Homebrew Enchanted Animals Species Details

Around the world many magicians, sorcerers, warlocks and curious have studied the peculiarities of magic using animals as a means of experimentation. While the poor creatures do not normally survive the continuous exposure to magical energies, some evolve thanks to them and acquire new intelligence and capabilities.

Between the wild and the sentient

Animals that were subject to magical experimentation often experience a difficult dichotomy. Many maintain a strong presence of their primitive instincts, but their intelligent minds often try to avoid falling into these outbursts. There are also those who miss their wild innocence and see their intelligence and new capabilities as a burden. Be it one way or another, for these beings their life usually leads to some kind of conflict between their past and current situation.

 

The pressure of time

While magic has given them the ability to speak, read, manipulate objects and walk on two legs, these animals keep their biological clock intact. For this reason, they are very accelerated in their way of speaking and acting, constantly having a feeling of haste. In the case of animals with shorter life expectancies, this can lead to a pessimistic outlook, feeling death as something very close and imminent.

Natives of nowhere

Because they are not a "race" in itself, enchanted animals do not have a fixed homeland, nor do they feel part of a particular culture. Therefore, many adopt the culture where they are, assuming the customs of the predominant races, or their teachers if they have them.

 

In the variety is the spice

There is a huge variety of enchanted animals, almost as large as the number of natural animals that exist. No species is more likely than another to survive the magical exposure and, therefore, it is very rare that two animals of the same species meet in their lifetime.

Unfortunately, their intelligence and abilities are not inheritable, being a highly documented fact because of how curious it is in relation to other species such as Tieflings, Dragonborns, Aasimar or Genasi. In addition, these magical changes do not allow them to breed with other races, so many do not usually have offspring. Some argue that they gave up on this because they feel it would be similar to take advantage of their peers; others because they seek love more than simply satisfying the desires of the flesh. However, the fact that their children would be common animals is usually what takes away their desire to procreate.

Names and choices

The topic of names is usually an important issue for enchanted animals, especially since it is one of the first conscious choices they can make. Some decide to keep the names that their teachers or "creators" have given them, which can sometimes seem shocking to some when they present themselves as "Whiskers, Mr. Barks, Miss Fluffy or Fido", among others. However, some prefer to choose their names, which sometimes leads them to opt for grandiloquence; as when an otter come to the court of New March introducing herself as "Merecidus Elberos, destroyer of Undead and terror of the Vampires, liberator of the swamps and executor of cultists of the Outer Plane", what was a hindrance especially because he demanded that they say his full name every time they refer to him.

 

 

Enchanted Animals Traits

Although the broad spectrum of possible enchanted animals makes determining general attributes difficult, these are guidelines that are usually maintained due to the magical influence that affects them all.

Ability Score Improvement

Your Intelligence score increases by 1 and other Ability of your choice increases by 2. This choice has to be linked to your enchanting animal species, such as Strength for a bear, Charisma for a dog or Dexterity for a monkey.

Age

Enchanted animals maintain the maturation times and life expectancy of their species.

Size

Depending on the species, they can be Small (otter, cat, dog), Medium (bear, rhino, lion) or Large (elephant, mammoth or giraffe)

Speed

The magic that gave you your intelligence allows you to move on two or four legs (as well as being able to manipulate objects), whatever your preference. Your base walking speed in both cases is 30 feet.

Wild Physiology

Your animal bodie maintain improved vigor and senses. Every time you level up, you get 1 additional hit point. In addition,You have advantage in perception checks that depend on smell or hearing. Depending on your species and your DM, you could get additional benefits, such as Darkvision for a cat or Heat Vision for a snake.

Accelerated Biological Clock

Because your body works faster than other races, you only need to sleep 6 hours a day. Also, learning new skills (such as proficiency in new tools or languages) takes you half the time than normally do.

Natural Weapons

Since your biology has not changed too much, you can use the tools that nature gave you to defend yourself normally. You can Bite or Scratch an enemy that is 5 feet from you in your turn using your action, which is considered an improvised weapon attack with which you are competent, and making Piercing Damage (1D4). If you have retractable appendages or with the ability to take things, you maintain this ability for everyday tasks, but you cannot use weapons, sacred symbols or other complex or magical tools with them.

Languages

You can speak common and another language of your choice. In addition, you can cast Speak with Animals once without using a spell slot, but you can't do it again until you finish a long rest.