis agreed with the truce with the Pale King, the first being the brother in the Mantis Lords. He absolutely despised the Pale King and his rule. His anger festered even more when his own daughter started dating Ze'mer, one of the Kings five great knights.
When the infection spread to the Fungal Wastes, instead of resisting it like the other Mantises, him and his followers embraced it. Falling into its temptation of becoming stronger through increased strength and size, however, it cost them their sanity. This madness lead the brother to kill his own daughter, and then was banished by his sisters along with any of his followers who embraced the infection. They made their way to the Queen's Gardens, eventually taking it over and making it their territory. They are still there to this day attacking anyone who enters the gardens.
Appearance
Mantises’ carapaces are either grayish-blue, green or brown, with long necks and white masks, though some have horns that are connected to their mask. They as adults have long claws that are roughly half the size of their bodies.
Game Credit
This Race was inspired by the game Hollow Knight by Team Cherry. A labor of love made solely for entertainment purposes and not-for-profit. No copyright infringement is intended.
Background Art made by: Sol-lar-bink
Character Art made by: Snakeyarts
Mantis Traits
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score is increased by 2, and your Wisdom score increase by 1.
Age. You reach maturity at age 22, and live to be around a century.
Alignment. Most Mantises are lawful and withhold their honorable upbringing of their tribe. Mantises with chaotic traits are cast out as traitors or drifters.
Size. Mantises range between 6-7 feet tall. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 35 feet.
Climbing Speed. You have a climbing speed of 30ft.
Languages. You can speak, read and write Common and Mantis
Darkvision. You are able to see in total darkness as if it were in bright light up to 60 feet and dim light for another 60 feet. You can not discern color with this trait and instead see everything in shades of gray.
Agile Fighters. Mantis's are unparalleled in speed while in combat. When you move on your turn in combat, you can double your speed and ignore difficult terrain until the end of your turn. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus regaining all uses on a long rest. You also gain proficiency in the Acrobatics Skill.
Mantis Claws. Your limbs reach far and cut deep, keeping with the traditions of your tribe. Your melee Attacks gain the reach property, and your unarmed attacks now deal 1d4 + STR Slashing Damage instead of Bludgeoning Damage.