Homebrew Ancient Feneriren Species Details

These were the stories of a restless people who long ago took to the seas and rivers in longboats, first to pillage and terrorize, then to settle. Yet there was an energy, a love of adventure, that sang from every page. Long into the night.

never given much thought to Lycan, but these stories fascinated her. In these yellowed pages were tales of bold heroes, strange and fierce animals, mighty primitive gods, and a magic that was part and fabric of that distant land.

In the reckonings of most worlds, Lycan's are the oldest of the uncommon races, late to arrive on the world scene and long-lived in comparison to dwarves, elves, and dragons. Perhaps it is because of their longer lives that they strive to achieve as much as they can in the years they are given. Or maybe they feel they have something to prove to the younger races, and that’s why they build their mighty empires on the foundation of conquest and trade. Whatever drives them, lycans are the innovators, the achievers, and the pioneers of the worlds.

A Broad Spectrum

With their penchant for migration and conquest, lycans are more physically diverse than other common races. There is no typical lycan. An individual can stand from 5 feet to a little over 8 feet tall and weigh from 135 to 250 pounds. Lycan skin shades range from nearly black to very pale, and hair colors from black to blond (curly, kinky, or straight). A lot of lycans have a dash of nonhuman blood, revealing hints of elf, orc, or other lineages. Lycans reach adulthood in their late teens and rarely live even a single century.

Variety in All Things

Lycans are the most adaptable and ambitious people among the common races. They have widely varying tastes, morals, and customs in the many different lands where they have settled. When they settle, though, they stay: they build cities to last for the ages, and great kingdoms that can persist for long centuries. An individual lycan might have a relatively long life span, but a lycan nation or culture preserves traditions with origins far beyond the reach of any single lycan’s memory. They live fully in the present—making them well suited to the adventuring life—but also plan for the future, striving to leave a lasting legacy. Individually and as a group, lycans are adaptable opportunists, and they stay alert to changing political and social dynamics.

EVERYONE'S SECOND-BEST FRIENDS

Just as readily as they mix with each other, lycans mingle with members of other races. They get along with almost everyone, though they might not be close to many. Lycans serve as ambassadors, diplomats, magistrates, merchants, and functionaries of all kinds.

Dwarves. “They’re stout folk, stalwart friends, and true to their word. Their loyalty for for their kin ⁵is their downfall, though.”

Elves. “It’s best not to wander into elven woods. They don’t like intruders, and you’ll as likely be bewitched as peppered with arrows. Still, if an elf can get past that damned racial pride and actually treat you like an equal, you can learn a lot from them.”

Halflings. “It’s hard to beat a meal in a halfling home, as long as you don’t crack your head on the ceiling—good food and good stories in front of a nice, warm fire. If halflings had a shred of ambition, they might really amount to something.”

Lasting Institutions

Where a single elf or dwarf might take on the responsibility of guarding a special location or a powerful secret, lycans found sacred orders and institutions for such purposes. While dwarf clans and halfling elders pass on the ancient traditions to each new generation, lycan temples, governments, libraries, and codes of law fix their traditions in the bedrock of history. Lycans dream of the old hunting grounds, but they achieve it by ensuring that they will be remembered when they are gone.

Although some lycanns can be xenophobic, in general their societies are inclusive. Lycan lands welcome large numbers of nonhumans compared to the proportion of lycans who live in nonhuman lands.

Exemplars of Ambition

Lycans who seek adventure are the most daring and ambitious members of a daring and ambitious race. They seek to earn glory in the eyes of their fellows by amassing power, wealth, and fame. More than other people, lycans champion causes rather than territories or groups.

 

Ancient Feneriren Traits

It’s hard to makeout lycans, but your lycan character has these traits.

Ability Score Increase

 Your ability scores each increase by 1.

Age

Humans reach adulthood in their late teens and live less than a century.

Alignment

 Lycans tend toward no particular alignment. The best and the worst are found among them.

Size

Humans vary widely in height and build, from barely 5 feet to well over 6 feet tall. Regardless of your position in that range, your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and one extra language of your choice. Humans typically learn the languages of other peoples they deal with, including obscure dialects. They are fond of sprinkling their speech with words borrowed from other tongues: Orc curses, Elvish musical expressions, Dwarvish military phrases, and so on.