Homebrew Awakened Dire Wolf Species Details

You won't believe me! I was out in the woods I was, scroungin' for mushrooms, when a great big beastie leapt at me from outta nowhere! A great brown bear it was, bigger than any I'd ever seen afore! It were angry, growlin' and the like, I was sure I was gonna be eaten and shat out by the end of the night. That's when another beastie jumped through the brush between it and me. You'd never seen such a sight— a wolf, big as a workhorse! That's when I 'eard a voice in my head, tellin' me "Get away!" It tousled with the bear-creature, and I wanted to help, swear I did, but I weren't sure what I were s'posed to do against somethin' so giant, and I ran back to me house. I haven't gone back since, and I oft' find myself wonderin' what happened to the wolf... but I tell you what, the howlin' I hear at night has never been so reassurin' in me life.

— A sighting of an Awakened Dire Wolf, accounted by a peasant farmer

Awakened Dire Wolves began their lives as ordinary Dire Wolves, but through some unknown manner, have realized their latent intellect. Unable to live among their more wild brethren, the Awakened tend to find themselves isolated from their packs, and travel the world alone. Though, occasionally, they may form a pack-bond with a new group; a group they can call their intellectual equals, who they can fight and adventure alongside.

A New You

Though still knowledgeable of their feral beginnings, Awakened Dire Wolves are completely sentient beings, separating themselves from their feral kin by developing a unique personality and cultivating it throughout their lives. Coinciding with this, Awakened Dire Wolves have a tendency to be impressionable, adopting mannerisms and even the body language of those they travel with. They may find themselves using similar phrases, picking up on words in their companions' native languages, or even fighting with a certain style, emulating the ones around them. These simple acts may seem insignificant, but are in fact notable signs that the Awakened Dire Wolf has come to see their peers as their true pack-mates.

From All Walks of Life

There are no prerequisites for a Dire Wolf to undergo Awakening, and so for the few that are, they can be of any size, any breed, and from anywhere. A giant, white-furred Arctic Dire Wolf has just as much of a chance to Awaken as the runt of a starving litter.

While Awakened Dire Wolves usually greatly value their advanced mentality, depending on how it was achieved, this may not be the case. A Dire Wolf that Awakened by natural happenstance will differ greatly from one who was experimented upon, tested, and tortured to force an Awakening. This means that an Awakened Dire Wolf can be inclined toward any manner of moral standing, though a wild heritage skews the average towards the chaotic end of the spectrum.

A Master of the Mind

Awakened Dire Wolves have attained masterful manipulation of their own psyche, allowing for the connecting of minds through telepathy. Owing to this, Awakened Dire Wolves naturally find themselves in classes with a focus on psionics and mind-manipulation. A Psi Warrior Awakened Dire Wolf uses strong psychokinetic abilities as a weapon; an Aberrant Mind sorcerer draws on their enhanced bestial intellect to sling uncanny spells; an expert in the School of Enchantment will beguile and mold the thoughts of an enemy using their own. There are exceptions, however; an Awakened Dire Wolf may just as well utilize their latent strength as a raging barbarian, or find faith and become a righteous cleric.

Awakened Dire Wolf Names

Awakened Dire Wolves do not have names when they Awaken, and usually name themselves or are named by those around them. These names can be based on a physical trait, a personal event, a random whim, or could be appropriated from the region and people they surround themselves with.

Awakened Dire Wolf Names: Bigs, Dash, Flint, Gray, Jackal, Opal, Strange, Wilt, Zap

Awakened Dire Wolf Traits

Your Awakened Dire Wolf character has the following traits.

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

Awakened Dire Wolves typically only live for 20-30 years, and reach maturity at 2 years.

Alignment

Awakened Dire Wolves have no real predetermined morality, though their sentient and isolated natures often drive them toward being chaotic.

Size

Awakened Dire Wolves generally grow no larger than 5 feet tall when on all fours, and tend to weigh between 300 and 400 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

Your nocturnal, Dire Wolf nature grants you superior vision in dark and dim conditions. 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.

Mind Link

Your Awakened state allows you to create a telepathic bond with any number of creatures within a 120 ft. radius. These creatures must at least understand Common or any other language you are proficient in.

Feral Origin

Your creature type is Beast for the purpose of in-game effects and spells.

Lupine Physiology

Due to your lack of opposable thumbs, you may only use weapons that fit in your mouth, unless wielded with psionic energy. You may only wear armor that is custom-fitted for your body.

Bite

Your fanged maw is a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Pack Tactics

You have advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of your allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn’t incapacitated.

Languages

You can understand Common, but you cannot speak outright. You must forge a mind link with another creature to communicate with it.