The akkilek are survivors of terrible violence who
rose up and, through divine blessing, destroyed their
AKKILEK
The bandits relaxed as they emerged from the
woods… all except Khi’rrush, who had been
looking around nervously for the last hour.
“Calm down, already, elf,” said Bennick,
“Another four miles and we’re home free. Those
funny-looking halflings will never catch us.”
“They weren’t halflings,” the drow replied,
“And I think they’ve already caught up to us.”
“Wrong, enslaver,” a voice boomed from the
roadside brush. “We beat you here!” A dozen
small figures sprang from hiding to surround the
bandits. “Those supplies you stole belong to us.
Give them back and we’ll only kill one of you.”
Khi’rrush growled, “Do what you want, I’m
dead anyway!” He drew his sword and leaped
at the diminutive warriors. The leader gave a
smile that never reached his compound eyes.
oppressors. They are now tireless protectors of the
wilderness and sworn enemies of the Drow.
Insect Kin
An akkilek looks like a halfling with two antennae
sprouting from her forehead and large compound
eyes. Body colors and patterns display the same
dizzying variety found among both halflings and
insects. Hair only grows on the scalp and can be any
color that is seen in halflings.
Free as
as a Bee
The akkilek are the remnant of a halfling nation that
suffered vicious drow raids. The halfling population
was decimated – many were killed, and many more
were carried off into slavery. The desperate tribesfolk
cried out to Melora for aid, and the goddess heard
their pleas. Melora sent her priestesses a vision that
taught a special rite. The survivors performed the
great ritual and thereby gained a mystic tie to the
insect world. With this newfound power the halflings
beat back the raiders and made their forest safe
again. In gratitude they dedicated themselves and
their descendants to the protection of Melora's
creatures. Upon sealing this pact Melora carried her
new servants to the Feywild and the akkilek race
was born.
The akkilek demeanor is a fusion of halfling
cheerfulness and the logical practicality of insects.
They take joy and pride in their labors, and most
think of hard work as fun. Love of nature is the
center of akkilek culture. They revere Melora for
saving them from death and slavery, so they see
protection of her wilderness as their sacred duty.
Akkilek are careful to avoid unnecessary damage to
natural settings. Their love of nature is matched only
by their hatred of drow; the presence of dark elves is
one of the few things that will provoke akkilek to
hostility. An actual Drow attack causes the insect
people to forget all other enmities and unite against
their hereditary foe.
For the Colony
Akkilek society is modeled on the societies of social
insects. The basic family unit is the clan, which
consists of a matriarch, her husbands and their
children. A matriarch’s number of husbands is
limited only by her status, which is mainly a
function of wealth. Females are forbidden to marry,
let alone breed, until they establish themselves as
matriarchs in their own right. Most never achieve
that success; competition is fierce and frequently
fatal. Males cannot inherit property and are often
treated as second class citizens – indeed, akkilek
men suffer the same treatment that women do in
most human cultures.
The akkilek have no lands of their own outside the
Feywild; they reside in enclaves within halfling or
human communities. They prefer to live in or near
wilderness, but they thrive in cities just as their
insect cousins do. Akkilek can’t tolerate cold but are
happy in conditions of heat and humidity that most
other humanoids can barely tolerate. Akkilek are
quite common in the Feywild, where vast forests
support huge queendoms of the insect folk.
Hive Minded
Akkilek are highly social beings who require very
little in the way of personal space. They dislike open
spaces and despise being alone. They have a great
dislike for leaving their colonies, so it takes a truly
great inducement to get them to do so. Exile and
flight from justice are the most common motives
(hence the large number of akkilek rogues), but
almost as many akkilek adventurers wander the
world in search of their ancestral enemies. The
chance to reduce the number of drow in the world
lures many young akkilek into a life of adventure.
Akkilek Names
Names
Akkilek follow the halfling naming convention.
Akkilek Traits
All akkilek gain certain traits from their ancestral
ties to the insect world.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score
increases by 2. Your Strength score increases by 1.
Age. An akkilek is fully grown around age 20 and
can live to be about 150.
Alignment. The insectoid nature of the akkilek
makes most of them neutral with respect to law and
chaos. Their devotion to Melora gives them a strong
preference for good.
Size. Akkilek average about 3 feet in height and
weigh 35-50 pounds. Your size is Small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
Darkvision. Your eyes are accustomed to the
darkness underground. 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.
Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving
throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put
you to sleep.
Incorruptible Blood. You have advantage on
saving throws versus disease and poison.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write
Common and Halfling.
Subrace. Akkilek have unique abilities that vary
according to what group of insects they have affinity
for. Choose one of these subraces.
Hyo-Akkilek
Those akkilek who have an affinity for ants and
termites are the strongest of their kind. When in
their colonies they use their acidic saliva as a
building tool, but it is also a potent weapon.
Leafcutter’s Burden. You are considered one size
class larger – in your case, Medium – for the purpose
of carrying capacity and the amount of weight you
can lift or drag. This benefit extends to any other
person who is helping you carry a load.
Termite’s Kiss. You spit a glob of caustic gel at a
target within 30 feet. You can make an unarmed
ranged attack, with which you are proficient, that
does 1d6 + Dexterity modifier (minimum 1) acid
damage on a hit. The damage die is 1d8 if the target
is made primarily of plant matter (i.e. a wooden door
or a plant creature). You regain this ability after you
finish a short or long rest.
Swarm Hearts
The insect world has a lot more variety than the five
subraces presented here. Follow these guidelines if you
wish to create your own akkilek subraces.
• Choose a group of insects as the theme and give the
subrace a name based on a technical term for that
group (such as “hyo-” from hymenoptera, “kol-” from
coleoptera, “lati-” from blattidae, “tho-” from
orthoptera, or “ves-” from vespidae).
• There is no ability score increase.
• There are two, and only two, subrace abilities. One of
them should be derived from the physical traits of the
theme group and is usually combat related. The other
should be a synergistic talent that either aids others
or enhances a cooperative task.
Lati-Akkilek
Lati-akkilek, with their affinity for roaches and
silverfish, are the breed of akkilek most familiar to
city dwellers. They thrive in conditions of squalor
that few other races can tolerate and are adept at
escaping when discovered where they should not be.
 Dirt Dweller. You are resistant to poison damage. You must finish a short or long rest before you can
You also end the effects of a disease on yourself, use this ability again.
including any conditions imposed by that disease,
whenever you expend a hit die to regain hit points.
Flee the Light. Whenever the lighting conditions
brighten (darkness to dim light or dim light to bright
light) you gain a bonus action that you can only use
to take the Dash or Disengage action. This benefit
also extends to any allies within 10 feet of you.

Kol-Akkilek
Akkilek with a tie to beetles are not merely tough;
they make those around them tougher as well.
Beetle Shield. You have resistance to piercing
and slashing damage.
Scarab Vitality. Whenever you or an ally within
10 feet is reduced to 0 hit points or less you can use
your reaction to cause that person to immediately
regain hit points as if they had expended one of their
hit dice and rolled the maximum result (including
their Constitution modifier). You must finish a long
rest before using this ability again.

Tho-Akkilek
Tho-akkilek have affinity for grasshoppers, crickets,
and locusts. They are expert leapers, and even other
akkilek regard them as lucky.
Cricket’s Fortune. Whenever you or an ally
within 60 feet of you fails an attack roll or saving
throw you may use this ability to let them roll again
and take the second result. If the beneficiary of this
effect had advantage on the roll they have advantage
on the re-roll as well. You regain this ability after
you finish a short or long rest.
Locust’s Leap. You have advantage on all
Athletics checks for jumping, and you make all
jumps as if you had a running start.

Ves-Akkilek
The ves-akkilek are kin to bees and wasps. They
excel at teamwork and are known for having
concealed weapons that are impossible to confiscate.
Strength of the Hive. When you take the Help
action the person being helped adds your proficiency
bonus to the roll.
Wasp Dagger. You have a barbed stinger in your
off-hand forearm that you can extend from a slit
above your wrist as a bonus action. When you attack
with this stinger – you are proficient with this
weapon – you do 1d4 + Strength modifier (minimum
1) piercing damage and the target must make a
Constitution saving throw. Failure leaves the target
paralyzed until the end of your next turn. A creature
that is immune to poison does not suffer paralysis.