Homebrew Lupin Species Details

The lupin are a tribal people whose origins have been lost to the ages. The canid humanoids wander realms of thick forests and grasslands, rarely making contact with other civilized races for fear of being ostracized. A traditionally nomadic people, it is rare to see a lupin stay in one place for long, and rarer to see one without their bonded mount.

Skilled Predators

Lupin society developed over the tribal necessity to follow herds of deer, antelope, and elk. Lupin children are taught to hunt and ride on horses and direwolf mounts, and, at puberty, participate in a tribal rite of passage in which they must spend a night on the grasslands with only the company of their mount.

Lupins are often mistaken for werewolves, given their bipedal wolflike appearance. It’s for this reason that much of lupin society is made of highly skilled lycanthrope hunters, many of whom begin training as early as their first solid meal.

Social Creatures

Lupins consider trust and loyalty to be paramount, and they are taught to work for the well-being of their community. Lupins hate solitude, preferring crowds and social atmospheres. They give their friendship freely, and because of this many lupins hold grudges when they feel they've been taken advantage of.

Lupin Names

Lupins traditionally present their young with two given names combined with a hyphen when written: one name from the father (usually one of his parents' names) and one name from the mother (usually one of her parents' names). Thus, a male pup whose grandfathers are Turff-Roff and Crott-Renard might get the names Turff-Renard or Roff-Crott.

Male Names: Crott, Hector, Lab, Mattaff, Renard, Roff, Turff.

Female Names: Arann, Carra, Fikenn, Likka, Jakka, Rottie, Warra.

Lupin Adventurers

Lupins adventure for many of the same reasons as rangers or druids of any race. They excel as hunters and trackers and tend to leave their tribes as outcasts or as youths caught in wanderlust. Lupins put aside their fears and desire to stay with their tribe in order to hunt werewolves. In a land or world infested with lycanthropes, lupins stand on the front lines and often wage personal wars against these hated shapeshifters.

Lupin Traits

Lupins share the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

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

Alignment

Their strong beliefs in community, loyalty, and trust mark lupins as highly lawful creatures. Generosity and pity for the poor define the race, but lupins also tend to hold grudges and refuse aid to those who have wronged them in the past. Thus, many lupins are either lawful good or lawful neutral. Only rare exceptions become chaotic or evil.

Size

Lupin average just over 6 feet in height, and they tend to have lithe, slender builds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Keen Hearing and Smell

You gain advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.

Expert Rider

Your tribal upbringing gives you an edge handling horses and other mounts. Whenever you make an ability check made to persuade or control a mount, roll a d4, and add the number rolled to the check's total.

Lycanthrope Tracker

Your intense training has given you unmatched insight when identifying lycanthropes.

When you make a Wisdom (Survival) check to track a shapechanger, roll a d4, and add the number rolled to the check’s total. While you are actively tracking a shapechanger, you cannot be surprised by them.

In addition, when a shapechanger makes a Charisma (Deception) check to conceal its nature from you, or they make a Dexterity (Stealth) check to hide from you, they do so at disadvantage.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Lupin.