PC Cohorts

There are a couple key differences between a PC Cohort and a sidekick or familiar cohort. If a DM chooses to make a Cohort NPC, they may add whatever features to that NPC they like.

1. PC Cohorts get a character background while a sidekick or familiar does not.
2. If your DM is allowing you to have a PC cohort, it will be best to talk with the DM about options for blending in with normal society. This will likely be hard, outside of trying to pass off the Taratect as a pet or familiar. Even this may be hard for some of the larger Taratect evolutions.
3. Taratects cannot speak by default. This will likely be a problem for a PC character. A taratect can create a telepathic bond through its familiar trait, but this allows direct communication with only that creature. If the DM allows you may want to start off with a Gem of Primal Insight described below.

Gem of Primal Insight

Wonderous Item, common (requires attunement by a a creature that cannot naturally speak.)
Attuning to this oval, lavender-colored gem causes it to float just in front of your brow, where it remains until you end your attunement or use an action to remove the stone. You can make the gem meld with you or unmeld the gem as a bonus action, rendering the gem invisible until it is removed. Its other magical abilities are suppressed while the gem is melded, requiring you to use a bonus action to unmeld the gem to use its other functions.
While the gem remains visible and active, you gain the ability to speak as the stone translates your thoughts into spoken words, which can be easily heard by creatures within normal speaking distance. You gain the ability to speak, understand, and (assuming you have some form of visual perception) read Common; as well as, any other languages you should know. You can use a voice of your own creation, or you can mimic the voice of someone that you have heard for at least a minute. However your mimicked voice has an odd flow to it, giving you disadvantage on attempts to sound like the person your voice is mimicking. Upon finishing a long rest, you can change the voice to mimic another person, or back to your unique voice.

Note: Being able to speak does not mean that you have an extensive vocabulary, and depending on your Intelligence score you may not be all that precise with your words.

Taratect Racial Features (Smaller, Lesser form)

Taratects are massive spiders created by fragments of an abyssal invasion. Immediately under attack by everything natural in the Material Plane, the Taratects escaped underground, but not so far as the Underdark. Instead they used their magic abilities to create a massive demiplane, that connected to the Material Plane inside caves near the surface. The demonic origin of a Taratect is clearly visible as it posses a fang filled mouth, unnatural size and intelligence, and a strange metamorphic life style.
Ability Score Increases. Your Dexterity gets a +2 bonus, while your Wisdom gets a +1. Your Strength gets a -2 penalty.
Age. Taratects mature quickly, given how they are left to fend for themselves the moment they hatch. Most reach adult hood within 6 months. What is interesting is that taratects can rival dragons in age, easily reaching over a thousand years old.
Alignment. Taratects posses high intelligence and thus are rarely unaligned. Most lean toward a chaotic nature due to thing lingering magic of the abyss. They can easily range from good to evil.
Size. A recently hatched taratect is close to 2 feet in length. Your current size is small but you will likely grow larger.
Speed. Taratects are very fast creatures. Your base walking speed is 35 ft. You have a climbing speed equal to your walking speed.
Monstrous Nature. You count as a monstrosity for the purposes of spells and effects.

Night Vision. As a creature born in darkness, you have an excellent ability to see in the dark. Within a 60ft radius you can see in dim light as if it where bright light and darkness as if it where bright light, and distinguish colors even in darkness.
Deadly Bite. You can use your bite as a natural weapon that deals 1d4 piercing + 1d4 poison damage. This bite can use either your Strength or your Dexterity to make attacks with.
Handless You lack any hands with which you can wield weapons. You can perform basic functions with your front legs that require no more than simple pushes or pulls, but you cannot use any item that requires the use of hands or needs to be held. For example, you can open a door with a pushdown handle or turn the pages of a book, but you could not wield weapons or lock a door with a key.
Familiar As a Taratect you can enter into a familiar bond to a hummanoid. The process takes 10 minutes to complete. When the ritual is finished, you can freely communicate with that creature using telepathy. This telepathy works across any distance. In addition, both creatures taking part in the bond can use an action to perceive the world using the other's senses. While doing so, the creature that is looking through the eyes of the other is blind and deaf.
Spider Climb You can move across any vertical surface, or even upside down, without having to make any saving throws.
Webs. You can produce webs from your abdomen. At first the level of control is low, due to the fact that you are still learning how to master them. To start off with, you can use your webs in 2 ways. First you may use your webs to attack. This effect is the same as attacking with a net, except the escape DC and the net's AC is equal to 8+ your Constitution modifier + your Proficiency Bonus. Alternatively, you can cover an area with webs. By using an action, you can coat all surfaces in a 5ft cube with webs. Any creature that makes physical contact with these webs must succeed on a Strength check, or become restrained by the webs, using the same DC as described in the net attack. By connecting multiple sections of webs together to at least 3 anchor points, you can also have the webs be suspended in the air. (Depending on the DM, you may also be allowed to use your webs to manipulate some objects that you would not normally be able to.)
Languages. You can read, speak, and write in Chitinese. Chitinese is the native language of Taratects. It sounds like a series of shrill whistles, rapid clicks, and loud hisses. Other creatures cannot speak Chitinese without the aide of magic, as their mouths cannot form the correct noises. The written language uses over 10 million different characters in stead of a written alphabet You can also read, and write in common, but cannot speak it, as your mouth is incapable of producing any noise other than clicks, whistles, and hisses. This lack of ability to speak any other language seems to allow Taratects to make use of Gems of Primal Insight despite having their own language.

Hit Points

Hit Die. 1d6 per Taratect level.
Hit Points at 1st Level. 8 + your Constitution modifier.
Hit Points at Higher Levels. 1d6 (4) + your Constitution modifier for each Taratect level above first.

Proficiencies

Armor. none
Weapons. none
Tools. none
Saving Throws. Dexterity, Constitution
Skills. Choose two from Acrobatics, Arcana, Intimidation, Perception, Stealth, or Survival

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to any granted by your chosen background.

• (a) a scholar's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
• a small cookbook of your favorite meals and a small sack holding 50 GP

Bonus Expertise

At 1st level, you gain proficiency with either the stealth or perception skills. If you are already proficient with both of these skills, choose any other skill to gain proficiency with. Also you can add double your proficiency bonus to either any stealth or perception check.
In addition, you can never suffer from disadvantage when attacking with a net. This includes the web net from the Taratect race.

Deadly Fangs

Starting at 1st level, you gain the poisonous bite of a Taratect assuming you do not already have it. You use your bite as a natural weapon that deals 1d4 piercing + 1d4 poison damage. This bite can use either your Strength or your Dexterity to make attacks with. This attack can grow stronger as you level up as shown in the Poison Die column of the Taratect Class Feature Table. This number indicates how many die you roll to determine the extra poison damage of this attack.

Idaten

At 1st level, you can take the dash action as a free action on your turns. Once you use this feature, you cannot do so until you complete a long rest. You also add twice your Dexterity modifier to your AC if you are not wearing armor.

Thread Alterations

Starting at 2nd level, you gain the ability to make small changes to your threads. These changes are described below. You can add these changes to your webs when you create them, or by using an action to apply them to an existing web. You can also add multiple alterations to a single patch of webs. Each change has a set time for how long it lasts. When the time period has expired, the thread loses the alteration, unless the time period is indefinite. Each alteration consumes a set number of mana charges. You have a number of mana charges as shown on the mana pool table and regain them after a long rest.

Durable Thread

Your threads now have 50 HP. This alteration costs 5 mana charges and lasts indefinitely.

Razor Threads

These threads to not restrain your opponent. Instead the are razor sharp, cutting deep into your opponent. If the webs where thrown as a net, the attack deals slashing damage. damage equal to your Poison Die. If the webs where strung up in an area, the area becomes difficult terrain, and a creature takes slashing damage equal to half your Poison Die for every 5ft they move. This alteration costs 1 mana charge to use, and it lasts indefinitely.

Ultra Thin Thread

Your threads are much thinner than normal. Creatures must make a Perception check against your Mana DC to realize that your threads are there. This alteration costs 4 mana charges and lasts until a creature is restrained in the webs or takes damage from the webs.

Assassin Spider

The assassin spider line relies on staying small and mobile to launch deadly sneak attacks on foes.

Zana Horowa

*Starting at 15th level you have evolved into a Zana Horowa, giving you access to the following feature.
Evil Eyes. You have gained the ability to focus your dark magic through your gaze, inflicting your foes with terrible blights known as the Evil Eyes. Each Evil Eye has a listed Mana Charge cost and takes an action to use. To do this make a ranged attack against a creature within 100ft of you. Use your Mana Attack Bonus instead of your normal attack bonus for this attack roll. You have access to the following Evil Eyes.
Evil Eye of Grudge. Costs 5 Mana Charges. On a hit, the target is cursed for 1 minute. During the end of each of its turn's reduce the target's Constitution score by 1d4. If this reduction reduces the targets Constitution Score to 0, the target dies. This attack has no effect on a creature with a Challenge Rating higher than you Taratect Level.
Evil Eye of Repulsion Costs 4 Mana Charges. On a hit the target is pushed 30 ft in any direction of your choosing. If the creature comes into contact with any solid surface, it takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage Alternatively, you can make the target fall prone. It must use its action to make a Strength Save against your Mana DC to stand up.
Evil Eye of Stasis. Costs 3 Mana Charges. On a hit, the target is paralyzed for 1 minute. At the end of each of its turns, the creature can make a Constitution saving throw against your Mana DC, ending the condition on a success.

Smaller Mystic Taratect

Starting at 3rd level, you have evolved into a Lesser Mystic Taratect and gain the following feature.
Lesser Innate Magic. You learn 3 cantrips from the Wizard Spell List.
Spell DC and Spell Attack Bonus. Your Spell DC is equal to your Mana Charge DC (8 + your Wisdom modifier + your Proficiency Bonus.) Your spell attack bonus is your Wisdom modifier + your Proficiency Bonus.
Innate Spellcasting List. As you progress through this class, you will learn more spells and can cast them innately. You do not have to provide any components for a spell, unless it is an item with a GP cost of 1000 or more. You can cast each spell once at its lowest level, and must complete a long rest before you can cast it again. For now you know 2 1st level spells.

Mystic Taratect

Beginning at 6th level, you evolve into a Mystic Taratect and gain the following feature.
Size. You grow some during this evolution, often now around 4 ft long and 1.5 ft high. Your size increases to Medium. Your hit die change to be d8s instead of d6s. Your Hit Point Maximum increases by 6.

Kadinart

Starting at 9th level, you evolve into a Kadinart and gain the following feature.
Dark Magic. You learn the spells Dark Bullet, Shadow Sink, and Dark Spear and add them to your Innate Spellcasting list. You can cast each of these spells once.

Ortho Kadinart

Beginning at 12th level, you evolve into an Ortho Kadinart, and gain the following features.
Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom Score and Wisdom Score Maximum increase by 2.
Deadly Magic When you cast a spell that deals damage, you can expend 1 Mana Charge to make one of that spells damage die deal maximum damage. You can do this multiple times with the same spell, but you cannot affect more die than half the spell's level rounded down. Additionally, you can upcast a spell to highest level of spell you have learned by expending a number of Mana charges equal to the level of spell you are upcasting to. (For example, at 12th level, you could expend 5 Mana Charges to upcast Magic Missle to fifth level.)
Better Innate Magic. You may choose any 5 spells of 5th level or lower and add them to your Innate Spellcasting list. You cannot choose more than one 5th level spell and no more than two 4th level spells.

Great Ortho Kadinart

Starting at 15th level, you evolve into a Greater Ortho Kadinart and gain access to the following features.
Greater Innate Magic. You may add 1 6th level and 1 7th spell to your Innate Spellcasting feature. Additionally you may now cast each 4rd level or lower spell 2 times.

Lesser Taratect

At 3rd level, you evolve into a Lesser Taratect and gain the following feature.
Size. You grow some during this evolution, often now around 4 ft long and 1.5 ft high. Your size increases to Medium. Your hit die change to be d8s instead of d6s. Your Hit Point Maximum increases by 3.

Taratect

At 6th level you evolve into a Taratect and gain the following features.
Ability Score Increases. Increase your Strength Score by 2 unless it is already at 20.
Vicious. When you successfully reduce a creature's HP to 0, you can use a bonus action to cast a wave of fear at all your enemies. All hostile creatures within 30ft of you must make a Wisdom save against you Mana DC. On a failure, they are frightened of you until the end of their next turn. Once a creature has been affected by this ability, it is immune to it, until you finish a long rest.

Great Taratect

At 9th level, you evolve into a Great Taratect and gain the following feature.
Slamming Attack Your size and strength have increased to the point that you can effectively harm your foes by crashing into them. You gain access to and are proficient with this new slam attack. This attack uses Strength for its attack and damage rolls and has the reach property. On a hit, the target takes 1d8 + Strength modifier points of bludgeoning damage and the target must make a Strength contest with you. If the target loses they are knocked prone.

Greater Taratect

Starting at 12th level, you evolve into a Greater Taratect and gain the following features.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength Score and Strength Score maximum increase by 2
Size Increase. You grow close to 9 ft long and around 6ft tall. You are now large, and take up a 10ft by 10ft square or 3 hexes. Your hit die become d10s. Increase your Hit Point Maximum by 12.
Improved Slam. The damage of your slam attack increases to 2d8. Also, if you are two or more sizes larger than the target of your slam attack, the target has disadvantage on the contest.

Arch Taratect

Starting at 15th level, you have evolved into an Arch Taratect. You gain the following feature.
Stopping Attack. Your size allows you to easily crush smaller creatures. You gain a new attack option. This attack uses strength on attack and damage rolls and has a reach of 5ft. The attack deals 2d8 bludgeoning and 2d8 piercing. If you hit a prone creature with this attack, and you exceed their AC by 5 or more, treat the hit as a critical hit.

Taratect Queen

Beginning at 18th level, you evolve into a Taratect Queen and gain the following features.
Size Increase. You grow close to 14ft long and nearly 10ft tall. Your size increases to Huge and you now take up a 15ft by 15ft square or 8 hexes. Your Hit Die become d10s. Your Hit Point maximum increase by 18.

Lesser Blade Taratect

Starting at 3rd level you evolve into a Lesser Blade Taratect and gain the following features.
Ability Increase. Both your Strength and Dexterity scores increase by 1.
Bladed Body. Your body becomes covered in razor sharp blades. A creature that grapples you 1d8 slashing damage at the start of the grapple and each turn that the creature starts while grappling you.
Size Increase. Your size increases to medium, if it is not already. Your Hit Die increase to d8s. Your Hit Point Maximum increases by 3.

Blade Taratect

Beginning at 6th level, you evolve into a Blade Taratect and gain the following features.
Blender Rush. As an action you can move up to your movement speed, all creatures of your choosing that you move within 5ft of must make a Dexterity saving throw against your Mana Charge DC. On a failure the creature takes slashing damage equal to your Poison Damage Die, or half on a success. This does not provoke opportunity attacks.
Dance of Death. When you reduce a creature's Hit Points to 0 you can use your reaction to move up to your movement speed and make another attack. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.

Striker Taratect

At 9th level, you evolve into a Striker Taratect and gain the following features.
Extra Attack. You can now make up to 3 attacks when you take the attack action.
Parry. As a reaction when a creature would hit you with a weapon attack, you can add your proficiency bonus to your Armor Class. This can cause the attack to now miss.

Greater Striker Taratect

Starting at 12th level, you evolve into a Greater Strike Taratect and gain the following features.
Ability Score Improvement. Both your Strength and Dexterity scores increase by 1, as well as those score's maximum.
Beauty of Battle. Once per turn, as a bonus action you can force a creature, that can see you, to attempt a Wisdom (Insight) check against your Charisma (Performance) check. If the creature fails, it is stunned for 1 minute. You must use your bonus action on each of your turns to extend this effect or else it ends early.

Lesser Webreaver

Starting at 15th level, you evolve into a Lesser Webreaver and gain the following features. It is at this stage that you grow your humanoid torso.
Hands. You lose the Handless feature as the human torso you grow now has hands.
Humanoid Tongue. You can now speak all languages you know without having to rely on a Gem of Primal Insight. You can still speak Chintenese without issue.
Refracting Threads. On your turn, you can use a bonus action, to expend 5 Mana Charges. All creatures that can see you must make a Perception check against your Mana Charge DC. You have advantage on attack rolls against any creature that fails this check until the end of this turn.
Thread Strike. You gain a new attack option called a thread strike. This is a ranged weapon attack, with the finesse property and a range of 60/120ft. The attack deals slashing damage equal to your Poison Damage Die + the relevant damage bonus.

Smaller Spiked Taratect

Starting at 3rd level, you evolve into a Smaller Spiked Taratect and gain the following features.
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 2.
Spiked Shell. Whenever a creature hits you with a melee natural weapon attack, you can use a reaction to cause that creature to take piercing damage equal to half your Poison Damage Die.

Blazing Spiked Taratect

By the time you reach 6th level, you have evolved into a Blazing Spiked Taratect and gain the following features.
Size Increase. You grow some during this evolution, often now around 4ft long and 3ft high. Your size increases to Medium. Your hit die change to be d8s. Your Hit Point Maximum increases by 6.
Flame Transformation. You gain resistance to fire damage. In addition, your bite attack now deals fire damage instead of poison.

Blazing Barbed Taratect

Starting at 9th level, you evolve into a Blazing Barbed Taratect and gain the following features.
Barbed Spikes. Your spikes grow barbs on them. When you use your Spiked Shell feature, that creature becomes grappled by you.
Blazing Thread. You gain access to this new web alteration. By expending 4 Mana Charges, you can cause the produced threads to be set ablaze. These threads are immune to fire damage and deal damage equal to half your Poison Damage Die to any creature that touches them, or starts their turn touching them. This alteration lasts 1 minute.

Kaga Tsuchi

Starting at 12th level, you have evolved into a Kagu Tsuchi and gain the following features.
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score and score maximum increases by 2.
Destructive Flame. When you would deal fire damage to a creature with resistance to fire damage, you can ignore that resistance.

Hiyokemushi

Starting at 15th level, you evolve into a Hiyokemushi and gain the following features.
Size Increase. You grow close to 8 ft long and around 8ft tall. You are now large, and take up a 10ft by 10ft square or 3 hexes. Your hit die become d10s. Increase your Hit Point Maximum by 12.
Soul of Agni. When you would deal fire damage to a creature that has immunity to fire, you can treat that immunity as resistance.

Kazan Mazuko

Starting at 18th level, you evolve into a Kazan Mazuko and gain the following features.
Ageless. Your body stops aging, making you immune to effects that would artificially age you, also you can no longer die of old age.
Blessing of Amaterasu. When you would deal fire damage to a creature that is immune to fire damage, you can ignore that immunity.
Blessing of Enma. You can expend 7 Mana Charges to cause all targets within 15ft of you to make a Dexterity saving throw, taking fire damage equal to twice your Poison Damage Die, or half on a success.
Condensing Body. You can purposefully make your body smaller. By using a bonus action you can shrink your self down to a large or medium size. While in this smaller form, you only need to consume as much food and drink as a creature of that size to sustain yourself for the day. (If you eat enough food to sustain a medium sized creature while your current size is medium you are sustained for the day.)

Smaller Hive Taratect

Starting at 3rd level, you evolve into a Smaller Hive Taratect and gain the following features.
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2.
Summon Swarm. As an action, you can expend 3 Mana Charges, and summon a Swarm of Insects. This swarm obeys your verbal commands, can take any action, and goes immediately after you in initiative. You can use a bonus action to command the swarm. This swarm lasts for 1 minute, or until you are knocked unconscious.

Minor Poison Taratect

Starting at 3rd level, you evolve into a Minor Poison Taratect and gain the following features.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution Score increases by 2.
Venom Spit. You can make a ranged attack using your poison. This attack has the thrown and finesse properties and has a range of 30ft/60ft. On a hit it deals damage equal to your Poison Damage Die.

Lesser Poison Taratect

Starting at 6th level, you evolve into a Lesser Poison Taratect and gain the following feature.
Size. You grow some during this evolution, often now around 4 ft long and 1.5 ft high. Your size increases to Medium. Your hit die change to be d8s instead of d6s. Your Hit Point Maximum increases by 3.
Potent Poison. Any attack that you have that deals poison damage can now ignore resistance to poison.

Poison Taratect

Starting at 9th level, you evolve into a poison taratect and gain the following features.
Deadly Poison Attack. When you roll for damage with your poisonous bite, you can reroll any 1s.
Innate Spellcasting When you take this evolution, your the powerful magic within you begins to manifest as spells. You only need to provide verbal components. You can cast Chromatic Orb at first level. If you choose to deal Poison damage with Chromatic Orb it is instead cast at 3rd level. In either case, you must finish a long rest before you can cast this spell again. Use your Mana DC and attack bonus for this feature.

Mystic Taratect Spells

Shadow Sink

3rd level conjuration

Toxic Kumori Spells

Abyssal Gate

7th level conjuration

Hellish Wrath

8th level evocation

Betrayer's Hell

9th level evocation

Multiclassing

Multiclassing into the taratect class is meant to be possible, though not recommended. For those who wish to, your PC needs a base Intelligence Score of 13. When you multiclass into this class you gain the creature type of monstrosity plus whatever creature types you already possess. In addition, if you multiclass and reach the size increase features, but are already of a race of that size, or smaller, you remain at your normal size. You can grow larger if you wish to. Any feature that changes the type of Hit Die used only applies to the Hit Die given through this class.

Other Notes

Any evolutionary line that gives you a permanent humanoid mouth (aracnie, webreaver, rachnoid) removes your inability to speak other languages, but you still have to learn how to. Also, if you learn how to, you can speak while polymorphed or shape changed into a huanoid race.

In the hope of preventing arguments, creatures with a "true soul" can include but are not limited to devils, demons, most incorporeal undead, and liches. Creatures that do not have true souls include constructs, elementals, undead animated by negative energy like skeletons or zombies, and wraiths (a wraith is born from a collapsed soul so there is not enough of it left for the spell to attack.)

At any point where a feature refers to a number times your Poison Damage Die, it means that you would roll a number of die equal to your current Poison Damage Die times the number given. For example, in the Breath Weapon, where it says twice your poison damage die, you would roll 6d4s to determine damage.