Homebrew Canid Species Details

Hailing from diverse backgrounds, some Canids roam in tight-knit nomadic packs, their keen senses making them invaluable scouts and guides. Others have integrated into settlements, their playful nature bringing joy and their vigilance providing invaluable protection. Whether born under the starry sky or beneath the city lights, their connection to the natural world remains strong. They hold a deep respect for the balance of life, understanding the rhythms of the hunt and the interconnectedness of all beings. This connection grants them an innate resistance to the curse of lycanthropy, a whispered blessing from the moon goddess herself.

Family, whether by blood or chosen, is everything to the Canids. Their pack bond is sacred, demanding fierce loyalty and unwavering support in times of both joy and hardship. While this fierce protectiveness can manifest as initial wariness towards outsiders, those who earn their trust will find true and devoted companions. Their playful demeanor often masks a sharp wit and keen intelligence, capable of creative problem-solving and cunning strategies.

Their canine senses allow them to hear whispers on the wind, track scents with uncanny accuracy, and navigate even the darkest paths with ease. Coupled with their natural agility and playful spirit, they are masterful hunters and courageous warriors. Yet, they are more than just brawn and bark. Their playful nature hides a deep well of understanding and empathy, making them cherished companions and trusted confidantes.

Creating Your Character

At 1st level, you choose whether your character is a member of the human race or of a fantastical race. If you select a fantastical race, follow these additional rules during character creation.

Ability Score Increases

When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. Follow this rule regardless of the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy. The “Quick Build” section for your character’s class offers suggestions on which scores to increase. You can follow those suggestions or ignore them, but you can’t raise any of your scores above 20.

Languages

Your character can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character. The Player’s Handbook offers a list of languages to choose from. The DM is free to modify that list for a campaign.

Creature Type

Every creature in D&D, including each player character, has a special tag in the rules that identifies the type of creature they are. Most player characters are of the Humanoid type. A race tells you what your character’s creature type is.

Here’s a list of the game’s creature types in alphabetical order: Aberration, Beast, Celestial, Construct, Dragon, Elemental, Fey, Fiend, Giant, Humanoid, Monstrosity, Ooze, Plant, Undead. These types don’t have rules themselves, but some rules in the game affect creatures of certain types in different ways. For example, the cure wounds spell doesn’t work on a Construct or an Undead.

Life Span

The typical lifespan of a player character in the D&D multiverse is about a century, assuming the character doesn’t meet a violent end on an adventure. Members of some races, such as dwarves and elves, can live for centuries. If typical members of a race can live longer than a century, that fact is mentioned in the race’s description.

Height and Weight

Player characters, regardless of race, typically fall into the same ranges of height and weight that humans have in our world. If you’d like to determine your character’s height or weight randomly, consult the Random Height and Weight table in the Player’s Handbook, and choose the row in the table that best represents the build you imagine for your character.

Canid Traits

As a canid, you are a playful protectors with keen canine senses and unwavering pack loyalty.

Creature Type

You are a Humanoid.

Size

You are Medium size.

Speed

Your walking speed is 35 feet.

Darkvision

You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You discern colors in that darkness only as shades of gray.

Keen Senses

You have proficiency in the Perception skill.

Relentless Endurance

When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.