Homebrew Cú Dé Species Details

I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways

Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears

I hid from Him, and under running laughter.

Up vistaed hopes I sped;
And shot, precipitated,

Adown Titanic glooms of chasmèd fears,
From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.

But with unhurrying chase,
And unperturbéd pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
They beat—and a Voice beat
More instant than the Feet—
“All things betray thee, who betrayest Me.”.

— Francis Thompson, The Hound of Heaven

 

They lived apart for centuries, biding their time, building up their rituals and traditions of keeping the Wolf within imprisoned. But the word is spreading - the Cú Dé walk the streets of cities, and quiet country roads, even to the darkest depths of forest, caves and obscure dungeons, hunting their own kind. They are Cú Dé (pronounced kuː /dʲeː/), the 'hounds of God'. Through profound meditation, ritual works and a painful rite involving the constraint of the shapeshifter's body with silver bands stitched into the skin, these men and women look just like any human. But while their transformation has been kept at bay, they retain certain advantages from their curse. They have been granted extraordinary senses, speed and a toughness that aids them in the pursuit of werewolves and other unnatural predators. 

Cú Dé most often count among their number Fighters, Monks, and even sometimes Paladins. Art by Laura Renfrew - lafrew.carbonmade DOT com

These violent delights have violent ends

While not much is officially known about the Cú Dé, some have speculated that they also retain the long-life of certain shapechangers or Undead. However, whether they age more slowly than humans, or not at all, their nature and compulsion to hunt still means few live long outside their places of safety, often dying in pitched battle.

A face in the crowd

The Cú Dé are - to a one - survivors of lycanthropy. It has also been reported that in addition to their highly maintained secrecy, no non-human members of the Cú Dé sect have ever been detected. Whether this speaks to an enshrined form of xenophobia, or is a strategic choice by their leaders, is not known. 

Not so fortunate

Despite their secrecy, their hidden rituals and magical rites, it remains a simple fact that each and every Cú Dé - is a werewolf. And the preventative measure that allows them not to transform is a silver cage, stitched into their skin. If that arcane metalwork is damaged, if the cage should break, a Cú Dé is taken by bloodlust and will transform into an uncontrollable werewolf. 

 

Cú Dé Traits

Little is known about the Cú Dé but what studies have been attempted have uncovered the following traits.

Keen Hearing and Smell. 

The werewolf has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.

Darkvision

Thanks to your werewolf curse, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. 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.

Ability Score Increase

Your ability scores each increase by 1.

Menacing

You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 40 feet.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and one extra language of your choice. Humans typically learn the languages of other peoples they deal with, including obscure dialects. They are fond of sprinkling their speech with words borrowed from other tongues: Orc curses, Elvish musical expressions, Dwarvish military phrases, and so on.