Insectare

Rumor says the insectare descend from a magical mingling of elves and insects. Their lime-green skin and two eight-foot antennae, which sprout behind pointed elven ears, give them away, so they dress in heavy hooded robes and coil the antennae in the folds or slip them down their backs. Their eyes are subtly faceted, though from five feet away they look normal, and insectare rarely let anyone that close. Most stand 6 feet or more, powerfully muscled under a hard exoskeleton. No female has been reported, but so few have seen any insectare unhooded that one could have gone unnoticed.

They converse by touching antennae and also speak a clicking, lilting tongue blending common with their insect ancestors' speech. Listeners who know common have a 30% chance to follow the gist of a conversation but cannot translate it for others.

Once a fight starts, insectare do not stop until the enemy is beaten. They pursue fleeing foes to force surrender and execute those who refuse. They fight with a long sword and both antennae, which strike as whips for 1d2. Often one antenna snares the foe's weapon hand (needing an 18 or higher to hit) as the blade and other antenna strike; the trapped limb is useless until a Dexterity check frees it. Their exoskeleton equals plate mail without hindering movement and has no known weak spot.

Those met abroad are fighters, wizards, thieves or multiclassed as fighter/wizard, thief/wizard or fighter/thief/wizard; priests never multiclass. Wizards can reach 14th level, all other classes 11th. Their wizards rely on swordplay and guard their magic jealously; how far that magic goes is unknown, beyond their mastery of starhelms, and they reveal nothing without overwhelming cause. Death threats do not count.

They mean to master the spaceways and work toward it quietly, setting other races against each other while staying in the shadows. Their homeworld is closed and its location secret; captured trespassers are harshly questioned about who else knows of it, then publicly executed, since insectare keep no prisoners. They live inside huge hollowed mountains, reportedly honeycombed with dwellings, rising from endless forests.

Their society has two main classes. Wizards explore the void between worlds in search of magical power, working subtly among foreigners to acquire it. Priests stay home serving their god, the Hive Lord. A priest found offworld is on a mission of great importance. At 2nd level a priest gains the power to call insects from the surroundings against one foe; the swarm arrives in one round, deals 1d8 per round and lasts one round per caster level. Priests, oddly, have ordinary eyes. Ten ancient high priests, all 11th level and twice normal size, never leave the homeworld and speak directly with their god.

Though thieves are scorned at home, some insectare steal anyway, taking only magic and ignoring gold and gems. After a major theft they often plant a false clue pointing to another known thief, perhaps a player character. A faceted eye between two antennae marks a wizard, fighter or thief; a plain eye with antennae marks a priest. These glyphs appear as signatures on stolen documents.

Their distinctive ship, the chitterwing, looks like a grasshopper's head trailing two long antennae, and its name means 'service to the Hive Lord'. It is driven by a gleaming copper globe pierced by two holes, into which the pilot slides its antennae. No one else can use this helm, and insectare cannot operate any other type. A larger version is rumored but unconfirmed.

Spacefarers, elves above all, avoid them, and elves furiously deny kinship. Insectare try hard to go unnoticed among elves and others, but their secrecy keeps many on guard. A skilled weaponsmith can turn an insectare's shell into a +1 shield and an antenna into a whip or short rope. Insectare consider this an abomination and instantly hate anyone carrying such gear.