Homebrew Kipir Race Details

Basic Description

An evolved form of a winged Owlbear variant known as a Kipine. Having shed their 'monstrosity' rating for a smaller form and a more civilized life style.
Pronunciation: Kih-PEER

Kipir stand about 6.5-7 feet tall, and lithe like the elves. They are just as happy walking on their talons as they are flying. They can not hover. Their tough hides are covered in thick fur, black or brown.  On their faces, they have feathers instead of fur, generally white. They have mouths, not beaks. Their eyes are almond shaped, with black iris. The pupils glow faintly in the dark. They have dark grey wings, resembling those of a wyvern. When crossing their arms, the wings cover their bodies like a cloak. They have small horns, about 2 inches long, sticking out on the top of their heads. Their triangular ears come out next to the horns. They can, and generally do, dye their fur and wings various colors, just for fun.

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Tribe Life

They live in tribes, either in a tree house village, interconnected with walkways, or mountainside nests (like giant swallow nests) made of wood, also interconnected with walkways. Kipir who no longer have a twin or their twin’s egg never hatched, tend to be groomed for leadership roles. Three of them are elected to be the tribe’s rulers, and lead until they die or choose to retire. The rest make up the “Council of Ones”, to aid the rulers.

All of them wear a necklace. They make and decorate their own as part of a right of passage. They tend to make it to fit their chosen occupation. For example, the warriors have a thick heavy necklace which holds their shield. The leaders each wear one of "opulence” that gets handed down from leader to leader. Some like to decorate their necklaces with shiny trinkets they have found here and there.

Offspring and Community

Females go into heat 3 times in their lives, and lays 2 eggs each time. No more, no less. There is a deep fondness between mates, but mates for life is rare. In families where the father is not constant, he is still a part of their lives. Children are tribe- and mother-raised. Fathers take on a kindly grandfather, or uncle role, sometimes taking his children for a couple times a month to spend quality time. All Kipir are twins, until death. There is a strong sense of community.

Twins have a slight empathetic bond with each other. They can sense strong emotions from each other. They know if one was injured. And they definitely know when their twin dies. But they are *NOT* telepathic.

Armor and Weaponry

Kipir Warriors tend to use weaponry like polearms, spears, javelins and barbed nets. When flying, they use their talons. When on the ground, they fight with their claws. They can grip the weapons with either, with ease. They lose an attack when switching from flying to ground attack, and vice versa. The foe would also have advantage of attack.  Kipir get to choose an open field terrain of their choice for advantage (mountain, hill, grassland, etc), but also have a disadvantage fighting in any enclosed area (narrow town, dungeon, so on)

The Outside World

They are adept with their claws and talons. They make pottery and weave baskets, colored dyes and brushes, which they trade with other races nearby. They go to towns and cities two times a month for trade. While uncommon, Kipir are not unknown in the Realm. They tend to stay to themselves otherwise. They have a rich oral tradition, but no written language.  Their language is a series of growls and chirps, tweets and coos. But many of them do tend to learn Common

They don’t care much about money, they think humanoid races are silly for being so materialistic. They trade their wares for food and other materials. But they are like magpies in their fascination and love of shiny things.

Eating Habits

They are mostly carnivores, but can subside for a time on berries and nuts. A Kipir’s favorite treat is the rare bit of honey.

Views On Other Races

Most Kipir only interact with other races during twice monthly ‘Trade days’ where they go to the nearest village (often Human or Elven) to trade goods. Kipir like to live separate from other civilizations but most (not all) are also welcoming and friendly toward other peaceful races.

Kipir Names

Kipir names cannot be pronounced in other languages but a Kipir who chooses to leave his or her tribe may often take a name they have heard and think common to other races, they cannot tell the difference between male names and female names unless they have studied other races somewhat.

Kipir Traits

The following traits are shared by player characters who are Kipir.

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma score increases by 2, and your Strength score increases by 1.

Proficiency

You gain proficiency in Stealth and Perception

Age

Kipir mature at age 10. Life expectancy it 50-60 years. They learn to fly at age 3.

Alignment

Lawful Neutral

Size

Average around 6.5 - 7 feet and average 200 lbs. Your size is medium

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet. (Fly speed is 60 feet)

Darkvision

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.

Flight

Kipir have a wingspan of approximately 7 feet, tip to tip. That can fly in any space accommodating that wingspan. Any confined space small than that and they cannot fly in that space. They prefer outdoors for that reason. Kipir can NOT hover. They can attack while flying if they have an appropriate weapon.

Natural Armor

Your bear-like hide and fur gives you a bonus of AC=12+Dex when unarmored.

True North

They always know which way is north, and approximately what time it is.

Vulnerability

You have vulnerability to poison damage.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and speak Kipir (No written language for Kipir)