Homebrew An'Ku Species Details

With traditions steeped in religious study and military discipline, the An’Ku are doglike humanoids that see themselves as the righteous defenders of the world. Whether in their homeland or abroad, they are vigilant against the most dangerous threats in the multiverse. Most tend to stay in their homeland, protecting their civilization against ancient threats. Others seek the open world and a life of adventure, looking for relics, knowledge, or allies to bring home. The rare few choose a more dangerous path; actively hunting the forces of evil so that idle threats in the world at large do not become powerful enough to threaten their homeland.

A United People

The An’Ku are an incredibly close-knit society. Very few stray from their homeland, and those that do are typically searching for treasures to bring home. They believe their culture to have been formed at an early stage by their gods, the Al’Ban. Almost every An’Ku is religious to some extent, with many seeing their faith as a deep bond that ties them to every other individual in their society. However, their faith is not one of passive contemplation. Their dogma focuses on the protection of their homelands and the eradication of evil, both domestic and foreign.

Soldier Society

Military service and training plays a large part in An’Ku society. As an extension of their faith, the military is seen as one of the highest callings for An’Ku. Every member of a large city must serve in the military for no less than two years, so even a merchant or researcher has some combat training. The An’Ku military has many disciplines and styles. Some regiments focus on pure combat and fighting, while others keep their faith with them in combat, serving as paladins or war clerics. The vast majority take a middle path, using ancient monastic traditions to combine religious contemplation with studied combat.

An’Ku Names

An’Ku society is very rigid, with the clergy and military offering the only paths to “nobility”. Those who do not show talent in either must forge their own way, either through trade skills or adventuring. An’Ku names reflect this caste system, with family names being reserved only for high-ranking families. If an An’Ku has a family name, it will be combined with their common name with an apostrophe. As an example, if Baat is from the Kudr clan, his full name would be Baat’Kudr.

Most An’Ku names have some symbolic meaning when translated from their native tongue of an’spel to common. They are also typically short; no more than one or two syllables.

Male: Baat, Palu, Oku, Oraa, Zel

Female: Vene, Os, Ner, Me, Fasa

Family Names: Rak, Anknor, Afrit, Tazen, Kookor

An'Ku Traits

An'Ku society leaves its mark, granting you several abilities.

Ability Score Increase

Your Wisdom score increases by 2, and your Dexterity score increases by 1.

Age

An'Ku mature slower and live longer than humans, but their early induction into military service disguises this disparity as young An'Ku are thrust into intellectual maturity by intense training and responsibility. They reach physical maturity by age 24, and can live as long as 150 years.

Alignment

Their deep religious ties and military culture means most An’Ku are of lawful alignment. Their faith also emphasizes the destruction of evil above all, so even a unlawful An’Ku are predisposed to good.

Size

An’Ku are between 5.5 and 7 feet tall and average about 200 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Martial Training

You are proficient with two martial weapons of your choice and with light armor.

Chosen People

You gain proficiency in the Religion skill.

Vigilance

You have advantage on Initiative rolls, and you can’t be surprised while you are conscious.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and An'Spel.