Homebrew Kitsune Race Details
A young traveler walks by a lake clearing at night his view lit only by the moon and stars, A young woman is seen wandering at its shores. In curiosity he decides to follow her due to her enchanting appearance. As he is lead further into the forest following the light of her lanterns he find himself alone suddenly except for a massive fox nine tailed fox standing before him. In fear he runs in a random direction and trips falling unconscious, when he comes to he find himself back in his home with his wounds healed as dismisses it as a strange dream.
A kitsune can shift its from it's vulpine form to a humanoid of their choosing with a single thought. Many Kitsune use this gift as a method to blend in with society, but it’s an invaluable tool for grifters, spies, and others who wish to deceive. This leads many people to treat known kitsune with fear and suspicion.
Pranksters
Kitsune have the tendency to sneak into human villages some play pranks others try to help society by acting as healers, diviners, or spiritualists.
Kitsune tend to fall under one of two categories, the Zenko who are kind and benevolent and the Yako who vary from being mischievous to outright malicious. The Zenko help those in need using their knowledge and skills sometimes acting as leaders in rebellions but more often simply as scholars, healers, or diviners. The Yako however are known to go so far as destroying countries for their amusement by posing as their leaders or those close to them. They will often play pranks in while appearing as someone who as spited them.
In creating a kitsune adventurer, consider how the character uses their gifts. Does the character use their abilities to help or harm mortals? If they choose to harm due they comit crimes or do they play harmless pranks? Do they use their abilities to create connections or are they keep to themselves?
Faces, Hands and Hearts
In their natural form kitsune are slender foxes with pale fur ranging from orange to white depending on their age, and silver eyes in slits. They have one to nine tails depending on their level of spiritual power. A kitsune can alter its physical appearance with ease. They frequently use this ability to blend, in deceive others, or simply for vanity. A kitsune shifts shapes the way others might change clothes. A shape of vanity — one created on simply for the fun of it — is called a Face. A Face can be used to for a prank to change the mood or to serve another simple purpose then is simply discarded and ignored. However, many Kitsune become attached to one form and develop an identity to pair with it. They build this identity over time, crafting a personality, beliefs, history as well as other aspects. This focused identity, or Hand, helps a Kitsune fill a particular role. A Kitsune adventurer might have Hands for many situations, such as a job, combat, or just social life. Hands can be used to deceive others or simply to blend in with society. Finally a Heart is a perfect copy of another's appearance, however a Kitsune cannot access the original's memories, knowledge, or abilities. They may simply take on the form of someone they admired or use it to trick others and play pranks.
Kitsune Names
A Kitsune might use a different name for each face and hand and will choose the name of the original when using a heart. The true name of a kitsune is kept secret but tends to be simple and made of one to three short syllables often emphasizing the use of vowels. Names are considered valuable to kitsune and they will not ask for your name nor will they use their own in relations.
While technically genderless Kitsune typical prefer female forms but are willing to pick either role if necessary.
Kitsune Names: Kon, Kokori, Eun, Fi, Yukari, Tepe, Jin, Hikari, Shakti, Samal, Runa, Hikari, Yoko, Anju, Haku, Yun.
A distant homeland
The Kitsune hail from a strange island which they refer to as the Island of Eternity. Not much is known about the island but if asked the Kitsune will indifferently describe it as a place rich in vegetation, filled with wildlife, and abundant with the weave, however they will also say it is forever unchanging and as a result very boring. Many scholars theorize it is located on a demiplane cut off from space time but there is no way to know as it is said you cannot enter only leave. The Kitsune leave their homeland through a door they refer to as gate upon reaching adulthood and appear in a random time and place. They will say the felt strongly compelled to pass through that door and did so as if in a trance.
Kitsune Traits
Your kitsune character has the following traits.Ability Score Increase
Your Wisdom score increases by 2, and either your Charisma or your Intelligence increases by 1 (your choice).
Age
Kitsune are considered to be adults once they reach 100 years and will stay in their fox form until then. Once they become 100 they can freely change their appearance into a humanoid at will including those they have seen before. They typically live from 800-1000 years but many are hunted a killed for their tails which are considered good luck charms well before then.
Alignment
The Zenko are benevolent by nature and tend to lean towards good alignments while the Yako take tend to lean towards chaotic and sometimes even evil alignments.
Size
In their natural forms, kitsune are large foxes with 1-9 tails and average between 5 to 6 feet in height, with a slender build. Your size is Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Change Appearance
As an action, you can transform your appearance or revert to your fox form. You can’t duplicate the appearance of a creature you’ve never seen, and you revert to your natural form if you die. Your appearance is given away by your reflection.
You decide what you look like, including your height, weight, facial features, the sound of your voice, coloration, hair length, sex, and any other distinguishing characteristics. You can make yourself appear as a member of another race, though none of your game statistics change. You also can only appear as a medium humanoid creature and it must be bipedal. Your clothing and other equipment will stay as whatever they were when you last changed and the size and shape will not change to match your new form, requiring you to keep a few extra outfits on hand to make the most compelling disguise possible.
Even to the most astute observers, your ruse is usually indiscernible. If you rouse suspicion, or if a wary creature suspects something is amiss, you have advantage on any Charisma (Deception) check you make to avoid detection.
Trickery
You gain proficiency with two of the following skills of your choice: Deception, Intimidation, Insight, and Persuasion.
Bare Fangs
When a creature you can see makes an attack roll against you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the roll. You must use this feature before knowing whether the attack hits or misses.
Using this trait reveals your shapeshifting nature to any creature within 30 feet that can see you. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Fox Form
When in your true vulpine form your movement speed increases by 10 and you gain Darkvision however you cannot wield weapons, use tools, or cast spells that require somatic or material components. Your barehanded damage changes to slashing damage.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and two other languages of your choice.
Spiritualism
You can choose between 3 systems Orbs, Bead, and Spirit Infusion.
Spiritualism: Beads
With this variant system, a kitsune with the Spellcasting feature uses beads instead of spell slots to fuel spells. Each spell consumes a different number of beads which is based on the Spell Level. The Bead Table summarizes the number of beads from required to cast spells from the 1st to the 9th level. Cantrips don't require slots and therefore don't require spell points. Instead of gaining a number of spell slots from the Spellcasting feature, you gain a pool of beads instead. You expend a number of beads to create a spell slot of a given level, and then use that slot to cast a spell. You can't reduce your bead total to less than 0, and you regain all lost beads when you finish a long rest. Spells of 6th level and higher are particularly taxing to cast. You can use beads to create one slot of each level of 6th or higher. You can't create another slot of same level until you finish a long rest. The number of spell points you have to spend is based on your level as a spellcaster, as shown in the Spell Points by Level table. Your level also determines the maximum-level spell slot you can create. Even though you might have enough beads to create a slot above this maximum, you can't do so. The Beads by Level table applies to bards, clerics, druids, sorcerers, and wizards. For a paladin or ranger, halve the character's level in that class and the consult the table. For a fighter (Eidritch Knight) or (Arcane Trickster), divide the character's level in that class by three.
Spiritualism: Spirit Infusion
Inject your spiritual power into your weapon and transfer it into your target. After Stacking Death Marks up to 10 times with your basic attack you can use the action 5 fingered death to hit an enemy with a palm strike which deals 1d4 force damage at level 1 2d4 at level 5, 3d4 at level 15, and 4d4 at level 20 per stack. Due to the strain this technique places on the users spirit can only use it once per long rest.
Spiritualism: Orbs
You have to 10 orbs surrounding you neck as if mounted on a rosary. Active orbs glow slightly and inactive orbs are dim, when you cast a spell you a you consume orbs instead of spell slots. The number of orbs equal to spell level divided by 2 rounded up +1 are rendered inactive, Orbs will reactivate once per three turns.