Homebrew Awakened Canine Species Details

Loyal and True

Dogs are naturally loyal to those they consider part of their pack (see...they’re still kind of wolves!) Dog companions are excellent guards and amazing hunters — so they’ve been trusted companions for millennia. Whether they have been at the side of a half-orc ranger, calmly stalking a moose, or helping an elven wizard select the right herb for a magical brew, dogs have always been there to help. It’s in their nature. While they can be ferocious fighters when cornered, dogs are usually kindly creatures. They are fiercely protective and devoted to helping those they have chosen as their kin. That’s the big thing about dogs; they choose who they love very quickly and it takes an awful lot to change their minds. 

Who’s a Good Dog?

Dogs have the capacity to make their homes almost anywhere they choose, but the most common places they are found is within the settlements of other races, acting in a wide range of roles. A dog who has been awakened tends to remain closely linked with their adopted society, taking on a new job but behaving in much the same way and with much the same group of friends (though new ones are always very, very welcome!). A dog’s sense of home is usually defined by the company around them rather than a place, and dogs are comfortable travelling widely as long as they have the constancy of friendship.

A Nose for Adventure

Dogs gifted with unusual intelligence seek adventure for many reasons. Their instinctive urge to support and assist, coupled with the ability to reflect on the world in deep terms can be more than enough to lead a dog from the warmth of a home into the wider world.

Awakened Canine Traits

All dogs begin with the following traits:

Ability score increase

Your Charisma score increases by 1.

Age

Dogs reach maturity around 18 months and usually live between 10 and 15 years.

Alignment

Dogs tend towards good alignments due to their natural urge to be helpful, but there are exceptions to this.

Size

Dogs vary in height and length enormously. Your size is dependent on your subrace, see below.

Languages

You can speak and read Common, Canine, and one other language of your choice. Canine is a special language known only to dogs and the very few taught its subtleties. It relies on a combination of bark, scent, and gesture

Keen Senses

Dogs have advantage on Perception checks based on smell or hearing and disadvantage on Perception checks which depend on colour recognition.

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 1d6 + your strength modifier damage. This increases to 1d8 + your strength modifier at level 5, and 1d10 + your strength modifier at level 10.

Many Breeds, Many Forms

Dogs are highly diverse. Choose one of the following subraces to reflect your chosen breeding and select one breed ability from the list below. You may only choose one such ability.