Homebrew Ald'Warg Species Details

Physically, The Ald'Warg are reminiscent of a dire wolf. They are similar in height to a horse, though somewhat heavier with their barrel chested hunting build. There is little visual distinction from afar between their powerful jaws and densely muscled necks. After eons of civilization, however, Ald'Warg fur is not as stiff and short as their wild counterpart's. Instead Ald'Warg manes are traditionally soft, long, and lustrous, much like domesticated dogs, though they tend to resent the comparison.

Culture

Due both to their intelligence and their lack of inherent prehensile manipulation, Ald'Warg rely heavily on humanoid servants. Because of this, servant uprisings pose a major threat to their society, however the powers of charm and command possessed by all Ald'Warg do a spectacular job of quelling such notions before they even begin. It is also for this reason that many Ald'Warg prefer to maintain a positive or even friendly relationship with their servants to ensure their loyalty. In times of war, it is well known that an Ald'Warg can have no greater weapon than a humanoid archer or chevalier mounted on her back. These special servants are called the Warg's "Second" and are usually raised alongside their master, so the two can be trained to fight in harmony.

There may be several small dynasties remaining in the world, each with their own set of customs and fashion, but the only one large enough to be widely known and respected any more is the Duzzari Emurate. The Duzzari Emurate encourages worship of the three war-gods that make up The Coven of Wrath: Sirona the River-Maiden, Grumsh the Axe and Hearth, and Tsothath the Tower Crone, and many temples to them or their various saints dot the landscape. Vecna, the Flayed King is honored in festivals, being the most powerful and hands-on of the primary gods, but is rarely mentioned the rest of the year. Worship of other Primary Pantheon gods, is legal but not especially popular, while worship of outsider gods, like Bahamut, the Raven Queen, or Tharizdun is punishable by fine, imprisonment, or death, depending on the god.

Duzzari Ald'Warg traditionally wear elaborate silks almost like tapestries, and have beaded bangles woven into their mane and tails. Their servants often wear robes or kimonos chosen to compliment their master's attire. Only Ald'Warg soldiers wear saddles casually. Civilians are loathe to act as a mount, and those wealthy few that do have Seconds only wear saddles when they expect to be attacked.

Players

For even the most inventive of players, the lack of prehensile manipulation can prove quite problematic. It is suggested that one or more other players could entwine their backstory with the Ald'Warg as their faithful servant or trusted friend. Otherwise, this role could be filled by a secondary PC by the same player, or a DM PC, though there are certain well documented dangers to this option.

Ald'Warg Traits

An unadorned Ald'Warg may look like little more than an unusually large wolf to the untrained eye, but they are a species of born commanders, natural masters of speechcraft, further enhanced by innate magics stemming from their divine origin. You gain the following traits.

Ability Score Increase.

Ald'Warg as a species are built for war, with even the least of them having an intense physique and remarkable presence.

Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.

Age.

Ald'Warg mature at a rate comparable to humans, reaching adulthood at around age 20, and grow old at a noticeably slower rate, often living to 120-180 years old.

Alignment.

Ald'Warg come from a highly structured society, that often prioritizes the betterment of the pack over the self or outsiders. They are usually Lawful Neutral.

Size.

Ald'Warg often stand 5-6 feet at the shoulder and 7-8 feet long. Your size is Large.

Speed.

Your base walking speed is 40 feet, and your base climbing speed is 0.

Convincing Will.

Your war-blessed heritage grants you innate proficiency in the Intimidation and Persuasion skills.

Canid Build.

You lack prehensile manipulation. You cannot use any weapons or tools that require a hand or hands to use, although you can often carry such objects in your mouth. Any climb that requires hands and feet is entirely beyond your natural ability.

However, over the course of their ancient history the Ald'Warg have developed ways of casting spells without hands. You can satisfy any somatic components through a mixture of body-posture and tail-wagging. As long as your tail is not bound, you can cast spells you know with somatic components.

Finally, you can only wear armor in the form of barding (twice the weight and four times the cost of the humanoid equivalent), and a Medium or smaller creature can ride on your back if you allow it. In such a situation, you continue to act independently, not as a controlled mount.

Voice of War.

You know the Vicious Mockery cantrip. When you reach third level, you can cast the Command spell as a 2nd level spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a short rest. When you reach 5th level, you learn one 2nd-level Enchantment spell from any class list which you can cast as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait, and regain the ability to cast this spell when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your Spellcasting ability for these Spells.

At 12th level, when you cast an Enchantment spell of 4th level or below on a creature that was not in combat with you, it does not become aware that you tried to charm it when the spell ends.

Keen Hearing and Smell.

The Ald'Warg has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.

Bite.

You can use your fanged jaws to make an unarmed strike attack. If it hits, it deals 1d6 piercing damage plus your strength modifier, instead of the normal unarmed strike damage. Ald'Wargs who have access to the Martial Arts feature (whether from their Class or from a Feat), add their Martial Arts die to this damage instead of replacing it.

Language.

You can speak and read Common, Worg, and either Orc or Goblin. Worg is melodic language of whooping howls, rolling growls, and guttural grunts.