Homebrew Fox-kin Species Details

Fox-kin are the twisted creations of the Primordial Tiamat in her aspect of Destruction or Domination. Fox-kin are known to be the race crafted by Tiamat, thus they are uniformly distrusted and segregated against by the general populace. Tiamat, in this aspect, often utilizes fox-kin as simple foot-soldiers and cannon fodder, hurdling them in waves against her enemies so her dragons and greater servants can finish off the weakened, disoriented foe. Every so often, however, Tiamat will discover a fox-kin of note and will invest the time and effort into making him or her a proper Emissary of Chaos to act as her representative. Due to the conditions in which the transformation occurs and the way her fox-kin are trained and treated, most are driven to madness within only a few years of service, though this makes them no less serviceable for her efforts as their madness makes them less prone to try and betray her.

There are, to date, only two fox-kin who managed to live long enough to forge a name for themselves and receive acknowledgement across multiple domains, not just the Shifting Fringes.

Azamir was the first fox-kin Tiamat ever molded. This being the case, Tiamat invested a great deal of effort and power into her creation, so she was often regarded and acknowledged as being the strongest of her servants. Like most fox-kin who would come after her, Azamir eventually fell into madness, but this only served to make her more dangerous and useful for Tiamat's purposes. Azamir was utilized in the subjugation and forcing of obedience of her fellow fox-kin, making her a key figure of fear and command in the eyes of Tiamat's forces. Azamir was eventually slain in the War of the Churning Tides by a Paladin of Bahamut. Azamir's soul, however, returned to the Shifting Fringes instead of being collected by Death, where she continued to carry out her grisly work torturing her fellow fox-kin.

During the War of the Shadowed Fall in the Age of Fire, Azamir was slain when she possessed the wife of Verona Cedar Charming in an attempt to corrupt her to Tiamat's whims. Verona underwent an Astral Projection to enter the psyche of her wife and there did battle against Azamir. Inevitably, Verona triumphed, and what was left of Azamir's consciousness and soul was destroyed forever.

The second and arguably more famous of Tiamat's fox-kin race is the fox-kin Velora, who would go on to marry Verona Cedar Charming and thus be known as Velora Pine Charming. Velora was once a human woman whose village was destroyed by Tiamat so that its populace could be offered to her as a sacrifice. Velora, whose human name is unknown and unwritten, attempted to battle against Tiamat's dragons and Tiamat, more out of spite than anything else, turned Velora into a fox-kin so as to utilize her as an agent. Velora's will, however, proved much stronger than Tiamat expected and she was able to stave off the thralls of madness for over 1000 years of service. Tiamat began to show interest in Velora and even intended for her to eventually ascend to be of rank with Azamir, but before obedience to Tiamat could be instilled into Velora, she was drawn from the Shifting Fringes to the Sword Coast, where she was instrumental to the destruction of the Cult of Five and the salvation of the material plain from the clutches of Tiamat.

Since then, Tiamat very much safeguards her fox-kin, ensuring that only those who are serving her will are ever released from her domain. Thus, most fox-kin who are seen traveling in the material plain are almost always up to some nefarious scheme. Every now and then, however, a fox-kin slips away from Tiamat's clutches and will wander the world, trying to find a place for themselves in it. Because Tiamat does not bother to properly equip fox-kin as she sees them as little more than pawns on a chessboard, fox-kin's usually have to learn archaic arts or else become monks, as they have no training in the use of weapons at all.

Appearance 

Fox-kin appear as anthropomorphic foxes with human and fox characteristics. Their bodies are completely covered in fur and most fox-kin, save for very rare circumstances, have violet eyes. Their ears are pointed and narrow, an accurate description of their snout as well. Instead of hair, they have a mane of longer fur that starts on the top of their head and flows down their backs. Fox-kin have human hands, typically with long, delicate fingers, and slender yet powerful paws rather than feet. Their bodies usually grow lean. It is very difficult for a fox-kin to be able to build bulky muscles as Tiamat designed them specifically to be fast and agile in battle, meaning that even an incredibly strong fox-kin will still appear lean in form. Fox-kin also have long, bushy tails, which also happens to be one of the most sensitive parts on their bodies, carrying three times as many nerves as the rest of their body. For this reason, fox-kin carefully guard their tails in combat, least an opponent take advantage of this weakness to disable them. Fox-kin can grow in excess of seven feet tall but are rarely shorter than six. A fox-kin's fur can have any assortment of colors and designs.

Servants of Chaos

Fox-kin are crafted by Tiamat's claws, but that does not ensure loyalty. Due to certain laws that predate the Primordials, Tiamat cannot subjugate a living creature's will through power alone. The creature must instead willing submit itself to her control and authority. Tiamat's method of gaining this subjugation is usually achieved through torture and manipulation, promising an end to a fox-kin's suffering if they declare her their mistress. Most fox-kin are able to only resist for a few years before they offer Tiamat their oath. Some, however, can resist for decades and, eventually, find their way to freedom, though this often means a life spent in hiding and on the run as Tiamat is unwilling to allow any sort of disobedience from her subjects be observed by others.

Fearless Survivors

Because of the nature of their creation, there is not much fox-kin fears. The early decades of their creation are defined by ceaseless torture and pain, so those few fox-kin who escape are usually courageous to the point of recklessness. Because Tiamat also ensures that fox-kin are kept apart and never work with each other, they are often paranoid and overly cautious of others, more than willing to leave others to certain death to ensure their own survival. It takes a lot to earn a fox-kin's trust, but once you have it they make lifetime companions willing to risk anything to protect their friends, even at the sacrifice of their own lives.

Fox-kin Traits

Fox-kin have a number of special traits that come as a part of their transformation. Because of their use as blitz units, most fox-kin prefer speed over strength.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Age

Fox-kin, because they are beings from the Shifting Fringes, a realm that is all of extremes and never of constants, do not all necessarily age at the same rate. Some fox-kin have lifespans equal to that of a human. Some can live for centuries. Others die after only two or three decades. A fox-kin longevity is usually determined by how much interest Tiamat took with them while they were still serving in the Shifting Fringes, shorter lifespans given to poor servants and longer lifespans for those who have served well.

Alignment

Fox-kin are normally chaotic in nature due to the matter of their creation and their origin, though some eventually can begin to transition to neutral but rarely lawful as the concept is simply too alien for a fox-kin to comprehend. Most fox-kin start neutral and, depending on their time and service to Tiamat, either remain as such or else slowly descend to evil. Fox-kin who escape the Shifting Fringes may eventually be able to understand and transition to good.

Size

Fox-kin are usually tall, owing to the fact that Tiamat wanted them to be able to look down upon other species while not being able to look down upon her. This being the case, most fox-kin are usually between six to seven feet tall with few exceptions. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Fox-kin are built for speed above all else, even defense. While you are unarmored, you have a speed of 40 feet. If you equip armor or a shield your speed is 30 feet.

Creature of Chaos

Fox-kin are bred from darkness and are thus indifferent to most beings and magics of fear. This, however, also makes them exceptionally vulnerable to the sways of darker beings.

You are immune to being frightened or suffering any adverse effects that would apply to you as a result of being frightened. Any fiend that uses Charm or an ability that causes an effect similar to Charm on you, however, imposes disadvantage for you to make the save.

Animal Senses

Fox-kin were born in the darkness of the Shifting Fringes and thus have acquired a degree of dark vision as well as other heightened senses. You can see in dim light within 30 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern colors in darkness, only shades of gray. You also have advantage on Perception checks that involve smell or hearing, but suffer disadvantage in areas with strong odors or loud noises. Additionally, you also have proficiency in Nature and Survival checks.

Inhuman Endurance

Fox-kin regularly had to be prepared to cover great distances at speed, allowing them to temporarily push past exhaustion. As a free action, you may double your walking speed for one minute. You may use your bonus action to end this effect early, at which point you may only use it again after a long rest. For every two rounds you use your Inhuman Endurance, make a Constitution saving throw. Your first DC to pass is a 5. If you fail your saving throw, you suffer one level of exhaustion. This DC increases by 5 for every two round you continue to use Inhuman Endurance.

Hand to Hand Master

Fox-kin are regularly trained to fight their enemies hand to hand as Tiamat sees weapons as a sign of weakness, as her dragons have never had to rely on weapons, magic or otherwise, to slay their enemies. Your open handed strikes deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage instead of 1. Additionally, because of this training, you may reroll any 1s when you perform an open hand strike and must take the second result.

Awakening of Chaos

Fox-kin are not expected to live long lives. Tiamat fully expects them to die within one or two decades after being created. Those who live past this time begin to fully realize their full potential as a vessel of Chaos. At level 17, you adopt a purple nimbus that surrounds your body to help protect you from harm that is directed at you from afar. This aura can be suppressed so that it is not visible to the naked eye, but can be sensed using spells like Detect Magic or perceived if you are looked at by a creature that possesses True Sight.

The mantle of Chaos, however, seeks blood as much as the one who wields it and will attack those who dare try and destroy its vessel. When an enemy attacks you with a melee attack, you may deal necrotic damage equal to 7 + your Wisdom modifier as a reaction.

Ebbing of Sanity

Fox-kin were soldiers for Tiamat, but she trusted them no more than she trusted anyone or anything else. Because they draw from the very essence of her power, Tiamat always fears betrayal, and the breaking away of the fox-kin Velora gave merit to this fear. Now, all fox-kin are controlled though many different ways so that if one tries to betray her, Tiamat can swiftly break their minds, making them easy to be destroyed.

As part of your character creation, roll a 1d6. You have the following fear:

1. I spent decades chained in the dark, helpless and alone. Now the mere sight of rope or chains is enough to send me into a panic.

2. I was ceaselessly tortured in ways that no one could hope to imagine. A sudden movement, the crack of a whip, anything that reminds me of those dark days can set me off.

3. I was forced to watch as others were horribly tortured in front of me. Now the sight of anguish, the sound of it, can make me fight or flee depending on who it is and how much I care.

4. My world revolved around silence, horrible, endless silence. Now I have to live at all times with some kind of noise to comfort me, whether it be song, music, or conversation. 

5. I was locked somewhere dark, somewhere without light of any kind where not even my ability to see in the dark could help me. Now night time scares me and even when I'm in a room in an inn or a place I trust, I need to have some sort of light nearby

6. Every day I was hurt in a different way by a different fox-kin. It taught me only one thing - I can trust no one. Now I look upon those who call me their companion and can only wonder in what way they will betray me.

Whenever you confront your fear, you must make a Wisdom saving throw. If you fail you suffer the effects of being Frightened (this is not prevented by the Creature of Chaos trait). You may repeat this Wisdom saving throw at the end of each of your turns to end the effect, or the effect ends if you get more than 60 feet away from it. If you pass then you overcome your fear and are immune to it for the next 24 hours. If you get within 60ft of the source of your fear without first passing the Wisdom saving throw, you must immediately do so again.

You have advantage of Initiative rolls, as you constantly strive to keep alert and be ready to respond as swiftly as possible.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Infernal. Fox-kin who managed to earn the favor of Tiamat also learn how to speak, read, and write Primordial, as the favorable of Tiamat are normally trained to eventually become Emissaries of Chaos. Fox-kin are very adaptable and quick to learn new languages, requiring half the time to do so than other races.