Antoch Race by

# Antoch Race

##### A race suplement for the 5th edition of the world's most popular role-playing game.

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# About the Antoch Race

*In many ways, to consider the Antoch race just another of the mortal beings would be an insult to their pride as a people dedicated to serving the collective, rather than the individual.*
        - Muriel Uberon, Author of the book *"Anthropologia Mortale"*
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Standing between three and four feet tall, with reddish-obsidian skin and having six limbs (quadripedal legs and two arms), the Antoch race are much closer to the common ant than to any of the humanoid races.

The Antoch race is said to have begun as a number of colonies of ants that became suffused with magic. However, despite their evolution into an intelligent people, the Antoch still hold steadfast to their nature to put the queen and the colony above the individual, making them fiercely loyal and dedicated laborers or soldiers.

The Antoch race, much like the ants from which they evolved from, having a strict class system in place in their society, with the worker being the lowest rank, the soldier being above the worker, and the queen being the chosen leader and one above all others.

The worker class has, over time, expanded what it means to be a worker with the evolution of the Antoch people and the assimilation of parts of other cultures into their own. An Antoch that is part of the worker class may do any number of things, including the traditional gathering of food or construction and/or maintenance of the colony home, but may also include tasks that are newer to Antoch culture such as crafting, rearing of children, medical treatment and transportation services.

The worker class are not paid for their services, as it goes against the fundamental nature of the Antoch people to perform a service for the colony and expect any kind of reward for that service. Instead, the Antoch people have developed a system of support and care for the colony to ensure that all needs are met. As such, each Antoch is given an even share of all of the colonies resources, including food and shelter, as well as access to any and all medical services as needed, this system works incredibly well for the Antoch due to their innate consideration for the colony over the individual and natural lack of selfishness.

The soldier class has remained almost completely unchanged from its origination until today. Antoch that are chosen to become part of the soldier class train relentlessly every single day to fight as part of a collective and to work with coordinated strategy to defend their colony. The most recent of developments in the soldier class has been the adoption of weapons and armor forged of metal, which have seen the skill and deadliness of the Antoch armies increase significantly.

### The Queen & Antoch Royalty

Each Antoch colony is ruled over by a queen, who presides over the entire colony and is also the mother to all within the colony. One of the primary functions of the worker class is to provide enough sustenance to the queen so that she may continue giving birth to other Antoch to ensure the growth and future of the colony.

A queen is not chosen or elected, but rather is a once-in-a-generation birth to the current queen, who rears the newborn queen until she reaches the age by which she can take over ruling the colony, at which point the new queen eats the current queen alive, this ritual kickstarts the biological process for the new queen to begin the birthing process.

Should a queen die without giving birth to a new queen, then the colony will be thrown into disarray. Colonies that are without a queen become prime targets for other colonies to invade and assimilate into their own colony, although, these invasions are usually done so without bloodshed as it is rare that a colony without a queen would turn down the chance to become part of an existing colony that has a queen.

There are rumours of certain colonies of Antoch that, at the loss of the queen, have been taken over by a strong leader who pushes away from the traditions of the Antoch people and has led to colonies of *"Ab'narvie"*, or *abnormals* in the common tongue. These *abnormals* have developed a sense of individualism and discovered that they can procreate without the need for a queen, which has led the colony to question the need for existing traditions.

## Antoch Race

Use the following to create a character of the Antoch Race.

### Antoch Names

The Antoch people do not have names as names are a sign of individuality and identity beyond the colony.

On occasion, a queen will adopt a title when dealing with other beings, but this title is one chosen out of convenience towards diplomacy.

*Ab'narvie* Antoch have been known to choose names as part of their developing individuality, however, these names are more often than not descriptions of themselves or what they do, rather than any kind of gendered name like other races adopt. A common theme amongst these names is they usually start with *One-who* or *One-with*.
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**Example Names:** One-with-green-back, One-who-heals-sight, One-who-smelts-iron, One-who-fights-well-with-spear.

### Antoch Traits

***Ability Score Increase.*** Your strength score increases by 2 and you may increase another score of your choice by 1.<br/>
***Age.*** An Antoch is considered a fully grown adult at the age of 4 and generally live until about 25.<br/>
***Alignment.*** Most Antoch are lawful due to their focus on the colony over the individual, although the *Ab'narvie* tend towards more chaotic alignments as they discover their individuality.<br/>
***Size.*** Antoch grow to between 3-and-a-half and 5 feet tall and weigh between 35 and 70 pounds, your size is small.<br/>
***Speed.*** You have a base walking speed of 30 feet and a climb speed of 15 feet.<br/>
***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.<br/>
***Deceptive Strength.*** despite your build, you are exceptionally strong. Your carry capacity and the weight you can push, pull or lift is doubled.<br/>
***Pincers.*** You have powerful pincers you can use to attack your enemies. You have a bite attack that deals 1d4 + *Strength* piercing damage.<br/>
***Sub-Races.*** You can pick from Worker, Soldier or Ab'Narvie as a sub-race of the Antoch.

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### Worker

***Ability Score Increase.*** Your strength score increases by 2 and your wisdom increases by 1.<br/>
***Size.*** Antoch Workers grow to between 3-and-a-half and 4 feet tall and weigh between 35 and 50 pounds, your size is small.<br/>
***Skilled Laborer.*** You have advantage on all checks involving moving or lifting an object; crafting/mending an object or finding food or shelter.<br/>
***Tool Proficiencies.*** You may select one tool used to craft or create something, you gain proficiency in that tool.

### Soldier

***Ability Score Increase.*** Your strength score increases by 2 and your constitution or dexterity increases by 1.<br/>
***Size.*** Antoch Soldiers grow to between 4-and-a-half and 5 feet tall and weigh between 50 and 70 pounds, your size is small.<br/>
***Combat Teamwork.*** You gain advantage on all attack rolls against creatures that have two or more allies within melee range of your target and within 10 feet of you.<br/>
***Collective Courage.*** While within 10 feet of an ally, you gain advantage on all saving throws against fear effects.

### Ab'narvie

***Ability Score Increase.*** Your strength score increases by 2 and your charisma increases by 1.<br/>
***Size.*** Ab'narvie grow to between 3-and-a-half and 5 feet tall and weigh between 35 and 70 pounds, your size is small.<br/>
***Convincing Liar.*** Antoch culture practices emotionless communication and have a cultural aversion to lying. Ab'narvie have no such aversion, and as such, are skilled at telling lies with the same emotionless cadence as their regular communication voice. You gain advantage on all deception skill checks when lying to someone.<br/>
***Skilled Navigator.*** While Antochs vary rarely travel far beyond their colonies, the Ab'narvie people have had to become used to travelling through unknown caverns due to being exiled from their homes when their individuality becomes known. You have advantage on all survival checks used for navigating and you cannot get lost, except by magical means in underground tunnels or caverns.<br/>