Homebrew Awakened Doggie Species Details

THE SOUND OFTHE 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.

Compact and Diverse
Endlessly variable, constantly adaptable, dogs have been shaped by their entwined history with other races until little trace of their wild ancestry remains. Now, a breed of dog seems to exist for every possible niche within society and for every task. From great shaggy hunting dogs to the tiniest of lapdogs, the variety of the canine form seems without bounds.
Generally dogs tend to live between 10 and 15 years and reach adulthood around 18 months old. Whilst it is usual for dogs to live with families or individuals of other races, dogs will also form their own groups for strength and companionship. A wide array of natural colours and coats occur and thus individual dogs are easily identified by other races visually, even though they rely more on their sense of smell for such things themselves.

Loyal and True
Dogs are naturally loyal to those they sense as a pack. This trait carries through to intelligent dogs from their wilder kin. Those who claim a dog as a friend have a true and unshakeable companion for life. Affable and upbeat, dogs live for the now and enjoy experiencing curiosity and adventure. They have few emotional filters and can switch from effervescent joy to melancholy in a moment. However they shed black moods very easily and seem incapable of holding a grudge or harbouring ill feeling.
Dogs are easily moved to help others and relieve suffering and will be generous with their affection and time.

Walking at Society's Side
Dogs have the capacity to make their homes almost anywhere that they choose, but the most common places they are found is within the settlements of other races, acting in a wide range of roles. Wild dogs do also thrive under different circumstances in the more temperate areas of the world. Intelligent dogs tend to remain closely linked with either their adopted society or the wild areas they knew as pups. However, a dog’s sense of home is usually defined by their company 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. It is common that answers to questions about why they are different to their kind are a driving force, but equally the desire to make a difference will motivate many dogs. 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 and into the wider world.

 

Originally made by Dungeons and Doggies Co Creator and Lead Designer Russ Charles.

Awakened Doggie Traits

The diversity of dogs is hard to generalise but 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 form (medium/small).

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Languages

You can ‘speak’ and read Common and two extra languages of your choice.

Note that dogs do not necessarily use speech; whilst they can understand their chosen languages, the specifics of how they communicate are left to the players. Some possibilities  include having the full ability of speech, being uncannily effective at conveying meaning through gesture and sounds (“I think she is saying the kids are down the well”) or having another character who can understand and interpret for the dog. Regardless of how the dog expresses itself, it is assumed that it is communicating with its allies with sufficient fluency as to avoid any penalties to rolls.

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

Dogs are an almost infinitely varied species and as such, are represented by the following breed abilities. These are intended to help reflect a certain breeding or classic role that dogs are renowned for. You may choose two of these abilities at level 1.

Many Forms

Dogs have such variety of shapes and breeds that they are highly diverse. Choose one of the Breeds to reflect your chosen breeding.