Homebrew Wolfborn Species Details

Physical Description

In their human form, they look exactly like humans, though some may have more wolf like features than others. Some have wolf ears at the top of their heads or even tails. Their appearance is as varied as humans. Some possess dark skin, some have have lighter skin. Some have brown eyes, others have blue, green, and grey. They can have black, brown, blonde, and reddish hair. In their wolf form, wolfborn look identical to regular wolves. They typically appear to have grey fur, though it is not uncommon for their fur to be white, black, brown, or even tan. Regardless of physical appearance, a keen observer may notice the intelligence in their eyes, an intelligence that does not belong. At least, to a wolf.

History

Wolfborn are a young, nearly extinct race. They are the rare children born to lycanthropes that are "blessed" to not inherit their parent's curse, but yet cursed to inherit a portion of their parent's shape-changing abilities. Most scholars believe that, no more than 250 years after the first wolfborn was born, humans discovered wolfborn for the first time. Naturally, they mistook them for lycanthropes and, in their fear and hatred of lycanthropes, the humans hunted down and slaughtered any and all wolfborn they found. As such, the wolfborn are few and far between. Though they are perfectly capable of reproduction, finding a mate is almost as hard as keeping humans from knowing what they are. There no known cases of wolfborn being descended from non-human lycanthropes, though recorded history regarding the wolfborn is woefully incomplete.

Society

The wolfborn have little contact with each other, as revealing one's true nature usually a death sentence. Those few wolfborn who meet other wolfborn can at least respect that the other is still alive, if not how and why. Wolfborn who are raised differently alomost certain have opinions and dislikes about they other, but they rarely get to the point of violence. Their kind is too few for them to kill each other off. Those few humans who understand the wolfborn, and most are scholars or those who have fought alongside a wolfborn, find that they are loyal friends and will never abandon a friend or ally, even at the cost of their own lives. Young wolfborn are highly energetic and puppy-ish, often bringing smiles to the faces of most people they meet. Some, however, can see young wolfborn are annoying and irritating. Wolfborn naturally favor being in groups, often times disregarding the risk of their ally killing them if their true nature were to be discovered. Elves are usually understanding if not friendly towards wolfborn, making them a wolfborn's greatest ally.

Wolfborn Traits

Descendants of lycanthropes who are feared and misunderstood. Their kind are very, very few in number, but those that are alive are still hunted like the monsters they are not.

Dark Vision

Yours are the eyes of the midnight hunter. Whether the moon is out or hidden, you can find your prey. 

Wolfborn Traits

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2.
Age. Wolfborn are considered mature at roughly age 15 and can live to be around 100 years old.
Alignment. Wolfborn raised by humans are generally more lawful, while those raised by wolves are typically more chaotic.
Size. Wolfborn average 5'7" and 150 lbs. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Human Beast. Depending on whether you are in your human or wolf form, your creature type is considered humanoid or beast respectively.
Keen Hearing and Smell. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks made to detect or find using hearing or scent.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common. However, you can only understand any language you know when in your wolf form.
Subrace. A wolfborn is generally either human raised or wolf raised. If your background does not have you being raised by humans or wolves, pick which subrace best applies. For example, if you were raised by a dwarf, then human raised may fit best, while wolf raised may work for a wolfborn raised by an elf.