Homebrew Kirin Species Details

 

As a slayer of vampires, werewolves and all sorts of types of monsters that the world has to offer to us humanoids, when I got a call to take down a supposed "were-dragon", I was skeptical, but I continued on with it, just thinking it as a Dragonborn that was going around and murdering people or somethin'. It was quite some time ago, but I'll never forget the feeling of fear when I approached the man whom I thought was that of a monstrous creature.

My gut feelin' said to run when those cold hard blue snake eyes fell on me and the prideful look of astonishment, then anger, when I pulled out my sword. The tall man that I had spoken to an' offered a drink to earlier now turned to me, a look of disgust and a sneer on his lips as he lifted them in a snarl. I watched those beautiful pearly white teeth grow into fangs in the matter of a second or two, the man leaping at me from quite a few meters away, skin getting covered in flesh, hands turning to hooves, and a tail lashing out in the wind.

What I stood in front of, starin' in the face of death, was a dragon in the form of a horse, with bright gold antlers being just a centimeter from my face, his head lowered and breath tickling my beard. Had I tried to kill him then and there, I doubt I would be standing here today. My sword had gone out in my defense and only bounced off of his scales. Once you earn a Kirin's loyalty, you're set with a companion for life. But until you save his life, he won't let you get near and he ain't going to be friendly, gettin' the trust of one is extremely difficult.

The last thing you wanna do it piss one off. That oughtta land you in the afterlife. It has the build of both a horse and a dragon, and just as rare as all them equine creatures. And let me tell ya'll something. It ain't no horse. Those fangs will bite down to the bone and those hooves will cut through flesh like knife through butter. A sword ain't likely to get through those scales and you ain't gonna out-run it. They can turn themselves to look like a human, but trust me when I say this: befriending one is a friend for life, and harming one has you doomed until your last breath.

— Oliver McOxton, Monster Hunter Expert

Looking like a mixture of a horse and a dragon, the Kirin are beautiful, and frightening creatures. They can turn into a human, as their main forms take a lot of energy to maintain and thus, will make them sleep for long periods of time. While they are dragon kin, they have fey blood within them, and are quite proud of that fact too. With the pride of a dragon and the grace of an equine, they are truly magnificent creatures - and ones not to anger. A Kirin will never forgive, nor will they ever forget, living easily over a thousand years.

Reflective Looks

Kirin look very similar to a downsized dragon in their true forms, even if they have a build built like an equine creature. As they are dragon kin, they have scales that match a certain theme, though their magic has mostly long been lost, save for the Royal Kirin Clan. They have very small scales smooth and soft to the touch, having a general base color as their main color. Their under belly, chest and neck have softer scales, going in long horizontal strips that are generally a different color, with their markings by their mane, fur, legs, horns and face being a different color marking, with their fur being most likely different. There is a general color theme, such as a Kirin of the South Wind will have generally a blue, light or dark color theme due to the wintery representation. Royal Kirin have larger sets of horns that are more like very large antlers, having the most potential in Kirin form.

The manes that run from their head down their spine to the tips of their tails, males having facial hair, is a symbol of honor and special tradition, and only those who are banished or rebellious are seen without the typical tie of their mane and facial hair, especially when in human form. With their human form shows a very special dragon tattoo, matching their scale and coat patterns, which glows whenever they have recently transformed or, if they are a mage, when they cast spells, with a glow that cannot be hidden except by magical means.

Human form of the Kirin will be seen mostly as normal, save for the traditional strange clothing that bares resemblance to their scale and coat colorings and patterns, their strange tattoos upon their arms, and, most of all, their reptilian snake-like eyes that do not change, even upon human form. Their mane color, which is more often than not, a uncommon and unusual strange hair color for a human, stays the same for their hair, unless they dye it every time they turn into a human, as their Kirin form's magic turns it back to the original Kirin color.

There are four main types of Kirin, this coming from the seasons and what they represent in their culture, having quite a large variety of different colors.

• South Wind — Cold coloration patterns within the scales, coat, markings and mane are the most common here, with black, blue, white and silver being the colorations of those of the South Wind, as this is the winter type of Kirin.
• North Wind — Warm, playful coloration patterns within the scales, coat, markings and mane are found within the North Wind type. Bright pastel color variants of green, pink, blue and purple are seen with that of the North Wind, as this is the spring type of Kirin.
• East Wind — Energetic and intense coloration patterns within the scales, coat, markings and mane are the most common with East Wind Kirin. Brown, green and yellow are the most common colors here, as those are the colors most often seen with the season of summer.
• West Wind — Calm and beautiful warm colors are the common coloration patterns for the scales, coat, markings and mane of those who are of the West Wind, having red, orange, yellow, gold and brown colorations to their patterns, including hair, as this is the Kirin that is associated with autumn.

Kirin are omnivores and it shows with their teeth as they have large fangs for canine teeth and long barbed tongues, with moral teeth in the back so that they can chew properly. A typical fully grown Kirin will stand at 6½ feet at the shoulder, their head probably making them about 7-8 feet tall in total, being about 15 feet long, from their nose to their tail tip. They have feathery down by their hooves down the back of their shins as well, hiding a barb at their joints in the back legs, and above their hoof behind by their ankle in the front legs.

In human form, they are generally seen to reflect that of their true Kirin form and are generally pretty muscular, with the average standing around 6½ feet tall. Males and females are generally around the same height, there not being much difference in Kirin form, though human forms generally show them to be more agile and fast, slightly smaller than males, but still quite a lot taller on average than that of human females.

They cannot change their clothing that easily, as it is a magical bind to them, like an extra skin that reflects their Kirin form. This outfit is generally traditional to the style of the Kirin, and the colors and patterns are all based off of their Kirin form's colors and patterns. Their feet will usually be wearing boots that are in a similar style to their Kirin form's hooves. When a Kirin tries to change clothing, not including armor, it will be taken off and replaced by their Kirin outfit when shifting between forms.

Honorable and Traditional Clans

For most Kirin, living their lives peacefully away from humanoids and their customs is all that they would want. As their Kirin form holds a type of magic within them, their hooves and horns alone make them a prime candidate for being killed by anyone wanting a quick way to get cash. This is why they often live in Clans, high up in mountains or hidden away in forests, where they cannot easily be found and if you go after one, the rest will see to it that you're killed.

Keeping tradition and holding your family honor is the thing that matters the most to Kirin. They are generally a respectful and very strict type of creature, with prides that make them look down upon most other creatures, viewing equines as dumb, dragons as ugly and most other humanoids stupid fools. You earn your way through lineage or by working hard, anyone can grab a position of respect and power, by doing honorable deeds for the Clan as a whole.

They work like a shongunate government system, with the Royal Kirin being the family that everyone listens to, the eldest in a generation directly tied to the Royal line (the son or daughter, usually, of the current ruler) being the Emperor or Empress of the Kirin. Each Clan has a male or female that stands as the leader who follows and looks to the Royal Clan and works under its terms and conditions, where the strict rules of tradition play out. The Emperor or Empress is largely a marginalized, ceremonial, and religious figure who delegates power to the shogun, a noble who is roughly equivalent to a general.

The Kirin work as a whole to be selfless and productive creatures who keep to themselves and away from all others, only interacting when it is forced upon them. It is a great honor to be around one, and even more so if they allow you to set foot in their villages and cities, as these are hidden, rare, and most of all, dangerous to walk upon, outsiders being quite commonly killed if they come near the gates or are seen without permission within their gated, walled, homes.

They honor the dead as spirits and go to them more than gods or goddesses for guidance, as while they worship some gods and goddesses, they still hold their own over that of any other race or creature. They are very particular about everything and show to be a very productive type, to keep the Clan as a whole safe. Working for the Clan is an honor in itself to them, and dying protecting it or someone else is a very honorable way to die, though it is not something that is always wanted, as families are very close.

To be cast out is to be killed, and most find it as a way of death. A lone Kirin is one that is easily killed, and being banished from the Clans, to dishonor the Emperor or Empress, is horrid in itself and basically a death sentence. It is why if one is to go against their traditions, their way of life, and being dishonored and cast out, the Kirin is basically dead.

Kirin Names

Kirin often hold names dear to them, and while your first name is your personal name, someone outside of your family or close friends will call you by your last name, your family name. To be able to be called by their first name is an honor in itself, especially if you are not a Kirin yourself.

Male Names: Akihiko, Akio, Daichi, Genji, Hajime, Hanzo, Haru, Haruo, Hide, Hideki, Hikaru, Hiro, Hisashi, Ichiro, Isamu, Izuku, Jiro, Junichi, Kaede, Katashi, Katsu, Kazuki, Keiji, Kenji, Kin, Kioshi, Kohaku, Kuro, Kyo, Mamoru, Masaki, Michi, Mitsuo, Noboruo,  Nobuyuki, Osamu, Raiden, Ryo, Ryuu, Sadao, Satoshi, Seiji, Shigeru, Shinji, Shiro, Shoji, Sora, Tadashi, Takashi, Takeo, Tatsuo, Toru, Toshi, Tsuneo, Yasuo, Yoshiaki, Yoshiki, Yuki, Yuudai

Female Names: Aika, Akane, Akira, Amaya, Ayaka, Ayame, Ayumi, Chiharu, Chiyo, Emi, Hana, Harumi, Hideko, Hikari, Hiromi, HItomi, Hoshi, Izanami, Izumi, Kame, Kamiko, Kazumi, Keiko, Kotone, Madoka, Maki,  Masa, Megumi, Michi, Mieko, Mika, Miyuki, Momo, Naoki, Naomi, Natsumi, Reiko, Rin, Rika, Saki, Sakiko, Shika, Shiori, Suzume, Rakara, Tsukiko, Yoko, Yoshiko, Yuka, Yukiko, Yumi

Clan Names: Shimada (Royal Clan by default if no other idea is given), Fujiwara, Himura,  Ishikawa, Kawaguchi, Kimura, Kita, Kobayashi, Maeda, Matsuoka, Minami, Mizushima, Nakajima, Nakano, Oshiro, Saito, Takahashi, Tanaka, Tsukuda, Yamada, Yoshida, Yukimura

When I ended up savin' that Kirin's life, I didn't know it but I had saved the damn Emperor's son. I don't know much 'bout their whole tradition thing, but I sure as hell know they ain't friendly towards humans: or anyone that ain't them, for that matter. When I walked through that gate, I couldn't help but tremble at the murderous stares I had gotten before they saw their prince walkin' behind me. Yet, when they saw him, walking through the gate and comin' right next to my side, I was astonished at the difference.

Bein' there with the prince himself, Yuki Shimada, the Prince of 'em all, saved my life. Supposedly he was out there, tryna' find his little brother who had ran off. Some family drama that I think is a bit too intense for me to really get into. They all revered Yuki as "Shimada-sama" in this weird way that I just didn't understand. When they asked for my name, they added this "-san" or, sometimes, "-kun" to it.

Oliver-san. Just feels weird to me.

Guess I surprised 'em when I called him Yuki, 'parently most people use their last names first and ya ain't supposed to be callin' by their first name unless you're close. I got a strange feeling that they were sayin' something weird, but I didn't understand what in the hell they were sayin'. I suppose I should just be glad they didn't kill me on the spot when I patted his shoulder.

— Oliver McOxton, Monster Hunter Expert

Kirin Traits

Your dragon blood is fixed with that of fey blood, giving you a unique advantage when your energy is high enough, based on the Winds you were born with.

True Kirin Form

Your true form is one that you hide, as it is far more dangerous to be in that form when everything wants to kill you, and it is much harder to move around in places that are not a Kirin village or city. While in your Kirin form, you gain a 1d4 extra magic damage to your physical attacks and resistance to piercing, bludgeoning and slashing damages as well as a elemental damage type based on the Winds your Kirin form is under. You count as a Large creature while in this form and you cannot use spells that require verbal components.

Upon transforming into your true form at level 1, you gain 1 level of exhaustion, though you can stay in this form. When an hour passes, you gain another level of exhaustion. You can reduce 1 level of exhaustion with a certain amount of time sleeping. Thankfully, sleeping in Kirin form does not induce exhaustion. If you are knocked unconscious, you are reverted back to your original form, and when you fall asleep, you will be shifted back to your Kirin form as well. This does not force exhaustion, but if you do not shift back into your human form within the first hour of waking up, you will gain a level of exhaustion.

Character Level	Hours Per Exhaustion Level	Hours of Sleep to Reverse 1 Level
1-4	1	4
5-9	2	3
10-14	4	2
15-19	8	1

When you reach level 20, you can permanently be in your Kirin form and only gain exhaustion by transforming back into your human form. In addition, you can finally cast spells while in your Kirin form.

Natural AC

Due to your weak physical being past your scales, you have a natural feeling for dodging attacks, even in human form.
Your natural AC is 15 + Armor Type + Dexterity Mod in your Kirin Form.
Your natural AC is 12 + Armor Type + Dexterity Mod in your human form.

Ability Score Increase + Decrease

Your Wisdom score increases by 2, and your Constitution score decreases by 2.

Age

Kirin age similar to humans, however, they hold a slow aging process once they reach the age of 25. Then they age physically 1 year for every 100 years, making their life span immensely long. They can live up to about 6,100 years old on average.

Alignment

Kirin are true and complete neutrals, having not a need for one side or the other, being able to switch whatever chooses them best. While Kirin of the North and West Winds tend to be chaotic, the Kirin of the South and East winds tend to be lawful.

Size

In their human forms, Kirin stand at about 6-6½ feet tall and weigh about 200 pounds. Their size is Medium.
In their true forms, Kirin stand at about 8 feet tall and weigh around 1,500 pounds, and are about 16 feet long. Their size is Large.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet in human form.
Your base walking speed is 40 feet in Kirin form.

Kirin of the Winds

You have a natural affinity for a certain element, based on the type of Kirin you are. Choose one type of Kirin from the Kirin of the Winds table. Your damage resistance and additional Kirin damage type is as shown in the table. When you reach certain levels, the damage modifier for your Kirin form's attack increases.

Kirin of the Winds

Type of Wind	Damage + Resistance Type	Extra Damage Roll
South Wind	Lightning	1d4 lightning damage
North Wind	Poison	1d4 poison damage
East Wind	Fire	1d4 fire damage
West Wind	Cold	1d4 cold damage

Elemental Damage

Through the magical blood within your veins, taking upon your true form and attacking allows for you to use the natural affinity within you. A foolish creature who is stupid or brave enough to fight you will have to deal with the elemental damage that you deal with your physical attacks. Upon using your teeth for a bite attack, your antlers for a horn attack or your hooves for a hoof attack, you add the additional magic damage to your attack, which increases when you level.

At level 1 you gain a 1d4 to your attack when in Kirin form.
At level 5 you gain an additional 1d4 to your attack, making it a 2d4 addition to your attack in your selected type of damage.
At level 10 you now do 4d4 extra damage with your physical attacks in Kirin form.
At level 15 the damage you do in Kirin form is now increased to 8d4.
At level 20 you do immense amounts of damage with a physical attack, doing 10d4 damage of your selected type.

Being able to use this power takes no additional strain on you, as this is the normal type of thing that you would do on a regular basis, within your Kirin form, of course. The power within you decides what kind of damage you do, and you naturally have a resistance to that type of damage.

Damage Resistance

You have resistance to the damage type associated with your Kirin Winds. While in Kirin form you gain resistance to physical damage.

Damage Weakness

You are weak to all forms of damage and disadvantage on saving throws against spells.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Draconic and Kirinise.

Darkvision

You can see where others cannot, even in your human form. As a Kirin, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. 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 can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Physical Kirin Attacks

Attack Name	Damage Dice	Damage Type
Bite	1d6 (+ strength mod)	Piercing
Horn Attack	1d4 (+ strength mod)	Bludgeoning
Tail Attack	1d6 (+ strength mod)	Bludgeoning
Hoof Attack	1d4 (+ strength mod)	Slashing

At level 8 you increase the damage die by one. (Example: Bite would now do 2d6)
At level 12 you increase the damage die by two. (Example: Bite would now do 3d6)
At level 18 you increase the damage die by three. (Example: Bite would now do 4d6)