View source for Stercules (3.5e Race)

{{author
|author_name=the bluez in the dungeon
|date_created=30/03/2023
|status=Complete
}}

==Stercules==

[[Summary::A race of proud and strong beetle people, who love battle as well as introspection and art.]]

===Personality===

Boastful and strong, pious and wise are all true traits of stercules, an appraisal that they encourage. That of a stercules is a life of honor in battle, strength, learning, tradition and respect, a fact that they constantly remind themselves and others. They are sturdy and reliable, but also helpful and well-advised. They work hard and play harder.

Their society is divided in castes, and they respect a lot this division, an attitude that is expressed through their strict adherence to their social customs, though exploitation from upper classes is ill-advised because of the stercules' tendency to reject injustice (at least perceived injustice) with a strong spirit and head-on attitude.

===Physical Description===

They appear as small beetles-like creatures, with a long central horn on their heads, which has two small semicircles on its point, a chitinous carapace, that may be opened to reveal their back, strong arms, legs and a muscular chest. They are mostly dull grey, black, brown or dark green in color, but some present a more vivid or shiny coloration, with richer colour such as gold, red, pink, green and light blue, orange, or white. Some are even jewel like, and the most beautiful have the colour of lapis lazuli. They are very sectorial, so, the upper classes usually have the more beautiful colors, but it's also possibile for a peasant to be born handsome, while nobles can also be the color of mud. They tend to dress lightly, with cassocks and tunics, and prefer to heavily adorn themselves with make-up, facial hair (males are very prous of their chin beard and moustaches) and lots of jewels, usually with religious texts, which are not only worn, but even incorporated in their carapace, similarly to tatoos for other races.

===Relations===

They strong-minded society makes them respected almost among all civilized races, especially those that appreciated hardworking and skillfull builders.

The respect for their high-quality engineering is well deserved: even in ancient times, when they lived in giant dungball which they transported, with all their family, along desert routes, they managed to develop a gyroscopic mechanism which allowed the interior part of the dungball not to sping around while the stercules brought it on its shoulder, or rolling it on the ground.

===Alignment===

Mainly lawful, they respect almost any lifeview, but are wary of chaotic tendencies, which don't go well with their culture and society. They live in castes, which are defined by their occupations: mainly artisansa and lowly workers, warriors and guards, religious figures, administrative officials and governors.

===Lands===

Originally they lived in deserts where they organized in small communities

Stantial stercules live in villages and cities in arid environment, usually near sources of water, while nomad stercules still travel through harsh deserts, establishing commercial routes and searching for resources.

Both the stantial and nomad people are characterized by the use of dung balls for a variety of uses. While civilized stercules don't live anymore in dungball houses, they still retain the shape and craft of the art when making containers for goods and similar items. Another example is the use of the dungball shape and material for funerary purposes.

An old sterculean saying goes: "A good stercules is born, grows, work and dies in its dungball".

===Religion and Society===

[[Razur (3.5e Deity)|Razur]] is their only deity, though it presents itself in various aspects, representing all sides of stercules' lives. They are fondly religious towards it, and respect other deities, as well as their ancestors' spirits.

Their social structure is very well defined, with only a little of social mobility, as the upper class (mostly the stercules with the most lustrous chitins) has ruled for centuries in an almost unchanged society, and there's really no push from the bottom to change things up. Despite this apparent hardness, sterculeian society isn't oppressive or that strict: they are just very comfortable doing what they know best, as long as it keeps working.

===Language===

They speak Common, but they have a great respect for the power of words, both spoken and written. As such, they tend to learn "high" languages as Celestial or Aklo, which they use extensively, especially in religious, official, commercial and judicial writings.

They also have a special, only written, language, the Razuglyph, a sacred alphabet taught to them by Razur itself. It is only used for the practice of [[Azure Sorcery (3.5e Feat)|azure sorcery]], for holy texts or administrative ones. If the need of reading aloud arise, each language has a spoken translation for Razuglyph.

===Names===

They have such names as Nemek, Aken-thon, Inotef, Baasim, and so on. Their names often have religious meanings, or represent pleasant things, such as "Fresh Water".

===Racial Traits=== 

{{3.5e Racial Traits
|name=Stercules

|attribbonus1=+2
|attrib1=Constitution
|attribbonus2=-2
|attrib2=Dexterity

|attribfluff=Resilient and well built, they lack agility.

|type=Humanoid
|subtype=Anthro
|typefluff=

|size=Small
|basespeed=20
|othermove=

|specialtext1=Stercules are covered in a chitin carapace which keeps them safe, and grants them a +1 armor bonus to AC, no maximum dexterity bonus, no armor check penalty, and does not count as armor for class features or pre-requisites. This chitin carapace prevents them from wearing actual armor, but it may be enhanced as if it was masterwork armor.
|special1=Elytron Carapace
|specialtype1=

|specialtext2=They are deceptively and incredibily strong, despite their size. They have the Powerful Build feature, making them count as one size larger when they are subject to a size modifier and it would be advantageous, or in any case in which being larger would be beneficial. They can also use weapons designed for creatures one size larger than them. They count as [[SRD:Carrying_Capacity#Bigger_and_Smaller_Creatures|Large quadrupedal creatures]] when determining carrying capacity (that is, they multiply their actual Strength score x3 to determine their ability to carry load). Lastly, they have a +4 racial bonus to Strength-based skill and ability checks.
|special2=Strength of the Scarab
|specialtype2=

|specialtext3=Stercules are quite resistant to the effects of heat, gaining a +2 racial bonus on such saving throws. They also move well in sand, avoiding reduction to their speed due to it.
|special3=Life in the Desert
|specialtype3=

|specialtext4=Having very crafty minds, no stercules is strange to at least some degree of engineering and craftmanship. They have a +2 racial bonus [[Craft]] and [[Knowledge]] (Engineering) checks. They also always treat [[Knowledge]] (Engineering) as a class skill. They gain the [[Give Me a Lever (3.5e Skill Trick)|Give Me a Lever]] skill trick for free.
|special4=Builder's Craft
|specialtype4=

|specialtext5=Stercules have been blessed by Razur with some magical prowess. They may perform the following supernatural ability (use your HD to determine the caster level):
:'''Cerulean Ward:''' Once per hour, you can invoke the divine protection of spirits as a free action and replicate the effects of the spell ''[[Cerulean Ward (3.5e Spell)|cerulean ward]]'' on yourself.
|special5=Magic of the Scarab 
|specialtype5=Su

|specialtext6=They have a [[Feral Strike (3.5e Variant Rule)|horn feral strike]], with the staticts presented below.
|special6=Beetle Horn
|specialtype6=

|specialtext7=Being sentient insects, they are still affected by effects that work on vermins or insects, but they gain a +2 racial bonus against such effects.
|special7=Vermin-like
|specialtype7=

|autolanguage=Common, Razuglyph, Celestial or Aklo
|bonuslanguage=Any, except for secret ones
|favoredclass=Fighter, Cleric or Ba Summoner
|la=0
|ecl=1
}}

{{3.5e Mundane Weapon
|weap=Beetle Horn
|sme=n
|ulot=o
|ampt=m
|cost=—
|sdamage=1d6
|mdamage=1d8
|crit=20/×2
|range=
|type=Bludgeoning
|weight=—
|hp=10
|hardness=5
}}

===Racial Options===

====Feats====

*[[Azure Sorcery (3.5e Feat)|Azure Sorcery]]<ref>Not racial, but related.</ref>

*[[Jeweled Elytron (3.5e Feat)|Jeweled Elytron]]

WIP:

*[[Jewel Wings (3.5e Feat)|Jewel Wings]]

===Pathfinder===

In Pathfinder games add the following traits:

*+2 to Strength

===Alternate Racial Features===
* ''Good Fate:'' A stercules with this trait has been touched by a special fortune. It gains the [[SRD:Luck Domain|Luck domain's granted power]], which stacks with the actual power. It can also use it to force another creature within 60 feet to reroll a roll it just made. It may share this trait's benefit with another creature by letting the creature touch it. All benefits from this trait are transferred to the creature until the next morning, if you haven't already used it. This alternate racial feature replaces either Strength of the Scarab or Magic of the Scarab.

* ''Astrologer's Craft:'' Instead of studying architecture and engineering, you deepened your connection to the arcane through the study of the star. You gain a racial +2 to [[Profession]] (Astrologer) and [[Spellcraft]] checks, and always treat [[Profession]] (Astrologer) as a class skill. Once per day, by observing the stars for 1d4+1 minute, you may replicate the spell ''[[Vision of the Future (3.5e Spell)|vision of the future]]''. This alternate racial feature replaces Builder's Craft.

<!--===Vital Statistics===

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|start=<!-- Starting age for PCs. 
|simple=<!-- Age modifier for simple classes (i.e. Barbarian, Rogue, and Sorcerer) 
|moderate=<!-- Age modifier for moderate classes (i.e. Bard, Fighter, Paladin, and Ranger) 
|complex=<!-- Age modifier for complex classes (i.e. Cleric, Druid, Monk, and Wizard) }} 

{{3.5e Racial Aging Effects
|name=<!-- insert race name 
|middle=<!-- starting age for middle age --
|old=<!-- starting age for old age --
|venerable=<!-- starting age for venerable age 
|maximum=<!-- max age modifier }} 

{{3.5e Racial Height and Weight
|name=<!-- insert race name --
|mHeightBase=<!-- male base feet height --' <!-- inches --"
|mHeightMod=<!-- male height modifier --
|mWeightBase=<!-- male base weight --
|mWeightMod=<!-- male weight modifier --
|fHeightBase=<!-- female base feet height --' <!-- inches ->"
|fHeightMod=<!-- female height modifier --
|fWeightBase=<!-- female base weight --
|fWeightMod=<!-- female weight modifier --}}
--->
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{{3.5e Races Breadcrumb}}
[[Category:3.5e]]
[[Category:User]]
[[Category:Race]]
{{Navboxes}}
Author	the bluez in the dungeon +
Class	Melee +
Cost	— gp +
Critical	20/×2 +
Damage	1d8 +
Damage Type	Bludgeoning +
Effective Character Level	1 +
Favored Class	Fighter +, Cleric + and Ba Summoner +
Hardness	5 +
Hit Points	10 +
Identifier	3.5e Race +
Level Adjustment	0 +
Proficiency	None +
Racial Ability Adjustments	+2 Constitution + and -2 Dexterity +
Range	— +
Rating	Undiscussed +
Size	Small + and One-Handed +
Subtype	Anthro +
Summary	A race of proud and strong beetle people, who love battle as well as introspection and art. +
Title	Stercules +
Type	Humanoid +
Weight	— +