Homebrew Xu'keen Species Details

In an illegal fighting ring beneath Sargrad, a massive ogre grins ear to ear at its opponent: a tiny xu'keen halfling. The big brute cracks its knuckles and tells the poor little fellow that it'll all be over soon. That's the last thing the ogre says before the xu'keen breaks its kneecaps and knocks its teeth out. In Lietsin’s bustling Sand Markets, the crowd parts to make way for a xu’keen decorated with bone piercings and self-inflicted scars. She doesn’t mind the stares folk give her – the fear in their eyes. She savors it. Deep in the Barrier Peaks, a young xu’keen files his teeth to sharp points in preparation for his rite of passage: a solitary hunt in the wilds. If he brings down a beast larger than himself, he will join the ranks of his kin as a true hunter. He will become the predator, and everything in the forests will be his prey. 

 

Once carefree halflings, the xu’keen were reshaped in the turmoil that came after the fall od Old Sularia. Centuries ago, most other races ignored and ridiculed the smallfolk. When the chaos of the serpent-storm engulfed the empire and the panicked masses fled south, many of the halflings were trampled underfoot. Still more of them were cut down in the ferocious battle that erupted among Old Sularia’s refugees at the Barrier Pass.

The remaining halflings scrambled into the surrounding forests for safety. Scarred and broken by the horrors they had suffered, they made themselves stronger. They learned to fight. They learned to hunt. They learned how to survive in the brutal unforgiving wilds.

They changed over time, becoming something new – the xu’keen.

Many of the descendants of the first xu’keen now walk among Lawbrand’s Trade-Cities without an ounce of fear in their hearts. Short-tempered and suspicious of other peoples, they tend to keep to themselves, but they have taken strides to assimilate into society. Most of the xu’keen specialize in their favorite kind of work – the bloody kind. Despite their diminuitive size, they are renowned as fearsome gladiators, bodyguards, and mercenaries. Though some of them have taken on less perilous jobs in the textile and smithing industries, they still enjoy the same wary respect as their warrior kin.

Whatever their profession, no one will ever ignore or ridicule them again.

Underfoot and overwhelmed.

The halflings of Old Sularia were rarely taken very seriously by the “big people”. When the empire fell and the mass migrations to the south began, the halfling refugees were caught underfoot and nearly trampled by the other races. When the refugees bottlenecked at the Barrier Pass and the violence erupted – the halflings scurried for their lives. Most of their kind never made it out of the battlefield known as the Sea of Bones… and those that did were changed forever.

Indomitable survivors.

The former halflings that survived the Battle of the Barrier Peaks were left scarred and broken by their ordeal. Taking the name xu’keen, and old dwarven term for “feral”, they changed signifanctly in temperament and aspect. Their skin and eyes drained of color – leaving them with a bone-white appearance. It is rumoured that many of them even resorted to cannibalism to survive over time. This claim has never been validated, but the troubling mystique remains. As the centuries passed and Lawbrand came to power, many of the xu’keen travelled south into the Trade-Cities seeking to escape from their hardscrabble survival in the wilderness.

Not quite model citizens.

Xu’keen tend to be solitary and abrasive. They are somewhat selfish and paranoid by nature – as if they’re constantly being hunted by some predator or another. They hate the idea of confinement – either physically or emotionally – and seek to live by their own rules and desires. Distrustful and aggressive by nature, it’s hard for the xu’keen to make friends or endear themselves to the other citizens of Lawbrand. But when they do commit to their neighbors, they prove to be extremely loyal, if somewhat caustic, friends.

Appearance.

The xu’keen are small wiry humanoids with taut muscles and sharp facial features. Their skin tones range from a chalky white to warm grays. They have beady eyes, often ringed with yellow irises, and sharpened teeth. They favor scarification as the primary means of decorating their bodies and have numerous piercings. They are fond of wearing outlandish bone-fetish trinkets. They often look dangerous and intimidating, as if ready to spring to violence, even when calm.

Xu'keen Names

When acclimating into urbanized society, most xu'keen choose to take on Common word nicknames, rather than use their traditional tribal or family names. Often, these nicknames are as edgy and fierce as the xu'keen themselves. 

Nicknames: Shank, Rip, Shiv, Gruff, Shrike, Bite, Spar, Gnaw, Skar. 

Xu'keen Traits

Your xu'keen character has a number of traits in common with all other halflings.

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength score increases by 2, your Dexterity score increases by 1. 

Age

Xu'keen reach adulthood by age 16 and live on average for 30 years. 

Size

Xu'keen average about 4 ft. tall and typically weeight 75 lbs or less. Your size is small. 

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Cut Them Down to Size

When attacking Large or bigger creatures with a melee attack, once on each of your turns, you receive one of the following bonuses for that attack:

• Whenever you attack a Large creature, add +2 damage to the attack. 
• Whenever you attack a Huge creature, add +3 damage to the attack.
• Whenever you attack a Gargantuan creature, add +4 damage to the attack.

Almost Utterfly Fearless

You cannot be intimidated or frightened by nonmagical means from creatures larger than you - but you have disadvantage against being frightened by Tiny creatures.

Compact Chaos

You are proficient with any improvised weapon, and you deal +2 damage when attacking with an improvised weapon. Before making a melee attack with an improvised weapon, you can choose to take a -5 penalty to the attack roll. If you do so, and the attack hits, add +10 to the attack's damage. The weapon then breaks and becomes unusable after this action, regardless if the attack hits or misses. 

Wild Ones

You have proficiency in Intimidation and Survival. 

Languages

You can speak Common and Xu'keeni.