Homebrew Kipine Species Details

Society

Tribe Life They live in tribes, either in a tree house village, interconnected with walkways, or mountainside nests (like giant swallow nests) made of wood, also interconnected with walkways. Kipine who no longer have a twin or their twin’s egg never hatched, tend to be groomed for leadership roles. Three of them are elected to be the tribe’s rulers, and lead until they die or choose to retire. The rest make up the “Council of Ones”, to aid the rulers.

All of them wear a necklace. They make and decorate their own as part of a right of passage. They tend to make it to fit their chosen occupation. For example, the warriors have a thick heavy necklace which holds their shield. The leaders each wear one of "opulence” that gets handed down from leader to leader. Some like to decorate their necklaces with shiny trinkets they have found here and there.

Offspring and Community Females go into heat 3 times in their lives and lay 2 eggs each time. No more, no less. There is a deep fondness between mates, but mates for life is rare. In families where the father is not constant, he is still a part of their lives. Children are tribe- and mother-raised. Fathers take on a kindly grandfather, or uncle role, sometimes taking his children for a couple times a month to spend quality time. All kipine are twins, until death. There is a strong sense of community.

Twins have a slight empathetic bond with each other. They can sense strong emotions with each other. They know if one was injured. And they definitely know when their twin dies. and they are telepathic.

Armor and Weaponry Kipine warriors tend to use weaponry like polearms, spears, javelins and barbed nets. When flying, they use their talons. When on the ground, they fight with their claws. They can grip the weapons with either, with ease. They lose an attack when switching from flying to ground attack and vice versa. The foe would also have advantage of attack. Kipine get to choose an open field terrain of their choice for advantage (mountain, hill, grassland, etc), but also have a disadvantage fighting in an enclosed area (narrow town, dungeon, etc).

The Outside World They are adept with their claws and talons. They make pottery and weave baskets, colored dyes and brushes, which they trade with other races nearby. They go to towns and cities two times a month for trade. While uncommon, kipine are not unknown in the Realm. They tend to stay to themselves otherwise. They have a rich oral tradition, but no written language. Their language is a series of growls and chirps, tweets and coos. But many of them do tend to learn Common

They don’t care much about money, they think humanoid races are silly for being so materialistic. They trade their wares for food and other materials. But they are like magpies in their fascination and love of shiny things.

Eating Habits They are mostly carnivores but can subside for a time on berries and nuts. A kipine’s favorite treat is the rare bit of honey.

Views On Other Races Most kipine only interact with other races during bi-monthly ‘Trade days’ where they go to the nearest village (often human or elven) to trade goods. Kipine like to live separate from other civilizations but most (not all) are also welcoming and friendly toward other peaceful races.

Kipine Names

Kipine names cannot be pronounced in other languages but a kipine who chooses to leave his or her tribe may often take a name they have heard, seen, or read and think common to other races. They cannot tell the difference between male names and female names unless they have studied other races somewhat.

 

Suggested Characteristics.

When creating a kipir character, you can use the following table of traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws to help flesh out your character. Use these tables in addition to or in place of your background's characteristics. This is totally optional.

d6	Personality Trait
1	High Flier: I value ad train my ability to fly and think less of those who cannot.
2	Simple Life: As a crafter of pots and baskets, I had no wish for grander things. Grander things found me anyway.
3	Adventurer: The simple life was not for me. The outside world has always called, I had to listen.
4	Charmer: I can charm anyone I meet, or at least I think I can.
5	Leader: Whether it be a kipir tribe, soldiers, or a group of adventurers, I was born and bred to lead.
6	The Twin: My twin is the most important thing in my life.

d6	Ideal
1	Pride: The kipir people should be respected, if not honored! (Any)
2	Community: Be it kipir tribe or a close knit group, community is vitally important. (Lawful)
3	Freedom: I just want to be free to find my own path! Whatever that may be. (Chaotic)
4	Social: I love meeting new folk and believe there is a spark of good in all people. (Good)
5	Worth: I will do anything to prove myself worthy. (Chaotic)
6	Blood: Family is all that matters by blood or not. (Neutral)

d6	Bond
1	I seek to raise the kipir people as high as they deserve to be in the eyes of outsiders.
2	I just want to return home, as well as preserve our culture and history. I don't want things to change.
3	I grew up hearing about heroes around the world. I want to be just like them.
4	I want to bring the kipir into the light of the outside world and end our secluded ways.
5	I measure my deeds and worth against kipir leaders of the past.
6	My family are my heart, I'll fight and die to defend them.

d6	Flaw
1	I secretly (or not-so-secretly) believe all other races to be inferior.
2	I do not think I am particularly brave, I may even secretly fear other races.
3	Sometimes I get too wrapped up in acting brave I forget to show my other sides.
4	I focus on other people so I don't have to focus on my numerous shortcomings.
5	I judge myself very harshly and fear not being worthy of the position I am destined for.
6	I will sometimes act reckless to protect those close to my heart.

Kipine Traits

Kipine are an evolved form of a winged owlbear known as a kipine, having shed their monstrous origins for a smaller form and a more civilized lifestyle.

Flight.

You have a flying speed of 50 feet. To use this flying speed, you cannot be wearing medium or heavy armor. You also can hover and must expand half of your  flying speed on your turn or at the end of their turn, you'll fall to the ground.

True North.

You always know which way is north, and approximately what time it is.

Languages, Age, Alignment and Size

You can speak, read, and write Common and speak Kipine, a dialect of Sylvan unique to kipine. Kipine isn't written.

 

Age. Kipine first take flight at the age of 3 and are fully mature by the age of 10. Kirpir are be expected to live anywhere from 50-60 years.
Alignment. The majority of kipine are lawfully neutral.
Size. Kirpine are on average around 6 to 7 feet tall and average over 200 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Antlers

An attack with your antlers.

Talons

An attack with your sharp talons

Keen sight and smell

The Kipine has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that use sight or smell

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength, Constitution and Charisma score each increase by 1.

Darkvision.

You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can discern color in darkness

Natural Armor.

 Your bear-like hide and fur provide you some semblance of protection. When you aren't wearing armor, your AC is 12 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield's benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.