Homebrew Canitaurs Species Details
HOME AND HEALTH
Whether it is a product of their seemingly boundless energy or their ties to the creatures of the forest, the canitaur tend to be a people in motion rather than building up great cities around them. That said, there are many canitaur cities, but they bear some subtle differences from that of man.
The first thing someone would notice about canitaur cities is that more space is dedicated to the outdoor life than the indoor. Sleeping and storage is confined to the smallest possible space with outdoor seating, dining, and play areas utilizing the bulk of the space. Indoor space is also minimized due to the seeming lack of privacy. Families are very close and often share sleeping quarters that would be considered far too invasive for most humans or dwarves.
Where there is commerce in larger canitaur cities it is usually the basic supplies and needs. Rarely do businesses compete in a city, but rather multiple business may spring up to support a larger population. These sellers usually traffic in food, clothing, tools, armor and weapons, and hunting equipment. While trivialities like candy and toys are definitely present, they do not occupy as much real estate as they would in human cities.
For some of the more remote and wild canitaur breeds and packs, settlements are often temporary, lasting anywhere between a season and a year. Simple dwellings made of found timber and hides spring up and central food and supply storage is built depending on the duration of the stay. After a time, the settlement is dismantled, packed up, and moved along as the pack or family searches for new hunting grounds or simply a change of scenery.
UNCIVILIZED “DOG”
Canitaurs first learned the word “dog” when they made contact with humans and those who spoke Common. While this is an obvious comparison to the domesticated dogs, it quickly became a derogatory slur that people used to liken canitaur to the uncivilized and unintelligent pets. While each breed and each individual canitaur have their own personalities, their distaste for being called a dog is almost universal.
The name “dog” is sometimes heard among canitaurs. This is considered an ultimate insult, as it implies that one canitaur is significantly below another. This kind of insult is almost always viewed as a challenge and the only appropriate response is some form of combat.
BACKGROUNDS
- STRAY
Whether through some atrocity or merely an unfortunate series of events you came to live with a race unlike your own. They took you in and cared for you, taught you their ways, and came to regard you as one of their own. You know little of your own race as a result which alienates you from the rest of canitaur culture.
You have lost touch with your own race but gained a loving family. You can always return home, and your family has done everything they can to make you feel welcome. Even still, you felt uneasy as you grew. You started to notice the stares and hushed comments of those in the community. You could choose to stay locked in your family home forever or strike out and see what life you might make for yourself.
Skill Proficiencies: Insight, Performance
Languages: You cannot speak, read, or write Cannid, as you did not grow up in the presence of other canitaurs. You can optionally know another language, presumably one that your adoptive family knows.
Equipment: A family heirloom or item from your childhood like your mother’s ring or a small toy (or you may roll for a random trinket on the Trinkets table in chapter 5 of the Players Handbook), a set of common clothes, a small cook pot, and a belt pouch containing 10 gp. - FEATURE: ASSIMILATED CULTURE
To fit in with your adoptive family you learned their ways and customs. You know when important holidays fall on the calendar and how to properly celebrate them. You know several ways to properly greet others of your family’s race, and even more ways to insult them.
When you are with those of the same race as your adoptive family, you already know the basics of their culture. For more obscure facts, you can add your proficiency bonus to either History and Religion checks when recalling facts about that race.
Additionally, if a member of your family was a prominent figure in the community, or was highly skilled in a trade, you gain this benefit to all checks related to their field of work or study as well. - SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS
Stray canitaur are as diverse and unique as anyone, given their unusual appearance and learned culture. Many of their defining characteristics stem from the struggle between being loved by a family but never knowing your true heritage. This leads many strays to a life of soul searching and overcompensating for their perceived lack of self. Choose a personality trait, ideal, bond, and flaw for your character or roll on the following tables.
ALPHA
There are leaders and there are followers. You were never any good at following. Alphas are natural leaders, commanding obedience. Other canitaur respect this dominance and will respond accordingly. The rest of the world sees a strange and imposing creature and will stay out of your way.
While your travels may take you far from other canitaur, you can always count on your posture and attitude to let anyone know that you mean to take the reins in any situation you deem necessary. Whether you work through fear and intimidation or kindness and leadership, you will always get your point across.
Skill Proficiencies: Intimidation, Persuasion
Equipment: A sign of your pack (a banner, tabard, or standard), a set of traveling clothes, a trophy or memento of a victory, and a belt pouch with 10 gp.
An alpha canitaur is a proud creature. Their power comes from a carefully curated appearance of control and understanding of the world around them. Any flaws or misgivings they may have are buried under layers of learned behaviors. Only to those they truly love or trust are they ever their true selves.
FEATURE: DOMINANT PARADE
You have earned respect among your pack and your race. Just from the way you carry yourself you command the cooperation of those around you. When you make a display of dominance, creatures who can see you and try to resist your influence must succeed a Wisdom saving throw against a DC equal to 10 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus. Creatures who succeed their saving throw are immune to this feature for 24 hours.
All people who fail their saving throw or give into your dominance willingly respect your leadership and won’t stand in your way or work against you unless you prove harmful to them or their goals. Canituar will also work to help you in your endeavors if they can safely, and members of your pack will put themselves in harm’s way to assist you.
Existing Background Choices: There are choices already in the Player Handbook that would fit a canitaur. Here are a few examples and how to integrate them into your new canitaur character. • Folk Hero. You are a widely recognized figure in the canitaur community. Children are taught your name and criminals fear you. This notoriety is slowly spreading to other races as well. • Hermit. Neither canitaur nor the other races suit your taste. You prefer the wild lands to any city and do just find for yourself. • Outlander. Your travels have taken you far and wide and your personal customs and habits have grown as a result. You appear foreign even among your own kind. • Urchin. Considered an outsider, you and your pack were forced to fend for yourself in a city that wanted little to do with you. You may not fit in, but the back alleys and hidden secrets of this city are yours to exploit.
Canitaurs Traits
Despite their individual nuances, almost every breed of canitaur follow the general hierarchy of family, pack, and breed.
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