Rastipede (Alternative)

Rastipedes are six feet long insectoid "centaurs" with eight walking limbs and a vaguely humanoid torso with two upper "arms", all covered in a chitinous exoskeleton. Their heads are very insect-like, having two large compound eyes, a chitinous mandible, and a pair of long, whip-like antennae.

Combat
Rastipedes are inherently peaceful and avoid combat whenever possible; their great movement rate allowing them to avoid many unpleasant encounters. However, they are not cowardly, but can (and do) use the full range of weapons usable by humans. They attempt to keep enemies at range, so as to keep their own casualties to a minimum. Their favored weapon in this regard is a composite longbow made for their use. Their hard chitinous armor allows them to make melee attacks with their claws, doing 1d4 points of damage with each.
Tremorsense (Ex): Rastipede can automatically sense the location of anything within 60 feet that is in contact with the ground.
Wide Vision (Ex): Because of its multiple eyes and wide angle of vision, a rastipede has a +4 racial bonus on spot checks and cannot be flanked.
Skills: Rastipedes have a +2 racial bonus on appraise and bluff checks.

RASTIPEDES AS CHARACTERS
Rastipede characters possess the following racial traits.

R	+6 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom, –2 Charisma.
R	Speed: Rastipede land speed is 40 feet.
R	Darkvision out to 60 feet.
R	Racial Hit Dice: A rastipede begins with three levels of abberation, which provide 3d8 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +2, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +1, Ref +1, and Will +3.
R	Racial Skills: A rastipede's abberation levels give it skill points equal to 6 x (2+ Int modifier, minimum 1). Its class skill are Appraise, Bluff, Diplomacy, Knowledge, Listen, Profession, Speak Language, Sense Motive and Spot. Rastipedes have a +2 racial bonus on appraise and bluff checks.
R	Racial Feats: A rastipede's abberation levels give it two feats.
R	Weapon Proficiency: A rastipede is proficient with all simple weapons and receive Martial Weapon Proficiency feats for longbows (including composite longbow) and shortbow (including composite shortbow) as bonus feats. Rastipedes value keeping a distance between themselves and their enemies and all rastipedes are familiar with these weapons.
R	+4 natural armor bonus.
R	Natural Weapons: Claws (1d4).
R	Special Qualities (see above): Tremorsense, wide vision.
R	Natural Spelljammers: Rastipedes are natural spelljammers, and when seated in a helm adds 30 feet to the tactical speed of any spelljammer vessel he pilots (depending on other rules on how spelljamming tactical speed is increased by a +1 TS bonus).
R	Excellent Linguist: A rastipede character regardless of class has “speak language” as a class skill.
R	Automatic Languages: Rastipedes and one other language that is commonly found in wildspace. Bonus Languages: Common, Dohwar, Dralasite, Dwarven and Elven.
R	Favored Class: Rastipede.
R	Level Adjustment: +2.

RASTIPEDE SOCIETY
    Rastipedes are born from eggs, which are laid by a queen who lives deep within the ground in the secluded caverns where the rastipedes have their nests. Rastipedes spend the first two decades of their lives underground, gaining a strong sense of duty and responsibility to the nest and the community. All rastipedes are well taught in the literature of their own race (which is quite extensive) and mathematics. When they have reached the age of an adult (known as the "second molt" to rastipedes), they are assigned duties within their community. It is at this time that some seek adventure.
    A nest of rastipedes might contain anywhere from 100-600 individuals, half of which are immature and are incapable of combat. The adults, however, are fanatically committed to the defense of the nest above all else.
    Rastipedes earn names that are indicative of their productivity to the nest. Such names are more a matter of status. Rastipedes can also earn names due to important jobs they do such as forager (gathers food) or bloodspiller (defends the nest from dangerous threats). To these names of status or positions all rastipedes carry the nest name, which seem to be used only when rastipedes meet other rastipedes from another nest. Aphidgarden, Goldhill, Water Raiders, are but a few names that rastipedes carry as their nest name.
    Rastipedes worship gods of insects, merchants, travel, and industry. The following gods and goddesses are found among rastipedes: Suel goddess Bralm (she is often seen as defender of rastipede nests, choose any two of the following domains: Animal, Law, Strength and with the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book the DM might consider Planning Domain), Celestian (choose any of the following domains: Knowledge, Travel, Protection), and Mouqol (Knowledge, Travel, Trickery) and lastly Waukeen (choose any of the following domains: Knowledge, Protection, Travel, Trade).

In the Spheres
    Rastipedes are best known across the crystal spheres as traders. They commonly employ crews and hire ships to transport goods back and forth across wildspace, usually turning a profit with every voyage. They are hardworking in all their dealings. Most others view them as misers with little sense of humor. "Idle time is wasted time" is a phrase heard in the nest that spawns the rastipede. As such they are always thinking, even when working, on how best to expend their time.

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©2002 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

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Rastipede, © 1990 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
d20™ System, Conversion of Rastipede ©2003, Mark Doolan
Original Source: Monstrous Compendium #7

Notes on this Conversion: When remaking the alternative rastipede for 3.5 I opted to make them a pony/human tauric creature template that was then modified by the insectile creature template. While it not a direct conversion from SJ 2nd edition (like WotC kepted the Banshee 10HD when they redid that critter), I believe it to be a very nice conversion. This conversion also works well for the Vrusk as well.