Simic Hybrid
The Simic Combine uses magic to fuse different life forms together. In recent years, they have extended this research to humanoid subjects, magically transferring the traits of various animals into humans, elves, and vedalken. The goal of the so-called Guardian Project is to build a Simic army of superior soldiers, perfectly adapted to a variety of combat situations. These hyper-evolved specimens are called Simic hybrids, though they sometimes call themselves guardians.
Lore for Other Settings
The lore of the Simic Hybrids is rather specific, requiring some sort of Simic Combine inspired super soldier program of sorts. The race itself is rather easy to reflavor though. You could make your Simic Hybrids be the result of Mindflayer experiments, with a more abberant idea, or make it into a creature that quickly adapts, and build up the features more naturally.
It's your world, make your own lore if you don't like the existing.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2, and another ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Age. Simic Hybrids are created at adulthood from another race, often living a similar but reduced lifespan to the race of origin, due in part to the experimentations and enhancements toll on the body.
Alignment. Simic Hybrid's alignments vary from group to group.
Size. Simic Hybrids are the same size of they race that they were created from. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. 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.
Animal Enhancements. Your body has been altered with animal characteristics. You choose one animal enhancement now, and one at 5th and 12th levels.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one language of your choice.
Unrestricted Enhancements
These upgrades can be picked starting at level 1, and any level after that.
Manta Glide. You have ray-like fins that you can use as wings to slow your fall or allow you to glide. When you fall and are not incapacitated, you can subtract up to 100 feet from your fall when calculating your fall damage and can move horizontally 2 feet for every 1 foot you fall.
Nimble Climber. You have a climb speed equal to your walk speed.
Underwater Adaptation. You can breathe air and water, and you gain a swim speed equal to your walking speed.
Aerodynamic Form. Your base walking speed is increased to 35 feet.
Extra Eyes. You have additional eyes throughout your body. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
Echolocation. As an bonus action during your turn, you can make a loud clicking noise with your tongue and gain a blindsight radius of 30 feet. This effect ends once you move, use a action or reaction, or your turn ends. You do not gain this benefit if you are deafened, and you cannot use this action if you are incapable of speaking.
5th Level Enhancements
Grappling Appendages. You have two special appendages growing alongside with your arms. Choose whether they're both claws or tentacles. As an action, you can use one of them to grapple a creature. Each one is also a natural weapon, which you can use to make an unarmed strike with. If you hit, they do 1D6 + your strength modifier bludgeon damage. Immediately after hitting, you can try to grapple the target as a bonus action. These appendages are not dexterous enough to use weapons, magic weapons, and other specialized equipment.
Carapace. Your skin is covered in places by a thick shell. You gain a +1 to your AC when not wearing heavy armor. This bonus increases to +2 at 18th level.
Acid Spray. As an action, you can spray acid from glands in your mouth, targeting one creature or object you can see within 30 feet of you. The target must make a Dexterity
saving throw against a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier. The target takes 2d10 acid damage if they fail. The damage increases to 3d10 at 12th level and 4d10 at 18th level. You can use this up to your Constitution modifier's worth of times per long rest.
Resistant Hide. You have resistance to your choice of fire, poison, necrotic, cold, acid, or lightning damage.
Ever-Changing Appearance. As an action, you can change your facial appearance and your voice. You determine the specifics of the changes, including your coloration, hair length, and sex. You can make your face appear as a member of another race, though none of your game statistics change.
You can't duplicate the appearance of a creature you've never seen, and you must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of facial features that you have.
You stay in the new form until you use an action to revert to your true form or until you die.
Psionic Power. You know the Mage Hand cantrip, and the hand is invisible when you cast the cantrip with this trait.
Additionally, you can cast Comprehend Languages spell once, and can also cast the Detect Thoughts spell once. You must finish a long rest to cast these spells again with this trait. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Whoa, That's Broken Right?
I know what you're thinking, "Dang, free changeling ability on top of everything else?" And I'm here to say, you aren't totally wrong. It is rather powerful but it doesn't allow any change outside the face, so you still need to hide your modifications to stay disguised. Additionally, by getting it, you're forgoing several other powerful abilities that come at this level. It is strong, but it's rather niche and overall rather similar in balance to the other 5th level features.
12th Level Enhancements
Flight (Requires Manta Glide Enhancement). You have a flying speed of 30 feet. To use this speed, you can’t be wearing medium or heavy armor.
Incorporeal Form. As an action you can go into an incorporeal form. For one minute, you can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. You takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object. Additionally, you have resistance to non-magical piercing, slashing and bludgeoning when in this form. Once you have used this ability once, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.
Perfect Climber (Requires Nimble Climber Enhancement). You are constantly under the effects of the spider climb spell. Additionally, when climbing with spider climb, your climbing speed is 10 ft. faster than your walking speed.
Aquatic Force (Requires Underwater Enhancement). You have grown used to the deep waters, and have learned how to fight in it. You have advantage on grappling checks underwater.
Additionally, once per turn when you hit an underwater creature with a melee weapon attack, they lose their breath, taking the effects of one minute of underwater breathing instantly. This has no effect on creatures that can breathe underwater.
All Seeing Eyes (Requires Extra Eyes Enhancement). The eyes on your body flow with magical power. You gain truesight with a range of 30 ft and advantage on all Wisdom (Perception) checks.
Balancing of the Race
As you may have noticed, some choices on the race can put it quite a bit over the Detect Balance recommended. However, the race overall is actually rather weak early on. It has almost no features until 5th level, and only after that does it get very good.
The race is made with this revision to be like that. The idea is, while the race starts weak but becomes strong later. You may notice it being surprisingly good in high level scenarios, but in a normal campaign, it will take some time before it becomes as powerful as it can become. And so, the race isn't as balanced higher levels. It is really good. But this is made up for with the curve of power that progresses the game, unlike any race before it.
Mechanics of Leveling
Each of the levels of the original Simic Hybrid has a specific use. Unrestricted Enhancements are all movement based, 5th level are all fight based, defense and offensive power. I chose to keep this largely true, but I added some alternatives. At 1st level, you can instead pick a more sense based path, and at 5th you can pick a psionic or stealth based path too.
Additionally, I added 12th level, which works similarly. Most of it is upgrades to 1st level abilities, but some are instead open ended, the less specific focused ones. I wanted to make the race diverse, and able to be used a variety of ways.
Credits
Both pictures are the property of WoTC, and covered by the Fan Content Policy and the mentioning at the bottom that WoTC owns it.
Like what you see?
I'm Cthulhu, and I've been making homebrew for nearly a year now. I'm still getting better, but I'm gonna start releasing new homebrew every few weeks starting soon. If you're interested, check out some of my previous work:
Changelog
v1.0.0
- Realease.
v1.0.1
- Added info on the mechanics of leveling
- Changed all pictures to WoTC official material. Wasn't required, but I found some I really liked, and had some issues with finding who to credit on the originals
- Added All Seeing Eyes
- Reworked Resistant Hide to be more broadly useful