Homebrew Awakened Doggie Species Details

THE SOUND OF THE HORNS WARNED
OF THE RAIDERS’ APPROACH. Even before
Alynd had begun to roll out of her tent and draw her
knives, Oak was already moving, low to the ground
with his hackles raised and a barely audible growl
in his throat. He was an old dog now, grey at the
muzzle and deaf in one ear. They'd grown together,
dark skinned girl and snow white dog, never apart.
Oak had been as true and strong as the tree whose
name he bore. Comforting her through loss, joyous
in play, unfailing in trust and deadly in defence of
his family. If tonight, protecting the children of the
village below, was the night they fell, it would be as
they had lived, together as one, human and dog.
A bond not even death could break.
The warmth of a roaring hearth fire, the breathless
joy of the hunt, the trackless paths of a long journey.
Provided they are close to the ones they call family
and pack, dogs can call anywhere home. For much of
history, dogs have been stalwart companions, faithful
guardians and beloved kin to their two-legged allies.
Loyalty, faith, devotion and selflessness have guided
the dog through the ages.

From the Animal Adventures Source Book; Dungeons and Doggies. Written by Russ Charles

Awakened Doggie Traits

The diversity of dogs is hard to generalise but dogs begin with the following traits.

Keen Senses

Dogs have advantage on
Perception checks based on smell or hearing and
disadvantage on Perception checks depending
upon colour recognition.

Best Friend

Dogs may cast the Charm Person
spell using Charisma as the spellcasting ability
once per long rest. No spell components are
necessary. The DC for this ability is 8 + your
Charisma modifier.

Worse than the Bark

You have a natural bite attack.
You are proficient with this attack and it counts as
both a weapon attack and an unarmed attack. This
attack does 1d4 + your Strength modifier damage.
This increases to 1d6 + your Strength modifier at
level 5 and 1d8 + your Strength modifier at level 10.

Many Breeds, Many Forms

Dogs have such
variety of shapes and breeds that they are highly
diverse. Choose one of the following subraces
to reflect your chosen breeding and select two
Breed Abilities from the list below.