Cetonii by

## Cetonii

THE CETONII WERE A RACE I RARELY ENCOUNTERED *on my journeys through the underdark. They are famously reclusive; only thrice did I see Cetonii interacting with other underdark races. Still, if you can find a guide to take you to a Cetonii city, it is truly a wonder to behold – massive halls, ornate carvings, and an uncountable number of twisting passageways, all carved out of solid rock using nothing but their own bodies.*

– Garret Gamwich, *A Journal of Journeys*

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The Cetonii live underground, in the far reaches of the underdark, where they carve massive hive-cities straight out of the rock and stone. They resemble giant four-legged beetles, standing erect on their hind legs. Cetonii society is highly organised and structured, and it is expected that all Cetonii work for the good of the collective. Cetonii occasionally run into the other Underdark races, but generally prefer to keep to themselves. They only very rarely come to the surface world, and as such, most surface-dwellers have not heard of the Cetonii, and those who have likely have only heard rumours.

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### Mighty Diggers, Master Architects

Other races tend to find Cetonii imposing. Thanks to their large horn, Cetonii can reach heights of up to 6 1/2 feet, and due to their heavy carapaces they often weigh over 300 pounds. The Cetonii's great size and strength allows them to easily break through solid rock with only their horn and hands, which is how they construct their vast stone cities.

Of course, all that digging prowess would be useless if the Cetonii were not also excellent builders. Anynone who visits a Cetonii city will be able to tell that they are built with great skill and intelligence. Cetonii have a natural inclination towards sums and numbers, and Cetonii engineers meticulously plan each new addition to the city in order to ensure its structural soundness.

### Clockwork Colonies

Cetonii colonies are highly structured and ordered. A Cetonii's role in the colony is determined at birth, and he or she is trained in that role from a very early age. Because an individual Cetonii's role in the colony is so clearly and rigidly defined, the colony as a whole is able to run like clockwork, seamless and efficient. Only rarely does a Cetonii object to their placement, and in most cases the objection is resolved by simply moving them to a new role. The very few Cetonii who refuse to accept any role at all are expelled from the colony.

### Societal Recluses

Cetonii colonies strive for self-sufficiency, and so have little reason to interact with the other races of the underdark. Those other races, for their part, have little desire to interact with the Cetonii either - Cetonii colonies rarely engage in trade, and a colony's typically excellently coordinated armies are generally not worth fighting against. Cetonii colonies are generally left alone, and leave everyone else alone - and most Cetonii would not have it any other way. Isolation allows the Cetonii to construct their vast and intricate cities in peace.

> ##### Cetonii Language
> Cetonii do not have lips or teeth like most races. Instead, they have a fine set of mandibles. Because of this, Cetonii often struggle to properly pronounce other languages. They have particular trouble with sounds that require lips to produce, such as Ms and Ps.
>
> The Cetonii language, in turn, is made almost entirely up of clicks make with the mandibles and throat. Other races can learn to approximate it, but only Cetonii can ever truly speak it properly.

### Reasons for Adventuring

Because they typically live highly social lives, most Cetonii do not like being apart from their kind. Even in cases where a colony must send envoys or explorers out of the colony for extended periods of time, they are never sent alone. For this reason, Cetonii adventurers are extraordinarily rare.

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Consider why your Cetonii character is apart from their colony, on their own. Are they an outcast? Were they sent out as part of an envoy and isolated from the rest of their group? Or perhaps was their colony destroyed? Cetonii rarely engage in warfare and even more rarely lose, but it does happen.

The following table presents some reasons that your Cetonii character might be apart from their colony.

| d6  | Reason for Adventuring |
|:-:|:-:|
|  1  | Your colony was destroyed by war or a natural disaster. |
|  2  | You were part of an expedition or envoy, and the you were separated from the rest of your group. |
|  3  | In a highly unusual decision, your colony decided to send you out on a mission alone. |
|  4  | You left the colony for personal reasons, of your own volition. |
|  5  | You were expelled from the colony for breaking the law or refusing to conform to your position. |
|  6  | Your parents were not members of a colony for one reason or another, so you have never been a part of Cetonii society. |

### Cetonii Names

Native Cetonii names are a series of clicks and chirps often unpronounceable to non-Cetonii. Because of this, Cetonii who interact with members of other races often adopt a second name that their less insectoid friends can pronounce. These names are typically descriptive, based on the color and pattern of the individual Cetonii's carapace. Cetonii carapaces come in a variety of dark colors, and are often flecked or swirled with a secondary color. Secondary names such as Navy Speckles or Maroon Swirls are typical.

### Cetonii Traits
Your Cetonii character has the following racial traits.

***Ability Score Increase.*** Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Intelligence score increases by 1.

***Age.*** Cetonii mature quickly; they spend about 6 months in a larval state before going through a brief metamorphosis. By one year old, they are fully grown. They also don't live very long; the average Cetonii only lives to 50 or 60.

***Alignment.*** Cetonii society highly values order and structure, and the advancement of the collective is given higher priority than personal well being. Most Cetonii are Lawful Neutral.

***Size.*** Cetonii are typically over 6 feet tall, and weigh on average around 300 pounds. Your size is Medium.

***Speed.*** Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

***Superior Darkvision.*** You can see in dim light within 120 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.

***Protective Carapace.*** Due to your carapace and the shape of your body, you are ill-suited to wearing armor. Your carapace provides ample protection, however; it gives you a base AC of 16 (your Dexterity modifier doesn't affect this number). You gain no benefit from wearing armor, but if you are using a shield, you can apply the shield's bonus as normal.

***Digging Horn.*** Your horn can serve as a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

***Tunneler.*** Cetonii are capable of carving through earth and stone with their powerful horns. You have a burrow speed of 10 feet when moving through dirt, sand, or other soft earth. Additionally, your horn counts as masons' tools, and you can add double your proficiency modifier to any check made with it to break through stone.

***Powerful Build.*** You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

***Sunlight Sensitivity.*** You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Perception checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.

***Languages.*** You can speak, read, and write Common, Cetonii, and Undercommon.

##### Random Height and Weight

| Base Height  | Base Weight | Height Modifier | Weight Modifier |
|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|
|  5'5"  | 250 lbs. | +2d6 | x (2d8) lb. |

> ##### Cetonii Classes
> Cetonii armies and law-enforcement organizations are typically made up of fighters and barbarians. Some colonies have elite groups of warriors made up of monks, or paladins with oaths to order.
>
> Cetonii colonies often have small, elite groups of wizards to assist with particularly complex building projects or to help clear rubble in case of structural collapse.
>
> The Cetonii aren't particularly religious, but the few Cetonii clerics are typically of the forge domain, reflecting their species' skill at and love of craftsmanship.
>
> Cetonii druids, rangers, and rogues are rare but not entirely unheard of; they might have been cut off from their colonies and forced to live on their own in the underdark.
>
> Cetonii sorcerers are very rare and so quite remarkable; they will often find themselves working alongside more typical Cetonii wizards.
>
> Cetonii almost never desire power due to being raised in such a rigid society, but the few who do might make a pact with a magical entity and become warlocks.
>
> Cetonii bards are basically non-existant. The very few Cetonii bards who do exist are historians who aim to preserve their colony's history.

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> ##### Credits
> * Cetonii by [/u/Enraric](https://www.reddit.com/user/enraric)
> * Ape Crustacean art by Mavros-Thanatos