Eki-ot

Eki-ot evolved as psychic predators using their natural wyrding to cause the biology of their prey to go haywire. The Eki-ot innate wyrding allowed them to dominate some of their more hostile neighbors and establish themselves as a force within the galaxies.

Forested Melda-nak
Eki-ot originated on Melda-nak in the Tyg-nur system (Tyg-nur D). Melda-nak is a temperate world that is heavily forested. After the Eki-ot established permanent colonies across their home system, their homeworld became akin to a nature reserve to be protected and cherished as a many cultures among the Eki-ot have strong hunting traditions.

The Cosmic Hunt
While the Eki-ot are not a monoculture, a lot of their traditions are based on hunts, which is fairly common for most predatory species throughout the galaxies. After learning about and developing hyper-jump technology, the desire to seek out new hunting territories caused them to stretch out in all directions.

A new tradition started among the Eki-ot hunting parties. Every ten Meld-nak years (approximately 11.34 standard years) every Eki-ot would be expected to pilgrimage back to Melda-nak to gaze on their ancient homeworld and in hopes to be able to take on a sacred hunt that retraces the first steps of their people.

Predatory Mindset
While still a civilized member of the galactic community, the Eki-ot are predators, first and foremost. Similar to most predatory species, they can be unnerving psychologically to other, non-predatory, species. While not outwardly aggressive or violent in their own right, their decision making is always swift and exact, dedicating themselves to an action, even if it turns out to be erroneous.

Eki-ot Traits
Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 1, and Charisma score increases by 2.

Age: Eki-ot have short lives compared to most humanoids, reaching adulthood at around 10 years and living just past 50 years.

Size: Eki-ot commonly fall between 157 and 213 centimeters tall when reared up. Your size is Medium.

Speed: Your base slither speed is 9 meters.

Naganoid: While humanoid for all intents and purposes, Eki-ot lack lower appendages. You have a long serpentine torso. You have advantage on Athletics and Acrobatics checks to determine grappling and for climbing on surfaces that you can easily wrap around.

Natural Wyrd: You have one Focus Point at first level and gain another focus point at 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th levels. When you use a talent, you use up focus points and then you gain levels of exhaustion once your focus is depleted.

Focus points return after a short or long rest, but exhaustion heals like normal.

'''Paralyzing Gaze [Talent]: '''Eki-ot, no matter the gender, has a similar hypnotizing ability. As an action, target creature must make a Wisdom saving throw DC 8 + your Charisma modifier + the amount of Focus expended or becomes paralyzed as long as it can see you within 9 meters.

They may make a saving throw at the end of each of their turns. A successful saving throw makes them immune to this ability for 24 hours.

This talent can be maintained by expending the Focus or taking the appropriate level of Exhaustion, but it requires concentration.

Gender Dimorphism: Eki-ot do not have subspecies, but they are different along their gender lines.

Languages: Eki-ot speak, read, and write Numar as well as Standard.

Female Eki-ot
Females are able to use their paralyzing gaze to plant a command in their victim to cause their body chemistry to run amok and calcify itself.

'''Petrifying Gaze [Wyrd Talent]:' While the target is affected by your paralyzing gaze'', you may expend a number of Focus equal to the target’s Hit Die, if you do, they may attempt a new save. On a failed save the target becomes Petrified. If they succeed the save or you become incapacitated, they become immune to this effect for 24 hours and the effect is reversed.

Male Eki-ot
Males are able to use their paralyzing gaze to plant a command in their victim to cause their body chemistry to run amok, poisoning itself.

'''Poisonous Gaze [Wyrd Talent:' While the target is affected by your paralyzing gaze'', you may expend a minimum of one Focus point. If you do, they may attempt a new saving throw. On a failure, they take your proficiency bonus d4 poison damage (treating immunity to poison as a resistance). At the end of each of their turns, they take that many d4 again for a number of rounds equal to the amount of focus you expended.